Pet and Companion System Guide

The Problem

You grabbed a weird glowing egg from Mycofields, shoved it in your inventory, and nothing happened. Turns out this game has a whole pet system and nobody mentioned it during your first 20 hours.

The Solution

Abiotic Factor has a small but genuinely useful companion system. Certain creatures can be hatched from eggs, rescued from events, or crafted as drones. Each companion provides a specific passive buff or combat assist. This guide covers every companion type, where to find them, how to hatch and feed them, and when each one is actually worth using.

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How Companions Work

Companions are not mounts. They are not summons. They are small creatures that follow you around and provide one specific benefit. You equip them in the companion slot in your inventory. They follow automatically, return to base when you log out, and need regular feeding to stay active.

The system is closer to a utility tool than a combat pet. Do not expect Ark-style taming or Palworld combat. Expect a flashlight that eats mushrooms and a bug that bites things.

Three Ways to Get Companions

Most players get their first companion through egg hatching. Eggs are the most reliable source because portal worlds can be farmed repeatedly.

All Companion Types

Where to Find Eggs

Eggs are not guaranteed spawns. Each portal visit has roughly a 20-30% chance of an egg appearing at its fixed spawn point. If the spot is empty, leave and try again next portal cycle.

The Guard Beetle egg is the rarest by far. Reapers must be killed for a chance at the drop, and the 5% rate means you might farm 20 Reapers before seeing one. Bring combat gear and patience.

Egg Farming Tips

• Mycofields is the fastest egg farm. Two egg types in one portal, relatively safe environment.
• Check spawn points immediately after entering. Do not clear the whole world first — the egg is either there or it is not.
• Night Realm egg farming doubles as Leyak Essence farming. Bring the Fighter if you are in co-op.
• Rise eggs spawn on floating platforms. You need a running jump or the Voussoir climbing mechanic to reach them. Miss the jump and you fall to the level below.

Egg Hatching Process

Eggs do not hatch in your inventory or in regular storage. They require a Heated Container and uninterrupted power.

Heated Container Recipe

Crafted at the Chemistry Bench. Requires Crafting 2.

Incubation Steps

1. Place the Heated Container at your base on a flat surface.
2. Connect it to power via a plug strip. It draws 1 charge every 10 seconds.
3. Place the egg inside by interacting with the container.
4. Wait 10-15 real-time minutes depending on egg type.
5. The container beeps and glows green when hatching is complete.
6. Interact again to claim your companion.

Incubation Times by Egg

Critical warning: eggs degrade if power cuts out for more than 5 minutes during incubation. If the battery dies or the cable disconnects, you have a 5-minute window to restore power. After that, the egg is destroyed. Put the Heated Container on its own dedicated battery to avoid this.

Feeding and Maintenance

Every companion has a hunger bar that depletes over time. When hunger hits zero, the companion goes dormant — it stops providing its ability and returns to base. It does not die permanently. Feed it at base to reactivate.

Feeding Cost Per Hour

The Guard Beetle is the most expensive companion to maintain. Three Meat per hour adds up. If you are not actively using it for combat, unequip it to pause hunger drain.

Companion Abilities in Detail

Glow Bug — The Portable Flashlight

The Glow Bug emits soft bioluminescent light in a 5-meter radius around you. It replaces the need for a flashlight or torch in dark corridors. The light is green-tinted and does not flicker.

Best used in: Lab Sector dark hallways, Night Realm exploration, any underground route where holding a flashlight blocks your weapon hand. The Glow Bug frees up your off-hand slot for a shield or second weapon.

Spore Pup — The Anomaly Detector

The Spore Pup whines and glows red when an anomaly spawn point is within 15 meters. This is a larger detection radius than the player's default awareness. In sectors with dense anomaly spawns, the Pup gives you 2-3 seconds of extra warning to dodge or prepare a capture tool.

Best used in: Containment Block runs, anomaly farming routes, any area where surprise anomaly spawns are likely. Pairs well with the Anomaly Capture Tool.

Scrap Drone — The Loot Vacuum

The drone automatically picks up dropped scrap items (Metal Scrap, Tech Scrap, Bio Scrap) within 8 meters of your position. Items go directly into your inventory. It does not pick up weapons, food, or quest items.

Best used in: Loot grinding runs, post-combat cleanup, Manufacturing West material farming. Saves the constant bend-and-grab cycle during scrap-heavy routes.

Guard Beetle — The Distraction Tank

The Guard Beetle attacks the closest hostile creature within 8 meters. It deals 5-10 melee damage per bite and has approximately 30 HP with no armor. It dies fast against anything tougher than basic pests.

The real value is aggro. While a Leyak smacks your beetle, you get 3-4 free shots. It buys time, not kills. Treat it as a decoy, not a weapon.

The beetle respawns at base when killed. Feed it there to reactivate. There is no respawn timer — just the cost of returning to base and feeding it.

Healer Mite — The Passive Regen

The Mite provides 1 HP per second of regeneration while you stand completely still. Walking, running, or taking any action pauses the heal. This stacks with food healing effects but not with Syringe healing.

Best used in: Between fights, during base downtime, while crafting. It is free healing that reduces your medical supply consumption over long sessions.

Crafting the Scrap Drone

The Scrap Drone is the only companion that does not come from an egg. You build it.

Required Bench: Advanced Workbench (Robotics 4)

The Robotics 4 requirement makes this a mid-to-late-game companion. By the time you can build it, you likely have enough scrap supply to feed it indefinitely.

Which Companion Should You Use?

It depends on what you are doing.

You can only equip one companion at a time. Swapping requires returning to base, unequipping the current one, and equipping a different one from your companion storage.

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Common Mistakes

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See Also

• Mycofields Fire Survival Guide
• Night Realm Walkthrough
• Rise Portal Farming
• Anomaly Capture Guide