TL;DR
- The dragon is named Blackstar and is locked to the main story — it cannot be found or bought early
- You first encounter Blackstar in Chapter 9 during the Shattered Stars quest chain
- Blackstar becomes your permanent rideable mount in Chapter 11 during the Foreboding Shadow quest chain
- Reaching Chapter 11 takes the average player 50 or more hours focusing mainly on the main story
- The dragon is active for 15 minutes per summon with a 50-minute real-time cooldown
- Blackstar can shoot Fireballs, use Fire Breath, barrel roll, dive-bomb, and land anywhere
- There is no way to reduce the cooldown — use it wisely on large camps and tough fights
- There are 28 total mounts in the game including horses, bears, mechs, and dinosaurs
Yes, you can ride a dragon in Crimson Desert. It is not a gimmick and it is not a one-time cutscene. Blackstar is a fully rideable mount that lets you fly anywhere across the map of Pywel, attack enemies from the air, and cover ground faster than any other method in the game.
But it is a late game reward and for good reason. This guide covers exactly when you get it, what happens in the lead-up, how riding works, and what to know about the cooldown system.
What Is the Dragon in Crimson Desert?
The dragon’s name is Blackstar. It is one of 28 mounts in Crimson Desert, ranging from horses and bears to mechs and dinosaurs. Among all of them, Blackstar is the most iconic and the most powerful.
Blackstar is a flying combat mount. You can summon it anywhere on the Pywel surface, take off into the sky, and fly across the entire map without any restrictions. No invisible walls, no altitude caps. You can even fly over mountain ranges that would take twenty minutes to navigate on horseback.
Unlike most mounts that are tamed or purchased, Blackstar is a story mount. You earn it through the campaign and cannot get it any earlier through any other method.
When Do You Get Blackstar the Dragon?
Blackstar becomes your permanent mount during Chapter 11, specifically in the Foreboding Shadow quest chain, during a mission called Whispers in the Wind.
You cannot miss it. It is an unmissable story reward delivered through a cutscene. No special conditions, no side quest prerequisites, no item required. You simply progress through the main story and Blackstar is yours.
For the average player focusing primarily on the main story with minimal detours, reaching Chapter 11 takes around 50 or more hours. If you explore heavily, complete faction quests, and liberate camps along the way, that number will be higher. Crimson Desert is a big game and Chapter 11 is deep into the campaign.
Your First Meeting With Blackstar — Chapter 9
You do not wait until Chapter 11 to see Blackstar for the first time. The dragon appears significantly earlier.
In Chapter 9 during the Shattered Stars quest chain, Kliff travels to the palace of Urdavah. There, in a cutscene, you pull out a spear that has been wounding Blackstar. Shortly after, you actually ride the dragon for the first time as part of the story sequence.
To ride it in this section you need your Stamina at Level 5 or higher. When you are close to Urdavah, press the pause button and look for a Wait option. This spawns you on the battlements with the dragon approaching. When Blackstar gets close, jump and glide. As it passes beneath you, activate Axiom Force to grapple its back. The moment you latch on, press the jump button to perform an Aerial Maneuver and secure your position on the dragon.
This Chapter 9 encounter is a story ride, not a permanent unlock. Blackstar flies off after it, but you will have already built a connection with the creature before it becomes fully yours in Chapter 11.
How Blackstar Becomes Your Permanent Mount
In Chapter 11’s Foreboding Shadow quest chain, you travel to Delesyia. The story eventually puts you against a Mecha Dragon called Golden Star. This is a proper boss fight with multiple devastating abilities including a flame tornado and a bombard barrage.
To deal serious damage to Golden Star, throw spears whenever it is stationary and immobile. Keep the pressure on and deplete its health. Once the fight ends, Blackstar swoops in to help you.
After the battle, return to the Nest of Valor — a location you visited back in Chapter 9. There, the Blackstar is purified and becomes your permanent companion. From that point forward you can summon it freely across all of Pywel.
How to Summon and Ride Blackstar
Once Blackstar is yours, summoning it works differently from your horse:
- Hold Down on the D-Pad to open the mount selection wheel
- Use the Right Stick to select Blackstar
- Release to summon it
Blackstar cannot be summoned inside the Abyss realm. It is only available in the surface world of Pywel.
Blackstar Controls and Combat Abilities
Flying Blackstar feels immediately powerful. Here is a full breakdown of what the dragon can do:
Fireballs — R1 on PlayStation / RB on Xbox Shoots fireballs in rapid succession. Each one drains stamina but the stamina bar refills automatically even while airborne, so you can keep firing as long as you manage the rhythm.
Fire Breath — R2 on PlayStation / RT on Xbox A sustained stream of fire that deals continuous damage to everything in its path. Great for sweeping large groups of enemies or torching entire sections of a bandit camp. Also drains stamina.
Barrel Roll — Circle on PlayStation / B on Xbox A defensive evasive maneuver that rolls Blackstar hard to one side. Useful for dodging projectiles or aerial attacks during sky combat. Costs stamina.
Land — Square on PlayStation / X on Xbox Brings Blackstar down from the air and lands on the ground. You can then fight from a grounded position or take off again.
Dive Bomb Tilt forward and descend sharply to build extra speed. Useful for crossing long distances faster or swooping down onto a camp at speed before opening with fireballs.
Stamina regenerates continuously even in the air, so do not be afraid to use abilities. Just watch the bar and avoid chaining everything back to back when it is running low.
The Cooldown System — What You Need to Know
Blackstar is not available indefinitely. Each summon gives you around 15 minutes of active flight time. When that timer expires, Blackstar flies away and goes on a 50-minute real-time cooldown before you can summon it again.
There is no way to reduce this cooldown. No upgrade, no item, no mechanic shortens it.
This is intentional and it is actually well-designed. A dragon with no cooldown would trivialize the entire world. Every enemy camp, every boss, every navigation challenge becomes trivial when you can rain fire from above indefinitely. The 50-minute cooldown forces you to think about when to use it.
The best uses for Blackstar are:
- Large fortified camps with many enemies that would take a long time to clear on foot
- Boss encounters where its combat abilities can swing the fight significantly
- Long distance travel when you need to cover ground between two points that have no fast travel nearby
- Clearing areas before you go in on foot to reduce the enemy count
Do not waste a summon on a small group of three bandits. Save it for situations that genuinely benefit from aerial bombardment or fast travel across a wide region.
Other Notable Mounts in Crimson Desert
Blackstar is the headline act, but there are 27 other mounts in the game. A few worth knowing about:
Horses — Your primary mount from the very start. Horses handle well, can engage in mounted combat, and are available from early Chapter 1 onward. You can tame wild horses found in the countryside or buy them.
Bear — A rideable bear found by taming wildlife. Slower than a horse but extremely tough in combat. Good for clearing camps at ground level.
All-Terrain Armored Gear (ATAG) — A mech vehicle that appears in Chapter 10 during the fight to defend the Ironflame Orcs’ bastion at Gorthak. The ATAG has a rapid-fire machine gun, a defense array, a ramming ability, a wide-area blast cannon, and an EMP discharge. It can later be upgraded with lasers, pincers, and heavy armor plating.
Wyverns and other flying creatures — Other aerial mounts exist in the game beyond Blackstar, though most are mid-to-late game unlocks and do not match the raw power of the dragon.
Raptor and Lizard mounts — Ground-based creature mounts found through taming in various regions.
Each mount can learn abilities by leveling up and some are better suited to specific terrain or combat situations. Blackstar is the strongest overall but having a good horse leveled up early makes everything before Chapter 11 considerably easier.
If you want to travel more efficiently before you reach Blackstar, check our guide on how to fast travel in Crimson Desert to unlock every Abyss Nexus and Abyss Cresset point across the map.
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For our full breakdown of the game, read our Crimson Desert Review.
Frequently Asked Questions
When do you get the dragon in Crimson Desert?
Blackstar becomes your permanent mount in Chapter 11 during the Foreboding Shadow quest chain, in a mission called Whispers in the Wind. It is an unmissable story reward. You first encounter and briefly ride Blackstar earlier in Chapter 9, but it only becomes a permanent mount you can summon freely after the Chapter 11 story sequence.
How long does it take to get the dragon in Crimson Desert?
Reaching Chapter 11 takes the average player around 50 or more hours if focusing mainly on the main story with minimal side content. Players who explore heavily, complete faction quests, and liberate camps throughout the game will take longer.
Can you get Blackstar earlier than Chapter 11 in Crimson Desert?
No. Blackstar is strictly locked to the main story and cannot be obtained through any other method. There is no side quest, item, or purchase that unlocks the dragon early. It is an endgame reward by design.
How long can you ride the dragon in Crimson Desert?
Blackstar stays active for around 15 minutes per summon. After the timer expires, the dragon flies away and enters a 50-minute real-time cooldown. There is no way to reduce this cooldown. Use Blackstar strategically on large camps and tough boss fights rather than casual travel.
What can the dragon do in Crimson Desert?
Blackstar can fly anywhere across the Pywel surface, shoot rapid Fireballs with R1, use sustained Fire Breath with R2, barrel roll to dodge attacks with Circle, land with Square, and dive-bomb to build extra speed. All abilities drain stamina, but stamina regenerates automatically even while airborne.
