Pets

Pets are essential to nearly all characters in Ultima Online. Without a mount a warrior cannot hope to keep up with (or escape from!) his foes, and beasts of burden are essential for those who wish to collect resources. Most domesticated animals (such as Horses) require no skill to own, ride or command.

However, only those well versed in Animal Taming can hope to command the strongest of creatures. The dedicated tamer will also practise his Veterinary skill in order to keep his charges in top condition, and an additional dose of Animal Lore not only helps when applying bandages but also when giving commands.

Obtaining

From An NPC

Most towns have a stable available for the storage of pets, and it's also here where most players get their first steed. NPC Animal Trainers sell mounts (among other things) for a small fee. There is a wait of approximately one minute (two? three?) between purchases.

From Another Player

Single clicking a pet will reveal a context menu, from which it's owner may select the "transfer" option before targeting another player. This brings up a standard Trade Window from which the creature can either be payed for or simply gifted - Providing the new owner has a sufficient level of Animal Taming/Animal Lore to command it.

If a pet has recently been tamed and has not yet been fed, it may refuse to be transferred even if it is "Wonderfully Happy".

From The Wild

The direct use of the Animal Taming skill on a creature can be used to bend it to your will, providing you have the skill required (and perhaps, the strength to survive it's assault!).

Commanding a Pet

• Menu Pet Commands are accessed in two ways:
  
  

1. 'RIGHT CLICK' the name of your pet in the 'active target' bar, the pet bar or the bar dragged off your pet.
2. '<SHIFT> RIGHT CLICK' on your pet

• Verbal Pet commands may be made by either just talking, or by setting a 'Say' Macro.
  
  

1. To just talk type: <enter> all kill <enter> (or all follow, all stay etc)
2. To set a 'Say' Macro, go to the Main Menu from your lower right hotbar - Select Macros/Actions - Select create, left click in the 'no icon set' box to bring up the pop up 'picture' icons, left click to select the (or another if you prefer) and then drag the Say Icon across from the 'actions box' to the empty box next to your 'picture' icon. A pop up box will appear where you may type in the command you want to use. Press Ok, enter a Name for your macro to identify it, eg: Kill Command, press ok. You may find the macro in your macro list and assign a hotkey if you wish or drag the Icon to your hotbar for 'one click' access'.

Hints

• You may also add additional commands in the command box of your macro. Eg, My Tamer has HIDE as a skill, so on saying 'all kill' she gives the command and then hides automatically. The 'hide' command was added to the next command line in the macro by dragging the hide skill icon from the skill menu to the second command box set to target self, you could also add an invisibility macro if you wished by dragging the Invisibility spell from your spellbook to target self on the pressing of the 'Kill Command' icon.
  
  
• These menu/verbal commands also apply to 'summons' such as Earth Elementals etc
  
  
• Pet Bar: The pet bar is a small expandable menu on the left of your screen when you have a pet. It is a little buggy at the moment, however it normally appears when dismounted. If your bar 'disappears' then cast summon creature (anything will do) to reactivate it.
  
  
• Further information on setting macro's see: KR Macros
  
  
  

Naming a Pet

To name a pet or change it's name dismount (if required) to bring up the small pet bar as shown in the graphic above. Open the bar and click in the box with the name of the pet you wish to name and it will give you a 'cursor' point to allow you to backspace and edit the name. Press 'enter' to 'set' the new name and you should get a message stating Pet <name> renamed to <name>.

Claiming & Stabling Pets

• Menu Stable Commands are accessed in two ways:
  
  

1. 'RIGHT CLICK' the name of the NPC Animal Trainer in the 'active target' bar, or the bar dragged off the NPC.
2. '<SHIFT> RIGHT CLICK' on the NPC

• Verbal stable commands such as 'stable' or 'claim list' may be made by either just talking, or by setting a 'Say' Macro. The process for this is the same as above for pets. Saying 'claim list' will now bring you up a list of pets you have in the stable.
  
  

Hints

• If you only have a couple of pets it could be worthwhile making a 'say' macro to claim them from the stable ie: 'claim <giant beetle name>' or 'claim <horse name> then drag the macro icons to a hotbar to just click once to 'say'. Alternatively, you may just 'talk' <enter>Claim Darque<enter> to perform the same function. Note this will only work if your pet's name is of one word length. Pets names with 2 words or more will not call out of the stable this way.
  
  

• Put your pets on crystal balls of pet summoning (available off player vendors, or by obtaining one doing the bag of sending quest see: Ambitious Solen Queen) and drag the ball to a place on your hotbar for easy access.

Other Pet Management

• Pack Animals (Giant Beetles, Pack Llamas etc) have the additional 'Open Backpack' menu selection on the Pet Command menu (see above).
  
  
• Healing Pets Dragging a pile of bandies to your hotbar will give you an 'instant' count on how many you have remaining. The original pile of bandies must be in your main backpack to ensure the 'count' refreshes as you use them. Right click the bandies in your hotbar and select <target> <cursor> to give you an instant target cursor to heal a pet or set a macro in the create macro section (see: KR Macros )and put on an assigned key to give you a target cursor.
  
  
• Fighting with Pets I have found it most useful to drag the health bar off pet/s prior to going out to fight and placing it somewhere convenient on your screen. This applies to your own pets and anyone else's pet in your party. The bars will stay where you place them, even when recalling, and you may target the bar with a bandy or right click it to bring up the pet command menu rather than try and find a pet in the middle of a fight or worry about what the active target is. Left clicking on the bar will make the selected pet the active target. The bar may also be used to target the 'stable' cursor command to put your pets away after fighting. (note: at the present time there appears to be a bug with the bars in that only one pet will obey commands issued from them, irrespective of which pet is the active target, this has been reported)
  
  
• Animal Lore Tamers may find it useful to put the Lore Skill Command Icon into a hotbar, right click and assign the target to cursor to give you a target cursor to lore pets.
  
  
• Feeding Pets As KR will allow you to place backpacks and other containers into hotbars it is handy to put your pet food in a bag in single units, ie 1 x apple x 3 times, 1 x meat x 3 times etc so when fighting and needing to feed you do not need to fiddle in your main backpack looking for food. Place your food container in a hotbar, click once and it will open, take out the food and dump on the pet to feed direct from the hotbar. It is best to put single units in as then you do not need to hold the shift key to separate bundles of food which is a problem in the middle of a fight if your pet becomes unhappy.
  
  
• Macro Sets which maybe used for Stabling and Pet Commands are available in the KR Macros section or in the KR Macro Sets section.