Mounts are central to moving quickly through Where Winds Meet’s world, but the game does a poor job of telling you how to get off them. The default dismount inputs are also not what most players expect from other open-world games, which is why so many people end up circling villages on horseback mashing every button.
Dismount controls in Where Winds Meet
| Platform / Input | Standard dismount | Stylish hop-away dismount |
|---|---|---|
| PC (keyboard & mouse) | Q or TAB (varies by build/settings) |
TAB in some builds |
| PlayStation / Xbox controller | Hold L2 (or RB on Xbox), then press □ / X |
Hold L2, then press X / A for a hop-away |
On controller, dismounting is always a two-button chord: you hold the “stance” or “mount interaction” trigger (L2/RB) and then tap the face button that corresponds to the on-screen icon. On PC, the key is bound to a single keyboard input such as Q or TAB, depending on the version and your bindings.
How to dismount on PC (keyboard & mouse)
Step 1: While mounted, press Q. In many builds, this is the basic dismount input and will make your character climb off the horse and stand next to it.
Step 2: If Q does nothing, press TAB instead. Some players use TAB as the mapped dismount key; in that setup, tapping TAB gets you off the horse and can trigger a more dynamic hop-away animation.
Step 3: If neither key works, open the in-game keybinds menu and look for the action associated with mounts or dismounting. The label can change between test builds, but the mapping is exposed there and can be rebound to your preference.
Note: Earlier beta feedback mentions combinations like Alt + Q or number keys for mount interactions. If you are playing an older build or heavily customized layout, check your bindings rather than relying on muscle memory from other games.
How to dismount on PS5 and Xbox
On console, the game uses a modifier + face-button scheme, which is easy to miss if you are playing with a minimal HUD.
Step 1: While on your horse, hold the left trigger: L2 on PlayStation or RB on Xbox. Holding this brings up a small interaction palette in the lower-right corner when the HUD is visible.
Step 2: For a normal dismount, press the button that maps to “square” on PlayStation or the equivalent face button on Xbox while still holding the trigger. On PS5 that is L2 + □; on Xbox, it is RB + X.
Step 3: To hop away in a flashier move, hold the same trigger and press the “cross”/“A” button instead. On PS5, that is L2 + X; on Xbox, RB + A. This triggers an acrobatic dismount that lands you a short distance from the horse.
Tip: The inputs are not context-sensitive in the way many players expect—tapping □ or X alone will not get you off the horse. The trigger must be held first.
Why the dismount prompt can disappear (Immersive HUD)
Where Winds Meet offers two main HUD modes: a default layout with full interface elements, and an immersive mode that hides most of the on-screen clutter. On horseback, the default HUD shows a small radial or strip of mount actions at the bottom right, including icons for dismount and hop-away tied to specific buttons.
Immersive mode removes many of those prompts, including the mount action icons. If you enable it early and then unlock mounts, you can easily miss the game’s only visual explanation of the dismount controls. The result is a lot of guesswork on controller, since the game expects you to infer that mount actions live behind the L2/RB modifier.
Tip: If you are stuck and cannot remember the chord, temporarily switch back from Immersive to the default HUD in the options menu. Mount up, look at the lower-right corner while holding L2/RB, and note the icon layout and button labels. You can then swap back to Immersive once you are comfortable with the inputs.
Related mount controls you should know
Dismounting is only one part of the mount system; a few other bindings matter if you want to stop fighting the UI and just ride.
Summoning your horse
On controller, summoning is tied to a combo using the touchpad plus a face button (such as the touchpad + □). On PC, it is mapped to a number key such as 6. When triggered, your mount spawns near your character.
Step 1: Use the summon input (touchpad + the indicated button on controller, or the mapped number key on PC) to call the horse.
Step 2: Walk up to the horse. Your character automatically mounts when you get close enough, or you can press the context button (R2 / F) if you prefer an explicit action.
Taming or stealing mounts
The game lets you obtain horses in different ways: unlocking them through quests, taming wild ones via a capture mini-game, or briefly stealing one from an NPC by interrupting them and pressing the mount button (R2 on controller, F on PC). Stolen horses vanish once you dismount, so you cannot keep them as permanent mounts.
Once the controls click, getting on and off a horse in Where Winds Meet is straightforward; the confusion mostly comes from the game’s quiet tutorialization and the way Immersive HUD hides prompts. If you remember “Q or TAB on keyboard, L2/RB plus a face button on controller,” you can focus less on wrestling with inputs and more on cutting across the countryside.
