Description[]
Pets are part of the husbandry gameplay that includes Mounts and Pets. Pets are tamable companions that can aid prospectors during hunting expeditions or provide useful modifier auras that reduce oxygen consumption or increase health regeneration, to name a few. Pets will accrue a total of 25 talent points and have a maximum level cap of 25.
Pets have two movement commands (Follow/Wander) and three combat commands; these can be toggled by facing them, holding F, and selecting the desired option. Pets can be set to Passive, Defensive (defends owner and self), or Aggressive (attacks fauna that will attack the prospector). Hitching Rope can also be used to lead pets and can be attached to a Hitching Post to keep them from wandering too far.
Pets tamed on the Surface[]
Wolves/Snow Wolves, Boars, and Hyenas can be tamed on the surface of Icarus through the use of a Snare Trap and the appropriate Animal Bait in the correct biome.
| Creature | Animal Bait | Biome |
|---|---|---|
| Wolf |  Wolf Bait |
Forest Grassland |
| Snow Wolf | Wolf Bait |
Arctic |
| Wild Boar |  Wild Boar Bait |
Forest Grassland |
| Hyena |  Hyena Bait |
Desert Volcanic |
Process of Taming[]
To start taming one of the animals listed above, Prospectors will need to head to the correct biome with building pieces for a shelter, a Snare Trap, and the appropriate bait (multiple pieces of bait may be required). When in the correct biome, deploy the snare trap, equip the bait from the hotbar, and press 'F' while hovering over the snare trap. The time it takes to catch an animal will vary and prospectors are required to stay nearby (one map grid square), otherwise, the caught animal will de-spawn.
Once an animal has been ensnared, prospectors will need to keep the area clear of hostile creatures and occasionally provide a carcass for the animal to feed on. If the area is kept clear of hostile creatures and the ensnared animal is kept fed, the caught animal will become tamable approximately after ten minutes.
FAQ[]
- Q: I dropped a carcass near my trapped wolf, and it won't eat. What gives?
- A: Ensnared animals will sometimes have trouble eating corpses. To circumvent this, prospectors can place
Animal Bait nearby or add more bait to the snare trap (wolf bait in this case).
- A: Ensnared animals will sometimes have trouble eating corpses. To circumvent this, prospectors can place
- Q: Does the level of ensnared animals matter?
- A: No. Their level will reset to one when tamable.
Workshop Pets[]
Pets purchased from the Workshop include Chickens and Sheep. These become available in the Workshop in a cryogenic state. Prospectors will need to research and craft these pets, then have them delivered to the surface using the 
Orbital Exchange Interface.
Pets requiring the Pet Companions DLC[]
Dogs and Cats are pets that are obtained through the Pet Companions DLC. Similar to Workshop Pets, these are purchased from the Workshop and can be brought to the surface using an Orbital Exchange Interface.
Maintaining[]
Pets will need to be given food and water, or they will eventually suffer from significantly reduced movement speed, health regeneration, and stamina regeneration, to name a few. Pets cannot die from starvation or dehydration. Food and water can be supplied by using Food Troughs and Water Troughs or by hand feeding the pet by equipping a water container or fruits/vegetables/Animal Feed and pressing left-click while hovering over them. Medicinal items can be applied to pets by equipping a medicinal item from the hotbar and holding right-click while hovering over the recipient.
Buffs/Talents[]
Pets can have two active food buffs at a time, and various Animal Feeds can provide different improvements. The modifier effectiveness, modifier duration, and number of food slots can be increased by unlocking the appropriate talent in the animal's talent tree. Wolves, snow wolves, boars, hyenas, dogs, and cats have their own unique talent tree. For more information, visit their pages.
Pet Persistence[]
Pets can be sent to the space station using the Orbital Exchange Interface. Prospectors will need to call down an OES and bring their pet to OES. Once near, inspect the Orbital Exchange Shuttle, select the pet to be sent to orbit from the list bottom left, and select Return. A player can then bring that animal back down into another prospect. Animals in orbit can only be viewed via the OEI interface.