Following the massive success of Bethesda's Elder Scrolls Series, the MMORPG, Elder Scrolls Online, was a natural move. With built-in lore and most of the groundwork already laid, this gave them time to focus on all the extra content that comes with an online game. Mounts being an important part of any MMORPG, they become a key part of any player's aesthetic style, showing the community that you've either put in the serious grind or that luck is on your side.
ESO has now released over 70 mounts that come with a range of rarity, from ones you can pick up in some of the first quests to a select few that stand out among the rest. The ESO rarest mounts are the ones that attract the attention and envy of those around you, a key piece in securing your place as one of the best players in the game.
Updated August 29, 2021 by Erik Petrovich: The Elder Scrolls Online has a huge number of mounts available to players, either earnable in-game or purchasable from the Crown Store for real-life money. The majority of mounts are pretty easy to acquire, and as such, there isn't a strong mount-hunting scene like in World of Warcraft. Despite the huge number of ESO mounts, the game doesn't offer too many options that are truly rare. Cool mounts tend to be available in the crown store pretty regularly, but there are still some that can only be found at certain times of the year, that serve as cosmetic-only mounts, or simply can't be acquired anymore thanks to limited-time events. Because the ESO Blackwood release date was so recent, though, the expansion's mounts will become rarer as future expansions are released.
9 Novelty Stick Horse
- Cost/How To Acquire: Only available during the Jester's Festival for 900 Crowns in the crown store
The Novelty Stick Horse mount (and the Nightmare Stick Horse) are two of the most useless mounts in all of The Elder Scrolls Online - but that doesn't mean they aren't fun anyway. These "horses" aren't affected by a player's mount speed, making them far from any of the ESO best mounts.
They can only be bought during the Jester's Festival for 900 Crowns in the Crown Store. Besides the novelty of riding around on a stick horse, there's not much appeal to this mount (especially for nearly $10) and thus they are mounts that one doesn't see too often out in the world.
8 Noweyr Steed
- Cost/How To Acquire: Only available by linking ESO account to Twitch during a limited-time event in early 2019
The Noweyr Steed (called the Realm of T'Which Steed in early game files) was a mount that could only be acquired by linking one's Elder Scrolls Online account with Twitch during a special promotion early in 2019. The mount is not unobtainable in-game, and sightings are rare.
The Noweyr Steed has purple spiraling patterns all over its body and is described in-game as being stolen from a vague plane of Oblivion by the thief-god Rajhin. Noweyr is an obvious reference to Elsweyr, the home of the Khajiit, but it's dubious whether this Oblivion plane actually exists.
7 Shadow-Rider Senche
- Cost/How To Acquire: Acquired through Scalecaller crown crates at an extremely low drop rate, which are no longer available
One of the best designs to come out of ESO, this mount takes the usual black senche design and supercharges it. Draping its black frame with a blood-red cloth and saddle, the Shadow-Rider glows with streaks of magic that flow behind it as it runs.
A Radiant-Apex reward that players could get from crown crates, it was almost impossible to get even when it was in rotation. Now that it's been discontinued, the mount only exists from veteran players or those that spent a lot more than they should have.
6 Green-Graht Ghost Cat
- Cost/How To Acquire: Acquired through Psijic Vault crown crates at an extremely low drop rate
A part of the Psijic crate releases, this mystic green senche has some serious impact when other players see you rolling through town. Riding on the back of a ghostly specter, even the spirit mounts armor is nice to look at.
Another Radiant-Apex drop, all of these mounts end up dropping at a 0.6% drop rate. Meaning some players will have to go through 100's of crates to even see one, all with no guarantee that it will be any specific mount that you're hoping for.
5 Imperial War Horse
- Cost/How To Acquire: Opened in Mysterious Reward Boxes from 2014, or purchased in the Crown Store during Mid-Year Mayhem occasionally for 2500 Crowns.
While it doesn't have the flash that some of the more recent exclusive mounts have, The Imperial War Horse is one of the rarest mounts in the game. Decked out in Imperial Legion armor that comes in red and gold, it's hard to miss anyone riding around this.
Only available for just over a month in 2017, the Ten Million Stories dungeon event made it all possible. Unless you were around in 2017 and went through the pile of Mysterious Reward Boxes, the Imperial War Horse is now out of reach.
4 Hollowjack Daedra Skull Wolf
- Cost/How To Acquire: Acquired through Hollowjack crown crates as a Radiant-Apex reward, which are no longer in-game
A big part of the reason for mounts is to intimidate or show off to other players when you're riding around on your mount of choice. The Daedra Skull Wolf will do just that and some, being released as part of the Hollowjack events as a Radiant-Apex mount.
Coming with the signature low drop rate that follows all Radiant-Apex mounts, on top of the fact that it was a limited event. Now the chance to be a headless rider is next to zero, having to find the few players that kept the mount from back in the day.
3 Sunspire Champion Senche-Lion
- Cost/How To Acquire: Complete the Sunspire Dragonbreak achievement, a lengthy crusade through the Sunspire, to get this mount for free
Standing out among the rest of the rare mounts as the only one that can be acquired through the skill of the player, the Champion Sunspire Mount is equally as impressive as whoever rides on its back. Because of its requirements, it's likely one of the ESO rarest mounts.
Players will have to complete all the Sunspire achievements, eventually getting the Sunspire Dragonbreak achievement. While it's no easy task and will take a lot of grinding to get there, the juice is well worth the squeeze. On top of all the glory that comes with completing this list of challenges, the mount is the perfect cherry on top.
2 Senche Of Scarlet Regret
- Cost/How To Acquire: Acquired as an extremely low-drop rate mount through Ouroboros crown crates
A mount with some heavy backstory tied to it, riding around the Senche of Scarlet Regret is a lot more of an immersive choice than most mounts. Not to mention the ominous design, taking the Shadow-Rider and putting it in stealth mode.
Although most apex rewards come with that 0.6% chance, the senche of scarlet regret knocks it down even lower to 0.4, coming as an exclusive in a special promotion by Twitch in the Ouroboros Crates and boasting one of tightest drop rates ever in the game.
1 Plague Husk
- Cost/How To Acquire: Acquired through Reaper's Harvest crown crates as a Radiant-Apex reward
One of the most frustrating mounts in the entire game, especially considering the occasional new player seems to hit the jackpot and get it on a free crate. Some players have been cursed with opening box upon box without even a hint of the zombie horse.
The Plague Husk combines the eerie, skeletal look with toxic plasma attached is one of the most daunting looks available. Causing many to go on the hunt for the spooky steed and quickly realizing how rare getting to ride it actually is.