How to level your mount speed quickly in ESO
A fast mount changes the feel of The Elder Scrolls Online. Long rides between delves, wayshrines, quest hubs and battleground entrances become less tedious, and gathering materials across Tamriel takes much less time. For new characters, mount speed is usually the riding skill that delivers the most noticeable improvement.
The system is simple, although its daily limit makes consistency more important than a single burst of play. You train your mount at a stablemaster, choose Speed, and return after the cooldown expires. Each lesson adds one percentage point, up to a maximum of 60 points.
This guide explains the quickest legitimate route, how to fit training around an Australian schedule, when Crown Store lessons make sense, and why mount speed should be prioritised before other riding upgrades on most characters. It also covers the small habits that stop players losing days of progress.
Understand the riding skill system
Every character has three riding skills: Speed, Stamina and Capacity. They are trained separately, and each can reach 60. Speed improves how quickly your mount travels, Stamina gives the mount more stamina while sprinting, and Capacity increases the amount of inventory space available to that character.
Visit any stablemaster and open the riding training menu. The stablemaster will offer one lesson every 20 hours, so the cooldown is character-specific and does not reset at a universal daily rollover. If you train at 6:15 pm, the next normal lesson becomes available at 2:15 pm the following day.
Speed is generally the strongest first choice because it affects every mounted journey. Stamina becomes especially useful in Cyrodiil, Imperial City and dangerous overland areas where being dismounted can leave you exposed. Capacity is convenient for gatherers and new characters with small inventories, but it rarely saves as much time as travelling faster.
The 60-point cap means normal training takes 60 lessons, or 1,200 hours. That is 50 days if you never miss the cooldown and always train Speed. The important detail is that the timer continues while you are offline, so there is no need to keep the game running.
Build a reliable daily training routine
The quickest free method is to train Speed once per cooldown without missing a visit. Log in, travel to a stablemaster, select Speed, and then continue with your usual activities. Major cities such as Mournhold, Wayrest and Elden Root have convenient stablemasters, while many smaller settlements provide one near the main entrance.
For Australian players, the 20-hour timer can actually be useful because it shifts slightly each day. A lesson taken at 7:00 pm on Monday will be ready at 3:00 pm on Tuesday, then at 11:00 am on Wednesday. Players in Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane may find a lunchtime or afternoon routine easier after the schedule moves. Someone in Perth can use the same approach around a morning login.
Set a recurring phone reminder for “ESO riding training” rather than relying on memory. A short login during an arvo break, before work, or after dinner is enough. If you play on several characters, train the one you use most first, then visit the others if time allows. There is no advantage in waiting until the next day if a character is already eligible.
The mount itself does not need to be summoned for training. You are improving the character’s riding skill, so all mounts used by that character benefit from the increased Speed value. Switching from a horse to a guar, senche or other mount will not reset progress.
Choose Speed before the other upgrades
For a fresh character, Speed is the sensible default until it reaches 60. The faster travel time applies to quests, daily writ routes, treasure hunting, zone completion and resource gathering. It also makes it easier to reach a group event or world boss before the fight ends.
There are situations where Stamina should move up the priority list. PvP players travelling through Cyrodiil may need to sprint away from enemy players, while a character regularly moving through hostile zones benefits from a larger stamina reserve. Stamina also feels helpful when you are frequently knocked off your mount by attacks or terrain hazards.
Capacity is a practical alternative for players who spend their time harvesting ore, wood, cloth and alchemy plants. It can reduce trips to the bank, especially on a new character without many storage options. Still, if the goal is specifically to travel faster, Capacity does not make the mount move more quickly and should usually wait.
| Riding skill | Maximum points | Main benefit | Usual priority |
|---|---|---|---|
| Speed | 60 | Increases mounted movement speed | First for most characters |
| Stamina | 60 | Allows longer mounted sprinting | Second, or first for active PvP |
| Capacity | 60 | Adds character inventory space | Useful for gatherers and new players |
The best long-term approach is to train Speed on every character you intend to play regularly. A character parked for storage or occasional crafting does not need the same urgency. Your main quester, PvE damage dealer or PvP character should receive the daily lesson first.
Players building a roster should also remember that riding training is not automatically shared between characters. An account-wide mount collection does not mean one character’s Speed progress transfers to another. Plan your priorities per character rather than assuming your main’s 60 points will help an alt.
Use Crown Store lessons carefully
Crown Store riding lessons can shorten the wait because they add riding skill points immediately. They are most valuable when you have just created a character that needs to catch up with an established account, or when you know you will play that character heavily for months.
The normal daily stablemaster lesson is free apart from the time commitment. Crown lessons are optional, and buying them is not required to reach the maximum. Before spending crowns, calculate how often the character will actually be used. Paying to accelerate an alt that will be parked after completing a few quests is poor value.
ESO’s Crown Store operates through regional platforms, so Australian players may see prices and payment options in Australian dollars depending on their platform and account setup. Check the final purchase screen rather than assuming an overseas price conversion. Console storefront rules, PC account arrangements and promotional bundles can differ.
If you do buy lessons, apply them to Speed first. A partially trained character can receive Crown Store lessons alongside normal stablemaster training, allowing you to reduce the backlog while maintaining the free daily routine. Avoid purchasing a large bundle simply because it is discounted unless the character has a clear role in your regular play schedule.
Make mount travel safer and faster in practice
A high Speed value helps, but movement habits still matter. Mount stamina is consumed while sprinting, so avoid holding the sprint key continuously through every safe stretch. Use normal mounted movement when crossing familiar roads, then sprint for the final approach to a wayshrine, objective or group meeting point.
Terrain can slow you more than expected. Rocks, steep ledges, shallow walls and dense objects interrupt mounted movement, so roads are often faster than taking a seemingly direct line across country. In cities, dismounting near the wayshrine or crafting area can be quicker than trying to steer around stairs and furniture.
Keep a few fast-travel destinations unlocked in every zone. Wayshrines are free when reached directly, while travelling from the map costs gold. A quick route often combines a mount ride to the nearest wayshrine with free travel to the destination zone. New players should activate wayshrines during questing rather than passing them by.
This is also where an ESO resource hub can help with class builds, role advice and broader game systems. A character travelling efficiently between activities gets more value from every session, whether that means running veteran dungeons, collecting skyshards or completing a daily battleground.
In Cyrodiil and Imperial City, avoid predictable roads when enemy players are active. Mount speed cannot protect you from every ambush, and stamina is important if you need to break away. Watch the map, listen for combat around chokepoints and dismount before entering an objective where a fight is likely.
Fit the routine around character progression
The ideal time to begin is immediately after creating a character. You do not need to unlock a high-level zone, own a particular mount or finish the tutorial. Starting on day one means the character can reach maximum Speed in roughly 50 days of uninterrupted training.
New players in Australia often play around fixed evening windows because of work, uni or family schedules. If an evening visit is missed, do not abandon the routine. Train at the next available time and let the 20-hour cycle shift naturally. A missed lesson costs one point, not an entire week, but repeated missed lessons create a noticeable delay over a month.
A character focused on dungeons, trials or PvE questing should normally follow Speed, then Stamina, then Capacity. Guides collected through PvE build guides can help you decide which characters deserve priority when several alts are competing for your time and gold.
For a tank or healer who spends most of the session travelling between group activities, Speed remains valuable even though riding skill does not change combat performance. For a dedicated crafter, Capacity may overtake Stamina after Speed is complete. For a battleground-only character, riding upgrades matter less because battleground matches do not involve open-world mount travel.
Community resources can also help with practical routines, event schedules and account management. A site such as gaming guides may be useful when you are organising several characters, comparing broader gaming systems or planning how to spend limited playtime alongside ESO’s daily timers.
The core process is straightforward: visit a stablemaster every 20 hours, train Speed first, use Crown lessons only when the time saved is worth the cost, and maintain the habit across the characters you genuinely play. Start the next lesson as soon as it becomes available, and your mount will reach maximum speed in about 50 days of consistent training.