Unlock the Blackstar Dragon mount in Crimson Desert by reaching Chapter 11 and finishing Foreboding Shadows, the main-story questline that permanently adds this fire-breathing flying mount.
The Blackstar Dragon is story-locked: you unlock it by progressing Crimson Desert’s main campaign to Chapter 11 and completing the Foreboding Shadows questline — there is no purchase, shop, or early shortcut.
The Blackstar Dragon is the standout mount in Crimson Desert — a fire-breathing flier you can dive through the skies on — and the only way to it runs straight through the main story. If you came here hoping to buy it or grab it from a side quest, that’s the first thing to let go of. It’s a campaign reward, earned at a fixed point, and everyone who has it got there the same way.
Blackstar is a story-locked Chapter 11 mount
There’s no merchant, currency, or early trick involved. Blackstar becomes yours purely through main-story progression, and it doesn’t even start to come together until Chapter 11 — which most players report hitting somewhere around the 50–60 hour mark, depending on pace. Once you’ve earned it, it’s a permanent mount, not a one-off scripted ride.
The Chapter 11 quest chain that frees Blackstar
The actual unlock is a short chain of Chapter 11 main quests that ends in a boss fight. Clear them in order, and the dragon is the reward for the climax. The quest names below come from in-game wording that’s still settling, so treat the exact spellings loosely.
STEP 1/6
Reach Chapter 11 in the main story
The Blackstar path only begins once you’ve pushed the campaign from Chapter 1 all the way to Chapter 11, roughly 50–60 hours in for most players.
STEP 2/6
Start the Brave New World quest
Chapter 11 opens with Brave New World — complete it to move the chain forward.
STEP 3/6
Move into the Foreboding Shadow questline
Next comes Foreboding Shadow, which some menus show as “Foreboding Shadows: Whispers in the Wind” (and others misprint as “Whispers in the Wild”).
STEP 4/6
Beat the Golden Star Dragon in Master of the Forgotten Land
The quest Master of the Forgotten Land ends in a boss fight against the Golden Star Dragon — also referred to as the Master of the Forgotten Land — and defeating it is the real trigger. There’s a major cutscene here, so don’t skip ahead.
STEP 5/6
Summon Blackstar to take the Fortress of Orbion
With the boss down, you can call in the Blackstar Dragon and ride it to assault the Fortress of Orbion.
STEP 6/6
Finish Chapter 11 to keep Blackstar
Once the chapter wraps after Orbion, Blackstar becomes a permanent mount you can summon whenever you want.
Video help
Summoning Blackstar and its flight limits
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Unlock chapter | Chapter 11 (main story) |
| Summon on PC | Hold H, pick Blackstar from the mount wheel |
| Summon on console | Hold Down on the D-pad, then select Blackstar |
| Active flight time | ~15 minutes per summon (reported) |
| Cooldown | ~50–60 minutes, can’t be shortened by resting (reported) |
After Chapter 11 is done, calling the dragon is quick, but it isn’t a free-flight toy — it runs on a tight active window and a long cooldown that you’ll feel. On PC you hold H and pick Blackstar from the mount wheel; on console you hold Down on the D-pad and select it from the mount list. It works across most of Pywel, the main overworld, but summoning inside the Abyss is restricted and reads inconsistently from player to player — some manage it only via edge cases like jumping off an Abyss cliff so it picks you up in normal space, so don’t count on routine Abyss flight.
Mistakes players make hunting the dragon
The biggest one is treating Blackstar as missable or optional and rushing to “secure” it early. It’s bolted to the main story, so there’s nothing to miss — and just as importantly, there’s no paid shortcut, no premium currency, and no in-game shop that sells a dragon. Any “buy it now” or early-unlock claim you run into is either wishful thinking or a mix-up with a completely different game that happens to share the “black dragon” wording; it has nothing to do with Crimson Desert.
The other common trap shows up well before Chapter 11. There’s an earlier Chapter 9 sequence where you first meet Blackstar and have to hang on through an aerial purification ride, and players who go in with low Stamina often fail it repeatedly and assume it’s bugged. Community advice is to have Stamina at level 5 or higher before that ride — it’s a recommendation, not a hard stated requirement, but it makes the segment far less punishing. Finally, don’t over-read the Abyss rules: assuming you can freely fly Blackstar there leads to confusion, since current behavior is restricted and may shift with patches.
Before the Chapter 9 Blackstar ride, push your Stamina to level 5 or higher — the aerial purification sequence is brutal at low Stamina and is what convinces players it’s broken.
Other dragons and getting more from Blackstar
Blackstar isn’t the only dragon in the world. There are other rare ones you can find and temporarily ride out in the open, though they’re harder to track down and none of them stick around as a permanent mount the way Blackstar does.
Frequently Asked Questions
What chapter unlocks the Blackstar Dragon?
Chapter 11 of the main story. The unlock chain runs through the Foreboding Shadow questline and ends with the Golden Star Dragon boss fight, after which Blackstar becomes a permanent mount.
Can you buy or unlock the Blackstar Dragon early?
No. There’s no shop, no currency cost, and no legitimate early shortcut — it’s earned purely by progressing the campaign to Chapter 11.
Is the Blackstar Dragon missable?
No. Because it’s tied to the main story rather than side content, you can’t permanently miss it by skipping optional quests.
How long can you ride Blackstar and what’s the cooldown?
Players report roughly 15 minutes of active flight per summon, followed by a cooldown of about 50–60 minutes that reportedly can’t be reduced by resting. Both figures are widely cited but not officially confirmed.
Can you summon Blackstar in the Abyss?
Mostly no — summoning is reliable across Pywel, but inside the Abyss it’s restricted and inconsistent across players. Some only manage it through edge cases like dropping off an Abyss cliff so the dragon catches you outside the zone, and this behavior may change with patches.
