In DragonSword: Awakening, Familiars & Mounts are not just taxis—they are a permanent progression system. Every familiar you unlock and level adds passive stats that stack across your entire stable, even while you ride a different mount. Treat the roster like a collectible buff board: the squirrel you unlocked on day two still makes your endgame Brave Baby Dragon flights cheaper.
Use our Familiars & Mounts database for per-mount unlock text, then read below for routing and upgrade priority.
Every familiar you level contributes passives that stack onto whichever mount you are riding.
How to Unlock Familiars — Route Summary
Limited-Time Free Claim
The Black War Horse shown in launch promos was available for free inside an early DLC zone—watch the event timer so you do not miss the claim window.
Currency Exchange
Fierce Rhinoceros Beetle — redeem Adventurer's Emblems at the exchange vendor. This insect-class mount is an easy early Materials sink that pays back in stamina passives.
Emblem-purchased beetle mounts are among the first passives worth stacking.
Red Ladybug — often your earliest insect unlock from exploration or low mercenary tiers; level it even if you never ride it again.
Starter insect familiars still contribute permanent stamina passives to your whole stable.
Achievement / World Kills
Cotton Flying Squirrel — defeat 100 squirrels in the open world to unlock for free. Tedious, but mandatory for climb stamina reduction. Farm them while you explore rather than leaving it for endgame.
Squirrel-class mounts excel on cliffs—unlock this before you tackle vertical exploration zones.
Story & Mercenary Rank
Dawn Wing Cat — unlocks through Mercenary Corps rank promotion.
Cat mounts unlock Swim Dash for efficient water crossings.
Orchid Wing Cat — higher mercenary rank reward; enhanced swim coverage for late-game coastal routes.
Advanced cat variants stack extra swim-stamina passives on top of Dawn Wing Cat.
Snowstorm Sky Wolf — complete the linked main-story quest (underwater dash specialist).
Sky Wolf is the go-to mount for submerged caves and underwater dash chains.
Stormy Direwolf — unlocks through story and mercenary milestones; fastest ground mount for map crossing.
Chain sprint into Dash Jump loops to cross Orbis faster than any other land mount.
Bright Crow Tit — reach Novice Mercenary rank for the F2P air-dash glide path (see Beginner Guide and Tips for the mini-game variation that shares air dash across mounts).
Deluxe Edition Exclusive
Brave Baby Dragon — bundled with the Deluxe Edition (mount + soundtrack + art book). It is the only mount with true sustained flight.
Deluxe Edition dragon flight covers air, land, and sea transitions without mount swaps.
Full stat lines live on each database entry—filter Familiars & Mounts by category when planning your stable.
Mount Classes & Terrain Roles
| Class | Example | Exploration Role |
|---|---|---|
| Insect | Red Ladybug, Fierce Rhinoceros Beetle | Baseline land speed & early passives |
| Squirrel | Cotton Flying Squirrel | Cliff jumps beat walking slopes |
| Cat | Dawn Wing Cat, Orchid Wing Cat | Swim Dash on water |
| Wolf | Snowstorm Sky Wolf, Stormy Direwolf | Underwater dash vs fastest land Dash Jump loops |
| Gryphon | Gryphon | Multi-jump vertical climbs |
| Dragon | Brave Baby Dragon | True flight—glide, boost, gain altitude |
| Horse / Bird | Black War Horse, Bright Crow Tit | Early land travel / glide air dash |
Stormy Direwolf is the ground-speed king: chain sprint into jump to cross Orbis fast. Gryphon wins pure height; Brave Baby Dragon wins distance and freedom once you have it.
Passive Skill System — Stack Everything
This is the system's hook: passives are account-wide.
1. Unlock a familiar and level it → its passive (max stamina, move speed, swim efficiency, etc.) applies forever. 2. Passives stack—riding Stormy Direwolf while owning Dawn Wing Cat still applies the cat's swim stamina discount. 3. "Weak" mounts matter. Upgrade Cotton Flying Squirrel, Red Ladybug, and Fierce Rhinoceros Beetle even if you never ride them again; they are stat stickers for your main mount.
Before you min-max Gear & Weapons, finish the cheap familiars—you get more exploration uptime per hour than one extra gear sub-stat.
Open-World Routing Tips
Long distances: Summon Stormy Direwolf, sprint, Dash Jump, repeat. Steep mountains: Swap to Gryphon multi-jumps—or Cotton Flying Squirrel on tight ledges. Ocean crossings: Brave Baby Dragon glide if owned; otherwise Dawn Wing Cat Swim Dash along the surface. Underwater caves: Snowstorm Sky Wolf underwater dash—do not force other mounts to drown-walk.
Stamina bar management: flight, dash, and swim bursts drain the shared mount stamina pool. Empty stamina drops you out of the mode—plan landing spots.
Is the Deluxe Edition Worth It?
Brave Baby Dragon functionality is unique: full 3D flight beats Gryphon glides and every ground mount for map completion. Expect roughly $20–30 USD over Standard for Deluxe (regional pricing varies), including cosmetics and digital extras—not power sells, but exploration speed.
Buy Deluxe if you care about fastest sightseeing, collectible completion, and air-dash quality-of-life on day one. Skip if you are story-focused—Stormy Direwolf + Gryphon + Bright Crow Tit cover most terrain without the premium price.
Quick Checklist
1. Claim Black War Horse before the launch DLC window closes. 2. Kill squirrels until Cotton Flying Squirrel unlocks—no excuses. 3. Push mercenary rank for Dawn Wing Cat, Orchid Wing Cat, and Bright Crow Tit. 4. Level every mount you earn, not just the one on your hotbar. 5. Cross-reference Familiars & Mounts before spending emblems on duplicates.
When your stable passives are stacked, pivot to Gear and Karma System Guide for combat gearing—or Combat Tips and Tier List if you still need a main DPS pick.