To unlock mounts fast in Hogwarts Legacy, you must progress the main storyline until you complete The High Keeper main quest given by Professor Fig and Natai Onat, which unlocks your first flying mount, Highwing the Hippogriff. Skipping side content and focusing entirely on critical path story missions allows you to secure your first aerial mount within roughly 10 to 15 hours of playtime. While brooms are available much earlier through Spintwitches Sporting Needs in Hogsmeade, true magical beast mounts require specific progression milestones mapped across the Scottish Highlands.
Prerequisites for Unlocking Mounts
Before you can soar across the skies on a majestic Hippogriff or trample poachers with a ferocious Graphorn, your wizard must meet strict campaign requirements. The open-world exploration elements of Hogwarts Legacy gate progression behind seasonal shifts and explicit Professor assignments. If you are struggling with game stability while traversing these massive rendering zones, check out our guide on how to fix crashing on PC to keep your session running smoothly, or optimize your handheld session via how to farm gold fast on Steam Deck OLED if you play on-the-go.
Your journey begins in the prologue, but mounts are locked away until the mid-game campaign. You cannot tame wild beasts using the Nab-Sack immediately; Deek the House-Elf must first introduce you to the Room of Requirement and the mechanics of beast rescue during the main quest titled The Elf, The Nab-Sack, and the Loom. Completing this quest rewards you with the Nab-Sack tool and the Loom, setting the foundational mechanics needed to handle larger magical creatures later in the narrative.
Step-by-Step Guide to Unlocking Highwing the Hippogriff
The fastest route to your first flying mount requires following a specific chain of main quests orchestrated by Professor Fig and your companion Natai Onat. Here is the exact critical path you must follow:
- Step 1: Advance your character level to at least Level 15 by completing early main assignments and discovering Floo Flame fast travel points.
- Step 2: Complete Jackdaw’s Rest to unlock the map chamber and learn the truth about ancient magic traces.
- Step 3: Clear all pending Professor assignments to learn essential utility spells like Arrest Momentum and Bombarda.
- Step 4: Accept and complete The High Keeper quest from Natai Onat, which takes place in the ruins southwest of Hogsfield.
- Step 5: Breach the castle ruins, fight through the Poacher Tracker mobs, and release Highwing from her captivity in the upper courtyard.
Once the cinematic cutscene concludes, Highwing becomes your permanent companion, accessible at any time from your gear menu wheel by pressing the designated mount button.
How to Unlock the Graphorn Ground Mount
For players who prefer heavy-hitting ground transportation that can smash through enemy shields and barricades, the Graphorn is the ultimate mount. Unlocking the Graphorn requires advancing even further into the campaign until you reach the final Keeper trial, titled San Bakar’s Trial. This quest takes you far to the southern coast of the map, an area dense with high-level Ashwinder enemies.
During San Bakar’s Trial, you must track down the Lord of the Mountain—a massive, aggressive Graphorn living in its coastal arena. This is an actual boss encounter. You must whittle down its health bar using heavy damage spells like Confringo and Diffindo while dodging its devastating charge attacks. Utilize Dodge Roll timing carefully, and exploit its vulnerability windows. Once defeated, you will have the choice to kneel before the beast or attack it; choosing to kneel successfully tames the Graphorn, adding it to your roster of ridable mounts.
Optimizing Mount Travel and Vivarium Management
Managing your mounts efficiently means utilizing the Room of Requirement's Vivariums. Once you rescue additional beasts like Thestrals, Hippogriffs, and Graphorns using your Nab-Sack, you can house them inside your magical habitats. Feeding and grooming them yields valuable upgrading materials such as Graphorn Horn, Hippogriff Feather, and Thestral Hair, which are vital for upgrading your legendary gear attributes at the Enchanted Loom.
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Comparing Brooms vs. Mounts for Open World Exploration
While brooms provide instantaneous summoning and excellent maneuverability through tight mountain gaps, magical mounts offer distinct cinematic advantages. Brooms do not feature combat attacks, whereas the Graphorn can actively trample enemies out in the open world, generating massive momentum and breaking through barricades instantly. On the other hand, aerial mounts like Highwing and the Sepulchria Thestral (available via the Dark Arts Pack DLC) provide unmatched panoramic views of the Scottish highlands.
For players optimizing their hardware performance to enjoy these sprawling open-world flights without stuttering, checking system optimization guides is crucial. If you play on handheld gaming PCs, consult our guide on Lenovo Legion Go best graphics settings for performance to ensure smooth frame rates. Similarly, if you encounter framerate drops or stuttering during heavy weather transitions, review our troubleshooting guide on how to fix lag and low fps in Subnautica 2 for universal PC performance tweaks.
Advanced Tips for Fast Exploration and Collection
Unlocking mounts opens up the entire map, allowing you to bypass annoying terrain obstacles and reach high-altitude Merlin Trials and Demiguise Statue locations with ease. When hunting down collectible pages and landing platforms, switch between your broom for precision hovering and your Hippogriff for long-distance cruising across regional borders. Always keep an eye out for dynamic weather conditions, as flying during night cycles offers some of the most striking visual vistas in the entire game.
By strictly following the main quest critical path, ignoring distracting side-quests until Highwing is secured, and tackling San Bakar’s Trial as soon as it unlocks in your quest log, you will minimize wasted time and maximize your travel efficiency. Load up your wand, stock up on Wiggenweld Potions, and take to the skies of the wizarding world.