Can you get pets in Icarus?

Yes, the "Pet Capture" update in Winter 2023 introduced the ability to tame a variety of wildlife across Icarus to accompany you as loyal pet companions! With some effort, you can transform dangerous creatures like wolves and bears into obedient friends.

How the Icarus pet system works

The pet mechanic allows capturing animals similarly to the existing familiar taming system. But pets provide unique bonuses and skills that basic familiars lack.

Here‘s an overview of how to tame a pet:

• Engage the creature – Lower its health within a special capturable threshold
• Attempt capture – Use pet harness gear crafted at the tannery to trigger a taming mini-game
• Win the mini-game – Repeatedly hit circle prompts to fill the taming bar before time runs out
• Equip pet collar – Put a collar on the tamed pet to have it follow you as a companion

Higher tier pets require more expensive recipes and materials to craft their harnesses, but provide greater abilities and power when tamed.

S-Tier pets for damage dealers

For Prospectors focused on high DPS and aggressive play, I recommend the Dire Wolf Alpha or Cave Bear pets. These creatures can actively engage enemies in combat, allowing you to focus fire while your pet flanks targets:

The Wolf Alpha gets bleed-inducing claw attacks, while the Cave Bear has crowd control slam moves that can stagger whole groups. Both pets are obtainable within the first 10 prospector levels and make leveling faster and safer.

Recommended Wolf Alpha Build:

Harness: Wolf Alpha Taming Harness (8 albino wolf pelts, 3 fiberweave)
Collar: Spiked Wolf Collar (2 bone plates)

This setup maximizes the Wolf Alpha‘s bleeding DPS. The spiked collar adds even more bleed damage every time your pet bites a target. Together you can shred through enemies rapidly.

A-Tier pets for support roles

For builders, crafters, and resource collectors, Jungle Stags make ideal pets. These resilient deer creatures have utility skills like additional inventory space and foraging bonuses:

Jungle Stags can carry heavy items for you and even automatically harvest wildlife meat, plants, and resources within range. I recommend them for all-around gathering, storage, and productivity.

Sample Jungle Stag Setup:

Harness: Stag Taming Harness (3 fiberweave, 5 linen cloth)
Collar: Forager Stag Collar (1 gold ingot, green gems)

The forager collar maximizes the Jungle Stag‘s automatic harvesting abilities to ease materials grinding, especially useful during long prospecting runs.

Exotic pet taming strategies

While common pets like wolves and deer only require basic harnesses, capturing exotic beasts demands complex preparation and tactics:

Polar Bear

Polar Bears sport tremendous HP pools and frost damage resistances. Lowering one‘s health safely to trigger capturing requires care – utilize bow kiting or structures to safely DPS the bear without being mauled.

Once capturable, be ready to sprint and dodge as thePolar Bear‘s aggressive AI will still target you through the taming mini-game! 🐻

Zebra

These fast critters flee when engaged. Chase one down mounted on a Wolf Alpha or vehicle to outrun its speed. Hit it with slowing weapons like spears or bolas to steadily chip away health before it escapes.

Cougar/Puma

These solitary ambush hunters prefer isolating vulnerable targets. But their stealth means low HP. Exploit it by scouting territories during the day when Cougars sleep — locate their hidden alcoves and engage carefully.

Drop spike traps beforehand, allowing you to bombard a confined Cougar with ranged attacks as it struggles to reach you.

Pet gear crafting overview

To attempt capturing any pet, you first need to craft taming harnesses and control collars at your camp‘s tannery station. Here‘s what‘s required for common Icarus wildlife:

Higher tier pets like Zebras and Jaguars can only be crafted after acquiring Exotic and Alien hides from prospecting runs beyond the early biomes.

Their advanced harness blueprints unlock after Level 25 and must be reads from scrolls obtained through the mysterious SIGNAL system…

But the long-term investment is worth it. Legend tells of beasts in Icarus‘ depths which no one has ever tamed, though whether they actually exist, only time will tell…

Closing thoughts

With the pet system fully rolled out, Prospectors now have the incredibly fun goal of assembling their own personal zoo of tamed creatures! This guide only scratched the surface of the awesome pets available across biomes.

Let me know which you find most exciting to capture when the upcoming Chapter launches! I‘ll be streaming attempts at a Mythical Gold Chimera – wish me luck! 😆