Hogwarts Legacy mounts: When and how to unlock them

Highwing the white Hippogriff in Hogwarts Legacy — (Image credit: Warner Bros. Interactive)

Hogwarts Legacy mounts are some of the most majestic ways to get around - flying on a hippogriff or riding thestrals make a winning alternative to your far less cuddly Hogwarts Legacy broom, but you'll have to wait for a certain point in the story before you can use and summon them.

Highwing the hippogriff comes first, then you'll be able to ride thestrals, and once you complete San Bakar's Trial you'll finally be able to summon and ride a tank-like graphorn. Sound like fun? Here's how and when you can expect to unlock mounts in Hogwarts Legacy

How to get mounts in Hogwarts Legacy

To get mounts in Hogwarts Legacy you need to complete the mission called The High Keep. It's a main mission quest after the second trial - Charles Rookwood's Trial - and starts with meeting Natty near some old castle ruins, where you'll also have to climb the battlements in Hogwarts Legacy.

Completing this mission will see you rescue a Hippogriff called Highwing, and another Hippogriff, from poachers. Once that's done you'll be able to summon Highwing as a mount whenever you want. He can both fly and run on the ground, depending on how you want to get around.

At this point you'll also unlock any pre-order or Deluxe Edition mount bonuses you might have. So anyone who pre-ordered Hogwarts Legacy will get access to the onyx Hippogriff called Caligo, and Deluxe Edition owners also get a Thestral called Sepulchria.

How to summon mounts in Hogwarts Legacy

The wheel showing all your potions and mounts in Hogwarts Legacy — (Image credit: Warners Bros. Interactive)

Once you have access to Highwing, you can summon them using L1 / LB and then triangle / Y. That will bring up your radial gear menu where you'll see Highwing on the right as an option you can use.

Once you're on and ready to go, press X / A to take off, or you can also run along the ground while mounted. In the air, you can press R2 / RT to go faster, and then use the right analogue stick to adjust your height.

It's much harder to land on a mount than on the broom, so to land you need to push all the way down until your mount reaches the ground, and then press circle / B to actually get off.

How many Hogwarts Legacy mounts are there?

Caligo the onyx Hippogriff in Hogwarts Legacy — (Image credit: Warner Bros. Interactive)

There are currently four Hogwarts Legacy mounts available in-game. These are:

Highwing the white Hippogriff (unlocked by completing The High Keep mission)
Caligo the onxy Hippogriff (pre-order bonus)
Sepulchria the Thestral (Deluxe Edition bonus)
Lord of the Shore the Graphorn (unlocked by completing the quest San Bakar's Trial)

The release of Hogwarts Legacy has been the subject of criticism and debate due to J.K. Rowling’s public stance on gender identity, which continues to challenge the inclusivity at the heart of the Harry Potter community. Here is our explainer on the Hogwarts Legacy controversy.

CATEGORIES

Sam Loveridge is the Brand Director and former Global Editor-in-Chief of GamesRadar. She joined the team in August 2017. Sam came to GamesRadar after working at TrustedReviews, Digital Spy, and Fandom, following the completion of an MA in Journalism. In her time, she's also had appearances on The Guardian, BBC, and more. Her experience has seen her cover console and PC games, along with gaming hardware, for a decade, and for GamesRadar, she's in charge of the site's overall direction, managing the team, and making sure it's the best it can be. Her gaming passions lie with weird simulation games, big open-world RPGs, and beautifully crafted indies. She plays across all platforms, and specializes in titles like Pokemon, Assassin's Creed, The Sims, and more. Basically, she loves all games that aren't sports or fighting titles! In her spare time, Sam likes to live like Stardew Valley by cooking and baking, growing vegetables, and enjoying life in the countryside.

With contributions from

Jasmine Gould-WilsonSenior Staff Writer, GamesRadar+