FFXIV: How To Unlock The Kirin Mount

Thanks to the increased level cap from the expansions in FFXIV, unlocking the legendary Kirin Mount is an easy, soloable feat at Levels 70 and higher.

Kirin, the legendary lion-like stallion of A Realm Reborn, is one of the oldest prestigious Mounts in Final Fantasy XIV. It is a perfect memento for players wishing to display their heroic feats against the initial set of Primals. To unlock Kirin, players will need first to obtain all of the Nightmare Mount collection in Final Fantasy XIV.

There are six Nightmare Mounts in Final Fantasy XIV: Aithon, Xanthos, Gullfaxi, Enbarr, Markab, and Boreas. Each one is acquired from a Primal that players will have faced during the main story quest's storyline. Collecting them all may seem like a daunting task; however, thanks to the increased level cap that every new expansion brings, players should be able to swiftly unlock all of them with some effort and dedication. The key is to first reach a high enough level in a combat job in Final Fantasy XIV to take on each Primal solo and farm for their Mount.

To unlock the Kirin Mount in Final Fantasy XIV, players must complete the Extreme Trials for the following major bosses in A Realm Reborn: Ifrit, Garuda, Titan, Leviathan, Ramuh, and Shiva. They will need to note that Good King Moogle Mog XII is not included in this list. Players can access the Extreme mode of the boss fights by completing brief quests for several NPCs. They will need to Speak to Urianger in The Waking Sands (X:6, Y:5) to unlock "The Bowl of Embers (Extreme)," "The Navel (Extreme)," "Lord of the Whorl (Extreme)," and "Akh Afah Amphitheatre (Extreme)." They will also need to speak to Vorsaile Heuloix in New Gridania (X:9, Y:11) to unlock "The Howling Eye (Extreme)" and to Scarlet in New Gridania (X:9.9, Y:11.4) to unlock "The Striking Tree (Extreme)." It is also recommended that players complete all of the main story quests until Heavensward to ensure all the prerequisite quests for the Extreme Trials have been fulfilled.

Collect Nightmare Mounts to Unlock The Kirin Mount in Final Fantasy XIV

Unlike the Primal Mounts in Final Fantasy XIV Heavensward, players cannot farm specific boss drops to work toward unlocking a Nightmare Mount. Instead, they must rely on their luck and patience to obtain them. While it is possible to continually queue up in the Duty Finder or even search for a Mount-farming group in the Party Finder, the best strategy is to take on the bosses solo while Unsynced.

Once players reach Levels 70-80 in their combat job, soloing an ARR Primal shouldn't be too difficult. Each boss will take two to five minutes to fight, depending on how efficiently damage is dealt. Becoming a Paladin is one of the best options for completing older content alone, as the job has very high sustainability and a low skill ceiling.

Once players successfully collect every Nightmare Mount, they can meet with the Wandering Minstrel in Mor Dhona at X: 21, Y: 8 to receive the "A Legend for a Legend" side quest that will allow players to unlock the Kirin Mount in Final Fantasy XIV. They will need to visit a specific spot in Mor Dhona at X:19.1, Y:17.9 to receive their reward.

Next: Final Fantasy XIV: How to Level Up Crafting Jobs to 50 (The Fast Way)

Final Fantasy XIV is available on PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and PC via Steam or Square Enix's official website.