The Hogwarts Legacy Hippogriff mount is the first magical beast in the game that lets you ride around on its back and explore the Highlands by air. While a broom may be more practical for getting between quests, it's hard to beat soaring through the skies on a giant four-legged eagle creature.
Later on, you can also get the Graphorn mount, which lets you bulldoze through groups of goblins and dark wizards on the ground. So, here's how to unlock Highwing the Hippogriff as a flying mount, and when exactly you'll get to take to the skies with her.
How to unlock Highwing the Hippogriff
You'll unlock the Hippogriff flying mount during The High Keep quest, but first you'll need to complete a few others. You'll initially encounter Highwing, the Hippogriff, during Autumn when you attend Beast Class. After befriending Poppy, she invites you into the forest for a little surprise, where you meet the big bird and exchange bows before she flies away. A little later, after you've completed Deek's The Elf, The Nab-Sack, and The Loom beast-capturing quest, and the Astronomy Class quest, Natty sends you a message asking to meet at Falbarton Castle.
This is The High Keep quest, which unlocks Highwing as a flying mount on completion. You have to sneak into the castle, complete a variety of puzzles, and then rescue Highwing from Rookwood's poachers.
After you've escaped Falbarton Castle, you can use Highwing as a mount at any point. Press tab and then 2, similar to how you summon your broomstick, to bring Highwing out of the Nab-Sack. While she's not that much faster than a broom in the air, she can sprint on the ground if you hold shift, and will take off when you hold space. Once airborne, you can ascend further with space or descend using CTRL. If you press C you'll hover in place so you can stop to take a look at those pleasant Highland views.
How to get the Thestral mount
If you own either the Deluxe or Collector's editions of Hogwarts Legacy—or purchase The Dark Arts pack separately—you'll also gain access to the Thestral mount. You can swap to this by selecting mounts in the Gear section of the menu. If you pre-ordered the game, you'll also have the option to swap to Caligo, the other Hippogriff you rescue during The High Keep quest. Both of these unlock at the same time as Highwing if you have access to them.
