Crimson Desert Exploration Guide: Fast Travel & How to Get Your First Horse

Stop walking and start riding! Learn how to unlock fast travel points and secure your first mount in the vast world of Pywel.
Fast Travel & Mounts: How to Traverse the Massive World of Pywel
The continent of Pywel is breathtakingly large—reportedly twice the size of Skyrim. While the scenery is beautiful, traveling on foot will quickly become a chore. To survive and thrive as a mercenary leader, you need to master the art of fast travel and secure a reliable mount as early as possible.
Here is everything you need to know about getting around in Crimson Desert.
1. 🐎 How to Get Your First Horse
In Crimson Desert, your horse is more than just a vehicle; it’s your mobile base.
- The Story Way: Early in Act 1, during the quest "The Scattered Greymanes," you will be prompted to visit a local stable in the starting region. Follow the objective to receive your first basic "Mercenary Workhorse."
- The Wild Way: If you want a better horse immediately, head to the Akman Plains.
- Taming Minigame: You'll need sugar lumps and a rope. Sneak up on a wild horse, toss the rope, and complete the "Balance" minigame using your movement keys.
- Pro Tip: Look for horses with white or dappled coats—they generally have higher "Sprint" and "Stamina" stats.
2. 🌀 How Fast Travel Works
Unlike many modern RPGs that let you teleport from anywhere, Crimson Desert uses a "Point-to-Point" Waypoint System.
- Dragon Altars: These are the fast travel hubs scattered across the map. You must manually interact with an Altar once to unlock it permanently.
- Cost of Travel: Fast traveling isn't always free. Some regions require a small amount of Silver or specific consumable items (like "Traveler's Incense") to initiate a teleport.
- The Mercenary Caravan: As you progress, your mercenary camp acts as a mobile fast travel point. You can call your caravan to certain designated "Safe Zones" across the map.
3. 🦅 Advanced Traversal: The Crow’s Wing & Gliding
Walking and riding aren't your only options. Kliff has some supernatural tricks up his sleeve:
- The Crow’s Wing Skill: Once unlocked in the main story, you can leap from high cliffs and transform (partially) into a crow-like form to glide.
- Skydiving: You can transition from a glide into a high-speed dive to reach lower areas instantly without taking fall damage.
- Combined Moves: Use your Grappling Hook to swing from a tree or rock, then immediately trigger the Glide to cover massive gaps.
4. 🗺️ Exploration Tips for New Explorers
- Follow the Smoke: In the distance, smoke rising usually indicates a Mercenary Camp or a Hidden Settlement. These are great places to find new waypoints.
- Listen to Your Horse: Your horse will neigh or act restless if a Hidden Treasure or a World Boss is nearby. Don't ignore it!
- Verticality is Key: Pywel is very vertical. Always try to reach the highest point in a new region to "survey" the area, which marks nearby points of interest on your map.
5. 🛠️ Managing Your Mount
- Horse Inventory: Your horse can carry items that Kliff cannot. Use this to store heavy crafting materials or extra weapons.
- Feeding: Keep your horse's stamina high by feeding it carrots or high-quality fodder. A tired horse moves slower and can throw you off in the middle of a bandit ambush.
Exploration Checklist
- Follow Act 1 to get your free starter horse. 🐎
- Interact with every Dragon Altar you see to unlock fast travel. 🌀
- Upgrade your Crow's Wing skill to glide over mountains. 🦅
- Always carry horse fodder to keep your mount's stamina up. 🥕
Ready for the next step?
Exploring is dangerous. Make sure your combat skills are up to par in our Combat & Combos Guide or check out the Best Settings for Performance.