What is Bonding? How do I get my Pet to bond?
DO I have to be a tamer to have a bonded pet? NO. All pets can bond with you, IF you have the required taming skill to own it.
From the warrior to the tamer, we all depend on these wondrous creatures to help us travel faster, escape danger, and even help with the hunting.
Pet bonding is a feature introduced to preserve our pets. With bonding, pets who die may be resurrected by anyone with the required amount of animal lore / vetrinary skill. Bonded pets will also recall with you, even if not ridden. A real boon to miners and their blue beetles.
Recently, another benefit of bonding was added. When you log out, crash, etc, your bonded pet (even if not being ridden) will log out with you, and come back AT YOUR LOCATION when you relog. This has led to the generation of several new tactics for stuck pets (log out, log in, pet is unstuck), saving pets (you die, log out, log in, pet is help is "suspense" until you are resurrected then log out and log in), and getting to hard to reach hunting areas while towing pets.
BONDING PROCESS
1) own the pet
2) Feed the pet
3) Keep it alive for 7 days (most people stable theirs). This time period fluctuates, so do not panic if it is over 7 days. If it goes over 9 days, see the below troubleshooting guide. If still not bonding, call a GM.
4) Claim pet after the 7 days and feed it. A "bonded" tag will appear next to it name tag when you highlight it.
Bonding Troubleshooting:
Help! My pet has not bonded after 7 days!!!!
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Did you FEED it first? If you cannot remember, try again. Some people advocate giving it a command as well, like "all follow me", because the pet starts to wander off right after you feed it. This is NOT part of the bonding system, just a superstition.
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Has it really been 7 days? remember the game clock may not be the same time zone that you are in, and can cause some confusion. It is not unusual for it to take 9 days.
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Do you STILL have the required skill to own the pet? This becomes an issue with bushido and taming skill. If you accepted the pet with jewelry on that increased your skill, then you MUST again put yourself at the required skill level BEFORE you feed the pet after the 7 days. Otherwise, the counter can restart, and you have to wait 7 more days.