Crystal Saga Nova Mount Guide: How to Get & Upgrade Every Mount (2026)

Updated June 18, 2026 · 9 min read

Mounts in Crystal Saga Nova aren't just a speed boost — they're one of your biggest stat sticks. A fully upgraded mount contributes 8-12% of your total combat power. Most players underinvest in their mount because the system looks simple on the surface, but the upgrade path, skill slots, and tier differences create a deep optimization layer that separates top players from the pack. Here's everything you need to know.

How the Mount System Works

Every character can own multiple mounts but only equip one at a time. Your equipped mount provides:

• Movement Speed: +30% to +120% depending on mount tier
• Passive Stats: ATK, DEF, HP — these apply in combat even when dismounted
• Mount Skills: Active abilities usable while riding (unlocked through upgrades)
• Set Bonus: Collecting multiple mounts of the same "family" gives collection bonuses

The key insight most players miss: mount stats apply at all times, not just while riding. This means your mount is effectively an extra gear slot. Upgrading your mount is often more stat-efficient than upgrading a single piece of armor.

Mount Stats Explained

Each mount has a base stat spread that scales with its tier and upgrade level:

• ATK Bonus: Flat attack added to your character (ranges from +50 at Common to +800 at Legendary Stage 10)
• DEF Bonus: Flat defense (ranges from +30 to +500)
• HP Bonus: Flat health pool increase (ranges from +200 to +5000)
• Speed: Movement speed percentage while mounted
• Star Rating: 1-10 stars representing upgrade level within the current tier

Stats scale linearly with Star Rating but jump significantly between tiers. A Legendary mount at Star 1 already has better base stats than an Epic mount at Star 10. This is why tier matters more than upgrades — always prioritize getting a higher-tier mount before dumping resources into starring up a lower one.

Getting Your First Mount

You receive your first mount through the main questline at Level 18 (approximately 2-3 hours of playtime). The quest "A Rider's Bond" gives you a Common-tier horse with +30% speed and minimal stats.

What to do with your starter mount:

1. Equip it immediately — even +30% speed saves hours of walking over time
2. Do NOT upgrade it past Star 3. You'll replace it within a week
3. Save your Mount Training Scrolls for your first Rare or Epic mount
4. Use the starter mount until you obtain a Rare-tier or higher from events/guild

All Mount Sources

Here's every way to obtain mounts in the game, sorted by accessibility:

Free / Farmable Sources

• Main Quest (Lv18): Common horse — your starter, everyone gets this
• 7-Day Login (Day 5): Rare Shadow Wolf — solid early mount with +50% speed
• Achievement Milestones: "Reach Level 50" gives Rare Armored Bear; "Clear Heroic Dungeon 20x" gives Epic Phoenix Hatchling
• Guild Shop: Epic Ironclad Warhorse — costs 2000 Guild Coins (about 3-4 weeks of guild dailies)
• World Boss Top 20: Mount Shards that combine into Epic/Legendary mounts over time (5-8 weeks for full mount)
• Monthly Events: Rotating event mounts — usually Epic tier, sometimes Legendary during anniversary

Premium / Cash Sources

• Diamond Shop: Epic mounts for 2000-5000 Diamonds (farmable as F2P over 2-3 weeks)
• Limited Gacha: Legendary mounts at 0.5% rate — not recommended unless whaling
• Battle Pass (Season Reward): Exclusive Epic mount at tier 50 — achievable F2P with daily play
• First Purchase Bundle: Epic Crimson Drake for any first purchase (even $0.99)

Mount Upgrade Path

Mount upgrading uses Mount Training Scrolls and Mount Essence. Here's how the system works:

1. Star Rating (1-10): Each star costs Training Scrolls. Stars increase stats within the current tier. From Star 1 to Star 10 costs approximately 150 Training Scrolls total.
2. Tier Evolution: At Star 10, you can evolve your mount to the next tier using Mount Essence + a Tier Stone. This resets stars to 1 but massively increases base stats.
3. Tier Progression: Common → Rare → Epic → Legendary → Mythic (Mythic was added in the March 2026 patch)

Important numbers to know:

• Common Star 1→10: 50 Training Scrolls
• Rare Star 1→10: 100 Training Scrolls
• Epic Star 1→10: 200 Training Scrolls
• Legendary Star 1→10: 400 Training Scrolls
• Tier Evolution (each): 50 Mount Essence + 1 Tier Stone (from World Boss or Shop)

Training Scrolls come from daily quests (3/day), weekly World Boss (5-10/week), events, and the Diamond Shop (10 for 100 Diamonds). At a natural pace, you'll max-star an Epic mount in about 5-6 weeks of daily play.

Mount Skill System

Mounts unlock skill slots at specific Star Ratings:

• Star 3: First skill slot unlocks
• Star 6: Second skill slot unlocks
• Star 10: Third skill slot unlocks (Legendary+ mounts only)

Mount skills are randomly assigned from a pool when you unlock a slot. You can reroll skills using Skill Reset Stones (obtained from events and the Guild Shop). The best mount skills are:

1. Stampede (S-tier): AoE damage + 2s stun. Incredible in PvP and group content.
2. Iron Hide (A-tier): +20% DEF for 10s. Great for Knights and anyone soloing hard content.
3. Wind Rush (A-tier): +50% speed burst for 5s. Essential for escaping ganks in open-world PvP.
4. Battle Roar (B-tier): +10% party ATK for 8s. Good in group settings but short duration.
5. Regeneration (B-tier): Heals 5% HP over 10s. Useful for sustained farming.

Ideally, you want Stampede + Iron Hide on a PvE mount and Stampede + Wind Rush on a PvP mount. Rerolling is expensive, so only reroll once you have an Epic+ mount you plan to keep long-term.

Mount Tier Rankings

Here's every obtainable mount ranked by stats at max Star Rating within their tier. For the complete tier list with score breakdowns, see our Mount Tier List.

Appearance vs. Stats

Crystal Saga Nova separates mount appearance from mount stats through the Mount Skin system (unlocked at Level 45). This means you can use the look of any mount you own while getting the stats of your strongest mount.

How it works:

• Go to Mount menu → "Skins" tab
• Select any mount you've ever owned as your visual skin
• Your equipped mount's stats still apply regardless of the displayed skin
• Some skins have particle effects that others don't — purely cosmetic

This means you should never pick a mount based on looks alone. Always equip the strongest mount for stats and use the skin system to look however you want. Some players don't discover this until Level 60+ and miss out on hundreds of stat points because they equipped a cool-looking Rare mount instead of their ugly-but-strong Epic.

F2P Mount Strategy

If you're not spending money, here's the optimal mount progression path:

1. Week 1: Use starter horse. Claim Shadow Wolf from 7-Day Login on Day 5. Equip Shadow Wolf immediately.
2. Week 2-3: Star up Shadow Wolf to Star 5-6 (unlock first skill slot). Start saving Guild Coins for Ironclad Warhorse.
3. Week 3-4: Buy Ironclad Warhorse from Guild Shop (2000 coins). Transfer focus to starring this up. Your Shadow Wolf becomes a skin option.
4. Week 5-8: Star up Ironclad Warhorse to Star 8-10. Simultaneously farm World Boss for Abyssal Nightmare shards.
5. Week 8-10: Complete Abyssal Nightmare from World Boss shards. This is your endgame mount — pour all resources into maxing it.

Total time from fresh account to Legendary mount: approximately 8-10 weeks of consistent play. That's faster than most players think. The key is never wasting Training Scrolls on mounts you'll replace.

Mounts are a long-term investment, not a sprint. Focus on one mount at a time, pick the highest tier you can access, and be patient with the starring process. For detailed stat comparisons and ranking methodology, check our full Mount Tier List. And if you're just starting out, our Beginner Guide covers when to start worrying about mounts in your first week.