The horse “Stormwind” is a constant companion in Elden Ring. But how do you get it and how can you summon it? MeinMMO gives you an overview of the spectral horse.
Elden Ring offers a significantly larger game world than previous games from the developers, such as Dark Souls or Bloodborne. That’s why the game gives you the spectral horse “Stormwind” as a companion.
With its help, you can not only progress faster. The horse has the important double jump. This allows you to reach places that would be out of reach on foot.
Additionally, you can fight from your horse’s back, which can be a huge advantage in certain situations and can even make boss battles easier. However, it can be confusing for new players to find it at first.
In this guide, we explain how you can get your horse, how you can summon it, and what else you should keep in mind.
How to find Stormwind and summon the horse
You start the game without a mount. To get it, you first need to complete the tutorial. After that, you need to fulfill a few requirements.
How to find the horse in Elden Ring: After you have completed the tutorial, you must activate three Sites of Grace. These are the glowing resting points where you can level up, set spells, and do other things.
It’s best to follow the route that was also intended by the creators:
- Avoid the dangerous tree guardian who is wandering just outside the tutorial dungeon, below the Site of Grace.
- Continue north until you reach the church of Elleh. Rest there and also visit the merchant who is sitting there. You will also find a smithing stone on an anvil.
- Now move on and follow the path behind the church until you encounter a large gate.
- Right in front of the gate waits the third Site of Grace. Here you need to rest and the first encounter with Melina will start.
Complete the dialogue and you will receive the spectral steed whistle from her. This is the key to using Stormwind.
Here you can see the “normal” path that you are also progressing along in the main story.
Of course, there are many other Sites of Grace in the area. So you have several options. You can see a large part of the remaining resting points on the map.
This is how you can summon the horse: Once you have received the whistle, you can place it in the quick select or in your pouch.
- For the quick select, you need to go through the pause menu to your equipment, select an appropriate slot, and assign the spectral steed whistle to it.
- Equally practical and often better is to place the whistle in the pouch. You do this by selecting one of the 6 boxes on the right edge of the pause menu.
- Four of these boxes correspond to a direction on the directional pad with controller or arrow key on the keyboard. If you press triangle (PlayStation), Y (Xbox), or E (keyboard) followed by the appropriate direction, you will activate the pouch item.
You can summon Stormwind almost anywhere on the surface. There are also occasionally underground areas that can be traversed on horseback.
However, in dungeons, you will have to do without Stormwind. These are usually narrow and complex areas that are easier to explore on foot.
Your horse is useful in combat and exploration
What you should know about Stormwind in combat: Aside from faster movement, Stormwind is also useful in combat. The horse partly acts as a shield against damage, as it can take hits for you.
Thanks to a sprint function, you can become very fast and also dodge attacks through the boost.
Additionally, you can also use your weapons, spells, and summons in a limited form from the back of the horse.
- You can perform light and heavy attacks with each hand.
- Charged heavy attacks are also possible.
- Depending on the type of weapon, the attack movements and range also differ.
- Heavy weapons are slower on horseback but can launch entire groups into the air.
- Light weapons are significantly faster and can hit enemies that get too close more easily.
Here’s the controller controls
- Light attack, right: RB/R1
- Heavy attack, right: RT/R2 (To charge: Hold down)
- Light attack, left: LB/L1
- Heavy attack, left: LT/L2 (To charge: Hold down)
Depending on the region and types of enemies, these things should be taken into account and it is advisable to always carry light and heavy weapons with you. This way, you are prepared for anything while on the go.
Some boss fights in the open world are even easier when you use Stormwind. Therefore, it is also worth practicing with the horse so that riding becomes second nature.
This is how Stormwind helps you explore the game world: Thanks to your spectral horse, you can reach significantly higher places and also leap over larger chasms via double jump.
This gives you a great advantage in the vast and very vertically designed game world. You can also survive deeper falls thanks to the horse in ‘fall damage.’
But still be careful, because fall damage in Elden Ring is often unpredictable. So don’t rely too much on Stormwind to cushion your fall.
What happens if Stormwind dies? Your horse is a spectral horse, so it cannot die. If the health points are depleted, Stormwind simply disappears. You can only summon it again until the next rest at a Site of Grace if you sacrifice a purpur beverage for it.
As long as you have healing potions, you can summon your horse in combat indefinitely.
Can Stormwind be healed in combat? Yes. In the game, there are plenty of crafting materials and items that can also be used to heal the horse. The most common are the Rowa fruits, which you can gather almost everywhere.
There are also more powerful healing items that you can craft using various recipes.
Elden Ring: All our guides, beginner tips, and builds overview
