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Pets
March 26, 2026 at 10:36 AM
Add missing pet breeds to overview listing
Pets are animal companions that can be registered and taken along on your journey through Pywel in Crimson Desert. They are a subset of the broader Lifeforms system, specifically the tameable dogs and cats found throughout settlements. Both dogs and cats can be tamed by building trust through petting and feeding. Once registered, a pet follows you during exploration and assists in combat by automatically looting items from defeated enemies. Pets do not fight enemies directly, but the auto-loot ability alone makes them one of the most valuable quality-of-life features in the game.
There are seven pet breeds in total: five dog breeds and two cat breeds. You can register up to 30 pets, though only one can be actively summoned at a time. The remaining registered pets are stored in your inventory's Pets tab, and you can swap your active companion whenever you want. Animals roam settlements where humans live, especially larger towns like Greymane Camp and the City of Hernand. They appear in different locations depending on the time of day, so check back at different hours if you cannot find the breed you are looking for.
To register an animal as your companion, you need to build a bond with it by gaining its trust. There are two primary methods for building trust with stray animals: petting them repeatedly and giving them their favorite food. Both actions contribute to a trust meter that appears in the top-left corner of the screen whenever you interact with a stray animal, showing your progress toward taming it.
Every stray animal starts at 0 trust. You need 100 trust to register an animal as your pet. Once the trust meter reaches 100, put the animal down (if you are holding it) and hold Square on PlayStation or E on PC to select the "Take in" prompt. The animal is permanently registered as your pet from that point forward. You can register multiple animals and manage them through the inventory menu, switching your active pet at any time.
Trust is the core currency of the pet system. Both petting and feeding have daily caps tied to the in-game clock, which resets at midnight. Combining both methods in the same day is the fastest way to reach 100 trust.
Petting an animal grants +5 trust per interaction. You can pet an animal up to 5 times per in-game day for a maximum of +25 trust from petting alone. Petting is free and requires no items.
Dogs and cats are petted differently. For dogs, simply approach the animal and hold the interaction button. Cats require an extra step: you must first hold the button to physically pick the cat up, then press the pet button again while carrying it.
Feeding is the fastest way to build trust. You can feed an animal up to 3 times per in-game day. To feed a stray, open your inventory, select the food item, and discard it on the ground near the animal. If the animal is hungry, it will walk over and eat the food. Be careful in areas with multiple strays or nearby NPCs, because a different animal or even a guard may grab the food before your target reaches it. Isolate the animal you want to feed before dropping food on the ground.
The trust gained per feeding depends on the type of food and the animal species. Dogs eat meat, while cats prefer bird meat, fish, and milk.
Food Item | Pet Type | Trust per Feed | Max Daily Trust (3 Feeds) |
|---|---|---|---|
Dog | +10 | +30 | |
Dog | +35 | +105 | |
Cat | +10 | +30 | |
Fish | Cat | +10 | +30 |
Cat | +10 | +30 | |
Cat | +10 | +30 |
Meat can be purchased at the Grocer's Shop or Butchery in Hernand, located south of the inn. Using Fine Meat is by far the fastest way to tame a dog. Three feeds of Fine Meat in a single day provide +105 trust, which already exceeds the 100 trust threshold on its own. Combined with petting, you can register a dog on day one without waiting.
To register a pet as quickly as possible, combine petting and feeding every in-game day. The theoretical maximum trust you can earn in a single day depends on the food quality.
Strategy | Petting | Feeding | Total Trust |
|---|---|---|---|
Dog with Fine Meat | 5 x 5 = +25 | 3 x 35 = +105 | +130 |
Dog with Tough Meat | 5 x 5 = +25 | 3 x 10 = +30 | +55 |
Cat (any food) | 5 x 5 = +25 | 3 x 10 = +30 | +55 |
Petting only | 5 x 5 = +25 | None | +25 |
Dogs fed Fine Meat can be registered in a single in-game day. Dogs fed Tough Meat take about two in-game days. Cats take at least two days with optimal feeding, since their food only grants +10 trust per feeding regardless of the item used. If you rely on petting alone, it takes a minimum of four in-game days to reach 100 trust.
While all pets share the same core abilities (following, auto-looting), there are a few practical differences between dogs and cats during the taming process.
Petting method: Dogs can be petted directly by holding the interaction button. Cats must be picked up first, then petted while being held.
Food preferences: Dogs accept any type of meat. Fine Meat grants +35 trust per feeding, making dogs much faster to tame. Cats prefer bird meat, fish, or Milk, all of which only grant +10 trust per feeding.
Taming speed: A dog can be registered in a single in-game day if you use Fine Meat. Cats take at least two in-game days with consistent feeding and petting.
Regional availability: Both cat breeds are found everywhere except The Crimson Desert region. Most dog breeds appear across the continent, with the Saluki being absent from Pailune.
The pet system becomes available fairly early. Two faction quests serve as introductions to pet taming, and both offer a guided walkthrough of the trust-building process.
This faction quest from the Scattered Embers tab becomes available after completing the "Greymanes Reunited" main quest at the end of Chapter 3. Naira brings Kliff to see a stray Brown Dog near the City of Hernand and asks for help feeding and taming it. The quest walks you through buying meat, feeding the dog, and building trust until you can register it as your companion. This is typically the first pet most players obtain.
This is another faction quest that introduces pet mechanics. It serves as a tutorial for players who have not yet tamed an animal through the open-world trust system. The quest walks you through the process of bonding with and registering a companion, making it a good starting point for understanding how the system works.
Registered pets provide several practical advantages during gameplay.
Exploration companion: Your registered pet follows you while exploring the open world of Pywel. The pet stays close to your character and travels with you across all regions.
Auto-looting: Pets automatically loot items from defeated enemies during and after combat. Your companion sprints around the battlefield grabbing everything dropped by fallen foes, including materials, equipment, and resources. This saves a significant amount of time during extended fights and dungeon runs.
Resource gathering: In addition to enemy drops, pets can pick up resources found in the environment while you explore. When you harvest materials such as herbs, ores, or wood, your pet automatically collects nearby loose items, further reducing the time you spend manually gathering.
Permanent companion: Once registered, a pet stays with you permanently. There is no risk of losing a registered pet through normal gameplay. You can release a pet by selecting "Untie" in the Pets tab, but this is a manual action.
Multiple pets: You can register up to 30 animals total. All registered pets are managed through the Pets tab in the inventory menu, where you can summon, swap, equip, or release pets.
Pets have no loot filter. They pick up everything, including low-value junk items. Keep an eye on your inventory and sell off unwanted items regularly to avoid running out of space. The auto-loot function triggers after enemies are defeated, so your pet will not collect items during active combat. Once the area is clear, the pet sprints across the battlefield collecting all dropped items automatically.
All registered pets are accessed through the Pets tab in the inventory menu. From this screen you can:
Summon: Select any registered pet and press the summon button to make it your active companion. Only one pet can be active at a time.
Swap: Switch between registered pets at any time through the Pets tab. Your current pet is unsummoned and the new one takes its place.
Equip: Dress your pet in cosmetic equipment such as hats, outfits, and armor costumes purchased from pet tailor shops.
Release: Select "Untie" to permanently release a pet. This cannot be undone, so be sure before you release a companion.
When you mount a horse, your active pet disappears temporarily. It returns once you dismount. Unsummoned pets wait at Greymane Camp.
Pets can sustain injuries during combat encounters. An injured pet is unable to run and will move slowly until healed. To restore your pet to full mobility, you must first clear all enemies from the immediate area, then use Healing Force Palm (a variant of Force Palm from Kliff's skill tree) to heal your companion. Healing Force Palm unlocks automatically when Force Palm reaches Level 1.
Keeping your pet healthy ensures it can continue auto-looting without delay. An injured pet that cannot run will significantly slow down your exploration pace, so heal your companion as soon as possible after a fight.
Pets can be dressed in a variety of cosmetic equipment including hats, helmets, body armor, and full outfits. Pet equipment is purely cosmetic and does not affect gameplay stats. The items let you customize your pet's appearance without altering their abilities.
Pet cosmetics can be purchased from tailor shops that specialize in pet clothing. There are two known vendor locations:
Shop | Location | Access Requirement | Inventory |
|---|---|---|---|
Milou's Tailor Shop | Pororin Forest Village | Complete The Unreachable Village and Authorised Access quests | Full selection of pet hats, outfits, armor costumes, and musketeer attire |
Pororin Tailor (Demeniss) | Southeastern corner of Demeniss | Reach Demeniss region | Limited selection including Puppy Plate Helmet, Rescue Puppy Outfit, and Puppy Plate Helm |
Milou's Tailor Shop in Pororin Forest Village carries the larger inventory. To unlock access to this village, you must attempt to enter the settlement three times, which triggers The Unreachable Village quest chain. After completing the quests, you gain permanent access to the village and its shops. The Demeniss tailor is accessible once you reach that region and carries a smaller selection of items.
There are seven pet breeds in Crimson Desert: five dogs and two cats. All breeds offer the same core benefits (following, auto-looting), but each has a distinct appearance and personality. The complete list of tameable lifeforms is shown below.
Breed | Description | Availability |
|---|---|---|
A gentle giant despite its massive size. The Boarhand is the largest dog breed in Pywel. | Settlements across the continent | |
A stray dog that lost its previous owner. Typically the first pet most players obtain through The Greymanes' New Fangs quest. | Near the City of Hernand (quest-specific) | |
Medium-sized dog with a short, broad muzzle, muscular build, and soft, drooping ears. | Southern settlements | |
Renowned for fierce loyalty and high intelligence. A popular guard dog across the continent. | Throughout Pywel | |
Similar muscular build to the Floppy-Eared variety but with erect, pointed ears. | Southern regions | |
Elegant, slender build with strong hunting instincts and remarkable speed. | Everywhere except Pailune | |
A common breed found in all regions except the Crimson Desert biome. Compact build with a friendly, curious temperament. | All regions except The Crimson Desert | |
One of the most common breeds in Pywel. Found universally across all regions of the game world. | All regions | |
A sleek, fast dog with a slender build. Found across most regions of Pywel. | All regions except The Crimson Desert | |
A thick-coated breed suited to colder climates. Found primarily near Beighen in Pailune and south of Scholastone in Hernand. | Pailune (Beighen), Hernand (Kharonso) | |
A large, sturdy working dog found in southern Pywel. A reliable spawn point exists at the soldier encampment near Hernand's North Gate. | Southern Pywel, Hernand (North Gate encampment) | |
A white-coated dog found in the first town the player visits. One of the earliest available pets in the game. | Starting town and surrounding areas |
Breed | Description | Availability |
|---|---|---|
Long, thick fur with a waterproof coat. Has a wild, untamed appearance with tabby-like markings and tufted ears. | Everywhere except The Crimson Desert region | |
The most common feline in Pywel. Soft, rounded face with large eyes and a plush coat. Comes in various colors and patterns. | Everywhere except The Crimson Desert region | |
A rotund, oversized cat found near the Naz River. Multiple color variations exist. Requires dried fish to tame and is known for its distinctive round body shape. | Near the Naz River fishing dock and surrounding areas | |
A graceful feline with distinctive markings. Found across most regions of Pywel, excluding the Crimson Desert biome. | Everywhere except The Crimson Desert region |
The Fat Cat is a special cat breed that spawns near the Naz River. Easily recognized by its oversized, round body, the Fat Cat comes in multiple color variations. Unlike other cat breeds, the Fat Cat requires a specific food item to tame: Dried Fish.
Location: The Fat Cat can be found near the Naz River fishing dock. If one is not present when you arrive, leave the area and return to trigger a respawn. Check the areas slightly west of the dock and along the riverbank.
Taming the Fat Cat: The taming process follows the standard trust system but uses Dried Fish instead of regular cat food. Pet the Fat Cat five times to bring its trust to 25, then feed it Dried Fish. Each Dried Fish grants +10 trust. There is a daily cap of 55 trust, so you will need to wait until midnight for the in-game day to reset before continuing. On the second day, repeat the process to push trust to 100 and register the cat.
Obtaining Dried Fish: Dried Fish can be found in buckets inside a building near the Naz River fishing dock. Look for containers and barrels in the structures close to where the Fat Cat spawns. You do not need to purchase Dried Fish from a vendor.
Once registered, the Fat Cat behaves like any other pet companion. It follows you during exploration and automatically picks up resources when you harvest materials or loot defeated enemies.
You can register a maximum of 30 pets across all breeds. Each individual stray animal in the world counts as its own pet when registered, so you can have multiple animals of the same breed. Collecting all 30 unique pets across Pywel completes a Life Challenge, which contributes toward achievement and trophy progress. This challenge encourages visiting every settlement and checking at different times of day, since animals roam to different locations throughout the daily cycle.
If you reach the 30-pet cap and want to register a new animal, you will need to release an existing pet using the "Untie" option in the Pets tab. Released pets cannot be recovered, so choose carefully.
There is a known glitch where a cat may visually disappear immediately after being registered as a pet. This has been reported most frequently with the Fat Cat breed near the Naz River. If your newly registered cat vanishes, the workaround is to jump into a nearby body of water. Submerging your character and then resurfacing forces the pet model to reload, and the cat should reappear and follow you normally after you exit the water.
Additionally, stray cats and dogs can sometimes despawn if you travel too far away during the taming process. If the animal you were building trust with is no longer in its usual spot, leave the area completely and return after a short time. The animal should respawn, and your existing trust progress is preserved.
Stock up on Fine Meat from the Butchery in Hernand before visiting settlements. Three Fine Meat feeds in one day provide +105 trust, enough to register a dog immediately without any petting.
Combine petting and feeding in the same day to maximize trust gains. Five pettings (+25) plus three Fine Meat feeds (+105) yield +130 trust in a single in-game day for dogs.
Check settlements at different times of day if you cannot find a specific breed. Animals roam to different spots depending on the in-game hour.
Isolate the stray you want to feed before dropping food. Guards and other nearby animals will try to eat the food you drop, wasting your offering.
Use a lantern to hover over creatures if the interaction prompt does not appear. This helps highlight the pet and trigger the correct prompt.
Use Healing Force Palm as soon as your pet takes an injury. An injured pet cannot run, which slows down your exploration and looting efficiency.
Visit Milou's Tailor Shop in Pororin Forest Village for the best selection of pet cosmetics. Complete The Unreachable Village quest chain first to unlock access.
Sell off junk items regularly. Pets pick up everything during auto-loot, including low-value items that fill your inventory quickly.
Cats are harder to tame than dogs because cat food only grants +10 trust per feeding. Plan on spending at least two in-game days building trust with a cat.
Work toward collecting all 30 pets early. Completing the collection fulfills a Life Challenge tied to achievement and trophy progress.