Can You Own a Pet in I Was a Teenage Exocolonist?

I Was a Teenage Exocolonist’s marketing clearly indicates deckbuilding, survival, romance, and a strong narrative as being its biggest selling points. But we all know that having our very own pet that follows us around on an alien planet is quite the catch of a statement too! So here’s the short answer to the exact question of whether or not I Was a Teenage Exocolonist allows you to own pets: it does! Here’s how you can do that and why you should spend the time doing so, other than for the ability to pet them, of course.

How Can I Obtain a Pet?

There are four pets you can encounter and make your very own in the game through taming and adopting. These alien creatures can be encountered at different times during a playthrough and are classified as completely different yet just as lovable creatures from one another.

These are the adorable and plushy pastel blob of a creature called Vriki, the more common and rodent-like cutie of the Hopeye, the Unicorn crossed with a lizard Unisaur who you don’t want to be around when they get hungry, and the reward given Pet Bot to compliment your big brain.

Here’s a simple breakdown of when and where you can run into them for a chance to collect ’em all, two of which are far easier to obtain than the others. Always ensure that your level for the physical skill of Animals is as high as possible when going for all these encounters – from what we have managed, being around the 60 mark level is required to tame the Unisaur.

• The Vriki can be tamed during encounters in Expedition activities and are quite easy to come by. Alternatively, you can encounter and obtain one through a card battle during a certain event in Geoponic activities.
• The Hopeye can be tamed during encounters in Expedition activities and is one of the most common animals you can tame at a low Animal level. Just like the Vriki, you can also encounter this potential pet during an event in the Geoponic sector.
• The Unisaur can be encountered during Expeditions in the Swamp activity specifically. Ensure to already be applied as a Hunter to get the chance to adopt this species once defeating its area’s boss.
• The Pet Bot can be rewarded to you for maximising your time spent in the repairing robots job located in the Engineering sector.

Why Should I Be Taming Them?

Simply put, to fully complete the game and what it has to offer, a couple of its achievements are tied to having obtained them. To be specific, these two are “Petting Pets” and “There are Four Pets”, and who wouldn’t want to pet them and adopt all four in one playthrough?

Additionally, they also provide their own exclusive cards upon adopting which will add progress to another achievement being the “Collect Them All”, the unlocking of every single card within the game. Taming these species also unlocks even more activities within the Colony such as more resting spots that include new dialogue and scenes. These activities that are relevant to said creatures will also ensure that players are able to maximize the potential story events that can be experienced when having these species beside you.

Related: All 25 Colony Jobs and What They Mean in I Was a Teenage Exocolonist