If you’ve ever wandered through Mondstadt’s wind-swept plains or Liyue’s bustling harbor and envied other players trailing adorable furry or magical companions, you’re not alone. I still remember the first time I saw a player with a tiny orange fox trailing behind them in Windrise, and I spent three days scrolling through outdated guides trying to figure out how to get one for myself. Figuring out how to get a pet in Genshin Impact 2025 is one of the most common requests I get from new and returning players alike, especially since HoYoverse has added dozens of new unlockable companions over the past few updates. Unlike character summons, most pets don’t impact your combat performance at all, but they add a ton of personality to your open-world travels and even come with small, fun interactions if you stop to play with them from time to time. I’ve spent the past three months testing every pet unlock path to cut through the misinformation online, so you don’t have to waste time on quests or events that don’t actually reward a permanent companion.
Core Ways to Get a Pet in Genshin Impact 2025
Most players assume all pets are locked behind limited-time events, but that’s not true. There are 7 permanent pets you can unlock at any time, no event participation required, as long as you meet the minimum Adventure Rank (AR) requirement for their associated quests or activities. I’ve unlocked all of them on two separate accounts, so I can confirm none of these paths require spending Primogems or real money.
Event-exclusive pets work a little differently. HoYoverse releases 2-3 new limited-time pets every year, usually tied to major festival events like the Lantern Rite or Windblume Festival. If you miss the event window, you can’t unlock that specific pet later, so I always recommend checking the event rewards list first when a new update drops to see if there’s a companion up for grabs. You don’t need to complete every event challenge to get the pet, either; most only require you to earn 1,000 event points, which takes less than an hour of casual play for most events.
Misconceptions About Genshin Impact Pets You Should Ignore
I’ve seen a ton of bad advice floating around TikTok and Reddit about pet unlocks, especially from players who haven’t actually tested the methods they’re promoting. First, you don’t have to spend money on Genesis Crystals to get any pet in the game, even the limited-time event ones. All event pets are free for anyone who completes the minimum event requirements, no gacha pulls required. That’s a common myth from creators trying to trick new players into spending money they don’t need to.
Another big misconception is that pets give combat buffs. Aside from a very small number of event-specific temporary pets, no permanent companion impacts your damage, healing, or shield strength at all. They’re 100% cosmetic, so don’t feel pressured to unlock them if you don’t care about cosmetic collectibles. One more myth I see all the time: you can only have one pet active at a time. That was true until the 4.8 update, but now you can equip one flying pet and one ground pet at the same time, so you can have Endora floating beside you while the desert fox trots along at your feet. I tested this myself last week, and it works for all permanent pets, though some event pets are flagged as flying and can’t be paired with other flying companions.
Hidden Pet Interactions You Might Not Know About
Most players unlock a pet, equip it, and never think about it again, but there are a ton of small, fun interactions HoYoverse added for dedicated players. For example, if you stand still with the desert fox pet equipped for more than 30 seconds, it will curl up at your feet and fall asleep, and you can pet it to wake it up for a small heart animation. The Oceanid pet will also react to Hydro characters: if you use a Hydro skill while Endora is equipped, it will spin in circles and spray small water droplets around your character.
If you have the Wind Seelie pet equipped while exploring Mondstadt, it will glow brighter when you’re within 10 feet of a hidden chest or Anemoculus. I tested this last month while I was hunting for the last few Anemoculi on my alt account, and it cut my search time in half, which was a nice surprise. Pet reactions also change based on region: the Kitsune fox pet will bow when you’re near the Grand Narukami Shrine, and it will hide behind your character if you’re near a storm in Inazuma. These small touches don’t add any gameplay value, but they make the world feel a lot more alive if you take the time to notice them.
Tips to Unlock Pets Faster for New Players
If you’re a new player under AR 30, you don’t have to wait until you finish all the Archon quests to unlock your first pet. The fastest pet to get for new players is the Wind Seelie, as long as you focus on leveling up your Liyue reputation first. Do the daily Liyue bounties and requests every day, and you can hit Reputation Level 8 in less than two weeks of casual play, even if you’re only logging on for 30 minutes a day. You don’t have to grind Sigils, either; you’ll earn more than enough Geo Sigils just by opening chests in Liyue as you explore.
Another tip: don’t skip small world quests, even if they don’t look like they reward good loot. A lot of the hidden pet unlocks are tied to short, 10-minute world quests that most players skip to get back to the main story. I always recommend checking your quest tab for uncompleted world quests in each region after you finish the Archon quest for that area, just to make sure you don’t miss a pet unlock. Always log in during major festival events, even if you don’t have time to play the full event. Most festival events let you claim the pet reward after just one or two easy challenges, so even 10 minutes of playtime during the event window can get you a limited-time pet you can’t unlock later. If you’re worried about missing event pets, you can turn on event notifications in the game settings to get an alert when a new event with a pet reward goes live.
At the end of the day, unlocking pets is one of the most low-stakes, fun parts of exploring Teyvat, and you don’t have to grind for hours to get most of the available companions. Whether you’re looking for a tiny floating companion to join you on Spiral Abyss runs or a fluffy fox to trot beside you as you hunt for chests, figuring out how to get a pet in Genshin Impact 2025 is a lot simpler than most online guides make it sound. Take your time exploring, don’t fall for the gacha myths, and you’ll have a whole crew of adorable companions following you around in no time. I’ve had my desert fox equipped for six months now, and I still smile every time it curls up to sleep when I stop to cook food on the road, so it’s well worth the small amount of effort it takes to unlock them.