Best Pet: Which Animal Is Worth Taming?

The honest answer is that there is no single best pet, because you can only keep two. That limit is the whole decision. You are not choosing a pet — you are choosing a pair.

Last verified: 2026-09-29. Exact food costs and cycle counts live on Taming Guide; this page is about what you get for them.

What Each Pet Actually Does

The Bunny is the one that catches people out. Rabbits do not attack hostile entities once provoked, unlike every other tameable animal. They are for levelling your flute, not for defence.

Two variants are worth knowing: Wolves can appear as Arctic Wolves, and Bears have a chance to become a Panda — one of the most sought-after companions in the game.

The Progression Route

Taming is gated by your flute tier, so the order is largely forced:

1. Bunny and Kiwi — one cycle each, minimal food. Purely to level the flute.
2. Wolf — 3 cycles of Steak. Your first real combat support.
3. Alpha Wolf — 4 cycles, needs a Good Flute. Your main fighter.
4. Bear — 5 cycles, needs a Strong Flute. Your tank.
5. Mammoth — 5 cycles, endgame resources only.

Do not skip to the bottom of this list. The flute XP from the easy animals is what unlocks the hard ones.

The Two Loadouts That Make Sense

With two slots, these are the pairings that get recommended most:

Bear + Wolf — balanced. A tank that absorbs damage in front, and a fast attacker that keeps pressure on. This is the safe default and the one to run if you are not sure.

Double Alpha Wolf — aggression. Two fast damage dealers instead of one tank and one attacker. Works if you are confident and your camp is already well defended.

Double Mammoth — overwhelming. Enormous damage output, but only realistic for experienced players with abundant resources.

If You Have Five Slots: The Beastmaster Comp

As a Beastmaster you hold five, and the recommended endgame composition is:

• 1 Mammoth — tank and resource hauler
• 2 Alpha Wolves — primary damage
• 1 Bear — crowd control
• 1 Scorpion or Snow Fox — biome-specific utility

Zookeeper or Beastmaster?

Zookeeper is the better teacher. It makes the mini-game more forgiving, reduces food costs, and eventually cuts the number of cycles a tame needs. If you are learning the system, this is the pick.

Beastmaster is the better ceiling. Five pets, faster attacks, and — the real prize — it hands you a Wolf companion from the start, with a top-tier perk that upgrades that Wolf into an Alpha Wolf. That skips the single most tedious grind in taming, because the Alpha Wolf's food requirement is the one that varies between runs and sources.

Both cost Diamonds; see Best Class and How to Get Diamonds Fast.

Where the Real Cost Bites

The food, not the fight, is what stops people:

• Mammoth — 10 Pumpkin and 5 Cake. Cake is the bottleneck. Do not eat your Cake for healing if you are saving for one; rest at the campfire instead. Build as many garden plots as you can and dedicate them to Pumpkins early.
• Polar Bear — a very large amount of Stew. Plan it separately and keep backup food so you do not starve mid-tame.
• Arctic Fox — Chili. Chili appears randomly around the map, which makes this one of the most frustrating requirements. Stock up every time you see it.
• Wolf — 6 Steak. Sounds expensive, but farm the wolf packs near your camp and it pays for itself quickly.

Two Rules People Forget

Tamed animals do not need feeding afterwards. Once the tame is complete they stay loyal and fight for you indefinitely — until they die.

A dead pet is gone for the run. Not stunned, not revivable. If your Mammoth dies on night 60, you would have to gather the full 10 Pumpkin and 5 Cake again from scratch. Protect them the way you protect a teammate.

Taming a Bear, Mammoth or Hellephant also completes the Husbandry badge.

Quick Reference

Related Pages

• Taming Guide — the exact flute tiers, cycles and food for all eleven animals
• Best Class — Zookeeper versus Beastmaster in full
• How to Get Diamonds Fast — funding a taming class
• How to Get Wood Fast — the campfire that cooks Stew and Cake