How To Get The Blackstar Dragon & INFINITE Dragon Flight in Crimson Desert

How To Get The Blackstar Dragon: Let’s be honest — the moment you saw that massive fire-breathing dragon streaking across the sky in Crimson Desert’s trailers, you knew you had to ride it. That creature is the Blackstar Dragon, and it’s hands-down the most spectacular mount Pearl Abyss has ever put in a game. But here’s the thing nobody tells you upfront: unlocking it takes serious commitment. It’s buried deep in the main story, gated behind a specific stamina requirement, and limited by a cooldown system that has split the community right down the middle. This guide covers everything — how to get the Blackstar Dragon step by step, how the 15-minute flight window works, the “infinite dragon flight” trick players are using, and how to make every single summon count. No fluff, just the full picture.

How To Get The Blackstar Dragon: Quick Overview Table

How To Get The Blackstar Dragon in Crimson Desert

The Blackstar is the dragon mount in Crimson Desert — a massive flying wyvern that grants full aerial traversal and devastating fire-based combat abilities. It is the single most powerful mount in the game and one of the most memorable rewards in the main story.

But don’t expect to find it early. The dragon is a story-related mount and therefore is not missable, and it cannot be obtained elsewhere. This will take the average player around 50+ hours if they focus on the main story with minimal exploration.

The unlock happens across two chapters — Chapter 9 and Chapter 11 — so think of it as a two-act story that builds toward one of gaming’s most satisfying payoffs.

Chapter 9 — Your First Encounter With Blackstar (Shattered Stars Quest)

During Chapter 9: The Sage of the Desert, the Shattered Ties quest chain takes you to the Palace of Urdavah. A cutscene plays where you pull a spear from the wounded Blackstar. That’s your first introduction to the creature.

This is a scripted story moment — you can’t ride Blackstar yet. But the game is building the bond between your character Kliff and the dragon that pays off later.

After the cutscene, you return to Urdavah for the actual taming sequence. This is where the stamina requirement hits hard.

Critical Requirement — Stamina Level 5

You need Stamina Level 5 before attempting to mount Blackstar here. The Aerial Maneuver that follows costs 200 Stamina points, and you simply cannot complete the sequence without it. Sort this out before arriving.

If you’ve been skipping character progression and ignoring your endurance stats, this will stop you cold. Farm Stamina upgrades before heading into this sequence — there’s no workaround.

How To Ride Blackstar in Chapter 9 — Step-by-Step

Once you’re at Urdavah with Stamina Level 5, here’s exactly what to do:

• Position yourself on the battlements. At Urdavah, use the “Wait” option when prompted. This spawns Kliff on the battlements with Blackstar flying nearby.
• Jump and glide toward Blackstar. When the dragon passes close enough below, jump off the battlement and glide toward it.
• Grapple onto its back. Activate the Axiom Force (grapple) to target Blackstar’s back. Immediately press the jump button to perform an Aerial Maneuver, which costs 200 Stamina.
• Resist while mounted. Once on Blackstar’s back, press and hold the “Resist” button prompt to tighten Kliff’s grip whenever the dragon dives and rolls.
• Use Focused Force Palm. When prompted, activate Focus and press and hold the Force Palm button until it charges. When a bright glow appears on Blackstar’s back, target it and release the button. This purifies the corruption affecting Blackstar.

After that, Blackstar flies away. Your job in Chapter 9 is done — but the dragon still isn’t yours permanently yet.

Chapter 11 — Permanent Unlock (Foreboding Shadow Quest)

The actual unlock happens in Chapter 11 during the Foreboding Shadow questline, specifically the quest called “Foreboding Shadows: Whispers in the Wind.” This chapter takes you to Delesyia, where you face a Mecha Dragon boss called Golden Star. This boss uses devastating attacks, including a flame tornado and bombard barrage. The most effective strategy is to throw spears at it whenever it’s immobile.

You don’t need to fully destroy the Golden Star either. You won’t need to kill the Golden Star. Once you’ve done enough damage, the Blackstar will help you finish it off!

After the fight, you’ll dive off a platform in the Abyss and call for the dragon to catch you, triggering an aerial combat sequence. Defeat the boss that appears during this sequence, and when you return to the Nest of Valor location, Blackstar becomes your permanent mount.

This unlock is unmissable. The acquisition happens automatically during a cutscene in the main quest. It is impossible to accidentally skip or fail the unlock. Every player who completes the Chapter 11 main quest will obtain the Blackstar.

How To Summon the Blackstar Dragon

Once you own it, summoning Blackstar is straightforward:

To summon the Blackstar, hold H on keyboard or hold D-Pad Down on controller to open the mount wheel. Select the Dragon using the right stick (controller) or mouse (keyboard). The Blackstar will descend from the sky and land near you.

Dragon Flight Mechanics — Everything You Need To Know

How To Fly The Blackstar

The Blackstar handles differently from ground mounts. Use the camera to control altitude: look up while moving forward to climb, look down to dive. The dragon can reach any altitude and fly across the entire continent of Pywel. Diving sharply increases speed, which can be useful for repositioning or making aggressive attack runs.

This is actually one of the smartest pro tips most guides skip — the dive-bomb maneuver is the fastest movement method in the entire game. If you need to cross the map quickly, angle downward first to build speed, then pull back up. It’s significantly faster than flat horizontal flight.

Combat Abilities on Dragonback

Aerial Combat: You have Fireballs (R1) with decent lock-on and a brutal Fire Breath (R2) for close encounters, but the latter drains your Stamina at an alarming rate.

Stamina regenerates even while airborne, so you do not need to land to recharge between attacks. However, extended Fire Breath will drain your stamina quickly, so alternate between Fireball volleys and brief Breath passes to maintain a steady rhythm.

Here’s a quick combat abilities breakdown:

The 15-Minute Timer & Cooldown — The Truth About “Infinite” Dragon Flight

This is where most players get frustrated. Blackstar is only available for 15 minutes of real-world time per session. After that, a 50-minute cooldown kicks in before you can summon the dragon again.

There is no way to reduce this cooldown. No upgrade, no item, no mechanic shortens it.

So when people search for “infinite dragon flight” — what does that actually mean? There are two answers, depending on whether you’re on PC or console.

The PC Mod Method — True Infinite Dragon Flight

On PC, the modding community has already cracked this. A mod exists that removes the 50-minute cooldown for the Dragon, adds Infinite Health and toggle-able Infinite Stamina, and provides Dragon Riding Duration Presets for 30m, 60m, 2hr, and 4hr sessions.

This is the closest thing to true infinite flight currently available. The mod uses a JSON file dropped into a mod manager (PhorgeForge or CDUMM), and settings are fully adjustable through an .ini file. It’s clean, it works, and it gives players the freedom the base game doesn’t.

Note: This is a single-player mod and doesn’t affect other players. Still, use mods at your own discretion.

The Vanilla In-Game “Infinite Flight” Trick — Flying Boost Tech

For players who want to stay vanilla, there’s a legit in-game technique that dramatically extends your aerial mobility. This Flying Boost relies on three distinct abilities found primarily in the Red portion of the skill tree. Before you attempt the flight, make sure you have spent your Abyss Artifacts on the following: Aerial Roll (a crucial mobility skill found in the Health-based tree), Focus (the core slow-motion mechanic learned early in the story), and Focused Insight (an advanced extension unlocked once you reach Focus Level 3).

This isn’t actually flight on the Blackstar — it’s a combination of Kliff’s own aerial mobility skills that lets you stay airborne far longer than normal gliding. Combined with strategic Blackstar usage, it creates the impression of near-continuous aerial traversal.

How To Use Your 15-Minute Dragon Window Wisely

Since you can’t extend it in vanilla, you need to be smart. Here’s how to get maximum value from every Blackstar summon:

• Use it for long-distance travel between regions where fast travel doesn’t exist
• Clear outposts from the air before dropping in on foot — Fireball volleys wipe enemy numbers fast
• Save it for tough encounters where aerial bombardment makes the fight trivial
• Don’t waste it on small groups — three bandits don’t need a dragon
• If you need to cross the map fast, tilt the stick down for a dive-bomb. The speed you pick up is significantly higher than normal horizontal flight.

Blackstar’s Restrictions & Important Limitations

The Blackstar can be summoned and used anywhere in the open world of Pywel. However, it cannot be used inside the Abyss realm. If you enter the Abyss while the dragon is active, it will be dismissed automatically.

Also, watch the health bar. If Blackstar’s health bar is depleted while you’re riding, the dragon becomes unsummonable for the full cooldown period. There’s no way to skip or shorten this penalty by sleeping or waiting, since it runs on real-world time. Keep an eye on that health bar during combat.

Are There Other Dragon Mounts in Crimson Desert?

Yes — Blackstar isn’t the only one. Blackstar is the most accessible dragon since it’s tied to the main story, but Crimson Desert actually has 5 dragon-type mounts in total. The other four are not tied to the main questline, and details on their unlock conditions remain sparse at the time of writing. Blackstar is the guaranteed first dragon for every player.

The other mounts in the game include horses, bears, mechs, and even dinosaurs. But nothing compares to soaring above Pywel on Blackstar’s back.

Abyssal Dragon Armor — Customize Your Blackstar

Once you have the Blackstar, you’re not stuck with its default look. You can alter the look of the Blackstar once you craft the Abyssal Dragon Armor. This adds a cosmetic layer to the dragon that makes it look even more intimidating. Crafting requirements for the Armor are tied to endgame materials, so it’s a post-unlock goal worth chasing.

Pros & Cons of the Blackstar Dragon System

Expert Tips for Blackstar Dragon Riders

Having gone through the unlock process and tested the dragon extensively, here’s what separates good Blackstar riders from great ones:

• Stamina Level 5 is non-negotiable — go in without it and the Chapter 9 taming sequence will fail you every time
• The Golden Star fight goes faster with spears — thrown spears during its stationary phases deal disproportionate damage
• Alternate Fireball and Fire Breath — don’t hold Fire Breath continuously or you’ll drain stamina before the cooldown recharges
• Dive-bomb is your best friend — the speed gain from a sharp downward angle is the fastest movement in the game, bar none
• Plan your summon before you use it — a dragon wasted on a patrol of three enemies is 50 minutes of waiting

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: How do you get the Blackstar Dragon in Crimson Desert? Complete the “Foreboding Shadow: Whispers in the Wind” quest in Chapter 11. You’ll first encounter Blackstar in Chapter 9 during the Shattered Stars questline in Urdavah, but it only becomes your permanent rideable mount after the Chapter 11 boss fight against the Golden Star in Delesyia.

Q: What chapter do you unlock the dragon in Crimson Desert? You can unlock the dragon at the end of Chapter 11 in the main story, just before the final chapter of the game, which takes around 60+ hours of playing while mainly focusing on story quests.

Q: Is there a way to get infinite dragon flight in Crimson Desert? In vanilla, no — the 15-minute timer and 50-minute cooldown are fixed and cannot be changed through any in-game mechanic. On PC, a Nexus Mods mod removes the cooldown entirely and offers preset flight durations of 30 minutes, 60 minutes, 2 hours, or 4 hours.

Q: What is the Stamina requirement for the Blackstar dragon? The Chapter 9 riding sequence requires Stamina at level 5 or higher. The Aerial Maneuver costs 200 Stamina — the reason your Stamina attribute must be at level 5 or higher before attempting this.

Q: Can you use the Blackstar in the Abyss in Crimson Desert? No. The Blackstar cannot be summoned inside the Abyss realm. If you’re already riding it when you enter the Abyss, it gets dismissed automatically.

Q: How long does the Blackstar dragon stay active? The Blackstar stays active for approximately 15 minutes of real time after being summoned. Once the timer expires, it flies away and enters a 50-minute real-time cooldown. Both timers count real-world minutes, not in-game time.

Q: How many dragon mounts are in Crimson Desert? While the Blackstar is almost guaranteed to be the first Dragon mount you get in Crimson Desert, there are a total of five such creatures in the game. The unlock conditions for the other four remain undocumented in detail at launch.

Q: How do you summon the Blackstar dragon? Hold the H key or hold down on the D-pad and select the Dragon using the right stick to summon the mount. Blackstar will descend from the sky and land near your position.

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