The Elden Ring Horse Torrent is a special mount that you can unlock early in the game, as part of what to do with Melina's accord in Elden Ring. The Spectral Steed Whistle is a very useful thing that you'll use a lot throughout the course of Elden Ring, a means to summon the magical double-jumping horse, and while you'll see Torrent in one of the game's first cutscenes, being tended to by a mysterious woman, you'll have to wait a little longer before he can join you on your journey.
Torrent is incredibly useful, as the horse can power past opponents, make long journeys a lot quicker, and serve as a means to evade attacks and provide a combat advantage. It can even double-jump, and use tornados of air to launch you both up into the air. So, to get you moving faster, here's how to get the Elden Ring horse, as well as all the advantages and abilities that come with mounted combat.
How to summon the horse in Elden Ring
Players can unlock Torrent the Spectral Steed by visiting Sites of Grace - the glowing, golden, bonfire-like checkpoints - in the explorable world of Elden Ring. Most players will unlock the horse once they hit the Gatefront Ruins Site of Grace, so we'd advise following the light trail to get there as soon as possible, once you're out in the world.
There has been some confusion because, to get the horse, you need to find a character called Melina. Now, the official word on how to do that, direct from FromSoftware, is as follows:
"Note that Melina will appear at several predetermined Sites of Grace besides [the Gatefront Ruins], so you may encounter her elsewhere first if you explore other areas before visiting Gatefront."
When you do meet her she'll give you an item called the Spectral Steed Whistle, which you can trigger at any time to summon the horse in Elden Ring. It's listed in your Key Items and can be equipped in the Equipment menu as a Quick Item, like your flasks. You can also slot it into your extra storage pouches to keep it separated from your Quick Items. Use it to instantly summon (or desummon) Torrent the horse beneath you. You can also quickly hop off and desummon Torrent by clicking in LS/L3.
Torrent controls and powers
The horse in Elden Ring functions to increase the player's maneuverability, while slightly limiting the range of actions that can be taken. Torrent moves quickly normally, but can switch to a gallop by pressing B/Circle. The steed can also double-jump, making it great for clearing large gaps and obstacles, and you can still use other items in your equipment slots, such as Flasks, if you need them while riding.
However, Torrent isn't without its limitations. Being a large, fast-moving horse means Torrent is more unwieldy and less precise in its movements, so you'll find yourself riding in wide circles of having to perform strafing runs to attack your enemies. Players also can't use Weapon Arts from Elden Ring Ashes of War, block with a shield or weapon, or other behaviours while mounted, though they can still attack and engage in combat. LB/L1 and LT/L2 respectively become light and heavy attacks on the player's left side while RB/R1 and RT/R2 become light and heavy attacks for the player's right side only.
Torrent is also not immortal, and can be killed by both enemy attacks and fall damage. If it is killed, Torrent will fade out of existence, but can sometimes be instantly summoned again by using the whistle. In some situations, such as boss fights, your ability to summon Torrent can be limited, and you'll have to sacrifice one of your healing Crimson Flask uses to bring the spectral horse back. However, you can avoid this by feeding Torrent an array of raisin food items to heal and impart other buffs.
