Howdy, partner! Been dreaming about a loyal and trusty friend to cover your back? Well, your dream is about to come true! Please welcome — Pets! 

There are no words to describe how popular the request to add pets has been, as well as how excited we are to present it to you. It’s time to get a mighty companion who'll stay by your side wherever you go!

A wolf, a bear, or even an alligator? Don't limit yourself! Any tameable animal can become your pet. While combat pets will cover your back in battle, decorative ones will overload you with cuteness. It's up to you whom to domesticate — just pick the right bait!

Sounds exciting already, doesn't it? Well, this is just the beginning. Even more pet features will get introduced in the future! What do you think they'll be? After all, in caring hands, your pets might get themselves quite comfortable...

And now, let's get to luring your first pet!

Paws in troubles

Before getting into the details on pets, you’ve got to meet some folks who’ll help you on our way of becoming a responsible and caring pet owner. Help them and gain useful knowledge about Westland fauna!

Have you heard about Joy and Vernon Railey? They’ve recently arrived to Westland but already made a lot of buzz. They are famous naturalists, who decided to open the first Nature park on the Westland’s foothills. But bandits don’t share their scientific interest! 

Protect the Nature park from the poachers! In return, the Raileys will gladly teach a few tricks on how to get and care about a pet. Hurry up to the Naturalists' Camp, meet Vernon and Joy, and complete a special storyline! 

Naturalists’ Camp

Joy and Vernon set quite a cozy camp, don’t you think so? If you want to become an expert in naturalism and lure powerful animals, you’ll become a frequent guest here!

Here, you’ll get to meet:

• Vernon Railey — Bring pets to Vernon in order to learn more about different baits! Pets sent to the Nature Park can not be returned to the Pet House any time later. 
• Joy Railey — Got no room to store a new pet at? Speak to Joy! She’ll gladly take care of your pet for a while, giving you time to get more space or experiment with getting another pet.
• Henry the Stumble — This guy will settle in the camp once you deal with the poachers. He’s got lots of pet goods for sale! 

• Tier I baits — Ready to lure your first pets? Henry’s got you covered. Tier 1 Lynx, Puma, Wolf, Alpha Wolf, and even Bear baits are waiting for you at his shop!
• Crackers — These will help your pet recover from wounds on the go. Better always carry some with ya!
• Pet Bowls — You’ll need these to complete building a Pet House for your loyal friend. These are not that easy to come by, so only a few up for sale!

Vernon and Joy can speak about animals and how to take care of them for ages. They say it’s best to learn more about the animal before luring it, so let’s get into it!

What animal can become your pet?

Here goes the best part, partner — you can lure any tameable animal into becoming your pet! Literally any one — from bobcats to alligators. The only exception being dogs, who can be obtained only through contacting official breeders in the Nature Park.

There are two types of pets you can get — combat pets and decorative pets. First ones will follow you everywhere you go and help you deal with any danger, and the decorative ones will always bring a smile to your face with their cuteness.

⚠️ Important to note:
For now, you can lure only combat pets, while decorative ones will become available later. What type of animals do you think will be of the decorative type?

Combat pets can help you greatly in battle. Especially if you level them up, making them stronger! Share the adventurous experiences, fight side by side, and grow in levels and skills together!

Each pet has its own unique abilities and perks. Keeping those in mind will help you become stronger and deal with even the most powerful enemies out there! More details on pet traits classification to follow. 

And now, to the most important question — how can you get yourself a loyal and trusty companion pet?

How to get a pet?

With owning a pet comes great responsibility. You’ve got to keep it cozy, fed, and happy! Let’s dive into all the details on how to get a pet, take care of it, and make sure it is willing to follow you!
⚠️ Please note:
You need to complete several stages of the Paws in troubles storyline to be able to build the Pet House and the Bait Workbench.

• Build a Pet House
  Enter Building mode at your Ranch and switch to the Projects tab.
  Place your future Pet House on the ground. A bunch of resources, a few Pet bowls (you can get them from the Old Road event or buy a limited number of those from Henry the Stumble), some manual work… and here goes the place for your pet to live and thrive!
• Build a Bait Workbench
  You can find this workbench in the Production tab of the Building mode. Upgrading it will grant you access to more baits!
• Craft a bait
  Each animal has its own preferences, same as humans do. Pay close attention to what bait to craft — a wrong bait won’t help you get a pet of your dreams!
• Lure an animal
  Go to the location where the animal lives and look for it. Get close to it without making it hostile and use the bait you’ve prepped!
  🐺 Naturalist tip:
  In case you don’t have enough Spirit points to lure an animal, use stealth mode to get closer to it without turning it hostile.
• Lead the animal to the Pet House
  A treat wins over one’s heart for a short time. Make sure to rush to the Ranch once the animal has taken the bait!
  ⚠️Please note:
  The pet will run away if you go to any other location than the Ranch!
• Fill the Feeder up
  No food — no mood! Being well-fed is a key for your pet to remain cheerful and fearless. If your pet is hungry, it won’t be able to follow you, fight, or even heal at the Pet house!
  The Feeder’s capacity improves with every Pet House upgrade. The stronger the pet, the more food it craves. Get ready to go hunting on a regular basis!
• Give the animal some time to adapt
  Patience and kindness work miracles, and soon, you’ll get yourself a trusty buddy!

And there it goes! Now the animal is ready to follow your orders and will stay loyal to you. You will get to know about all of the mentioned steps a bit better during the Paws in troubles storyline. 

How to take care of your pet?

Making an animal your pet is just the beginning! You want it to become stronger, don’t you? Just imagine how thrilling it will feel when you and your loyal friend will deal with someone or something you previously couldn’t manage! 

• Level it up — The more you travel and fight side by side, the more your pet learns! Get to know even more about animal perks, rarity, and characteristics in the Origin of Species section.
• Feed it — Your Pet House Feeder should always be filled at least a little bit so that your pets feel happy and able to assist you in your daily business.
  You can feed your pets Meat, Succulent ribs, Raw turkey, Tender meat, and Happy Paw cans. The latter one being the most beloved and desirable delicacy for your loyal friends!
• Treat its wounds — If your pet gets injured, you should lead it back to the Pet House to heal (works only when there is food in the Feeder) or use some Crackers to help it recover immediately. You can get those from Henry the Stumble or craft them at the Laboratory.
• Bring it some friends! — Upgrade the Pet House to own more than a single pet! Pick the one you want to fight alongside now, and switch it to another one later with ease! 

Got all excited about getting more pets than one? Your first pet will be happy to meet your new ones, too! 

How to get more powerful pets?

To lure more powerful pets, you’ll need more advanced baits. Vernon will gladly share his knowledge on that topic with you if you bring him animals to fill in the Nature Park.

Lure animals, turn them into pets, and bring them to Vernon. Depending on the animal’s tier and rarity (more on that down below), you will gain a certain amount of experience on the topic of baits. 

You can track your bait unlock process in a special tab in the Encyclopedia.
In the future, new ways of getting more powerful pets will get accessible. Have you already guessed what it will be? :) 

Origin of species

There are plenty of details for you to keep in mind when it comes to pets. Let’s get accustomed to all of them one by one! 

• Name — You can call your pet whatever you like. It won’t judge your taste. 
• Gender — Maybe it is not quite important right now, but it will get there eventually!
• Tier — High-tier pets are stronger than low-tier ones. You’ll need better baits to lure higher-tier animals. 
• Rarity — Pets of the same tier may also vary in rarity. (T1,T2 — Common and uncommon, T3,T4 — common, uncommon and rare, T5 — common, uncommon, rare and epic).
• Level — Depending on its tier and rarity, pets may be of different levels upon taming. In your adventures, your pets will get experience points and level up. Every new level will make your pet stronger! 
• Hit points — The more the number, the more damage can your pet withstand. Make sure to heal your buddy once you get a chance!
• Damage — Number of the damage points your pet can deal to your enemies. Don’t forget that armor can protect your enemies as well as it protects yourself! 
• Provoking — Your pet can taunt your enemy and make it attack itself instead of you. This ability may be especially useful in certain situations! 

There are some common characteristics and features of pets. However, they also possess some individual perks! 

Perks

With the introduction of the Pet system, all animals’ characteristics have been revised. Also, all of them have received special perks. Pets have one or two of those depending on their Tier! 

Some pet perks give advantages with a certain chance:

• Fury — Deals double damage.
• Slowdown — Slows an enemy down.
• Stranglehold —  Stops an enemy.
• Sharp claws — Makes an enemy bleed.
• Sudden attack — Deals additional damage to an enemy with 100% HP.
• Increased damage — Always deals additional damage.
• Improved provoking — Longer time of provoking an enemy.

Other perks give a constant bonus:

• Dodge — Avoid enemy’s attack.
• Thrift — A pet requires less food than usual.
• Revenge — Deals additional damage being attacked.
• Mighty jaws — Ignores the target's armor.

Ain’t those cool? All of the possible combinations of perks are making the taming process even more exciting. And even more cool perks will be added into the game in the future updates!

New Ranch constructions

Your pet deserves the best place you can provide it, while bait crafting requires a special workbench. But there is even more to new Ranch buildings!

Pet House

This is the place where your pets stay at! Make sure to complete its construction before bringing any lured animals to the Ranch.

⚠️Please note:
To build the Pet house, you need to complete several stages of the Paws in troubles questline. 

Pet House serves multiple purposes, so let’s wrap them up:

1. Store your pets — Your pet is going to adapt, live, and rest here. Upgrade the Pet House to store more than one pet at a time!
   
   If you want to part ways with an animal you’ve brought to the Ranch, you can release it to the wild using the Pet house. A freed animal can not be re-lured and won’t return to your Ranch.
   
   Hey, wanna try a new pet out but can’t say bye to any currently owned ones? Joy’s got your back. Handle one of your pets to her for a while, and there you go — a slot for experimentation is now open! 
2. Heal your pets’ wounds — If your pet gets wounded, make it back to the Ranch and let your pet rest for a while. Make sure there is food for your pet in the Feeder, though!
3. Feed your pets — Fill the Feeder to feed all your pets at once. Treat your pets with high quality food for them to grow strong! Who knows what such a great comfort may lead to in the future…
4. More features will become available in the next updates!

Have your mindset on what animal to lure to the Ranch first?
Time to make a bait for it!

Bait Workbench

A Bait Workbench is a must for those who want to get pets. Each animal requires its own bait, so make sure you're crafting the exact one you need for reaching your goal!

You will learn how to make your first baits while completing the Paws in troubles questline. You can also purchase some baits from Henry the Stumble. The range of his wares gets changed once in a while, so keep an eye on that!

To learn how to make new, better baits, bring pets to Vernon. Doing so will increase your expertise in the naturalist field. The rarer the bait, the more powerful the animal you can turn into your pet!

To produce higher tier baits, you will need to upgrade your Bait Workbench, but first you have to discover them. Better tools for better baits! 

There is also a neat tool for you to track your bait research progress, and that’s a Naturalist Desk!

Naturalist Desk

You will first encounter this Desk at the Naturalists’ Camp. It allows you to track learned baits and explore the variety of Westland’s fauna! Upon completing several stages of the Paws in troubles questline, Vernon and Joy will tell you how to make a Naturalist Desk at your Ranch! 

Browse through the pages of the Encyclopedia to see what animals you can lure. What baits do they react to? What are their primary skills? All that info is available at the Naturalist Desk!

🐺 Naturalist tip:
Long tap on the animal’s skill to learn what it is all about!

More features to come!

This patch is the first in a series of updates dedicated to pets.There are lots of other features to be released in the future. Some of them have already been hinted at in this patchnote, so hope you are all excited!

Get yourself familiar with 4.0.0 pets features and prepare for an even grander scale of things!  

Other changes and improvements

• Golden Carmack’s guard has a quest for you! — Help him and get a bunch of Tier 3 epic blueprints!
• Tier 4 epic items require less epic resources from now on!
• Animal balance improvements — With the release of the Pets system, all animals’ characteristics have also been rebalanced. 
• Raw food healing properties — Raw food will no longer heal you. It can still save you from hunger though if you’ve got nothing better to eat at the moment. 
• Mailbox is now available at your Alliance base as well!
• Tips for the Tier 5 resources locations have been updated with information about the Marshlands.

Share your thoughts on pets with us!

It’s been quite a ride, learning everything about the new update, hasn’t it?
Hope you will have lots of fun getting your first pets! 

Keep in mind that the current state of the Pet system is just the beginning! Lots of new additions and features will be introduced with future updates. Speaking of additions…What animal would you like to see introduced to the current pet pool? :)
You can suggest any species you find suitable in our social media!

Cock-A-Doodle-Doo!