Top Five Animal Mounts That Need To Be In SWTOR

Increased mobility is a necessary component of any MMO. Players want to get to their destinations more quickly than the standard, plodding pace of walking or sprinting, which is where mounts come into play. SWTOR offers players a veritable car dealership of different makes and models of vehicles to travel in, from speeder bikes to landspeeders. However, there is one mode of transportation that is found in the Star Wars universe but is sadly lacking in SWTOR: animal mounts. Swtorhub.com examines our top five animal mounts that should be in the game.

While using animal mounts seems to be archaic in the futuristic setting of Star Wars, they are used frequently throughout the galaxy and are found in both the films and comics. The galaxy is a wide and varied place, and there plenty of aboriginal species found throughout the Star Wars universe that exist in a more tech-poor, agrarian society where the use of animals as mounts would be standard. BioWare has mentioned that animal mounts will be introduced into SWTOR in the upcoming future and I'm sure players will grab them up as quickly as they do the various vehicles found in the game now. Let's look at the top five animal mounts found in Star Wars that should be in SWTOR.

Bantha

Our first animal mount that should be in SWTOR should be no shocker: banthas. These shaggy beasts were there in the original movie and have wormed their way into the hearts of Star Wars fans since. Banthas make our list of mounts for several reasons. One, they're actually used as mounts by the Tusken Raiders on Tatooine but can be found domesticated on many planets. Second, they look damn cool. Their hug size, shaggy mane, and insanely huge horns all make for a striking look. I want one just so I can don some sand people gear and ride through the majestic heights of Coruscant.

Tauntaun

The next animal mount that needs to be in SWTOR is tauntauns. These smelly creatures are not only useful for riding but can also be used for keeping warm in blizzards (if you're willing to crawl into their stinky guts). Found on Hoth, tauntauns are already part of SWTOR in the form of vanity pets. Personally, I like tauntauns because they have a unique look and they're from the best movie in the series, The Empire Strikes Back. I even had the toy until my little sister destroyed it. Since players can adventure on Hoth in SWTOR, it's a no-brainer to include them as usable mounts in the game.

Varactyl

Our third animal mount for SWTOR comes from the final prequel, Revenge of the Sith. While I do despise the prequels, I do admit that the Varactyl is a damn cool creature. The Varactyl is the lizard-like creature that was ridden by Obi-Wan Kenobi on the planet Utapau, where he defeated General Grievous and was betrayed by the clones. Not only is the Varactyl used as a mount in the movies, but the fact that they can climb vertically would make them an ideal choice for players in rocky locations, such as Voss or Korriban. I would love to see players using them to climb the walls of the fleet stations. However, I don't think BioWare will allow them to actually do so in SWTOR, but it's a nice thought.

Dewback

Next on our list of animal mounts that needs to be in SWTOR is the mighty dewback. Found on Tatooine, the dewback is a huge reptile used as a mount and beast of burden. Dewbacks are used by jawas, but they're so cool that they're also used by the Empire as mounts for stormtroopers who were looking for R2-D2 and C-3PO after they escaped Princess Leia's ship after it was captured by Darth Vader. Dewbacks would be a popular animal mount because they have a great visual look, but also for the fact that I can see players in SWTOR running around Tatooine saying, "These aren't the droids you're looking for." Sadly, I never had the dewback toy as kid, but I sure wanted it.

Rancor

Our list candidate for our list of animal mounts in SWTOR is the rancor. While I know that it isn't used as a mount in the movies, it's just too damn awesome a creature not be one in the game. I mean, the rancor nearly ate Luke Skywalker in Return of the Jedi! Who wouldn't want to parade around in SWTOR on the back of this mighty beast? Nobody, that's who! I would love to see the rancor as a viable mount in the game, perhaps as a reward for doing some flashpoint/operation or perhaps as a legacy perk. I would definitely grind out the legacy xp to get my hands on this bad boy.

As you can see, the use of animals as mounts is found everywhere in Star Wars and should definitely be incorporated into SWTOR. Players will definitely snatch them up just as much as they do with speeder bikes and landspeeders. The animals on our list are popular fixtures in the Star Wars universe with four of them even making their way into the toy line (sorry, varactyl!). There's no doubt that these animal mounts will be immensely popular with SWTOR players.

Did I leave your favorite animal mount off our list? Let us know in the comments below.