You’ve probably seen it by now. You’re idling in Old Sharlayan or hanging out by the aetheryte in Solution Nine, and suddenly, a giant, bug-eyed marsupial with tiny paws and a massive tail glides over your head. It’s the Sugar Glider mount FFXIV players have been losing their minds over since Patch 7.0 dropped. Honestly, it’s one of the weirdest additions to the mount roster in years, but in a game where we already ride around on giant beds and mechanical gorillas, a flying squirrel-adjacent creature feels weirdly at home.
The Sugar Glider—officially known as the Sugar Glider Horn in your inventory—is more than just a cute face. It represents a specific shift in how Square Enix is handling rewards in the Dawntrail era. It’s not a drop from a savage raid. It’s not something you get for selling your soul to the Ishgardian Restoration. It’s a grind, but a different kind of grind.
👉 See also: How to Make a Pie in Gag: Why This Toontown Classic Still Rules the Streets
How to Actually Get Your Hands on the Sugar Glider
Let’s be real: you aren't getting this thing by accident. You have to commit. The Sugar Glider is tied to the Cenote Ja Ja Gural treasure map dungeons. These are the special instances that have a chance to trigger when you open a Br’aaxskin Treasure Map.
If you’ve done maps before, you know the drill. You gather a group (or go solo if you’re feeling spicy and play a Blue Mage, though that’s getting harder with the level cap increases), find the chest, kill the mobs, and pray to the RNG gods that a portal opens. Once you’re inside the Cenote, you’re looking for a specific item: Glider Down.
You need three of these.
It sounds simple. It isn't. The drop rate for Glider Down is notoriously finicky. Some players report seeing two in a single run, while others (myself included) have gone through fifty maps without seeing a single tuft of fluff. Because these materials are tradable, the Market Board is an option, but be prepared to cough up millions of Gil. Early in the expansion, these were going for 5–10 million Gil per piece on most North American servers like Aether and Primal. Even as the economy stabilizes, the Sugar Glider mount FFXIV collectors hunt for remains a "status" item because of that price tag.
The Design: Is It Just a Reskin?
People always ask if the Sugar Glider is just a repurposed Great Vessel of Ronka or a weirdly shaped squirrel. It’s not. The animations are surprisingly unique.
When you’re on the ground, it has this frantic, scurrying gait that feels very "rodent-brained." But the magic happens when you take off. Its limbs extend, the membranes stretch out, and it catches the wind exactly like a real Petaurus breviceps—only, you know, large enough to carry a Roegadyn.
There’s a specific jiggle physics to the tail that devs clearly spent too much time on.
Why the "Ugly-Cute" Factor Wins
FFXIV has a long history of "ugly-cute" mounts. Think about the Fat Cat or the Cascadier Uniform. The Sugar Glider fits this perfectly. Its eyes are slightly too large, reflecting the world back at you in a way that’s almost creepy if you look too closely.
But that’s the charm.
In a world of majestic dragons and glowing celestial steeds, riding a giant bug-eyed marsupial is a power move. It says, "I spent twenty hours in a damp cave for this, and I regret nothing."
Market Board Politics and the Cost of Fluff
If you aren't into the RNG of treasure maps, you're at the mercy of the players who are. The economy of the Sugar Glider mount FFXIV is a fascinating study in supply and demand.
- Peak Times: Prices usually tank on Tuesdays after the weekly reset when everyone is running their maps.
- The "Farmer" Effect: Dedicated map groups often flood the market, causing temporary price dips.
- The Scarcity: Because Glider Down only comes from the latest maps, as soon as the next tier of maps comes out in a future patch, the supply of these might actually drop as people move on to the "new" shiny thing.
If you’re sitting on a pile of Gil, buy the materials, not the horn. Sometimes—not always, but sometimes—the individual feathers (Glider Down) are cheaper than the crafted/exchanged horn itself. Always check the math. You trade the three downs to Nesvaaz in Radz-at-Han (X: 10.6, Y: 10.0) to get the actual mount.
The Mount’s Place in the Dawntrail Meta
Dawntrail brought a lot of visual upgrades to the game. The Sugar Glider benefits from the new material system, meaning its fur looks significantly better than the "carpet" textures we saw on mounts back in Stormblood.
It’s also surprisingly compact.
Large mounts like the Lunar Whale are cool until you realize you can’t see the quest NPC because fifty other people are parked on top of them. The Sugar Glider is small enough to stay out of the way but distinct enough to be noticed. It’s the "small car" of the FFXIV world—easy to park, surprisingly fast (well, all mounts are the same speed, but it feels fast), and cute.
Comparing the Glider to the Oppressor and Others
If you look at the recent mount additions, we’ve had a lot of mechanical stuff. The Oppressor from the series pass, various airships, and magitek. The Sugar Glider brings us back to the "magical beast" roots of the game. It feels like something that actually lives in the forests of Tural.
It’s grounded. Well, until it flies.
Common Misconceptions About the Sugar Glider
I’ve seen a lot of misinformation in Novice Network lately. Let’s clear some of it up.
👉 See also: Xbox Series X Galaxy Black: Is That 2TB Special Edition Actually Worth the Money?
First, you do not need to finish the entire Dawntrail MSQ to ride it, but you do need to be able to access the zones where the maps are located if you plan on farming it yourself. If you buy it off the Market Board, you can use it as soon as you have mount access.
Second, it does not have a unique music track. This is a bit of a letdown for some. It uses the standard flying mount theme. While it would have been amazing to have some bongo-heavy Tural-inspired track, we’re stuck with the classics.
Third, no, it doesn't have a passenger seat. It’s strictly a solo flight. Your Lalafell friend will have to find their own marsupial.
Is It Worth the Grind?
This is subjective, obviously. But let’s look at the numbers. To get three Glider Downs, you’re looking at an average of 40 to 60 maps depending on your luck. That’s a lot of time.
If you enjoy social gaming, map parties are some of the best ways to make friends and Gil simultaneously. You aren't just getting the glider; you're getting crafting mats, clusters, and raw Gil. In that context, the Sugar Glider mount FFXIV is essentially a "free" bonus for playing the game’s economy.
If you hate maps? Just wait.
Mount prices in FFXIV almost always follow a downward curve over the first year of an expansion. If it’s 15 million Gil today, it’ll likely be 5 million in six months. Patience is a virtue, or at least a way to save your Gil for that fancy player housing you’ve been eyeing.
Actionable Steps for Future Glider Owners
If you want this mount, don't just blindly buy maps. Here is how you actually optimize the process.
Join a Map Discord. Servers like "Centurio Hunt" or specific DC-based map discords are goldmines. They host "owner-mark" runs where you bring your own map and keep your own loot. This is the only way to guarantee you get the Glider Down when it drops. In a "free-for-all" (FFA) party, you’ll be rolling against seven other people who are just as greedy as you are.
Watch the Market Board Trends. Don't buy your Glider Down on a Friday night. That’s when demand is highest. Check the prices on Monday morning or right after the Tuesday reset. Use sites like Universalis to check prices across your entire Data Center. Traveling to another world server can save you literally millions.
Level Your Gatherers. If you have a level 100 Miner or Botanist, you can get one Br’aaxskin map every 18 hours for free. It’s a slow burn, but it’s a zero-investment way to eventually get your mount. Plus, selling the maps you don't use is a steady income stream.
Check the NPC First.
Before you buy a completed Horn on the Market Board, check the price of three Glider Downs. Nine times out of ten, the individual items are cheaper because people are too lazy to walk to the vendor in Radz-at-Han. Don't be that person. Spend the two minutes to teleport and do the trade yourself.
👉 See also: Why the Pokemon X and Y Series is Actually the High Point of the Franchise
Prepare for the Long Haul.
The Cenote Ja Ja Gural has multiple floors. The Glider Down rarely drops on the first few levels. You need to reach the deeper chambers to see the real loot. This means you need a competent party—usually a tank, a healer, and a few high-output DPS—to clear the mobs quickly before the timer runs out.
The Sugar Glider isn't just a mount; it’s a badge of participation in the Dawntrail endgame economy. Whether you buy it or bleed for it in the treasure dungeons, it’s a ridiculous, adorable addition to any collection. Just try not to look into its eyes for too long. They see everything.