Abiotic Factor Pets 2.0: Tame, Level & Equip Companions
Quick answer: Find a tameable mutant, feed it the matching food 3-5 times, then drop it into the new Companion Pet Slot in your inventory. The Companion Collar keeps it alive in a downed state instead of dying from lethal damage. Each feeding gives EXP; pets level up to gain HP, damage, and size. The Pet Manager UI in your base tracks every tamed creature.
The Pets 2.0 Loop
- Find a tameable mutant. Cosmic Companions expanded the tameable list across Office, Manufacturing, Hydroplant, and the new Voices of the Void area.
- Stun if hostile. Use a Lure Pheromone or Stun Baton on aggressive mutants before they aggro you.
- Feed the right food. Each species has a preferred food (the inventory tooltip shows it after first attempt). Three to five feeds fills the taming bar.
- Pet joins your roster. View it in the Pet Manager UI in your base.
- Slot into the Companion Pet Slot. One pet at a time; equips the Companion Collar automatically.
- Feed to level up. Each feed in the field grants EXP. Level increases HP, damage, and physical size.
The Companion Pet Slot
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Inventory location | New equipment slot, sits next to backpack and weapon |
| Effect when active | Pet follows you; Companion Collar applies |
| Companion Collar behavior | Pet enters stable downed state instead of dying when it takes lethal damage |
| Revival | Use a Medkit on the downed pet, or wait PetDownedRevivalSeconds (default 30s) |
| Swap cost | Free in your base, 5-second channel in the field |
| Multi-pet | One in the field. Others remain in the base roster. |
Tameable Pets by Area
| Area | Best early picks | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Office Sector | Office mutants (Stalker variants) | Easy access early. Decent sustained DPS, fast to level. |
| Flathill Manufacturing | Industrial mutants | Higher base HP. Make a solid tank Companion. |
| Hydroplant | Aquatic / chemical-spill mutants | Mid-tier balanced stats. Pair with Chemistry tinctures. |
| Voices of the Void portal | Endgame portal mutants | Highest stat ceiling once leveled. Hardest to find. |
How to Pick a Companion
- Need DPS? Office or VotV portal mutant. Damage scales fast with levels.
- Need a tank? Manufacturing mutant. HP scales fastest.
- Need a scout? Hydroplant mutants tend to have the best aggro range and movement speed.
- Want to specialize via Chemistry? Apply a weapon coating to your weapon and a Companion tincture to your pet for stacked combat buffs.
Pet Leveling Tips
- Feed in safe time, not in combat. Feeding triggers an animation; the pet stops attacking. Feed during base downtime or on the way back from a run.
- Higher-tier food gives more EXP. Sacrifice rare food for faster leveling on a planned Companion.
- Pet size grows visibly. A high-level Companion can fill doorways. Plan your base accordingly.
- Diminishing returns past level 10. Practical playtests show stats plateau; not worth grinding past 12-15 unless going for cosmetic size.
Common Issues
"This creature can't be tamed"
Not all mutants are tameable. Pre-1.3.0 the list was small; Cosmic Companions expanded it but boss-tier mutants and a handful of NPCs are still excluded. The taming prompt only appears on tameable species.
Companion stuck in downed state
Use a Medkit on the downed pet; one Medkit revives instantly. Otherwise the auto-revive timer (default 30s) brings them back at half HP. Pets that downed in a combat-locked area may need you to leave and re-enter.
Pet doesn't follow me through doors
Larger Companions (level 8+) can struggle with doorways. Issue the "Stay" command in front of the door, walk through, then issue "Follow" once you're on the other side.
Pet vanished after server restart
Check the Pet Manager UI in your base first. The 1.3.0 migration occasionally relocates active pets back to the base roster. If it's genuinely missing, restore the pre-update save backup.
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