Getting an Ikran in Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora is probably the goal topping many lists of what to do first on Pandora. However, it’s not quite as simple as finding one in the wild and trying to tame it. Here’s everything you need to know to get your trusty mount.
When can you get an Ikran in Avatar?
Getting an Ikran is part of the story in Frontiers of Pandora, which means you’ll need to play story missions to unlock it. I made a beeline through the story to get the Ikran, and it took me just a smidge under 6 hours of playtime to finally make the bond. So it’s quite a ways in.
How to complete Avatar’s Take Flight quest
The quest to get the Ikran is called “Take Flight”. Once you’ve received the quest, you’ll need to head to the Ikran rookery, pictured above. Hopefully, you’re not scared of heights because you’re going to be climbing those floating mountains.
At the rookery, you’ll need to pass the time at the small fire while waiting for the other Na’vi to arrive. After a bit, a short cutscene will play, and you’re on the way. The route up the mountains is simple for the most part. Since it’s a linear path, you won’t be in danger of making wrong turns. However, there are a few obstacles along the way that we’ve covered below.
The first obstacle is a gateway lily, pictured above. These large plants block a couple of the doors on your way up the mountain. To get it to retreat and open up the door, you need to shoot two external pods that look like miniature lilies.
One pod is on the left side of the lily, and the other is on the right. You can ignore the smaller pods like the one on the left of the picture above. You’ll know you have the correct pod when your cursor lights up red as it does with enemies. Shoot each one, and the gateway lily will shrink.
The next tricky section is when Ee’tu is at the top of a cliff, but there’s no clear way to get to him. There is a lift vine, pictured above, but it’s closed, so you can’t use it as is. To use the lift vine, you need to shoot it. This will drop the vine and allow you to lift on up to Ee’tu above. This trick also applies to any lift vines you see elsewhere on Pandora.
Next up, we have another lift vine, but this time it’s out of reach. Dangling off the face of the cliff, pictured above, you need to run, jump, and grab the vine in one fluid motion. Otherwise, you’ll fall to your death.
To get far enough, press down the left stick to sprint to the edge of the cliff, then, when you’re close, hold down A on Xbox or X on PS5 to charge your jump. When you’re flying towards the vine, start holding X on Xbox or Square on PS5 so you can grab the vine. If you’ve jumped far enough, your Na’vi will automatically connect with the vine while you’re holding the grab button, so the timing doesn’t matter.
After the cliff vine, you’ll come to the section pictured above with some Sunflower Gigantus plants. These plants act as trampolines so you can reach the other side. But, before you jump, shoot the gateway lily pod that’s sitting near the ledge. It’s connected to the gateway lily on the other side, which is where you’re going next.
When you land on the other side at the lily, turn around, and you should see the second pod on the ledge below the first. Take a look at the picture above for the exact location.
Unlike the earlier lily, this one has three pods. The last pod is on the cliffs to the right of the gateway, pictured above, greyed out after being shot. After shooting this one, the gate will open, and you can continue.
Finally, you’ve set eyes on your Ikran. Approach it slowly and hold the X button on the Xbox or square on the PS5 to hold up your hands and soothe it. It won’t work the first time, so you’ll need to continue down the path. The good news is that it’s a straight shot, no more obstacles, phew.
At the top of the rookery, there are around half a dozen Ikran, including your own. Hold RB or R1 to use your Na’vi vision to see which one it is. Your Ikran will be glowing blue. You need to soothe it again and slowly walk towards it.
Do note that I ran into a glitch where the soothe prompt didn’t come up, making it impossible to get the Ikran. If this happens to you, just jump off the cliff to die and reload the last checkpoint. It should appear the second time around.
After soothing and bonding with your Ikran, you will be pushed off the cliff. Press UP on the D-pad to call it to you, and you’ll be on your way.
You and your buddy are now free to explore Pandora to your heart’s content.
