Pet companions are one of the most useful early unlocks in Crimson Desert. They are not just there to trail behind you and look nice. Once you get one, it can help with loot collection and make general exploration feel much smoother. That makes it the kind of feature worth unlocking early instead of treating like side fluff for later.
Where to Find Pets
The easiest place to get started is the first town. Around the central area, you can find animals like dogs and cats roaming nearby. These are the companions you can start building trust with.
The best approach is to choose one pet and stick with it. Spreading your interactions across several animals only slows down how quickly you get your first companion.
How to Get a Pet Fast
To unlock a pet companion, you need to raise its trust to 100. The main way to do that is by interacting with the same animal again and again. Pet it whenever possible, then come back later and repeat the process.
There seems to be a limit on how much trust you can gain in one stretch, so this is not something you finish instantly. It works more like a steady routine. You build trust, leave, return after time has passed, and continue until the meter is full.
If you want to speed things up, feeding the animal helps too. Meat seems especially useful for pushing trust higher, even after regular petting starts slowing down. That makes feeding one of the best ways to cut down the overall time.
Best Early Method
If your goal is to get a companion quickly, keep it simple. Pick one dog or cat in the first town, pet it every time you return, and feed it whenever you can. Then keep checking back until its trust reaches 100.
That is the fastest early-game path because it avoids wasting progress on multiple animals and focuses everything on unlocking one companion as soon as possible.
What Pets Do
Once unlocked, a pet companion is actually useful. It can follow you around, help pick up loot, and make your time in the field a little less tedious. That is why this unlock feels worthwhile so early. It starts paying you back right away instead of feeling like something purely cosmetic.
If you want the fastest route, do this as soon as you reach the first town. The earlier you unlock a pet, the longer you get to benefit from it while exploring, fighting, and gathering.