Last updated: September 7, 2026

On this page: What Guardians Are · All 8 Guardians · How to Upgrade · Options Explained · Elite Resistance · Enhancing & Disassembly · FAQ · Exact Numbers

MU Online Guardians – All 8 Tiers, Upgrades & Options

Guardians are inventory-equipped companion items introduced in Season 14 and extended every season since. They don't occupy a gear slot — you right-click them in your inventory to wear them — and they grant powerful stat options plus the only real defence against elite-zone debuffs. This guide covers all eight tiers, from the Ghost Horse to the Rhino.

What Guardians Are

Property	Detail
Equipment type	Inventory-equipped — right-click to wear or remove, no gear slot used
From the 2nd tier on	They are also mounts — you ride them, and they cannot be used with other mounts
Options	A fixed base block, 1–3 general options and exactly one elite resistance option
Enhancement	Up to +15 — every option value scales with the level
Durability (1st tier)	The Ghost Horse loses HP over wear-time and unequips at 0; restore it fully with a Jewel of Bless

All 8 Guardians

1st — Ghost Horse	3rd — Pierce Lion	6th — Leviathan	8th — Rhino

Img	Guardian	Level	Added	Seal needed	Base item
	1st — Ghost Horse	800	Season 14	Crafted from scratch at the Lorencia Trainer	—
	2th — Ice Dragon	900	Season 15	Ice Dragon Seal	+1 Ghost Horse
	3th — Pierce Lion	1,000	Season 16	Seal of Pierce Lion	+11 Ice Dragon
	4th — Shining Tail	1,100	Season 17	Shining Tail's Seal	+11 Pierce Lion
—	5th — Ur	1,200	Season 18	Seal of Ur	+11 Shining Tail
	6th — Leviathan	1,300	Season 19	Leviathan's Seal	+11 Ur
	7th — Tauros	1,400	Season 20	Seal of Tauros	+11 Leviathan
	8th — Rhino	1,500	Season 21	Rhino's Seal	+11 Tauros

Every tier from the 2nd onward also has a Rare version — identical stats, different colour, obtained at a low chance from the same upgrade combine.

How to Upgrade a Guardian

From the 2nd Guardian onward the recipe never changes — only the seal does:

Step	What to do
1	Enhance your current Guardian to +11 or higher. Past +11 this requires Elite Guardian Enhancement Stones, which drop in elite zones.
2	Buy the next tier's Seal from Priest James in Elbeland (32, 239) — 50,000 Ruud for every tier.
3	Gather Bless ×20, Soul ×20, Chaos ×1, Creation ×1.
4	Combine at the Trainer NPC in Lorencia (122, 110).

Base Guardian level	+11	+12	+13	+14	+15
Success rate	60%	70%	80%	90%	100%

On failure the seal and jewels are consumed and your base Guardian drops to +0 — it is not destroyed, but all the enhancement work is gone. Because +15 is a guaranteed 100%, taking the base Guardian to +15 first is almost always cheaper than gambling at +11.

Warning: a successful upgrade re-rolls your general and elite-resistance options. A Guardian with 3 general options keeps at least 2, but the elite-resist type is always re-rolled — so a perfect roll can be lost on the way up.

Options Explained

Every Guardian carries a base block that is always present, plus 1–3 general options rolled at creation. All values scale with enhancement level; the table shows the maximum for each tier:

Guardian	Elemental attack	Elemental defense	Def & ATK per 20 levels
1st – Ghost Horse	+—	+—	+—
2nd – Ice Dragon	+—	+—	+—
3rd – Pierce Lion	+120	+120	+3.0
4th – Shining Tail	+177	+177	+4.0
5th – Ur	+241	+241	+5.0
6th – Leviathan	+305	+305	+6.0
7th – Tauros	+369	+369	+7.0
8th – Rhino	+433	+433	+8.0

Tier	Base defense	Base extras
3rd – Pierce Lion	New base Defense option added (retroactive to tiers 1–3)	Every mount-form Guardian also gives movement speed increase and attack speed +7
4th – Shining Tail	+228
5th – Ur	+290
6th – Leviathan	+352
7th – Tauros	+414
8th – Rhino	+476

Elite Resistance – the real reason to own one

Every elite zone monster applies a debuff at 100% chance on any hit. The only way to reduce those debuffs is a Guardian's elite resistance option. Each Guardian rolls exactly one of five types:

Type	Resists	Counters which elite zone
Type 1 — Fire	Bleeding damage + attack power reduction	Fire wing
Type 2 — Water	Deadly poison damage + attack power reduction	Water wing
Type 3 — Earth	Bleeding damage + attack speed reduction	Earth wing
Type 4 — Wind	Deadly poison damage + defense reduction	Wind wing
Type 5 — Dark	Bleeding damage + defense reduction	Dark wing

Match the type to the elite wing you farm. If you got the wrong roll, collect 50 Elite Option Change Fragments in any elite zone to create an Elite Option Change Stone, which re-rolls the elite option without touching the rest of the Guardian.

Enhancing & Disassembly

Action	Detail
Enhancing +1 to +10	Uses Guardian Enhancement Stones and Jewels of Life at the Lorencia Trainer
Enhancing +11 to +15	Requires Elite Guardian Enhancement Stones — elite-zone drops only
Disassembly	Unequip a Guardian and use Disassemble to recover Guardian Enhancement Stones
Elite option re-roll	50 Elite Option Change Fragments → 1 Elite Option Change Stone

Exact Numbers – Options, Enhancement Costs & Recipes

Everything below is computed from the server’s guardian option formulas and mix files (Season 21, IGCN). Option values depend only on the guardian’s enhancement level, so the tables show +0, +5, +10 and +15 for each of the eight guardians.

Base options by guardian and enhancement level

Ghost Horse

Option	+0	+5	+10	+15
Elemental Damage Increase +N	40	69	110	164
Elemental Defense Increase +N	40	69	110	164
Defense increase by N every 20 Lv (to Lv 1100)	1	1.9	3.6	5.8
Attack/Wizardry/Curse damage increase by N every 20 Lv (to Lv 1100)	1	1.7	3	4.7
A 3% chance of health recovery by N	3	10	19	30

Ice Dragon

Option	+0	+5	+10	+15
Elemental Damage Increase +N	76	120	176	245
Elemental Defense Increase +N	76	120	176	245
Defense increase by N every 20 Lv (to Lv 1100)	2	2.9	4.6	6.8
Attack/Wizardry/Curse damage increase by N every 20 Lv (to Lv 1100)	2	2.7	4	5.7
A 3% chance of health recovery by N	4	11	20	31

Pierce Lion

Option	+0	+5	+10	+15
Elemental Damage Increase +N	112	156	212	281
Elemental Defense Increase +N	112	156	212	281
Defense increase by N every 20 Lv (to Lv 1100)	3	3.9	5.6	7.8
Attack/Wizardry/Curse damage increase by N every 20 Lv (to Lv 1100)	3	3.7	5	6.7
A 3% chance of health recovery by N	4	11	20	31

Shining Tail

Option	+0	+5	+10	+15
Elemental Damage Increase +N	177	221	277	346
Elemental Defense Increase +N	177	221	277	346
Defense increase by N every 20 Lv (to Lv 1100)	4	4.9	6.6	8.8
Attack/Wizardry/Curse damage increase by N every 20 Lv (to Lv 1100)	4	4.7	6	7.7
A 3% chance of health recovery by N	4	11	20	31

Ur

Option	+0	+5	+10	+15
Elemental Damage Increase +N	241	285	341	410
Elemental Defense Increase +N	241	285	341	410
Defense increase by N every 20 Lv (to Lv 1100)	5	5.9	7.6	9.8
Attack/Wizardry/Curse damage increase by N every 20 Lv (to Lv 1100)	5	5.7	7	8.7
A 3% chance of health recovery by N	4	11	20	31

Leviathan

Option	+0	+5	+10	+15
Elemental Damage Increase +N	305	349	405	474
Elemental Defense Increase +N	305	349	405	474
Defense increase by N every 20 Lv (to Lv 1100)	6	6.9	8.6	10.8
Attack/Wizardry/Curse damage increase by N every 20 Lv (to Lv 1100)	6	6.7	8	9.7
A 3% chance of health recovery by N	4	11	20	31

Tauros

Option	+0	+5	+10	+15
Elemental Damage Increase +N	369	413	469	538
Elemental Defense Increase +N	369	413	469	538
Defense increase by N every 20 Lv (to Lv 1100)	7	7.9	9.6	11.8
Attack/Wizardry/Curse damage increase by N every 20 Lv (to Lv 1100)	7	7.7	9	10.7
A 3% chance of health recovery by N	311	476	697	988

Rhino

Option	+0	+5	+10	+15
Elemental Damage Increase +N	433	477	533	602
Elemental Defense Increase +N	433	477	533	602
Defense increase by N every 20 Lv (to Lv 1100)	8	8.9	10.6	12.8
Attack/Wizardry/Curse damage increase by N every 20 Lv (to Lv 1100)	8	8.7	10	11.7
A 3% chance of health recovery by N	697	988	1359	1826

The two “every 20 Lv” lines multiply by your character level in 20-level steps and stop growing at level 1,100 — at that cap a +15 Rhino adds about 705 defense and 643 attack/wizardry. The HP line is a 3% chance per hit taken to recover the listed amount.

Elite resistance options

Each guardian rolls one of five fixed pairs of elite resistances (re-rollable with a Guardian Elite Opt Change Seal). Values at +0 → +15:

Guardian	Set 1	Set 2	Set 3	Set 4	Set 5
Ghost Horse	Bleeding Damage Resistance 311→988 Attack Reduction Resistance 150→726	Poison Damage Resistance 394→1440 Attack Reduction Resistance 150→726	Bleeding Damage Resistance 311→988 Attack Speed Reduction Resistance 1→39	Poison Damage Resistance 394→1440 Defense Reduction Resistance 170→792	Bleeding Damage Resistance 311→988 Defense Reduction Resistance 170→792
Ice Dragon	Bleeding Damage Resistance 515→1445 Attack Reduction Resistance 303→1191	Poison Damage Resistance 695→2201 Attack Reduction Resistance 303→1191	Bleeding Damage Resistance 515→1445 Attack Speed Reduction Resistance 2→44	Poison Damage Resistance 695→2201 Defense Reduction Resistance 337→1286	Bleeding Damage Resistance 515→1445 Defense Reduction Resistance 337→1286
Pierce Lion	Bleeding Damage Resistance 771→1976 Attack Reduction Resistance 504→1728	Poison Damage Resistance 1058→3041 Attack Reduction Resistance 504→1728	Bleeding Damage Resistance 771→1976 Attack Speed Reduction Resistance 3→48	Poison Damage Resistance 1058→3041 Defense Reduction Resistance 553→1854	Bleeding Damage Resistance 771→1976 Defense Reduction Resistance 553→1854
Shining Tail	Bleeding Damage Resistance 1083→2586 Attack Reduction Resistance 862→2595	Poison Damage Resistance 1495→3988 Attack Reduction Resistance 862→2595	Bleeding Damage Resistance 1083→2586 Attack Speed Reduction Resistance 8→61	Poison Damage Resistance 1495→3988 Defense Reduction Resistance 983→2541	Bleeding Damage Resistance 1083→2586 Defense Reduction Resistance 983→2541
Ur	Bleeding Damage Resistance 1480→3326 Attack Reduction Resistance 1191→3335	Poison Damage Resistance 2128→5287 Attack Reduction Resistance 1191→3335	Bleeding Damage Resistance 1480→3326 Attack Speed Reduction Resistance 11→68	Poison Damage Resistance 2128→5287 Defense Reduction Resistance 1296→3164	Bleeding Damage Resistance 1480→3326 Defense Reduction Resistance 1296→3164
Leviathan	Bleeding Damage Resistance 1976→4214 Attack Reduction Resistance 1608→4226	Poison Damage Resistance 2595→6208 Attack Reduction Resistance 1608→4226	Bleeding Damage Resistance 1976→4214 Attack Speed Reduction Resistance 15→75	Poison Damage Resistance 2595→6208 Defense Reduction Resistance 1677→3895	Bleeding Damage Resistance 1976→4214 Defense Reduction Resistance 1677→3895
Tauros	Bleeding Damage Resistance 2586→4356 Attack Reduction Resistance 2128→4338	Poison Damage Resistance 3137→6355 Attack Reduction Resistance 2128→4338	Bleeding Damage Resistance 2586→4356 Attack Speed Reduction Resistance 18→81	Poison Damage Resistance 3137→6355 Defense Reduction Resistance 2138→4085	Bleeding Damage Resistance 2586→4356 Defense Reduction Resistance 2138→4085
Rhino	Bleeding Damage Resistance 3115→4885 Attack Reduction Resistance 2746→4956	Poison Damage Resistance 3747→6965 Attack Reduction Resistance 2746→4956	Bleeding Damage Resistance 3115→4885 Attack Speed Reduction Resistance 22→85	Poison Damage Resistance 3747→6965 Defense Reduction Resistance 2596→4543	Bleeding Damage Resistance 3115→4885 Defense Reduction Resistance 2596→4543

Enhancement costs (+0 → +15)

To level	Stones	Jewel	Zen	Success	On failure
+1	1 × Guardian Enhanced Stone	1 × Jewel of Life	150,000	100%	nothing lost
+2	3 × Guardian Enhanced Stone	1 × Jewel of Life	300,000	100%	level drops
+3	5 × Guardian Enhanced Stone	1 × Jewel of Life	450,000	100%	level drops
+4	7 × Guardian Enhanced Stone	1 × Jewel of Life	600,000	100%	level drops
+5	9 × Guardian Enhanced Stone	1 × Jewel of Life	750,000	100%	level drops
+6	11 × Guardian Enhanced Stone	1 × Jewel of Life	900,000	100%	level drops
+7	13 × Guardian Enhanced Stone	1 × Jewel of Life	1,050,000	100%	level drops
+8	15 × Guardian Enhanced Stone	1 × Jewel of Life	1,200,000	100%	level drops
+9	15 × Guardian Enhanced Stone	1 × Jewel of Life	1,350,000	100%	level drops
+10	15 × Guardian Enhanced Stone	1 × Jewel of Life	1,500,000	100%	level drops
+11	1 × Elite Guardian Enhanced Stone	1 × Jewel of Life	1,750,000	100%	guardian destroyed
+12	2 × Elite Guardian Enhanced Stone	1 × Jewel of Life	2,000,000	100%	guardian destroyed
+13	3 × Elite Guardian Enhanced Stone	1 × Jewel of Life	2,250,000	100%	guardian destroyed
+14	4 × Elite Guardian Enhanced Stone	1 × Jewel of Life	2,500,000	100%	guardian destroyed
+15	5 × Elite Guardian Enhanced Stone	1 × Jewel of Life	3,000,000	100%	guardian destroyed

Total for +0 → +15: 94 Guardian Enhanced Stones (+1 to +10), 15 Elite Guardian Enhanced Stones (+11 to +15), 15 Jewels of Life and 19,750,000 Zen. On this configuration every step is 100% success. The failure column shows what the mix is set to do if a server lowers the rate: +1 loses nothing, +2 to +10 drop the guardian one level, +11 to +15 destroy it.

Recipes

Mix	Materials	Zen	Success
Create Ghost Horse	Seal of Ghost Horses, 10 × Sculpture, 5 × Jewel of Bless	1,000,000	100%
Revive Dark Horse (pet soul)	Spirit, 5 × Jewel of Bless, 5 × Jewel of Soul, Jewel of Creation, Jewel of Chaos	5,000,000	50%
Revive Dark Spirit (pet soul)	Spirit, 2 × Jewel of Bless, 2 × Jewel of Soul, Jewel of Creation, Jewel of Chaos	1,000,000	50%

Continue Reading

Guide	Why it helps
Season 14 guide	Where the Guardian system began.
Season 21 guide	The newest Guardian, the Rhino.
Muun guide	The other companion system.
Ruud guide	Every seal costs 50,000 Ruud.

FAQ

Which Guardian should I aim for?
Whichever your level allows — each tier has a hard level requirement from 800 (Ghost Horse) up to 1,500 (Rhino). You must climb them in order, since every tier is made from the one below it.

Can I skip tiers?
No. Each Guardian is crafted only by upgrading the previous one, so the chain from Ghost Horse to Rhino is mandatory.

Is the Rare version better?
No — Rare Guardians have identical stats, just a different colour. They're purely cosmetic bragging rights.

Why did my good options disappear after upgrading?
A successful upgrade re-rolls the general and elite options by design. Only 2 of 3 general options are guaranteed to carry, and the elite type is always re-rolled. Use an Elite Option Change Stone to fix a bad elite roll.