Few moments in Diablo 4 feel as rewarding as earning your first mount. But this freedom on horseback doesn’t come immediately-it’s tied to a key quest, Donan’s Favor, that appears partway through the campaign. Here’s when that long-awaited speed boost finally becomes yours.
Unfortunately, your steed isn’t immediately available for pickup when you first arrive in the capital city of Kyovashad. No, you’ll need to do some serious adventuring before you can travel faster than your legs alone will take you.
In this guide, we’ll tell you when you can unlock the mount quest (called “Mount: Donan’s Favor“), how to complete the quest, and how you can customize your horse.
When can you unlock the mount in Diablo 4?
Complete the priority quest “Mount: Donan’s Favor,” which becomes available at the start of Act 4 after finishing Acts 1 through 3. Speak to Donan outside the Cathedral of Light in Kyovashad to receive it, then head southwest to Oskar the Stable Master near the waypoint to claim your first mount for free. Subsequent characters on the account gain mount access immediately at level 1.
You won’t be able to unlock the horse mount in Diablo 4 until the beginning of Act IV.
When you first arrive in Kyovashad in the prologue, you’ll acquire three quests: one for Act I, one for Act II, and the other for Act III. You can tackle these quests in any order (although some orders will be easier than others), but you must complete all three act quests before you can move on to Act IV.
What is the mount quest in Diablo 4?
The Mount: Donan’s Favor quest appears at the start of Act 4 in Diablo 4, after finishing Acts 1 through 3 of the campaign. Speak to Donan outside the Cathedral of Light in Kyovashad to pick it up, then head southwest to the stables and talk to Oskar the Stable Master. Completing this brief priority quest grants the first mount for free and enables summoning with the Z key across Sanctuary.
At the very start of Act IV, you’ll find yourself back in Kyovashad for the “Master’s Touch” quest. Complete the quest and, in addition to the next step in Act IV, you’ll also unlock “Mount: Donan’s Favor,” which is Diablo 4‘s mount quest.
We were near level 30 when we got to this spot in the campaign, but your mileage will vary based on what difficulty you’re playing on and how much side content you do. But it’s absolutely worth ignoring side content until you get your horse, as moving from place to place gets significantly faster once you’re on a mount.
Now that you have the quest, all you need to do now is speak to the stable master in Kyovashad, who is standing near the bridge that leads into the city – where Lorath rode west all those hours ago. After a short conversation, you’ll get a popup alerting you to how the mount system works and you’ll get to pick a horse color.
Congratulations: you’re now licensed for the streets of Sanctuary and Highway 666.
How does the horse work?
The horse serves as your primary travel companion, allowing faster movement across Sanctuary and smoother exploration between regions. Once mounted, you can sprint for brief bursts of speed or use mount-specific abilities to engage or escape enemies. The horse can also be customized with different bardings and trophies, which change its appearance but not its performance. While riding, combat options are limited, encouraging players to dismount for direct fighting when encountering foes.
Now that you have your horse, you may be wondering “I’m an all-powerful demon killer and this is just a normal horse? What use is this to me?” Well, the horse is much faster than running around on foot in Diablo 4, and also allows you to easily grab Altars of Lilith or bypass groups of monsters that want to kill you – or that you just can’t be bothered to deal with. Most importantly, you’ll unlock the horse for all future characters on your account once you complete this quest, significantly speeding up those early levels.
The horse has the classic The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time energy system, where you can kick to make your mount giddy-up up to three times in a row, making it go faster. After a short cooldown, these charges will start to return to you one at a time, allowing you charge forward once again. While charging, you become Unstoppable (meaning you can walk or ride through monsters unimpeded), so it’s a good idea to always keep one of your charges in your back pocket in case you get swarmed by enemies.
If you do take some damage on horseback, a meter will fill up on the UI. If the meter reaches the top, you’ll get kicked off the horse and won’t be able to jump back on for a long cooldown.
Can you customize the horse?
Yes, you can change quite a bit about your mount once you gain access to it. At stables in major towns, you can swap between different horse skins, add barding and trophies, and apply mount armor that reflects your class or achievements. These cosmetics are earned through quests, seasonal rewards, the shop, and certain in-game challenges, letting you gradually build a mount look that fits your character’s style.
At the stable, you can change the horse’s appearance and buy new options like saddles. It’s unclear if any of these changes upgrade the actual functionality of the horse, but all upgrades we ran across in the review period were purely cosmetic. We’ll update this guide if there are any ways to increase your horse’s speed or number of charges.
Can I get a mount before finishing Act 3
No, you cannot unlock a mount before finishing Act 3 in Diablo 4.
Requirement Details
The “Mount: Donan’s Favor” quest becomes available only after completing all three prerequisite Acts (Acts 1, 2, and 3, in any order). This triggers the start of Act 4, where you speak to Donan in Kyovashad.
Why Acts 1-3 First
Game design requires progressing through these early Acts to reach the point where the mount quest appears as a priority quest. Players report frustration over foot travel in Act 3’s Dry Steppes and Kehjistan without a mount.
How to start Act 4 without finishing Acts 1 or 2
No, you cannot start Act 4 without finishing Acts 1, 2, and 3 in Diablo 4.
Act Structure
The first three Acts function as parallel storylines that converge only after all are complete, unlocking the Act 4 quest “A Gathering Storm.” You pick them up in any order from Kyovashad after the prologue, but Act 4 remains locked until every Act 1-3 questline ends.
Progression Block
Players confirm on forums that skipping Acts 1 or 2 blocks Act 4 access, as NPCs and story triggers depend on finishing all three “recruitment” arcs first. This design ensures linear storytelling from Act 4 onward.
