Mount
- For other uses of the term, see Mount (Disambiguation).
Mounts are a recurring mechanic in The Legend of Zelda series.[name references needed] They are Animals or enemies whose movements are manually controlled for the purposes of Transportation, combat, or playing Mini-Games.[1][2] Some Mounts can be summoned with a special Call. In some games, Link can unseat an enemy's Mount and use it himself. In other games, he can only use his own.
Epona is the most common of Link's personal Mounts. In general, flying by Cucco is the most frequently recurring form of animal-based transportation in The Legend of Zelda series.
Appearances
Link's Awakening
In Link's Awakening, Link revives the Flying Rooster. It then follows the hero around Koholint Island. Picking up the Flying Rooster causes Link to fly just above the ground, allowing him to retrieve the Bird Key in Tal Tal Heights. When Link completes Eagle's Tower, he can no longer use the Flying Rooster – it has gone to live in the Chicken Coop.
Ocarina of Time
In Ocarina of Time, when Link (child or adult) jumps off a ledge carrying a Cucco, he will glide slowly downward. Link can use this technique to gather the Cucco Lady's Cuccos in Kakariko Village for a Bottle. Lone Cuccos at Zora's River and Gerudo Valley can be used to obtain Pieces of Heart nearby.
Adult Link can mount the saddled Horses at Lon Lon Ranch. A Horse canters when its rider digs their heels into its sides. It gallops when whipped. Link can whip his Horse up to 6 times in succession to maintain a gallop. The number of remaining whippings is represented as Carrots which regenerate over time. A galloping Horse can jump over fences, but only if approaching the fence head-on.[3]
Link wins Epona from Ingo by beating him in two horseback races. Link escapes Lon Lon Ranch on Epona's back by making her jump over the outer fence. Epona can also jump across the broken bridge over Gerudo Valley. Link needs her in order to play at the Horseback Archery Range and to hunt Big Poes, who only appear while Link is on horseback. Link can draw his Fairy Bow while on horseback, but cannot use his other weapons. He is also invincible while mounted on Epona.
Princess Zelda and Impa ride a white Horse out of Hyrule Castle Town as Ganondorf purses them on a black stallion. Phantom Ganon rides an identical stallion.
Majora's Mask
In Majora's Mask, Link rides a young Epona without a saddle, which he was unable to do in Ocarina of Time. Skull Kid steals Epona from him in the Lost Woods. Link must retrieve her from Romani Ranch in order to jump the fences in Termina Field barring the entrances to Great Bay Region and Ikana Region. Link also needs her in order to race the Gorman Brothers at the Gorman Track. During the Protect the Milk! event, Link defends Cremia's Wagon against the masked Gorman Brothers as they attempt to attack the Wagon on horseback.
One of the Bombers in West Clock Town uses a Cucco to glide away from Link when playing Hide-and-Seek.
The Mini-Boss Gekko mounts a Snapper.
Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons
In Oracle of Ages, Link mounts one of the three Animal Companions to traverse the Nuun Highlands. Each Animal Companion has an attack move as well as a special ability. Ricky can leap up cliffs and over holes, Moosh can fly, and Dimitri can swim against currents and up waterfalls.
In Oracle of Seasons, Link mounts all three Animal Companions, but as in Oracle of Ages he can only summon the one whose Flute he owns (Ricky's Flute, Moosh's Flute, Dimitri's Flute). Their special abilities are needed to traverse Holodrum Plain (Ricky), Mt. Cucco (Moosh), Sunken City (Dimitri), and Natzu (whichever one Link can Call).
In Oracle of Seasons, Link also uses a Flying Cucco (similar to the Flying Rooster from Link's Awakening) to reach the eastern summit of Mt. Cucco where the Spring Banana tree is located.
Four Swords Adventures
In The Field stage, the Links instantaneously mount Horses when one of them picks up a Carrot. The Horses are needed to jump fences and can also trample enemies and Grass. They disappear after a certain amount of time,[clarification needed] unless the Links pick up another Carrot before then.
Horses also appear in the Mini-Game Bucking Broncos.
Twilight Princess
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In Twilight Princess, Link mounts Epona to herd Goats at Ordon Ranch. Epona disappears when a band of Bulblins mounted on Bullbos attack Ordon Village. Their leader, King Bulblin, mounts Lord Bullbo. Epona reappears in Kakariko Village after throwing off a pair of Bulblin riders. Link subdues his frenzied horse and regains the ability to Call her with Horse Grass, and later the Horse Call. Link can draw his Hero's Bow and swing his Sword while mounted on Epona. Unlike previous games, he is not invincible while mounted and can even be knocked off Epona by an attack. Likewise, Link can knock Bulblin riders off their Bullbo. When King Bulblin kidnaps Colin, a mounted battle ensues between Link and King Bulblin defended by Bulblins. Link then defeats King Bulblin in a joust. Later on in the game, Link again mounts Epona to fend off mounted Bulblins attacking the Wagon carrying Telma and Ilia to Kakariko Village. At the end of the game, Link fights Ganondorf on horseback. Ganondorf summons Phantom Riders to attack Link.
Bulblins always ride two to a Bullbo — one steers the animal while an archer sits behind. In Gerudo Desert, where Link cannot call Epona, Link can ride Bullbos and use their charging ability to destroy the wooden fences in the area.[clarification needed]
Cuccos can once again be used to glide to otherwise unreachable places.[where?] In particular, Link uses the Golden Cucco to cross the gorge in Faron Woods, in order to reach the Sacred Grove on the other side. The Flight-by-Fowl Minigame features Cucco-gliding as well.
After Wolf Link kills the Twilit Carrier Kargarok's Shadow Bulblin rider, Midna can mount the beast and steer it up Zora's River with Wolf Link in its claws. The same is true for the giant Kargarok used to play Fruit Pop Flight Challenge.
Spirit Tracks
Bullbo-riding Bulblins occasionally attack the Spirit Train.
Mounted Miniblins ride Armos.[where?][when?]
Skyward Sword
Adults in Skyloft mount Loftwings to travel to the floating islands of the Sky. Loftwings are bound to their riders for life.[citation needed] Link pairs with a rare Crimson Loftwing and uses it to fly to the islands of the Sky, to the Columns of Light, and to the inside of the Thunderhead.
Breath of the Wild
Nomenclature
 Names in Other Regions  | ||
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| This table was generated using translation pages. To request an addition, please contact a staff member with a reference. | ||
References
- ↑ Encyclopedia, Dark Horse Books, pg. 205
- ↑ "Riding that horse would be much faster than hoofing it, so let's try and grab it! A wild horse like that, you probably mount with
and then hang on for dear life with 
until you can get it to run straight. Simple!" — Midna (Twilight Princess)
- ↑ "Approach the horse quietly and stand by its side. Press
to mount up. Use 
to make it run. Once it starts running, press to tap it with the whip. It will speed up! When you want to jump over a fence, accelerate and hit it head on! If you try to jump over a fence at an angle, the horse won't like it, and it won't jump. After the horse comes to a complete stop, press to dismount. Now, have fun!" — Ingo (Ocarina of Time 3D)
- Mechanics
- Roles
- Mechanics in Link's Awakening
- Mechanics in Link's Awakening DX
- Mechanics in Link's Awakening (Nintendo Switch)
- Mechanics in Ocarina of Time
- Mechanics in Ocarina of Time 3D
- Mechanics in Majora's Mask
- Mechanics in Majora's Mask 3D
- Mechanics in Oracle of Seasons
- Mechanics in Oracle of Ages
- Mechanics in Four Swords Adventures
- Mechanics in Twilight Princess
- Mechanics in Twilight Princess HD
- Mechanics in Spirit Tracks
- Mechanics in Skyward Sword
- Mechanics in Skyward Sword HD
- Mechanics in Breath of the Wild