A Complete Guide to Pets in Octopath Traveler CotC
Octopath Traveler: Champions of the Continent is enriching its gameplay with an exciting new feature – Pets and Divine Beasts!
This addition, coinciding with the game's 1.5-year anniversary, brings a fresh dynamic to our beloved JRPG.
So... what's all the fuss about pets (also referred to as Keepers)?
Let's dive in!
Complete Guide to Pets: How to Use Them and Top Picks
What are Pets in Octopath Traveler?
Pets (or Keepers) are a new mechanic linked with the Emberflame story. They provide additional stats and special abilities to the paired Traveler.
Example: A black and white cat pet offers base stats like 140 HP, 20 PAtk, 19 MAtk, and more. Its special ability is a 5-10% PAtk buff to its master.
Using Pets in Gameplay
Activation: Pet abilities activate without consuming a turn and can provide immediate benefits like BP, heals or buffs. Only one pet can be used per turn. Pairing a pet with a Traveler, like Bargello, transfers the pet's stats and abilities to them. These stats are treated as a Traveler’s actual stats rather than equipment stats, which means pets' stats are more valuable.
Pet BP Usage: Some pets have the ability to use BP to boost their abilities. Using BP on pets will fill the unit's ultimate gauge, so a character like Lynette or EX Primrose can use their top-tier ultimate on turn 1. When using BP on a pet's ability, you'll still recover BP next turn.
Cooldowns: Each pet has an initial cooldown and a recharge time. For example, the black and white cat's initial cooldown is 1 turn, followed by a 5-turn recharge after skill use.
Limitation: Pets cannot be used in Towers, as they have ally restrictions.
Stackable Buffs: Pet buffs are a separate buff category, allowing to stack up to five different buff categories for enhanced effects when combined with Divine Beasts, Active, Passive and Ultimate buffs. These buffs can only be extended by Lucetta's and Mabel's passive and won't work with Brave Fan nor Hasumi's A4.
Acquiring Pets
Free Pets: Grouped by types, like cats, dogs, birds, rabbits, etc., each with a corresponding Divine Beast. Obtainable through the new Emberflame story, with each chapter rewarding four free pets. Additional pets can be earned through missions. Acquiring all pets from a group unlocks the related Divine Beast.
Premium Pets: Available for purchase with Cait Merchant's Promissory Note or Awakening Stone Shards. For instance, Maa'fa, Linde, and Hägen, which are premium pets, cost 6,000 Awakening Stone Shards or can be bought as a reskin with Cait Merchant's Promissory Notes (paid item). Note that these pets are only obtainable through shards if you have their respective master in your roster (Tatloch, H'aanit and Z'aanta).
Enhancing Pets
Leveling Up: Defeat enemies to gain EXP for your pets. Leveling up reduces their usage cooldowns (at level 5 and level 10). Pets can be leveled up to 10 through battles or special pet experience items called Experience Emberfruit (which won't move the needle at all).
Affection System: Increase pet affection through battles (caits and hunts being the best for farming), Affinity Emberfruit items, or daily interaction, enhancing its empower potential (stat boost). Max affinity level is 10.
Pet Food: Empower pets by using green Emberfruits to increase their stats. Each attribute can be increased by +50 or +500 for HP. Level up your Divine Beast to increase the number of times you can empower your pet's stats.
How to Get Pet Food?
Sources: Pet food is obtainable inside boxes from the Adversary Log in Codex of Salvation (only from Rank 2 fights).
Usage: Assign pet food to enhance pet stats, tailoring your pet's strengths to complement your Traveler's needs (PAtk/EAtk, SP or Speed). HP is the top priority and then you can boost another key stat. You can always reset their stats, but you won't recover the items used.
Essential Tips For Pet EXP and Affinity Farming
Leveling pets is a time-consuming process that will take us a fair amount of grinding.
Here are some tips to speed up the process:
1. Daily Hunts: A Key to Pet Affinity and EXP
Engage in daily hunts as they are a significant source of pet affinity and EXP.
Ensure your pets are alongside the units for which you're farming guidestones to maximize gains in pet affinity and EXP.
2. Defeat Caits for Pet Affinity
Early Story Caits: Though these Lv.1 Caits offer minimal EXP, they consistently provide 10 pet affinity points per defeat.
Bestower of Fame Chapter 2: This area introduces a cait that provides 200k EXP and 10 affinity points. After defeating this cait, proceed to the Tower of Remembrance's bonfire to find another, offering up to 400,000 EXP daily.
Cait Isle: After completing Bestower of Power Chapter 3, you'll have access to this Coy Chubby Cait, offering a significant 300,000 EXP and 10 pet affinity boost.
3. The RNG Method: Farming Hell Caits
Highest Yield: Hell Caits, while RNG-reliant, offer the largest EXP gain of 450,000 upon defeat and are relatively easy to take down.
Divine Beasts: A Special Ally
Usage: Divine Beasts can be summoned once per battle, providing various effects. They can be leveled up for increased strength.
Summoning: After 5 turns, when the crystal gauge is full, select the summon allies icon to call upon the Divine Beast, offering potent buffs or effects.
Stackable Buffs: Divine Beast buffs are a separate buff category, allowing to stack up to five different buff categories for enhanced effects when combined with Pets, Active, Passive and Ultimate buffs
How to Level them Up: You'll get special items called Divine Emberfruits when increasing your pet affinity. You can use these items to boost the corresponding Divine Beasts (e.g. Stollenwurm will level up with cat's Divine Emberfruits).
Should I Use Divine Emberfruits or Save Them?
TLDR: Use them to increase your Divine Beast level, there's no need to hoard them for future beasts. Here's why:
Bronze Divine Emberfruits can be farmed daily from Nameless Town recollection and will be later added to the Exchange. Each Divine Beast level needs 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 25, 25, 25, 25, 50, and 50 Bronze Divine Emberfruits respectively.
Silver Divine Emberfruits can only be obtainable through pet's affinity levels 6-10, and you're given the exact amount to max out the corresponding Divine Beast. You need 5 of them for each level from 7+.
Gold Divine Emberfruits are specific to each Divine Beast and you only get 1 from each pet. You need 1 of them for each level 7+.
(Thanks to u/white_black for the breakdown)
The Codex of Salvation: A New Interface
Enhanced Features: The update includes a new menu system, replacing the Memoir system, with sections for pets, Divine Beasts, and Adversary Log fights.
EX Fights: Tackle challenging boss fights at various difficulty levels, rewarding rubies and strong accessories.
Premium Pets: Worth the Investment?
Stat Differences: Premium pets have higher stats compared to free pets, like Airy's high base EAtk.
Strategic Value: Some premium pets offer unique advantages, but free alternatives are often enough.
Premium Pets Abilities:
- Maa'fa grants its master 1 BP.
- Linde gives guaranteed Crit for 1 turn.
- Hägen inflicts AOE PDef down and grants Bow Damage Up if the master is a Hunter.
- Airy restores 1 use of its master's ultimate. (Not yet released on GL)
- Lulu restores its master SP.
- White Sheep grants its master HP Barrier.
- Chomper grants an ally 30% Damage Up but also SP Cost Up. (Not yet released on GL)
Recommended Pets for Free-to-Play Players
White Cat: Self HP restore and clears status ailments at max boost level 4. This pet is great for ultimate charge on turn 1.
Black and White Cat: Offers a 5% PAtk boost, which can be increased to 10% for one turn using BP.
White Ash Cat: Boosts an ally's PAtk and EAtk up to 20%, but reduces PDef by 30% for one turn and inflicts self taunt. (Not yet released on GL)
Dark Brown Dog: Inflicts a %5 AOE MDef Down while revealing 1 weakness.
Black Dog: Recovers 50% ultimate gauge for the pet master upon skill use.
White Dog: Self cleanse ailments and grants its master immunity to ailments.
Black Rabbit: Inflicts 10% MDef Down on a random target. (Not yet released on GL)
White Rabbit: Self AOE taunt for up to 4 turns. (Not yet released on GL)
White Alpaca: Free version of Wise Sheep, self restores HP while granting HP Barrier. (Not yet released on GL)
As Octopath Traveler: CotC steps into its next phase with pets and Divine Beasts, we'll be able to explore new strategies and enjoy the new gameplay experience.
I'll keep updating this guide when new pets get introduced, so stay tuned!
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