If you have spent any time trekking across the sprawling, brutal zones of Wraeclast in Path of Exile 2, you already know one universal truth: walking is for victims. With the vast redesign of campaign zones, expansive combat arenas, and detailed multi-level environments, getting around quickly is not just a luxury—it is fundamental to surviving deadly encounters and clearing content efficiently. Grinding Gear Games completely shook up the action RPG formula by introducing mounted traversal to PoE 2, giving exiles a long-requested feature to cross massive distances without burning out their movement skill buttons.
So how exactly do you get your hands on a beast companion, and what is the absolute fastest route to saddle up? Whether you want to charge into battle on a ferocious Rhoa or zoom past deadly elite packs on a heavy armored beast, this complete guide breaks down everything you need to know to get mounts fast in Path of Exile 2.
Understanding How Mount Mechanics Work in Path of Exile 2
Mounts in Path of Exile 2 are far more than mere cosmetic accessories designed for showing off in town hubs. Grinding Gear Games built mounted traversal as a tactical, interactive system deeply integrated into active combat and open-field exploration. Unlike older isometric action-RPGs where mounts vanish into thin air the exact moment an enemy looks at you sideways, PoE 2 mounts support dynamic mounted attacks, quick dismount abilities, and unique positional combat advantages.
When mounted, your exile receives a substantial flat percentage bonus to movement speed. This makes skipping non-essential monster packs and navigating huge campaign layouts drastically faster. However, mounts come with their own dedicated stability bar and health pool. Taking heavy burst damage, physical stuns, or severe elemental status ailments while mounted can cause your character to get bucked off. Getting thrown from your beast leaves your character briefly prone or stunned, leaving you vulnerable to follow-up strikes. Learning when to ride aggressively through zone choke points and when to dismount for a full skill rotation is key to surviving early and mid-game zones.
Mounted Skills and Dynamic Dismounts
Every mount archetype comes equipped with distinct innate skills. For example, charging forward on a beast triggers impact damage that knocks smaller enemies out of your path. Furthermore, hitting your dismount key while moving performs a heavy dismount attack—allowing melee classes to leap into monster packs with crushing force or ranged classes to slide backward into safety while firing off project abilities.
Step-by-Step: How to Unlock Your First Mount Fast
Unlocking your first mount in Path of Exile 2 requires reaching a specific narrative milestone early in Act 2. While many curious exiles love checking out every dark alley, side dungeon, and optional league mechanic in Act 1, laser-focusing on primary story objectives is the single fastest way to get mounted.
1. Rush the Act 1 Main Campaign
Avoid spending unnecessary time fully clearing early Act 1 maps. Your primary focus should be reaching quest targets, defeating required zone bosses, and pushing straight into the Act 2 desert encampment. If you find yourself hitting a wall on tough campaign encounters early on, check out our guide on how to beat early bosses in Path of Exile 2 to smooth out your progression without wasting hours on retries.
2. Complete 'The Beastmaster's Favor' Quest in Act 2
Upon entering the vast desert hub of Act 2, speak with the local Beastmaster NPC. Continue progressing through the initial desert zones until you unlock the main quest titled "The Beastmaster's Favor." This quest task sends you into the arid steppes to locate, track, and assist a wild Rhoa pack mother.
3. Claim Your Starter Rhoa Mount
Once you finish the quest line and hand over the required relic to the Beastmaster, you permanently unlock your first mount slot and keybind. Your starter Rhoa provides a immediate +40% Movement Speed bonus and grants access to the basic Mounted Trample charge. If you want to refine your early overall leveling efficiency before reaching Act 2, take a look at our 15 essential Path of Exile 2 beginner tips.
Best Mount Types and Upgrade Strategies
While your starter Rhoa gets the job done during early Act 2, later acts and endgame maps demand better speed, higher stability, and unique combat benefits. Path of Exile 2 offers several distinct mount families cater to different build archetypes:
Rhoa Mounts (Agility & Speed)
Rhoas are the default choice for players who value sheer velocity. They possess high base movement speed, snappy turning responsiveness, and clean dismount transitions. Rhoas are ideal for glass-cannon spellcasters, bow users, and fast-clearing Dexterity builds that rely on hit-and-run positioning.
Armored War Beasts (Tankiness & Stability)
Heavy beasts, such as War Bulls and Armored Ursas, trade off a small fraction of top-end speed for massive stability pools. These mounts are nearly impossible for standard enemies to knock down, allowing heavy melee exiles like Warriors or Marauders to charge directly into dense packs without fear of getting dismounted.
Class Specific Mount Synergies
Certain classes and Ascendancies feature passives that directly amplify mount mechanics. Rangers and Mercenaries can allocate passives that increase mounted attack speed, cause trampling charges to apply Bleed or Armour Break, or grant brief damage absorption shields when mounting up in combat.
Upgrading mount attributes, purchasing specialized saddles, and enhancing mount movement modifiers requires Gold. If your stash runs low on currency during your journey, check out our guide on how to farm gold fast in Path of Exile 2 to fund your beast upgrades seamlessly.
Optimizing Your Build for Fast Campaign Speedrunning
The speed at which you reach your first mount depends entirely on how quickly you clear Act 1 and enter Act 2. If your exile lacks mobility skills, proper flask management, or sufficient damage output, your campaign burn will feel like sloshing through wet cement.
Here are crucial build optimizations to shave hours off your mount unlock time:
- Prioritize Travel Skill Gems: Grab movement skill gems like Frostblink, Leap Slam, or Shield Charge from quest rewards or town vendors the second they become available. Pairing these skills with low-cooldown support gems gives you incredible early zone mobility.
- Target Movement Speed Boots: Keep a close eye out for boot drops with natural Movement Speed mods. Even a 10% or 15% boot roll cuts down total campaign travel time significantly.
- Maintain Flask Uptime: Equip two Quicksilver Flasks in your utility slots during Act 1. Alternating flask activations ensures near-constant speed buffs while traveling between quest markers.
- Fix Misallocated Skill Points Early: If you accidentally spent early skill points on slow defensive nodes instead of raw damage or movement speed, do not panic. Use our walkthrough on how to respec skill points in Path of Exile 2 to optimize your tree for maximum campaign speed.
Advanced Mount Tactics for Endgame Atlas Mapping
Once you clear the campaign and step into the Atlas endgame, mounts evolve from simple traversal tools into core speed-mapping assets. In Path of Exile 2's endgame economy, efficiency is measured in maps completed per hour, and mastering mount mechanics provides a massive advantage.
1. Gathering and Clumping Enemy Packs
Instead of stopping to kill isolated enemy groups, use your mount's high speed to ride along the perimeter of large zones. Aggro multiple monster packs, draw them into a dense cluster, and execute a heavy mounted dismount attack to annihilate dozens of foes in a single skill combo.
2. Traversing Hazardous Ground Effects
Endgame Atlas maps frequently feature deadly ground hazards like Burning Ground, Chilled Ground, or Desecrated Poison. Mount health pools act as an extra barrier, allowing you to ride directly across small hazard zones without taking direct damage to your character's life or Energy Shield.
3. Equipping Mount Gear and Relics
Late-game bosses and rare map monsters can drop specialized mount gear including Reinforced Stirrups, Bladed Bridles, and Swift Saddles. Equipping high-tier mount gear increases mount armor, boosts movement caps, and reduces the cooldown for re-mounting during active combat.
For gamers who love deep progression systems and massive world design, PoE 2 sets an incredible benchmark for modern action RPGs. If you enjoy exploring expansive fantasy worlds, browse our list of the best RPG games on Steam or jump over to our dedicated Steamoz RPG Category Page for more top recommendations.
Frequently Asked Questions About PoE 2 Mounts
Can you use mounts in boss arenas or PvP content?
Mounts are restricted in enclosed story boss arenas and structured PvP encounters to ensure fair combat balance. However, in large open-world campaign boss arenas and sprawling field encounters, mounted combat is fully functional.
Are mount unlocks account-wide?
Cosmetic mount skins and microtransactions unlocked through the store or league rewards apply account-wide across all your characters. However, actual mount story progression, mount level upgrades, and gear slots are bound to individual character progression per league season.
What happens if your mount dies in combat?
If your mount takes fatal damage from enemy attacks, you are instantly bucked off and suffer a brief stun animation. Your mount will enter a temporary cooldown period before you can summon it back into battle, so keep an eye on your mount's health bar during chaotic fights.
To stay updated on patch notes and expansion news, check out the official Path of Exile 2 website or visit the Path of Exile 2 Steam Store Page. For more deep dives, game guides, and performance tweaks, head over to our PC Games coverage and explore the full Steamoz Guides Hub.