Viking Rise - Mount Upgrade Guide: Golden and Purple Beasts, Equipment and Best Stats

Mount development in Viking Rise is an important part of strengthening your army. A properly upgraded beast can improve a commander's performance in open-field battles, rallies against powerful enemies, and attacks on fortified positions.

However, successful progression is not simply about collecting legendary mounts or equipping the rarest available parts. You also need to consider their attributes, equipment bonuses, upgrade costs, and how they complement your chosen troop formation.

Poor early decisions can become expensive later, particularly when you need to retrain a mount or replace equipment that no longer fits your strategy.

This guide covers the differences between gold and purple beasts, the importance of defensive attributes, and practical recommendations for players developing their armies without spending money.

Golden vs Purple Mounts - Which Should You Upgrade?

Mounts have different rarity categories, and their effectiveness depends on both their development level and equipped parts.

Golden Mounts

Legendary beasts offer strong long-term potential, especially when combined with equipment of matching rarity.

Based on the gameplay observations behind this guide:

• Golden equipment generally provides greater bonuses on golden mounts than on purple ones.
• Purple equipment can sometimes perform better on a legendary beast than on an epic equivalent.
• Most fully upgraded golden mounts reach approximately 48.17% movement speed bonus.

The last figure should be treated as an observed benchmark rather than a guarantee for every mount.

Importantly, there is no clear relationship between this speed bonus and a beast's elemental affiliation, such as fire or ice, or its species, such as a horse, wolf, or bear.

Compare the actual attributes of available mounts instead of choosing purely by appearance or type.

Purple Mounts

Epic beasts should not be underestimated.

A fully developed purple mount can remain competitive with a legendary alternative while being considerably easier to obtain and upgrade.

Main advantages include:

• Greater accessibility during early progression.
• Lower investment requirements.
• Reduced demand for sharpening fruits.
• Useful performance without fully developed legendary equipment.

For free-to-play players, an upgraded purple beast may be a better immediate investment than a golden one that cannot yet be developed properly.

How to Choose the Best Mount Attributes

Before committing resources, compare the starting characteristics of the beasts in your collection.

Even when two mounts appear similar, their individual attributes may suit different combat strategies.

For example, if your goal is to create a formation capable of surviving prolonged fighting, Defense may be more valuable than spreading your upgrades across unrelated bonuses.

Other available attributes include Attack and HP (Health Points).

The right choice depends on what you want your army to accomplish.

Why Defense Can Be Especially Valuable

A defensive build focuses on keeping your units alive during extended encounters.

This can be useful when fighting in the open field or participating in large coordinated battles.

For a commander pair built around endurance, consider using mounts and equipment that consistently reinforce Defense.

Example of a focused defensive setup:

When both commanders use similarly focused builds, their combined formation may become more resilient.

This does not mean Defense is automatically the best stat for every troop type or combat situation. The important principle is to select bonuses that support a shared objective.

Avoid Randomly Mixing Equipment Attributes

One common mistake is investing in parts simply because they have high rarity.

Consider a mount equipped with:

• Tail providing Defense.
• Head providing Attack.
• Back providing HP.

This setup offers several different bonuses, but it may not provide the focused improvement you need for a particular formation.

Mixed attributes can be appropriate for some strategies. However, unplanned combinations often make resource allocation less efficient.

Before upgrading equipment, decide whether your priority is survivability, damage, or another specific role.

Then select parts that support that plan.

Equipment Rarity and Upgrade Efficiency

The color of an equipment piece matters, but so does the beast receiving it.

According to the observations described in this guide, matching golden parts with golden mounts generally produces stronger results than placing them on purple beasts.

Purple parts may also benefit from being equipped on higher-rarity mounts.

Nevertheless, upgrading an entire legendary setup can require substantial resources.

A practical progression approach is to start with affordable equipment, evaluate its performance, and gradually replace components as better options become available.

Do not assume that a partially upgraded legendary setup will always outperform a completed epic one.

Sharpening Fruits and Resource Planning

Sharpening fruits are valuable upgrade resources, and their availability can become a limiting factor as your army develops.

Before committing to a particular beast:

1. Compare its attributes with the other mounts you own.
2. Decide which troop formation it will support.
3. Identify the equipment bonuses you want.
4. Check the resources required for your next upgrades.
5. Prioritize completing one effective build before starting several others.

The exact number of fruits needed depends on the relevant upgrades and is not specified here. Check the requirements displayed in the game before spending.

Retraining can be expensive, making careful planning particularly valuable.

Best Mount Strategy for Free-to-Play Players

If you play without purchases, spreading limited resources across multiple unfinished commander teams can slow your progress.

A more manageable approach is to focus on one main formation.

For example, you might choose an archer-focused army.

Your development priorities would then include:

• Two commanders specializing in archers.
• Skills that complement the selected heroes.
• Mounts supporting the formation's intended combat role.
• Equipment with coordinated attributes.
• A clear resource budget for future upgrades.

This approach allows you to strengthen a complete team rather than maintaining several underdeveloped ones.

Archer Commander Combinations - Olena, Verdandi and Arthur

Golden commanders can be difficult to upgrade early on because their shards are less accessible.

Fortunately, purple heroes may offer useful alternatives.

Olena is an example of an epic archer commander who can be paired with Verdandi or Arthur during early progression.

These combinations provide options for players who cannot yet fully develop their legendary characters.

Skill development should follow the intended combat strategy.

For example, an early build may emphasize burning effects, while later progression can introduce abilities involving poison or evasion.

The effectiveness of these combinations depends on the heroes' current development, available skills, and combat conditions.

Choose abilities that complement your commander pair instead of selecting them solely by rarity.

Common Mount Upgrade Mistakes

Several decisions can make future progression more difficult:

• Investing heavily in a legendary beast without enough resources to develop it.
• Ignoring the starting attributes of available mounts.
• Upgrading equipment without a clear combat objective.
• Spending sharpening fruits across too many unfinished builds.
• Mixing commanders with incompatible troop specializations.
• Retraining repeatedly after making unplanned upgrades.

Avoiding these mistakes is often more important than obtaining another rare mount.

Recommended Progression

Early Game: Focus on one commander pair and accessible purple mounts. Compare attributes carefully before investing.

Midgame: Improve your primary equipment setup, collect sharpening fruits, and gradually develop stronger beasts.

Late Game: Invest in legendary mounts and high-rarity components when you have enough resources to complete meaningful upgrades.

The most effective approach is to build a coordinated formation where commanders, skills, mounts, and equipment support the same strategy.

For players with limited resources, a well-developed purple setup can be more useful than an unfinished legendary collection. Prioritize consistency, compare actual bonuses, and plan upgrades before spending valuable materials.