Crimson Desert Pets Guide — How to Get & Use Pets
Complete guide to the pet system in Crimson Desert. Learn how to build trust with stray dogs and cats, adopt them as pets, and use dogs to automatically collect battlefield loot.
Pets in Crimson Desert are more than cosmetic companions — dogs in particular serve as automatic loot collectors, running across the battlefield to pick up every item dropped by defeated enemies. Getting a pet requires building trust over several in-game days, but the quality-of-life improvement is worth the effort.
How the Pet System Works
Crimson Desert uses a trust mechanic for adopting pets. Every stray animal you encounter has a trust meter that starts at 0 and must reach 100 before you can adopt it. You can own up to 30 pets, but only one can be actively summoned at a time.
Where to Find Stray Animals
Stray dogs and cats can be found in various locations across Pywel, with the highest concentrations around major towns in the Hernand region. Look for them wandering near shops, markets, and residential areas. They are friendly and will not run away when you approach.
How to Build Trust
Petting (+5 Trust per interaction)
Simply approach a stray animal and hold the interaction button to pet it. You can pet the same animal 5 times per in-game day, earning up to +25 trust daily. After the daily cap, petting still works but grants no additional trust until the next day.
Feeding (+35 Trust per serving)
Feeding is significantly faster than petting:
- Open your inventory
- Select a food item
- Discard it on the ground near the animal
- The animal will eat it and gain trust
Dogs are not picky eaters — any meat will do. Fine Meat grants the maximum +35 trust per feeding. You can feed an animal up to 3 times per in-game day.
Speeding Up the Process
Both petting and feeding have daily caps. To bypass the time gate:
- Rest at campfires to advance the day-night cycle
- Sleep in a bed to skip forward
- Return to the same animal after the day resets and repeat
With optimal feeding (3x Fine Meat per day at +35 each), you can reach 100 trust in approximately two in-game days.
Start building trust with a dog as early as possible. Even if you can only visit the animal once per day between quests, the trust accumulates. Having a loot-collecting dog before boss-heavy chapters saves enormous amounts of time picking up drops manually.
Adopting a Pet
Once an animal's trust reaches 100, interact with it and select "Take in" to officially adopt it. The pet then appears under the Pets tab in your inventory menu.
How Dogs Collect Loot
Once you summon a dog, it follows you and automatically runs to collect items from defeated enemies. There is no command needed — the dog does it on its own.
Important Details
- Dogs collect all items, including low-value junk — there is no loot filter
- Dogs do not fight — they have no combat role whatsoever
- Dogs can also pick up ore and items from open shelving in the environment
- Your summoned pet disappears when you mount your horse
- After Chapter 3, unsummoned pets live at your Greymane camp
Because dogs collect all items indiscriminately (including junk), your inventory can fill up quickly. Make sure to expand your inventory slots through bounty quests before relying on a dog for loot collection, and sell vendor trash regularly.
Cats vs Dogs
Both cats and dogs are adoptable through the same trust system, but they serve different purposes:
- Dogs — Auto-loot items from the battlefield. The primary functional pet.
- Cats — Cosmetic companions with no confirmed gameplay function beyond the satisfaction of having a cat at your camp.
If you are adopting for utility, always prioritize a dog first.
Pet Management
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| Max pets owned | 30 |
| Active at once | 1 |
| Dog loot filter | None (collects everything) |
| Pet disappears | When mounting a horse |
| Pet home | Greymane camp (after Chapter 3) |
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