How To Get A Pet In Crimson Desert

Last updated: Patch 1.09.00 (May 29, 2026)

TL;DR

• Raise a cat’s or dog’s Trust to 100 by petting and feeding them daily.
• You can earn up to 55 Trust per day — 5 pets (×5 Trust) and 3 food offerings (×10 Trust).
• 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.
• Only one pet can be summoned at a time.
• 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. (Added in Patch 1.04, roster expanded in 1.08 and 1.09)
• Patch 1.09 added ~30 new small animal species that can now be registered as pets, bringing the total of newly-added pets across the last two updates to over 50.

What’s New in Patch 1.09

Update 1.09.00 significantly expanded the pet system. Approximately 30 new small animal species can now be registered as pets, and new pickup and put-down animations were added for certain companions. This followed Patch 1.08.00 the week prior, which added 20 small animal species and the Baby Wyvern — meaning over 50 new registrable pet species have been added in just two weeks.

These aren’t entirely new creatures: they’re animals that already existed in the world of Pywel but couldn’t previously be adopted. The patch simply unlocks them as companions you can register and carry.

Pets come in two tiers: standard and Special (marked with a gold background). There is no difference in looting functionality between the two — they all auto-loot equally. Special pets are one of a kind and typically require unique steps to obtain. Examples include the Iron Eagle, Baby Wyvern, and Phoenix.

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 1.09, you can tame cats, dogs, birds, and a wide range of other 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.

Getting 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 either 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

To raise Trust with a cat or dog, you need to pet them and feed them. There’s a daily cap on how much Trust you can earn from each animal, so you’ll need to come back over multiple in-game days.

Daily Trust limits:

• Pet the animal up to 5 times — each pet gives +5 Trust (25 Trust total)
• Feed the animal up to 3 times — each accepted food gives +10 Trust (30 Trust total)
• Maximum per day: 55 Trust

This means it takes a minimum of two in-game days to reach 100 Trust with any animal.

After hitting the daily cap, let an in-game day pass, then return to the same animal 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:

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

What do animals eat?

• Dogs eat raw meat and cooked meat.
• Cats eat 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.

Getting Birds (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

1. Select the Sotdae of Bond in your inventory to equip it.
2. Hold CTRL + R to place it on the ground (or LB + Y on controller).
3. Interact with the Sotdae to load it with food.
4. Step back and wait for a bird to land and feed.
5. 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.

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; check dedicated guides for the exact taming steps.

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.

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.

Abyss Gear tip: There is a specific Abyss Gear affix called Companionship that multiplies Trust gained from petting and feeding animals. It 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 Switch Pets In Crimson Desert

Once you have more than one pet adopted, you can swap between them at any time. Here’s how:

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

Only one pet can be summoned at a time. 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.

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:

Cats:

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

After buying an outfit, here’s how to dress your pet:

1. Open your inventory.
2. Go to the Pets section.
3. Choose the pet you want to dress.
4. Summon it.
5. Click the outfit in your inventory slots.
6. Choose Equip.

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

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.
• 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:

• Official Crimson Desert Website
• PlayStation Store
• Xbox Store
• Steam
• Epic Games Store

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.