No RPG is complete without companions, an added element to the game to assist players in battle or other things; everyone remembers that in Skyrim, Lydia was best to carry equipment so as not to overburden the player character.
Of course, NPCs are not the only companions in games, and pets have been around in RPGs since Diablo. However, pets have always been a somewhat weak part of MMORPGs, but some MMORPGs with pets put this mechanic to good use.
Below is a list of MMORPGs that feature pets and allow players to use them in a meaningful way and not just art decoration.
1. World of Warcraft
World of Warcraft is a classic MMORPG developed by Blizzard Entertainment and released in 2004. It’s one of the most successful MMORPGs and laid the foundation for modern MMORPGs’ gameplay loop.
World of Warcraft features a first or third-person perspective and allows players to explore the open world to fight monsters, gain experience and, of course, accept quests.
If you’re looking to explore the pet mechanics of the game, it’s best to start as the hunter class. Furthermore, players can use their pets as tanks when they wander the world solo and get ambushed by enemies.
Pets are a great source of damaging an enemy and debuffing your targets, making the fights way easier. Additionally, each pet has a specialization that grants an active as well as a passive ability, while initially, players could change the specialization of the pet, allowing players to personalize their pet to their playstyle.
This feature has since changed to balance out in favor of more transparent and easy to understand gameplay.
2. The Elder Scrolls Online
The Elder Scrolls Online is another third-person MMORPG developed by Bethesda and released in 2014. However, unlike Bethesda’s other venture in the MMO genre, ESO is considered one of the better MMORPG experiences out there.
The game offers a great many customization and personalization option for the player. Additionally, the game features pets that players can purchase from the Crown Store. Some pets can also be rewards for specific events or loyalty rewards, so keep an eye out for those.
However, these pets are not meant for combat; instead, they’re there to add flavor to the player’s character. If you’re looking for a more combat-centric approach, consider picking either the Sorcerer or Warden class, as both of them have permanent pets.
In contrast, other classes can summon pets temporarily in combat. Non-combat pets can accompany the player to various areas (there are exceptions), and players can change for another owned pet in the collection menu. Players can also use them to decorate their houses if you’re into that.
3. Tree of Savior
Tree of Savior is a less known MMORPG developed by IMC Games and released in 2016. The game plays like a tribute to older RPGs, playing in an isometric top-down view with beautiful 2D visuals.
The pets in Tree of Savior require a little tending to unlike other MMORPGs, and players must ensure their pets are well-fed to ensure combat efficiency. Additionally, in proper pay to win fashion, premium pets carry two extra equipment slots.
For a better powertrip, I’d advise going for a sorcerer-necro build that not only allows you to raise your minions to do your bidding but also allows you to spawn devil bosses as pets.
4. Rappelz
Rappelz deserves more fame than it holds; it’s an MMORPG developed by Gala Lab and released in 2017. It features a third-person perspective and surprisingly in-depth pet mechanics. Firstly, players can capture pets in the wild and tame them instead of buying pets in a premium store.
On top of that, each pet has multiple forms it evolves through, each state looking distinct and allowing the pet to access newer abilities.
Pets can be a very vital part of the player’s arsenal. The pet’s level scales with their owners (if the owner is too low); additionally, if the pet is higher level than the owner, it will not gain any experience until their owner has a higher level than them.
Rappelz features different rarity of pets; of course, the rarer the pet, the more powerful it is. The rarest being the Death Gladiator that can do three times the damage of an average pet’s final form.
5. Guild Wars 2
Guild Wars 2 is one of the more famous well-known MMORPGs developed by ArenaNet and released in 2012. It’s a sequel to the hit Guild Wars. It uses more or less the same template with a heavily modified engine, allowing the developers to add more content and overhaul the visuals making the game strikingly more pleasing than its predecessor.
To access pets in any meaningful way, players will have to choose the ranger class for their playable character. This grants the player one pet at the start; the choice of a pet relies on the player’s race.
However, out in the wild, players can tame any pet regardless of their race. After taming a pet, players can designate a role for them during combat. Guild Wars 2 allows players to use two unique kinds of pets simultaneously, allowing for a more personalized playstyle.
As players progress, they’ll be able to know more about their pet’s abilities and the best way to use them using the pet interface.
6. Ultima Online Outlands
Ultima Online Outlands is a private server for Ultima Online. It boasts the highest population for a freeshard. Outlands offers players an Ultima Online experience with revamped pet taming mechanics that make it more impactful to have pets in this version rather than the official version.
For the most part, the game plays very much like Ultima; however, specific mechanics have been tweaked to introduce quality of life improvements.
Like Rappelz, Outlands features an in-depth pet mechanic, and players need to pay attention to their actions if they wish to keep their pets with them. For example, if a player leaves their pet out in the wild, they will be deleted/untamed after twenty-four hours.
Furthermore, players must bond with their pets if they wish to keep them permanently since the death of a bonded pet turns them into a ghost that can be revived using specific skills and a little grind.
There’s also a wide array of classes of pets that players can tame, the list is taller than any other MMORPG I’ve seen, and each type has its own set of attacks and stats.
7. Mortal Online 2
Mortal Online 2 is an upcoming MMORPG developed by Starvault AB and set to be released in 2022. While the game is not released yet, a beta version is available to try the game.
The game is set to feature PvP centric gameplay, where every encounter with a player might result in a fight, and the victor shall take the spoils.
Additionally, the game features sandbox-style gameplay where players can go out into the wild and tame animals; for now, I have not seen anything powerful, but players can tame wolves and bears to assist them in PvE and PvP battles.
8. Project Gorgon
Project Gorgon is a third-person 3D fantasy MMORPG developed by Elder Game and released in 2018. Although the game is still in early access, it has enough content to support its price.
The game boasts gameplay very much like immersive sims in an MMORPG setting; players aren’t provided with a goal they have to achieve by the end of the game. Instead, they’re free to explore the world and make their objectives in search of a higher purpose.
Players looking to use pets for combat will have to invest in the Animal Handling skill that allows them to tame wild animals and assist them in battles. It’s not as complex as some other titles in this list.
However, the game is still in early access, and the developer is actively expanding on the game’s mechanics. I wouldn’t be surprised if the developer implements the promised breeding mechanic sooner than later.
9. Final Fantasy XIV
Final Fantasy is a third-person MMORPG developed by Square Enix and released in 2013. To access pets, it’s a slightly more tedious role than other MMORPGs.
For starters, players must start with the Arcanist role, and only at level 30 will the class unlock the scholar job. The scholar is more of a healer class and can summon pet fairies that can assist during combat.
If you’re already playing FFXIV and already have some progress achieved, fret not; Arcanist Guild can sort you out, and speaking to the attendant there will start the quest for the Scholar job.
Conclusion
That’s all, folks. Of course, many other MMORPGs offer pets, but the games listed use pets more than set-decoration and instead influence the gameplay.
I have mentioned my disdain for pay to win practices, so I’ve tried my level best to feature games that allow players to tame animals instead of having to dish out your credit card; you’ll have to dish out hours on the game and work on the experience to get a pet.