Torrent is your spectral steed in Elden Ring, and the only mount you can ride. Melina gives him to you early in Limgrave: accept her accord and you get the Spectral Steed Whistle, which lets you call Torrent to cover long distances quickly and fight from the saddle.
How to get Torrent
You first see Melina and Torrent in a cutscene after the Grafted Scion fight at the Chapel of Anticipation. She actually hands him over a little later:
- Leave the Stranded Graveyard and rest at the Agheel Lake North or Gatefront Ruins Site of Grace. Melina shows up and offers her accord.
- Or activate any two Sites of Grace out in the world, then rest at one of these: Agheel Lake North, Agheel Lake South, Bridge of Sacrifice, Church of Elleh, Gatefront Ruins, Seaside Ruins, Stormhill Shack or Third Church of Marika.
- Accept the accord to get the Spectral Steed Whistle. Put it in your quick items and use it to summon Torrent.
If you say no, you can change your mind any time with the Talk to Melina option at a Site of Grace. Refusing her also keeps you out of Leyndell, so don’t leave it that way. For the rest of her story, see Melina. The Beginner’s Guide also covers this early stretch.
Double jump and spiritsprings
Torrent can jump a second time in mid-air, so you can clear gaps you’d never make on foot. Several broken bridges along the progress route are meant to be crossed exactly this way.
The other big trick is spiritsprings. Jump next to one while riding and its current throws you high into the air. If you drop into a spiritspring on horseback, you take no damage, even from a great height. In northeastern Caelid, for example, you reach the balcony of Lenne’s Rise by jumping on Torrent through a wind draft.
Fighting on horseback
You can attack from the saddle with both melee and ranged weapons. Watch your poise, though. A heavy poise hit knocks a rider off their mount, and that goes for enemy riders too. Torrent can also be called in some boss fights. Against Starscourge Radahn, for instance, he’s ideal for closing the distance and dodging Radahn’s arrow volleys.
Torrent in Shadow of the Erdtree
In the Realm of Shadow, the Revered Spirit Ash blessing also lowers the damage Torrent takes while you’re riding him, the same way it toughens your spirit ashes. See Scadutree Fragments and Revered Spirit Ash for the levels.