Crimson Desert Pet Guide: How to Tame Animal Companions
Manually looting thirty dead bandits after a massive camp clearing is a miserable chore, which is exactly why you need to bribe a stray dog to do it for you.
Pywel is a deeply hostile continent that actively wants you dead, but the local wildlife is surprisingly forgiving. Pearl Abyss built a deeply complex combat engine and then decided the most crucial quality of life upgrade should be tied to petting stray cats. If you are running around manually holding the interact button over every single dropped sword and copper pouch, you are wasting your time.
You do not have to fight the hordes of Pywel alone. You can tame dogs and cats to follow you into the absolute worst warzones imaginable. They do not fight, but they serve a much higher purpose. They automatically vacuum up loot from the ground while you are busy dodging heavy attacks. I spent my first ten hours completely ignoring the stray animals in Hernand before I realized what I was missing out on. Here is exactly how to build trust with the local fauna, secure a loyal companion, and put them to work.
The Trust System and Daily Petting
You cannot just walk up to a feral dog and declare it your best friend. Crimson Desert uses a very rigid Trust system. To claim an animal as a pet, you need to reach a maximum of 100 Trust with that specific creature.
The most straightforward way to build this bond is physical affection. When you approach a dog, the game gives you a button prompt to pet it. Holding that button down initiates a short animation and rewards you with 25 Trust. Cats are a little more high maintenance. You cannot just pet a cat on the ground. You have to press the prompt to physically pick the cat up first, and then you can pet it in your arms for the same 25 Trust reward.
There is a hard time gate on this method. You can only earn 25 Trust per animal per in-game day through petting. You cannot just stand in an alleyway and stroke a dog four times in a row. Once you get your daily points, you have to pass the time. You can either wander off and do quests, or you can sleep in a bed or wait at a campfire to force the day and night cycle to advance. Do this for four in-game days, and the animal is yours.
If you want a formal introduction to the system, you can wait until Chapter 4. A Greymane comrade named Naira gives you a side quest called "The Greymanes' New Fangs" located in the Scattered Embers tab. She walks you through the basics of acquiring a stray dog, but you absolutely do not need to wait for her permission to start making friends.
The Feeding Fast Track
Waiting four days to get a pet is annoying. If you have the resources, you can completely bypass the time gate by feeding the animals.
Feeding an animal is a clunky process. You do not get a dedicated feed button. You have to open your inventory, select a food item, and physically drop it on the ground near the animal. If they are hungry, they will walk over and eat it.
Dogs are incredibly easy to please. Drop a piece of raw meat on the ground, and they will devour it, instantly granting you 35 Trust. You can literally just feed a dog three chunks of cheap meat and max out its Trust in about thirty seconds. If you are out of meat, you can easily hunt deer in the woods or buy some from the local butcher.
Cats are infinitely more frustrating. They refuse to eat standard red meat. You have to drop bird meat, fish, or milk. Even worse, feeding a cat their preferred meal only grants you 10 Trust. You will burn through a lot of resources trying to bribe a feline. If you are struggling to find enough aquatic life to satisfy a stray cat, take a detour and read my fishing guide to learn the fastest way to pull food out of the river.
You need to be extremely careful when dropping food in crowded villages. The AI in this game is highly opportunistic. If you drop a premium fish on the cobblestone to feed a cat, there is a very high chance a random NPC or a different stray animal will run over and steal it. Try to lure your target into a quiet corner before you start tossing groceries into the dirt.
Summoning and The Loot Filter Problem
Once that Trust bar hits 100, a new button prompt appears allowing you to claim the animal. Congratulations, you are now a pet owner.
To actually use them, open your inventory and tab over to the Pets section. Select your new companion to summon them directly to your side. You can theoretically tame and own up to 30 pets, but the game strictly limits you to having one active companion summoned at a time.
The moment combat ends, your pet will sprint around the battlefield grabbing everything dropped by your dead enemies. It is a fantastic system with one glaring flaw. Pets do not have a loot filter. They will pick up every single useless rusted sword, cheap pair of boots, and literal piece of garbage they can find.
Because Crimson Desert handles carrying capacity entirely through slots rather than weight, an overly enthusiastic dog will fill your pockets with junk in a matter of minutes. You will constantly hit your limit if you are not paying attention. Managing this influx of garbage requires serious preparation. I highly recommend reading my inventory space guide to ensure you have enough Medium Bags to handle the sudden wave of automated loot.
Playing Dress Up in Pororin
If you are going to drag an animal into a fight against heavily armored knights, the least you can do is buy them a hat.
Crimson Desert features a dedicated cosmetic system for your companions. You can purchase pet clothes, tiny body armor, and various outfits to customize their look. You will not find these items in standard blacksmith shops. You have to travel to Pororin Village, specifically the area where the Shai children reside. You will need to figure out how to gain entry to their enclosed settlement first, but once inside, the local vendor sells an entire wardrobe of pet gear.
There is also a secondary Pororin store located in the far southeastern corner of the Demeniss region if you happen to be exploring the late game territories. The armor does not actually increase their combat stats, mainly because pets are entirely immune to damage and do not fight anyway, but it looks incredibly funny.
