horsing around
Torrent the horse will become your best in Elden Ring, but how do you get him?
Guide by Sherif Saed Contributing Editor
Updated on
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The world of Elden Ring is vast; significantly bigger than anything FromSoftware has attempted in the past. It wouldn’t have made sense for you to only traverse this gigantic landmass without a horse, even with the game’s generous checkpoints everywhere you look. Here we look at how you get the horse in Elden Ring, plus let you know if the horse can die, amongst other things.
The solution is one many other games implemented when their own worlds expanded in a similar way: a mount! Or in Elden Ring’s case, a spectral steed – which will become your trusty companion on this long journey.
Elden Ring's horse is named Torrent and you’ll be able to summon it in much of the open world, but not in Legacy Dungeons or smaller caves/tunnels. It will make it easier for you to quickly travel vast distances, and it also offers unique combat and traversal moves you can’t pull off when you aren’t mounting it.
- How do you get the horse in Elden Ring?
- Can the horse die in Elden Ring?
- How do you heal the horse in Elden Ring?
- Can you customise/upgrade the horse in Elden Ring?
- Can the horse take fall damage in Elden Ring?
- How do horseback combat and Spirit Springs work in Elden Ring?
How do you get the horse in Elden Ring?
To unlock the horse (Torrent), you need to summon and speak to the Maiden Melina for the first time. This happens the third time you rest at a Site of Grace (bonfire) in the open world, or at the third Site of Grace you find (and rest at). The location doesn’t matter, so it’s best to do this as quickly as possible.
When you meet Melina for the first time, she’ll offer you an accord, effectively allowing you to level up at any Site of Grace from this point forward. She will also grant you the Spectral Steed Whistle, which is what’s going to allow you to summon the horse.
All that’s left for you to do is bind the whistle to your belt or pouch for easier access, because you’re going to be using it a lot.
Can the horse die in Elden Ring?
Torrent effectively has its own health separate from your own. It can lose all of its HP and die without the same necessarily happening to you. However, the horse cannot permanently die.
If Torrent takes too many hits and falls over in combat, you can re-summon it again after about ten seconds – though you’ll need to spend one Flask of Crimson Tears (HP flask) to resurrect it. Alternatively, you can simply rest at any Site of Grace to bring it back.
How do you heal the horse in Elden Ring?
Seeing as Torrent can certainly be killed, you’ll be happy to know that you can prevent things from reaching that point. What we’re talking about here are healing items, which can top up the horse’s health, when necessary, without having to re-summon it.
The Rowa Raisin is one such item, which can be fed to Torrent to restore its HP. Rowa Raisins need to be crafted, however. This basic version only requires Rowa Fruit to craft, and those are everywhere in Elden Ring. Other, more superior versions will require additional ingredients.
Once you get a few of those crafted, make sure to have them on-hand for when you need them.
Can you customise/upgrade the horse in Elden Ring?
The Torrent you get in Elden Ring is the one everyone also gets. You can’t boost its stats, change its name, or adorn it with new armour or cosmetics. This is a little unfortunate, especially coming from other open-world games like The Witcher 3, and Ghost of Tsushima – but it is what it is.
Can the horse take fall damage in Elden Ring?
Technically, both your character and Torrent take fall damage, but Elden Ring is very forgiving about that. If you attempt a very deep fall, what’s likely to happen is that both you and the horse will die.
However, Torrent also benefits from having a double-jump, which you can use just before you hit the ground to soften the landing. This won’t always be an option, of course, but it’s something you should be mindful of in case you need it.
That said, large falls that won't kill you will still cause you and Torrent to take damage.
How do horseback combat and Spirit Springs work in Elden Ring?
Torrent creates new gameplay opportunities for you in the world of Elden Ring. Certain roaming bosses expect you to be fighting them on horseback, so don’t hesitate to summon it before you duke it out with them. If it looks like your dodges aren’t enough to avoid boss attacks, it’s probably a sign that you need to be mounting Torrent for that fight.
Even outside of field boss fights, it’s always a good idea to start attacking a mob of enemies from horseback. Better yet, you can avoid the fight entirely if you keep galloping through them until you get to where you want to go.
You can swing your sword on either side of the horse, using R1/RB for right-side attacks, and L1/LB for left-side attacks. If you hold your heavy attack button, you’ll drag the sword along the ground and perform a very cool uppercut swing as you let go of the button, which is always a good way to start a fight.
Away from combat, Torrent can make use of Spirit Springs, which will allow it to make exceedingly high jumps. You’ll know these when you see them, and they’re effectively magic elevators that help you reach areas very high up.
For more on The Lands Between, check out our Elden Ring Guide.
