If you are searching for how to get mounts fast in Sea of Thieves, the direct answer is that you cannot: Sea of Thieves has no rideable land, sea, or flying mounts. There is no horse stable, mount vendor, unlock quest, or mount currency. The fastest practical travel method is to use a ship, optimize its sails and route, and use mermaids, rowboats, and the ship's harpoon to reduce wasted movement. Pets are available, but they are companions rather than mounts.
This distinction matters because videos, search results, and guides from other games often use “mount” to describe any rideable companion. Sea of Thieves works differently. Your pirate travels on a Sloop, Brigantine, or Galleon, while cosmetic pets sit on your shoulder, wander around the deck, and react to gameplay. Before spending Ancient Coins or chasing a supposed unlock, check the game's current systems through the official Sea of Thieves website and its news archive.
Sea of Thieves Has No Rideable Mounts
Rare has not added a mount system to Sea of Thieves. That means there is no equivalent to a horse, dragon, animal mount, vehicle summon, or personal riding creature. A pet monkey cannot carry you, a dog cannot be ridden, and a rowboat is not a character mount. Searching islands for a stable, mount trainer, or hidden mount chest will only waste time.
The game's movement is built around deliberate ship travel. You leave your vessel by swimming, climbing ladders, using a cannon launch, or boarding a rowboat. You return by climbing back aboard or interacting with a mermaid. On land, every pirate uses the same sprinting and jumping movement, with no speed-stat equipment or mount perk that increases running speed.
There are also no mount rewards in the main Trading Companies. Gold Hoarders voyages give treasure maps and riddles; Order of Souls voyages send you after skeleton captains; Merchant Alliance voyages involve cargo and deliveries. Bilge Rats, seasonal rewards, Tall Tales, and World Events can provide cosmetics, titles, weapons, or ship items, but none unlock a rideable creature.
For comparison, our Smite mount farming guide covers a game with a genuine mount system. Sea of Thieves does not use that model, so its fastest-travel advice must focus on ships and movement tools instead.
What You Can Unlock Instead: Pets
The closest thing to a mount is a cosmetic pet purchased through the Pirate Emporium. Available pet families have included monkeys, parrots, cats, dogs, and other themed variants. A pet follows you around the ship and islands, performs idle animations, reacts to actions, and can be picked up for cosmetic interactions. None can carry your pirate, increase sprint speed, cross the water, or summon transportation.
Pets are normally purchased with Ancient Coins, the premium currency used by the Pirate Emporium. The exact price depends on the item and store rotation, so check the in-game Emporium before buying. You can obtain Ancient Coins by purchasing them, earning some through eligible in-game progression such as Ancient Skeleton encounters, or receiving them through selected seasonal systems when available. Do not confuse a pet bundle with a mount bundle: the package is purely cosmetic.
The quickest legitimate route to a pet is simple:
- Open the Pirate Emporium from the main menu or visit an outpost shop.
- Browse the Pets category and select the animal or themed variant you want.
- Confirm that you have enough Ancient Coins and inspect the item description.
- Purchase the pet, then equip it through the Pet Chest on your ship or at an outpost.
Rare's official support portal is the safest place to verify current store behavior, Ancient Coin issues, and account purchases. Avoid websites promising free mounts, duplicated Ancient Coins, or instant pet unlocks; those offers are not part of the game and can put your account or payment information at risk.
Use Mermaids for the Fastest Return Trip
Mermaids are the most important replacement for a mount because they remove long swims. When you are separated from your ship, look for a mermaid in the water. Its blue smoke and glowing signal make it visible from a distance. Interact with it, confirm the prompt, and you will teleport back to your ship while leaving any carried treasure behind on the ship or at your previous location.
Use this system after cannon launches, failed board attempts, island exploration, or swimming toward a shipwreck. Do not swim several hundred metres back unless you have a specific tactical reason. A mermaid is usually faster, safer, and less exposed to sharks or enemy crews. The trade-off is that the teleport animation makes your return audible and visible, so use it carefully near hostile players.
Mermaids do not instantly solve every travel problem. If your ship is moving, the teleport returns you to its current position, not necessarily the location where you left it. In a naval fight, check the ship's direction before jumping overboard. A badly timed return can place you behind the battle, near an island, or directly in an enemy cannon angle.
When your ship sinks, the mermaid will eventually take you to the new ship location after the respawn process. This is still quicker than attempting to swim between islands. The movement discipline used in other competitive games applies here too: make every reposition deliberate rather than treating swimming as free travel.
Make Your Ship Faster With Correct Sail Control
For normal voyages, sail management is the real answer to “how to get mounts fast in Sea of Thieves.” On a Sloop, Brigantine, or Galleon, angle the sails toward the wind and keep the ship pointed along a route that avoids unnecessary island turns. A ship at full wind is substantially faster than one with badly angled sails, even if the destination is close.
Choose the right ship
- Sloop: Best for solo players or two-person crews. It is agile, easy to anchor and raise, and handles tight island approaches well.
- Brigantine: The practical choice for three players. It combines strong speed with faster crew operation than a Galleon.
- Galleon: Designed for four-player crews. It has more firepower and storage, but needs more coordination for sails, wheel, anchor, and repairs.
Trim sails before touching the wheel
Assign one crew member to sails while another steers. If solo, briefly leave the wheel to adjust the sail angle, then return immediately. Keep the anchor raised except when parking at an outpost or island. Dropping anchor wastes time because raising it requires a lengthy interaction, especially on a Galleon. Instead, reduce sail near the destination, coast in, and use a short anchor drop only when precision matters.
Plan island chains rather than zigzagging across the map. Open-water routes are often faster than hugging every island, but dangerous areas such as the Devil's Roar add volcanic hazards and visibility problems. Storms affect steering and compass behavior, while rocks and forts punish autopilot sailing. If you want a performance-focused setup for playing on portable hardware, our Steam Deck settings guide explains how to keep visibility stable during voyages.
Use Rowboats, Cannons, and Harpoons Efficiently
Rowboats are the closest physical substitute for a small mount, but they are independent boats with limited speed. You can find them on islands, at forts, near shipwrecks, and at other shoreline locations. Attach a rowboat to the back of your ship, load treasure into its storage, and use it to move loot from a beach without repeatedly swimming between the island and ship.
Never assume a rowboat can cross the map quickly. It is best for the final few hundred metres, stealthy shoreline approaches, and treasure transport. A rowboat equipped with a harpoon can also pull items toward itself or help with beach loading. Once finished, row back to the ship and raise the rowboat's front connection point to attach it.
Cannon launching is faster than swimming when you need to reach an island, fort, or enemy vessel. Load yourself into a cannon, rotate toward the target, and fire. Aim for open beach or shallow water rather than a rock. After landing, locate a mermaid so you can return instantly when the task is complete. This combination—cannon launch out, mermaid back—is one of the fastest short-trip loops in the game.
Your ship's harpoon is useful for pulling treasure, supplies, and sometimes a rowboat toward the bow. It does not function as a grappling mount or swing system. Use it to reduce foot travel on beaches and to recover loot from the water, then sell efficiently at the appropriate outpost representative.
Fast Travel Checklist for Every Voyage
Use this checklist if your goal is the fastest possible progression without a mount:
- Choose a Sloop for solo play, Brigantine for three players, or Galleon for four.
- Raise the anchor immediately and set the sails before opening your voyage map.
- Plot a direct route and avoid unnecessary island stops.
- Keep sails angled into the wind and assign a crew member to trim them continuously.
- Use a cannon launch for short island approaches instead of swimming from the ship.
- Take the mermaid home after completing the island objective or boarding attempt.
- Store treasure in a rowboat when beach loading would otherwise require repeated swims.
- Sell in batches when possible, but do not carry valuable loot through a dangerous route just to save one trip.
Also remember that Sea of Thieves progress is not built around permanent movement upgrades. Gold buys cosmetics and equipment appearance, while Reputation unlocks titles, voyages, and faction rewards. There is no hidden mount grind to optimize. If another player claims that a specific Tall Tale, skeleton fort, or Pirate Legend commendation unlocks a horse or rideable animal, ask for the exact official announcement before believing it. Rare's official news archive is the authoritative source for genuinely new mechanics.
For the current game, the fastest answer is therefore practical rather than collectible: improve sail handling, pick an efficient ship, use cannons for outbound movement, and rely on mermaids for the return. Buy a pet if you want a companion on deck, but do not expect it to carry you. Sea of Thieves has ships instead of mounts, and learning to operate them well is the only real speed upgrade available.
For more game-specific optimization advice, compare this guide with Steamoz's performance settings guide and other focused open-world gaming recommendations.