Abiotic Factor Pet and Companion Guide for Version 1.4

Scope and version

The current pet system is based on taming creatures in the world, feeding them, and using the Companion equipment slot. It is not an egg-incubation system. Older advice about collecting companion eggs, building a heated container, or waiting for a hatch timer does not describe version 1.4.

The major Companion-slot, feeding, leveling, and mutation changes arrived in the 1.3.0 Cosmic Companions update. This guide follows that system and uses the current Pets reference for the detailed rules.

The complete pet loop

Every current pet workflow follows this order:

1. Identify a creature that the Pets reference lists as tameable.
2. Use the required pacification or capture method.
3. Complete the creature's feeding requirement when the method calls for it.
4. Pick up or equip the tamed creature through the Companion slot.
5. Feed it when it becomes hungry so it gains pet XP.
6. Store it in a pet bed when it should remain safe at the base.
7. Use the equipped Companion protection when taking it into combat.

Skipping the storage or Companion-slot step changes what happens when the pet is injured. That is the most important safety distinction in the system.

Verified taming methods

The current Pets page documents different methods for different creature families. Do not assume one food or one trap works on everything.

For Pests using the Pheromone Flask route, the current reference lists Anteverse Wheat, Nachos, or Bread as accepted taming foods. Keep the three required pieces ready before starting. A half-finished tame in an unsafe room is harder to recover than a failed trap attempt.

Taming preparation checklist

Before approaching the creature, check the full method rather than only the first item:

The hotbar check matters because the current Pets page says pets cannot be stored in ordinary inventory slots. Picking up a pet requires an open hotbar slot. Clear that slot before starting the tame so the completed interaction does not leave the new pet exposed while inventory is reorganized.

Picking up and equipping a companion

Interact with a tamed pet while at least one hotbar slot is open to pick it up. Dropping a held pet normally equips it in the Companion slot unless it is dropped from the inventory screen. Only one pet can occupy the Companion slot at a time.

The slot is not just organizational. It applies the Vital Stabilization Companion Collar behavior described by the game's compendium. An equipped pet does not permanently die when injured. It enters a critically wounded state and must be revived manually. The current Pets page says revival restores it to approximately 25 percent health.

An unequipped pet does not receive that protection and can die permanently. Before a fight, confirm the intended companion is visibly in the slot rather than merely roaming nearby.

Combat safety decision

Pets can automatically engage enemies even when the player is trying to remain unseen. Treat that as a route constraint. A pet that is useful in open combat can still be the wrong choice for a bypass or stealth objective.

Feeding and hunger timing

The current Pets page records an eight in-game-hour feeding interval, equal to 16 real-time minutes under the stated default timing. A newly tamed Pest starts hungry. When a pet is hungry, use the Offer action with an accepted item.

Feeding is not a maintenance payment that prevents the pet from disappearing. It is the progression action for pet XP. The update notes state that pets can eat foods a scientist can eat and, in some cases, special non-food items. If the item cannot be offered, it cannot be fed.

Use this routine:

1. Wait until the pet is marked hungry.
2. Choose food based on progression needs, not rarity alone.
3. Offer the item directly.
4. Confirm the XP or mutation response before consuming another rare item.
5. Record which item was used if testing a documented mutation path.

Pet XP calculation

The current reference gives the pet XP formula as the food's Hunger value divided by three. It also records a minimum of 4 XP and a maximum of 20 XP per feeding. Food with 60 Hunger or more therefore reaches the 20 XP cap; a larger Hunger value does not exceed that cap.

This table is a direct application of the documented formula. It is not a ranking of which food is cheapest in a particular save. Use ingredients that the base can replace without blocking a player meal or recipe.

Leveling plan

Pets begin at level 0 and can reach level 20. Each level raises health, damage, and size. The current Pets page gives 750 total XP for level 20 and calculates a minimum of 38 feeds when every feeding reaches the 20 XP cap. Because feeding has the eight-hour in-game interval, the same reference describes that fastest case as roughly 13 full in-game days.

Do not turn that minimum into a normal promise. Lower-Hunger food grants less XP, missed feeding windows extend the schedule, and the player may reserve food for survival. Use the level table on the Pets page when planning a specific target rather than guessing from the pet's visual size.

Mutation rules

Some base-form pets mutate after receiving three of a specific item. The current reference says mutations can change appearance and function, and that only unmutated pets generally follow those feeding mutations. Some other forms come from combining a pet with gadgets at a crafting bench.

Use a controlled mutation process:

1. Confirm the current Pets table lists the target pet and mutation item.
2. Start with an unmutated pet unless the listed recipe says otherwise.
3. Reserve all three required items before the first feeding.
4. Watch for the sparkle response described by the compendium.
5. Stop if the response does not match the current reference.

This guide does not reproduce a static all-mutation table because that table is patch sensitive. The linked Pets page should remain the source of record for the current item-to-variant combinations.

Safe storage at the base

Interact with a pet bed while holding the pet to place it there. A pet placed this way remains in the bed and cannot be harmed. A roaming pet may choose to lie on a bed, but it can leave again; that is not the same as manually storing it.

Pests and Skinks can also be placed in Pest Traps. Pet beds are the clearer choice when the goal is safe, visible storage. Keep beds away from busy doors and interaction points so the player does not accidentally pick up or swap a pet while managing other objects.

Other documented uses

Tamed Pests and Skinks can be placed in Pest Wheels to generate power. They do not seek out the wheel by themselves, so this is a manual assignment rather than passive pet behavior.

The Pets page also documents special interactions for some creature families, including Peccary Sow milking and Skinks that can function as both pets and weapons. Check the specific creature or item page before building a route around one of those uses. This guide does not invent a universal ability for every pet.

Failure recovery

Completion condition

The pet setup is complete when the creature was tamed with its documented method, the active expedition pet is in the Companion slot, inactive pets are manually placed in safe storage, and the next feeding uses an item selected from the current reference. No egg, incubator, or hatch timer is required.

Sources

The Pets page provides current taming, feeding, leveling, mutation, combat, and storage mechanics. The Cosmic Companions update documents the system overhaul and Companion slot. The Pet Bed and Pest Wheel pages support the base-storage and power-use sections.

Related guides

• Farming and agriculture setup
• Base power basics
• Food planner
• Mycofields survival guide