Grounded pets are bugs that are tamed by building them a special pet house, then using a grinder to make a special slurry to appease them and eventually make them your friends. Pets in Grounded range from Aphids to Gnats to Weevils, meaning that while you can have little critters following you about, you shouldn't expect to be mounting a spider anytime soon - sorry. These little fellas are more about having a friend than a combat ally, but they do help in some ways, and can be situated in your base. If you want a bug bestie, I'll explain more about the process below, with how to tame pets in Grounded, what they do and what you need to tame them.
How to tame pets in Grounded
Grounded Pets are lured in with slurry, which players drop in front of them from their inventory. Players have to use slurry, made from Grinders built in your base, and place them near the pet they want to tame. Here's what Slurry corresponds to each pet:
- Plant Slurry (made from Grinding Plant Fibres): Aphids
- Mushroom Slurry (made from Grinding Mushrooms, Mushroom Chunks, or Toadstool chunks): Weevils
- Spoiled Meat Slurry (made from Grinding any kind of Spoiled Meat): Gnats
Find out how to reach the Grounded Upper Yard and the late-game areas here!
Once you have the Slurry for the bug you want, simply go close to a wild version of that bug and drop it on the ground in front of them. They should notice and eat it - whereupon they'll be tamed! They'll be a pet from that point on, following you around - though as with all pets, that comes with certain boons and responsibilities.
We're also not sure if there'll be more pets in the future. As outlined in our Grounded 1.0 guide, Obsidian have said that there'll be new creatures to come, so it's possible some will be tameable. They've also planned "Ant Pheromone control", which sounds similar, but will probably be more about temporarily moving them around or causing them to attack foes rather than befriending them.
What do pets do in Grounded?
The main feature of pets in Grounded (but not the only one) is that each pet provides the player they follow with a passive buff, one that changes depending on the creature. Here's what they offer:
- Aphids: reduces stamina drain rate while sprinting.
- Weevils: reduces thirst drain rate.
- Gnats: increases glide speed with a Dandelion Tuft.
Pets also have 10 inventory slots on them, allowing players to store things on their animal and treat it like a pack horse, a useful feature to say the least. We've also heard that pets can produce or dig up certain items, though we've yet to see it happen ourselves and can't confirm it.
Finally, players can craft and equip pets with "Pet Attire", pet-specific clothes and armor that make them more durable, among other things. And no, the standard model of Grounded armor for humans won't work on them - you have to make special mini-helmets and goggles for that.
Pet happiness explained
Pets have a happiness stat that players have to maintain, as if a pet becomes too unhappy it might stop being your pet and leave. Its animations start to change and become more dejected if it's nearing that point, or you can check its happiness in the Pet House menu. You can improve a pet's happiness by doing the following:
- Give the pet any kind of attire
- Pet it by approaching it and pressing the button marked
- Feed it the same Slurry you used to tame it
- Spend regular time with them and take them with you.
- Don't allow it to be injured or attacked.
Can pets die in Grounded?
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Yes, pets can die unless you turn it off in the menu when setting up a new game, pets can be killed, and they cannot defend themselves beyond trying to escape the threat.
Predatory bugs will attack pets if they see them, and if a pet dies, it's gone for good, dropping a "Pet Memorial" that serves the same function as the dropped backpack left behind by dead players. Put Pet Attire on them to increase their armor, health and general durability.
Pet House recipe and uses
The Pet House is not wholly essential to owning a pet, but it is definitely worth having. Pet Houses are unlocked by analyzing Mushroom Bricks, and can be built anywhere (ideally your base) with the following recipe.
- Weed Stem x2
- Acorn Shell x1
- Mushroom Brick x4
- Crow Feather Piece x2
Your pet can be assigned to a Pet House (they only hold one bug at a time), and it's here you can check on its stats, rename it, and equip it with clothing that you've crafted for it.
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