How To Get A Pet In Crimson Desert (Cats, Dogs & Outfits Guide)

Last updated: Patch 1.11.00

Table of Contents

TL;DR

Raise a cat’s or dog’s Trust to 100 by petting and feeding them daily.
You can earn Trust each day through petting and feeding — the exact amount depends on the food type used.
Once at 100 Trust, focus the animal and press Take In to adopt it as a pet.
Pets auto-loot items, materials, and goods during your travels.
You can register up to 100 pets as of Patch 1.11, with up to 50 summonable at camp.
Only one pet can be summoned during normal adventure.
You can dress pets using outfits from Pets – Tailor’s Shops found in Pororin Forest and Demeniss.
Birds are tamed using the Sotdae of Bond feeder station — a completely different system from cats and dogs.
Special pets include the Phoenix, Iron Eagle, Baby Wyvern, and Kuku Bird Chick — each with unique taming conditions.
Patch 1.11 raised the registration limit to 100 pets and added camp summoning for up to 50 at once.

Patch History — What’s Changed

The pet system in Crimson Desert has expanded significantly since launch. Here is a summary of every major addition:

Patch 1.04 — Birds became tameable pets using the Sotdae of Bond feeder. Additional cat variants were also added.
Patch 1.08 — Twenty small-animal species and Baby Wyverns were added as registrable pets.
Patch 1.09 — Approximately 30 additional small-animal species became available as companions, bringing the total of newly-added pets across both updates to over 50. New pickup and put-down animations were added for certain companions.
Patch 1.11 — The pet registration limit increased to 100. Players can now summon up to 50 pets at camp, even if they have registered more than 50. The normal adventure summoning limit of one active pet remains unchanged.

How To Get A Pet In Crimson Desert

how to get a pet in crimson desert

Getting a pet in Crimson Desert takes a little patience, but it’s worth it. As of Patch 1.11, you can tame cats, dogs, birds, and a wide range of small creatures. The method varies by animal type — cats and dogs use the classic pet-and-feed system, while birds require the Sotdae of Bond feeder.

Here is the quick version for your first companion:

Find an animal. Cats and dogs roam around settlements and populated areas.
Raise its Trust. Pet the animal and offer appropriate food. The Trust meter shows your progress toward 100.
Repeat after the daily limit resets. Both petting and feeding have a daily cap. The amount of Trust earned per feeding depends on the food type used.
Adopt the animal. Once Trust reaches 100, interact with it and select Take In.
Summon your pet. Open Inventory, go to Pets, select your companion, and choose Summon.

How the Trust System Works

Trust is the core mechanic behind taming cats and dogs. Each animal starts at 0 Trust and needs to reach 100 before you can adopt it. There is a daily cap on how much Trust you can earn from any single animal, which means the process takes at least two in-game days.

How Trust is earned:

Petting — you can pet the animal up to 5 times per day for +5 Trust each time (25 Trust total from petting).
Feeding — you can feed the animal up to 3 times per day. The amount of Trust earned per feeding depends on the food used. For example, grilled meat gives +20 Trust per offering. Other food types give different amounts, so use the highest-value food you have available.

Abyss Gear tip: There is a specific Abyss Gear affix called Companionship that multiplies Trust gained from petting and feeding animals. This is separate from the general NPC trust-gain affix found on most Abyss Gear, which only affects shopkeepers and regular NPCs — not animals.

How to Tame Cats and Dogs

Step 1 — Find a Stray Cat or Dog

Stray animals are scattered across the world of Pywel. Keep an eye out for cats and dogs while exploring towns, villages, and roadsides. They behave like neutral NPCs — they won’t attack, but they won’t follow you until you’ve earned their trust.

While you’re exploring, it helps to have your map filled in. Check our guide on all bell tower locations in Crimson Desert to clear the fog of war and spot more of the world.

Step 2 — Raise the Animal’s Trust to 100

Pet and feed the animal each day until Trust reaches 100. After hitting the daily cap, let an in-game day pass, then return and repeat. Want to speed things up between visits? Check our guide on how to change time of day in Crimson Desert.

Important tips while raising Trust:

If there are guards or other animals nearby, they will try to steal the food you drop. Separate the stray from others before feeding it.
Unsummon your current pet before feeding a stray. If your pet is active, they’ll assume any dropped food is theirs and eat it instead.

How To Feed Animals In Crimson Desert

Feeding strays is a little different from what you might expect. You don’t hand food directly to the animal. Here’s the exact method:

Open your inventory.
Select the food item.
Press Discard to drop it on the ground.
Pet the cat or dog.
Watch them eat it.

What do animals eat?

Dogs — raw meat and cooked meat. Grilled meat is one of the highest Trust-per-feeding options.
Cats — living fish, raw fish, and birds.

Make sure you’re carrying the right food type before heading to the animal’s location. Need resources? Our guide on how to get iron ore in Crimson Desert is a good starting point for learning the game’s gathering systems.

Step 3 — Adopt the Animal

Once the animal’s Trust hits 100, focus on them and press Take In. The animal will be added to your list of pets.

If the prompt doesn’t appear, use your lantern and hover it over the creature. This usually triggers the interaction option when normal focusing doesn’t work.

How to Get Birds Using the Sotdae of Bond

Birds use an entirely different taming method from cats and dogs. Instead of dropping food on the ground, you place a carved wooden perch called the Sotdae of Bond, load it with food, and let birds come to you. Unlike other pets, birds build Trust passively while feeding — you don’t need to interact with them directly.

How To Get the Sotdae of Bond

You need to complete the Authorized Access section of the Trembling Woods faction quest for the Pororin Forest Guardians. This is the quest that unlocks the Florindale area — you can start it by attempting to enter the village southeast of the Hernand Highlands and getting sleep-darted. If you already completed this quest, the Sotdae of Bond will be waiting in your camp item storage.

How To Use the Sotdae of Bond

Select the Sotdae of Bond in your inventory to equip it.
Hold CTRL + R to place it on the ground (or LB + Y on controller).
Interact with the Sotdae to load it with food.
Step back and wait for a bird to land and feed.
Once the bird’s Trust hits 100, approach it and press Take In.

Each time a bird eats from the Sotdae, Trust increases by +25 — significantly faster than the cat and dog system.

What food do birds eat?

Small birds (sparrows, parrots, etc.) — insects, fruits, seeds, oats, grains
Large birds (hawks, ravens, eagles) — lean meat or raw meat

Loading multiple food types at once increases the variety of birds you’ll attract in a single session.

Best locations to find birds:

Greymane Camp / Hernand cliff edge — best all-around starting spot. Attracts Crows, Sparrows, Blue Jays, and Hawks.
Pororin Village / Florindale — reliable for Sparrows and Parrots.
Demeniss Port / Riverbanks — best for Seagulls and water birds. Load fish and insects, place near water.
Mountain regions / cliff edges — required for Eagles, Condors, Steppe Eagles, and Gyrfalcons.
Delesyia region (nighttime) — dedicated Owl zone.

Don’t lose your Sotdae: If you leave it behind, Carl at Greymane Camp will recover it automatically. You can buy it back from him under “Recover Items” for 1 Silver.

Bird pet notes:

Birds despawn far less frequently than cats or dogs and can fly over obstacles to keep up with you.
Bird pets cannot wear outfits from the Pets – Tailor’s Shops.
Birds will perch on your arm if you stand still for a while.

All Special Pets: Baby Wyverns, Phoenix, Iron Eagle, and More

Pets come in two tiers: standard and Special (marked with a gold background). There is no difference in auto-looting functionality between the two — all pets loot equally. Special pets are distinguished by how they’re obtained, not what they do in the field.

Special pets are one of a kind and typically require unique steps to obtain. Here are the confirmed Special pets currently in the game:

Baby Wyvern

Added in Patch 1.08. The Baby Wyvern is one of the most sought-after companions in the game. It can grow into a special mount over time, making it one of the few pets with progression beyond its initial form. The acquisition conditions require unique steps — consult a dedicated guide for the exact location and taming process.

Kuku Bird Chick

Like the Baby Wyvern, the Kuku Bird Chick can grow into a special mount. It is obtained through bird-taming methods rather than the cat and dog Trust system. Check its spawn location and the specific Sotdae of Bond food required to attract it.

Iron Eagle

A large predatory bird with a distinctive appearance. Tamed via the Sotdae of Bond in mountain regions where large birds of prey spawn. Load the feeder with lean meat or raw meat and set up near cliff edges for the best chance of attracting it.

The Legendary Phoenix

The Phoenix is a Special pet with a unique acquisition method — it cannot be tamed via the Sotdae of Bond. It can be found in the Crimson Desert region just south of Trader’s Expanse, flying with smaller birds on either side of it. It’s large and bright orange, making it visible during the day. Finding it is half the challenge — consult a dedicated guide for the exact taming steps once you locate it.

What Do Pets Do In Crimson Desert?

Pets are more than just companions. A summoned pet will automatically:

Pick up loot from enemies’ bodies after combat.
Collect goods from destructible objects in the environment.
Gather refining materials from ores and trees as you pass by them.

This makes pets genuinely useful for farming resources and keeping your inventory topped up. Speaking of inventory — here’s how to increase inventory space in Crimson Desert so all that auto-looted material has somewhere to go.

Pets are also untouchable during combat. No matter how intense a fight gets, enemies cannot harm your pet. So there’s no risk in keeping one summoned at all times.

There is no difference in functionality between a standard and a Special (gold-background) pet — they all loot equally. Special pets are distinguished by how they’re obtained, not what they do.

How To Switch, Summon, and Release Pets

Open your inventory.
Switch to the Pets section.
Choose the cat, dog, or bird you want.
Click Summon.

Only one pet can be summoned at a time during normal adventure. If you want to swap, unsummon the current pet first and then summon a different one.

The same method works if you’ve lost track of your pet during exploration — just unsummon and resummon them to bring them back to your side.

If you ever want to release a pet back into the wild, access the pet’s inventory and choose the Untie option. This sets them free again.

How To Dress Pets In Crimson Desert

You can dress your cats and dogs. Outfits are available at Pets – Tailor’s Shops found in specific locations across the world. Note: bird pets cannot wear outfits — this applies to all bird companions regardless of species.

pets tailor s shop location in crimson desert

Milou’s Shop — Pororin Forest

This is the main pet tailor location. It becomes available after you complete the Unreachable Village quest.

Here’s every outfit available at Milou’s Shop:

Dogs:

Outfit	Price
Puppy Plate Helmet	2.40 Silver Coin
Rescue Puppy Outfit	2.40 Silver Coin
Puppy Plate Helm	2.40 Silver Coin
Puppy Plate Armor	2.40 Silver Coin

Cats:

Outfit	Price
Uniform Cat Hat	2.40 Silver Coin
Uniform Cat Outfit	2.40 Silver Coin
Peddler Cat Hat	2.40 Silver Coin
Peddler Cat Outfit	2.40 Silver Coin
Cat Plate Helm	2.40 Silver Coin
Cat Plate Armor	2.40 Silver Coin

Demeniss — Southwest of Demeniss Castle

A second Pets – Tailor’s Shop is located in Demeniss, southwest of the castle. This one has a smaller selection and only sells:

Puppy Plate Helmet
Rescue Puppy Outfit
Puppy Plate Helm

How To Equip Pet Outfits

Open your inventory.
Go to the Pets section.
Choose the pet you want to dress.
Summon it.
Click the outfit in your inventory slots.
Choose Equip.

Make sure the pet is summoned before trying to equip the outfit — it won’t work otherwise.

How To Register More Pets

As of Patch 1.11, you can now register up to 100 pets in total — a significant increase from the earlier limit. Here is how the limits break down:

Registration limit: 100 pets total across all types (cats, dogs, birds, small animals, special pets).
Camp summoning: Up to 50 pets can be summoned at camp simultaneously, even if you have more than 50 registered.
Adventure summoning: Only one pet can be active at a time during normal play. This has not changed.

With over 50 new small-animal species added across Patches 1.08 and 1.09, the increased registration cap gives you room to build a truly varied collection without having to release companions to make space.

Tips To Make Pet Raising Easier

Plan your route around the animal’s location. Daily visits are needed for cats and dogs, so pick a stray that’s close to a fast travel point. Here’s how to fast travel in Crimson Desert if you haven’t set it up yet.
Always unsummon your active pet before feeding a stray. This is the most common mistake players make and it wastes food and time.
Use higher-value food for dogs. Grilled meat gives more Trust per feeding than basic raw meat, so cook before you visit.
Keep food stocked. Running out of raw meat or fish mid-session means wasted visits. Check your supplies before heading out each in-game day.
Use the lantern trick if Take In doesn’t appear. Equip the lantern and hover over the animal. The prompt should appear within a second or two.
For birds, load multiple food types into the Sotdae at once. More variety means more bird species are likely to land in a single session.
Use the Companionship Abyss Gear affix to speed up Trust gains with all animals. It is separate from the general NPC trust affix and specifically applies to pet taming.

More Guides For Crimson Desert

Looking for more help? Here are some useful reads:

Crimson Desert review — full breakdown of the game
How to enter Halssius’s House of Healing in Crimson Desert — complete Familiar Curses quest guide
How to complete Renee’s Request in Crimson Desert
How to complete Rhett’s Request in Crimson Desert
How to get and use Palmar Pills in Crimson Desert
How to steal items in Crimson Desert
How to upgrade weapons and armor in Crimson Desert
All main story quests and chapters

Where To Get Crimson Desert

New to the game or gifting it to someone? Here’s where to grab it:

Already have it? Don’t forget to grab your bonuses. Here’s how to claim pre-order and Deluxe Edition items in Crimson Desert and how to get Crimson Desert Twitch Drops for free loot.