Revision 2

Overview

The Shepherd is a large dog pet in Crimson Desert, native to the Kweiden region. Shepherds are robust, thick-coated dogs originally bred for herding and guarding livestock. They can be adopted as permanent companions through the game's pet taming system by building trust to 100 through petting and feeding. Once registered, the Shepherd follows Kliff on adventures and automatically collects loot dropped by defeated enemies, as well as resources from the environment.

The Shepherd's favorite food is Bird Meat, which grants +35 trust per feeding. With optimal feeding using Bird Meat and full daily petting, a Shepherd can be tamed in just one in-game day. Shepherds are one of the less common dog breeds compared to the Beagle or Boarhound, making them a somewhat rarer find for players exploring the Kweiden countryside.

Pet Details

Trust Items

The Shepherd can be fed a wide variety of food items to build trust. Bird Meat is the favorite food and provides the highest trust gain at +35 per feeding. Bones are the next best option at +25 each. Cooked dishes crafted at a Field Iron Griddle or Field Cooking Pot grant +20 trust, while raw ingredients such as Meat, Fruit, Vegetables, and Dairy Products provide +10 each.

High-Trust Items

Cooked Dishes (+20 Trust)

Any dish prepared at a Field Iron Griddle or Field Cooking Pot grants +20 trust. This includes grilled meats, fish, vegetables, fruit, toasted grains, smoked eggs, skewers, braised dishes, battered foods, pickled items, rice cakes, marinated meats, and pan-fried dishes. Higher-tier versions of these recipes (Hearty, Satisfying, and Filling variants) also grant +20 trust each. Some notable examples include:

• Salt-Roasted Bird Meat, Salt-Roasted Fish

• Grilled Meat, Grilled Bird Meat, Grilled Fish, Grilled Seafood

• Meat Skewers, Fish Skewers, Meat and Fish Skewers

• Braised Meat, Braised Fish, Braised Meat and Fish

• Battered Meat, Battered Fish, Battered Seafood, Battered Vegetables

• Toasted Grains, Battered Grains, Smoked Eggs

• Pickled Vegetables, Pickled Fruit, Harvest Roll, Chewy Rice Cakes

• Pan-Fried Marinated Meat, Pan-Fried Vegetables, Marinated Meat

• All Hearty, Satisfying, and Filling variants of the above dishes

Raw Ingredients (+10 Trust)

Tip: Craft Companionship enchants on Abyss gear to increase trust gain speed with pets. The Solidarity enchant increases trust gain with all NPCs and animals, which can further speed up the taming process.

How to Tame

Taming a Shepherd follows the standard dog taming process. Because Bird Meat grants +35 trust per feeding and the daily cap allows up to 3 feedings, it is possible to reach 100 trust in a single in-game day using optimal food.

Optimal Taming (One Day with Bird Meat)

1. Locate a Shepherd. Travel to the Kweiden region and search settlements, roads, and encampments for a Shepherd. They are less common than Beagles or Boarhounds, so you may need to leave and re-enter an area to refresh the animal spawns.

2. Pet it five times. Approach the dog and hold the interaction button to pet it. Each petting grants +5 trust, for a total of +25 after five interactions. This is the daily petting cap.

3. Feed three Bird Meat. Open your inventory and drop Bird Meat on the ground near the dog, one piece at a time. The Shepherd will walk over and eat it. Each Bird Meat grants +35 trust. After three feedings you gain +105 trust from food alone. Combined with the +25 from petting, your total easily exceeds 100.

4. Register the Shepherd. Once trust reaches 100, a new interaction prompt appears. Hold the button and select "Take In" to permanently register the Shepherd as your pet. It will be added to your pet roster under the Pets tab in the inventory.

Trust Progression (Bird Meat)

If you do not have Bird Meat, you can substitute Bones (+25 each) or cooked dishes (+20 each). Using lower-value food will extend the taming process to two or more in-game days, since you will hit the daily feeding cap of 3 before reaching 100 trust.

Location

Shepherds are found in the Kweiden region, which lies to the north of the main Pywel continent. They have a more limited distribution compared to common breeds like the Beagle and Boarhound. Reported spawn points include:

• Kweiden settlements: Shepherds can be found wandering towns, roads, and soldier encampments throughout the Kweiden region. Look around guard posts and livestock pens where working dogs would naturally gather.

• Near military encampments: Their association with soldier encampments suggests Shepherds serve as guard or working dogs in the game world. Check areas near gates and barracks for reliable spawns.

If a Shepherd is not present at a known location, leave the area by walking far enough to exit the render distance, then return. The game will re-roll animal spawns in that zone, and a Shepherd may appear on the next visit. Because Shepherds are less common than other breeds, you may need to reset the area several times before one appears.

Equipment

Pet Armor can be equipped on the Shepherd for cosmetic changes. All pet equipment is purely visual and provides no stat bonuses. Equipment is divided into two slots: Helm and Outfit. To equip armor, open your inventory, navigate to the Pets tab, select the Shepherd, and press Equip on the desired item.

Pet armor can be purchased from specialized pet shops. The Pets-Tailor's Shop in Demeniss, located southwest of Demeniss Castle, sells the Rescue Puppy Outfit and Puppy Plate Helm. Additional pet equipment can be found at Milou's Shop in Pororin Village, which requires completing The Unreachable Village and Authorized Access quests to unlock.

Abilities

Once registered, the Shepherd provides several passive benefits while summoned. All pet breeds in Crimson Desert share the same core abilities, so the Shepherd functions identically to other dogs and cats in terms of gameplay utility.

Pets pick up everything without any loot filter, so your inventory can fill up quickly with low-value items. Managing inventory regularly is recommended when exploring with a summoned pet. Pets are invulnerable during combat; enemies cannot target or damage your Shepherd.

Tips

• Stock up on Bird Meat before heading to Kweiden. With three Bird Meat and five petting interactions, you can tame a Shepherd in a single in-game day.

• Only one pet can be active at a time. Summon the Shepherd from the Pets tab in the inventory menu to switch between your registered companions.

• You can register up to 30 pets total. If you reach the cap, you must release an existing pet before adopting a new one.

• Drop food one piece at a time. If you discard multiple items at once, the dog may only eat one, wasting the rest. Wait for the Shepherd to finish eating before dropping the next piece.

• Shepherds are one of the less common dog breeds. If you do not find one on your first visit, leave and re-enter the area to respawn the wildlife.

• The Companionship enchant on Abyss gear increases trust gain speed with pets, while the Solidarity enchant boosts trust gain with all NPCs and animals. Equipping either of these before taming can reduce the number of feedings required.

• Consider combining the taming process with quests in the Kweiden region. You can pet and feed the Shepherd between quest objectives to make efficient use of your time.

Related Articles

• Pets - Overview of all pet breeds and the pet system

• Pet Taming Guide - Step-by-step guide to taming any pet

• Pet Armor - All cosmetic equipment available for pets

• Beagle - A common dog breed found across Pywel

• Boarhound - A large, powerful dog breed

• Husky - Another Kweiden-region dog breed

• Jindo - A Kweiden-native dog breed

• Gathering - Resource collection system enhanced by pets