High-end content in award winning MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV can appear as a daunting endeavour at first. With the right people however, and boundless determination, the experience can also be a rewarding one.
Savage Raids; what is essentially the hardcore mode for the game’s post-expansion eight person raid series. Though they drop various types of loot, the most sought after tend to be the elusive mounts, transportable trophies of success you can use to glide across the skies and skate across the PVP battlegrounds.
I’ve put together a ranking of all the currently available mounts that can be earned this way, where to get them and the necessary requirements.
11. Ramuh
Where to Get: Eden's Verse: Refulgence (Savage)
Minimum Requirements: Lv. 80, iLv. 480, Shadowbringers Completion
Tragedy Damage, warrior of light, bully of the elderly
There’s just something rather uncanny about this guy. One of the only mounts with a realistically humanoid figure and face, it creates this mildly uncomfortable vibe about breaking this old man’s back just for a ride. The model itself is well designed all things considered, but compared to his raid boss and original trial counterparts, the intimidating aura is somewhat lacking. Yes, yes, strike me down with thunder and whatnot, but I need a ride to the gold saucer so that’s your life now.
Something I will give is that acquiring this mount isn’t too much of a hassle. As long as you have a coordinated team with high DPS, you’ll be able to skip a lot of the worst mechanics involved in the raid and breeze through relatively smoothly. Also, the music goes absolutely hard. There’s some real artistry in those remixed themes.
10. Sunforged
Where to Get: Abyssos: The Eighth Circle (Savage)
Minimum Requirements: Lv. 90, iLv. 610, Endwalker Completion
It’s a bird! It’s a snake! It’s the sunforged!
Though the Sunforged remains elusive from my own grasp, if it weren’t for the enjoyment of the challenge itself it’s not exactly high on my priority for capture. For what is practically a flaming sky snake, it doesn’t spark interest the way one would expect. The fire itself is pretty to look at, but it shines better in the dark setting of the jail cell it comes from. It can be rather underwhelming otherwise.
Adding the lack of immersion as to how the hell you’re even sitting on the thing in the first place, and the movement feeling too reminiscent of the Alte Roite mount, it feels like more thought could’ve been put into this agonising to acquire reward. Be careful jumping into the grind on this one; you’ll get burned one way or another.
9. Eden
Where to Get: Eden's Promise: Eternity (Savage)
Minimum Requirements: Lv. 80, iLv. 510, Shadowbringers Completion
Can’t sit straight, let alone fly straight
There’s just a lot going on here. A smaller replica of the great structure that housed many fantastical horrors, though intimidating to behold on a larger scale, when shrunken down to a viewable size it’s not quite as impressive. It may be personal taste, but the various bits and pieces seem rather incohesive. Between the red cape, the wings, the golden halo and the giant purple gem, it fits the theme of the fights reflecting disconnected memories, but otherwise it all feels so clunky. That, and the slight worry of your character looking like they’ll slip off at any given moment.
Individually, each part looks gorgeous though. The shimmering rainbow that trails in its wake will leave you in awe, especially for those of us who very much indulged in the blossoming relationship between our leading ladies of the story.
8. Model O
Where to Get: Alphascape V4.0 (Savage)
Minimum Requirements: Lv. 70, iLv. 380, Stormblood Completion
Admiring the folly of man’s self destruction, a casual tuesday for Omega
It’s only natural that Omega would have a mount counterpart to its perfect little mini model, but there could have been better emphasis on the ‘mount’ aspect of that. Much like the minion, the design is a straight replica of the original. This works out well, since the sleek black robot strikes an intimidating figure, jittering and twitching in the same way as the original.
It’s cool to look at, which makes it all the more odd to have the Warrior of Light awkwardly plonked on top. That is, when your character isn’t shoved into the machine out of sight in flight. Something like a properly built in seat would’ve been a small detail that would’ve gone far. I’d encourage going through the fight itself regardless of whether it drops. The Omega raid series are a wonderful love letter to bosses of previous games, and they each come with wildly different styles and mechanics to keep you on your toes.
7. Gobwalker
Where to Get: Alexander - The Burden Of The Father (Savage)
Minimum Requirements: Lv. 60, iLv. 205, Heavensward Completion
Forward and back aaaand forward and back and-
The Gobwalker is an underrated little mount. It has a simple but solid design. On the ground it hobbles about on four bug-likelegs, which retract when taken to the skies and are replaced by a pair of fluttering metal insect wings. The sculpted goblin face on the body also lends to its grungy charm.
It may not be the flashiest compared some of the other mounts on this list, but it represents the steampunk inspired aesthetic of its associated raid perfectly. There’s a minion equivalent to it as well, so if you didn’t think this was charming, you might be swayed by its buggy baby. Seeing as it's also the first savage raid series mount available for players to achieve, and relatively easy to run solo for, it’s worth grabbing if you’re looking to expand your collection. Have fun getting the music stuck in your head along the way.
6. Air Force
Where to Get: Sigmascape V4.0 (Savage)
Minimum Requirements: Lv. 70, iLv. 350, Stormblood Completion
Wait, this isn’t the gold saucer…
Admittedly it’s hard not to love this little plane. There’s something already amusing about having your warrior of light all scrunched up in this cartoonish vehicle, but it isn’t the only instance you get to ride this thing. Taken from the sixth raid, Sigmascape V2.0, you fight by activating the abilities of different paintings to counter attacks. One of these includes summoning the grinning plane to avoid some earthquakes. It can also be found yet again in the Gold Saucer, an in-game casino attraction with various mini games, one of which is named after our titular mount.
It does have some small issues, in that you'll want to be careful with bulky clothes and larger characters clipping the model. Otherwise, acquiring will involve a good mix of fun and challenge.
5. Alte Roite
Where to Get: Deltascape V4.0 (Savage)
Minimum Requirements: Lv. 70, iLv. 320, Stormblood Completion
Only a ninja could sit so still on this thing
This beast of impressive length marks the first fight in the Stormblood series of normal raids, so it’s fitting that it’s included as the first mount drop of it too. The body of this brightly coloured dragon curls in on itself, making it quite the spectacle whilst soaring overhead. According to the item description, it’s supposedly a reimagination of a wizard that could transform into a dragon at will, and honestly nothing but respect to that guy. Vicariously live your dragon transformation dreams by flaunting this Quetzalcoatl inspired expy.
With such great length comes great responsibility however. Be courteous in crowds, since this mount does have a tendency to take up a lot of space, in virtual space and on your screen.
4. Demi-Phoinix
Where to Get: Asphodelos: The Fourth Circle (Savage)
Minimum Requirements: Lv. 90, iLv. 580, Endwalker Completion
I will cut myself on all this edge and you can’t stop me
Imagine a huge shadow creeping over your small town, a red feather the length of your arm softly falls to your feet. An eerie glow catches your eye, as you find yourself staring into another, followed by several smaller ones craning down to meet you as you’re battered by the wind of four wings. The Demi-Phoinix is a wonderful example of what makes a great mount. Intimidating, simple striking colours, just the right amount of edgy. Your character rides atop the back of this tamed beast, staring down at your friends and enemies alike between the avian hydra’s heads.
It does unfortunately have the same issue a lot of larger mounts have, in that it does swallow the screen, especially in populated areas. Acquiring it also requires a fair amount of determination. The savage series of the Pandæmonium raids didn’t hold back on the difficulty, but in this case especially it’s a reward worthy of the challenge.
3. Arrhidaeus
Where to Get: Alexander - The Soul Of The Creator (Savage)
Minimum Requirements: Lv. 60, iLv. 255, Heavensward Completion
Arrhidaeus, Arrhidaeus. Oh, oh, oh, Arrhidaeus.
Yes, the official description of this mount consists solely of parody lyrics, and if that doesn’t already sell you then here’s more reasons that will. Unlike mounts such as Eden, it feels cohesive in its structure. It’s clear that the designers were as attentive to the detail as the fictional goblins who made it. Shrinking it down from the boss form didn’t lose anything in the process, as it’s scaled so that the construct still towers over your character, but at the same time isn’t so bulky that you’re obscured.
The textures are so well rendered, I could practically feel the scratches as if I brushed my hand across the metal plating. The way your character stands atop the back with a decent foothold, just out of batting reach from the glorious wings that emerge during flight is another nice touch. Perhaps the only minor downside is the music that it plays; a more generic orchestral track. Then again, if I had to hear the words ‘forward and back’ on loop like a broken cassette, I’d probably be launching myself off it in a fit of madness.
2. Megaloambystoma
Where to Get: Anabaseios: The Twelfth Circle (Savage)
Minimum Requirements: Lv. 90, iLv. 640, Endwalker Completion
No thoughts, only bweee
The only other mount on this list I may not personally have, but not a day goes by without longing to squish its round pink cheeks. This overgrown axolotl is the epitome of cute; soft, smooth, and not a single brain cell behind those precious little eyes. The fact the item description implies it to have been a failure of some degree counts as the real crime in this prison of monsters.
It’s not just the cute factor though that ranks this so high. During Endwalker, the ambystoma stole the show during a questline that introduced some key players of the story, and also provided a much needed break following some very heavy plot. Also popping up since as a running gag, though the ambystoma may not be directly pulled from the raid itself like most other mounts, its connection to the setting is significant enough.
1. Skyslipper
Where to Get: Eden's Gate: Sepulture (Savage)
Minimum Requirements: Lv. 80, iLv. 450, Shadowbringers Completion
Two bros, sitting in a skyslipper
The iconic vehicle driven by a handful of beloved main characters, some new, and now you and your friends!
Being the only muti-seater mount from any raid series so far, it’s no wonder how highly sought this one is for most people. Even when held up to standards of other multi-seater mounts, the Skyslipper still has reasons that set it apart. The closest in comparison to its style is the Regalia Type-G, an sleek car only available during the FF15 crossover event, which is inconsistently active whereas this is ready and waiting when you are. Having a proper vehicle can feel nice to ride around on, and its open roof design allows you to grab some great pictures while you and your friends are on the road for fate farming, newbie escorts, treasure hunting and more!
Honourable Mention: Morbol
Where to Get: Complete the achievement ‘True Blue’
Did you catch it? Or did it catch you?
The Bahamut raid series from the base game, A Realm Reborn, may not have any mounts of its own, but the Morbol is the closest thing to it and deserves some recognition.. By completing a certain set of savage versions from both the Bahamut and Alexander raid series, sprinkle on the added challenge of running them at a synched level and no echo (essentially turning off health and damage bonuses), and you’re in for a rough ride before you can get entangled in this slimy monstrosity.
Anyone who has gone through the gruelling grind to get it, from one Blue Mage enthusiast to another, I salute you. And I am jealous.
If you enjoyed this listing, remember that it’s always just personal opinion at the end of the day, so feel free to share yours. If you enjoy the topic of mount farming and don’t mind a good grind, you might also enjoy the following articles:
