How to ride Gigantrite (the big whale) in Throne and Liberty

The Gigantrite in Throne and Liberty is a massive flying whale that travels above the map and holds valuable resources. While seeing it yourself is cool in itself, you can ride on its back, allowing you to harvest various materials while watching some beautiful scenery.

How to ride Gigantrite the whale in Throne and Liberty

Riding Gigantrite requires waiting for the whale to fly above the map, indicated by a map icon and scheduled event. You’ll know Gigantrite is arriving soon when you press the Schedule button next to your minimap and see its timer approaching.

Once Gigantrite’s event begins, its map icon will appear, showing you its exact location. The best way to ride it is to wait at the Starlight Observatory Ruins in Laslan and climb the pillars until you’re at the highest elevation possible. Gigantrite’s pathing is designed so that it’ll dive down slightly at this particular spot, making it easier to glide onto its back.

Upon arriving at the Starlight Observatory Ruins, you’ll start to see Gigantrite approaching the area. Wait for it to fly past the ruins before gliding toward it, being careful to accelerate without descending so you can smoothly fly on without missing the mark. You’ll often see other players doing the same, so you can follow their lead if you’re not confident in your flying abilities.

What does riding Gigantrite do in Throne and Liberty?

One of the benefits of riding Gigantrite is accessing resources like Marind. You’ll find Marind Ore nodes around its back, allowing you to collect some for crafting. You’ll likely have to compete with other players for it, but at least you have the opportunity to get some quickly.

Another benefit to riding on Gigantrite’s back is completing the Little Friend in the Sky quest as part of the Nesting Grounds’ Exploration Codex collection. After reading someone’s letter and diary, you’ll find an objective to retrieve the Powerless Little Doll by boarding the flying whale. You’ll find the doll sitting on some rocks at the edge of Gigantrite’s body, so make sure you interact with it before teleporting or gliding off the whale’s back.

Lastly, you can access Saurodoma Island by riding on Gigantrite. Saurdoma Island is an area in the southeast corner of the map that you can only access by riding the whale. However, not every route will lead you here, and more often than not, you’ll get knocked off its back before arriving. If you get the right path, you’ll arrive at the island and unlock its Waypoint for questing later in Throne and Liberty’s story.