The Royal Highlands expansion gave Palia something players had been waiting for: actual mounts. The maps in this game are genuinely large, and trekking back and forth on foot gets old fast. Your first horse is completely free, tied to a short quest in the new zone, and you can grab it without finishing the main story first. Here's everything you need to know to get riding.
How to reach the Royal Highlands
Before any of this is possible, you need to get into the Royal Highlands zone itself. Head to the De Mer Docks on the southwest side of Elderwood. There's a door at the docks beside a boat that takes you straight there.
New players can still access the zone early, but expect some main campaign spoilers along the way.
How to start the Before the Dawn quest
Once you arrive in the Royal Highlands, a brief cutscene plays. After that, head to the camp to meet Subira, Tamala, and Ulfe, then continue forward to find Hassian standing beside a horse encased in Amber Echo. Speaking with Hassian introduces you to the Dawnspur breed and triggers the Before the Dawn quest.
Here's the full sequence to complete it:
- Equip your pickaxe and strike the orange amber crystals around the horse's feet to free it.
- Speak with Hassian again after freeing the horse.
- Search the surrounding area for Dawnspur Lilies, the golden flowers that grow nearby. You need exactly 3.
- Bring the flowers to the horse. It eats them and perks up immediately.
- Hassian dares you to ride the newly energized mount. Do it.
Once the quest wraps, the Dawnspur horse is yours as a reward, no purchase required.
How to equip and ride your horse
With the quest done, open your tool menu and look for the saddle icon. Your new horse appears as a selectable option at the bottom of the list, just like any other field tool. Select it, and the horse spawns beneath you.
What are the riding controls?
Horses use the same default movement keys as your character. Hold the forward movement key (W on PC) to build speed. Tap the backward key (S) to slow down gradually, or hold it to stop completely. The camera tracks the horse automatically, though you can adjust that behavior in the settings.
How does the stamina system work?
Your horse has a stamina bar that drains while sprinting. Once it empties, the horse slows down until stamina recovers. To keep it topped up without stopping, ride through the glowing gold orbs scattered along roads. These partially restore stamina on contact, letting you maintain speed across longer stretches.
Ignoring the stamina orbs on long rides will leave you crawling across the map. Plan your route around them, especially in unfamiliar parts of the Highlands.
Stamina orbs restore horse speed
How to breed horses in Palia
After unlocking your first horse, you'll find it waiting at your barn back home. If your stable is full, check the retirement section and make room.
Breeding horses ties into the ranching skill. As you level it up, you gain the ability to breed multiple horse types and mix traits between individuals of the same breed. The key limitation: you cannot crossbreed between horse types.
Horse breed compatibility
So if you want a Phoenixfire with specific traits, you'll need two Phoenixfire horses to work with.
Can you ride the horses you breed?
Yes, with one catch. Dawnspur horses bred at your barn are rideable without any extra steps, as long as you've progressed through Binnie's quests in the Royal Highlands to fully unlock the feature.
Phoenixfire and Akwindu horses require a special license purchased with Palia Coins, which cost real money. Both types need separate licenses. The upside: you can breed either type and work toward ideal traits before spending anything on a license. Your perfect mount can be waiting in the barn whenever you're ready.
There are Palia Coins bundles available to help with the license cost. Since Phoenixfire and Akwindu each need their own license, factor that in if you're planning to ride both.
Palia sits firmly in the simulation games genre, and the mount system fits that identity well. Horses aren't just a speed boost; they're a progression system with breeding depth that rewards time invested in ranching.
Quick reference: unlocking your first horse
For more tips on everything the Royal Highlands expansion has to offer, the Palia strategy guides collection covers quests, ranching, and zone mechanics in detail.