Mounts, mobs, and spelunking

[gandalf.graycloak]

I'm not yet progressed to taming a mount or livestock of any kind.

On these forums I read about someone saying they got off their mount for this or that reason and a bear killed it.

So If I go to mine a cave does the mount get left outside, and is it vulnerable? I remember in many MMORPGs the mount just disappeared when you got off it, and you called it back with a whistle or a leash or something.

[Eventide]

Yes, Mounts can get into trouble if hostile wildlife comes along. Bears are especially tough on them, without help. But bears generally don't go into caves if they can't see anything in them from where they might casually walk nearby, so taking your Mount into the cave can help you deal with any cave worms, you'll know exactly where it is, and have some extra inventory slots nearby to dump some of the mineral Nodes you mine out, while exploring the cave :)

[william_es]

This is not an MMO. It's a survival game.

Yes, mounts can be killed if they get attacked. Many creatures cannot fight back.

I highly recommend you carry around enough parts to build a small house. Floors, walls, roofs, etc. Make a small building, and park the mount inside for safety.

When you're finished you can pick up all the building parts using Y, as long as they're at full health (so bring a repair hammer too).

[Rekal]

As the others have said; Yes your mount is vulnerable outside a cave. If your tame is set to follow it can get stuck inside the caves trying to path to you so be careful what settings you have it on when riding it in. A little building shelter helps but isn't fool proof and can get eaten through while you're not paying attention.

Putting your mount on passive, lie down, and no eating should keep it in place some where safe a predator can't reach it. Like at the top of an overhanging platform like so: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3366556342

[Spaceminnow]

The screenshot looks great :)
However,
I don't like the extremes needed to keep mounts safe...

Couldn't the "hitching post" be reworked as a creature deterrent?
When the mount is hitched to the post...
It acts as a creature deterrent...

Forget it...
I answered my own question...
Why not at least carry the basic "animal deterrent" and use the hitching post?

[Pantheria]

It is a very realistic survival game. in reality, you cant just walk away and leave your mount expecting it be be invincible. I have an entire army of Terranus. So when I go exploring, I take a few extras with me. They are more likely to win against a strong beast as a team, where as one on its own is extremely vulnerable. I had left my barn doors open by mistake one time and while I was redesigning part of the home, I heard hell of a noise. I go out and see my army of Terranus outside having one hell of a fight with another animal that thought it would take one of them on. It was quite amusing to see the intruder was slaughtered and even got tossed into the air! So that is another option. Dont just train one, train an army and simply put them on follow and defence mode when you need them. It also helps when moving location to move them all together and where Ive seen others post upset when they were moving their animal they just caught to train was killed. This way with an escort army, that wont happen!

[Powerferret]

I just bring them into the cave with me. Just far enough in that outside creatures cant see it.