Version 1.8 field handbook
Open Whiskered Trouble, claim the first cat, recruit the July geese, and raise Bond without confusing Companions with Retainers or older pet routes.
Maintained byHeavenskiss
Open Quests > Exploration after the Qinghe Main Chapter gate. Finish the cat-tracking route, complete the Whispers of the Wild negotiation, and verify that your first cat can be summoned from the Companions screen.
Follow the unlock routeComplete the Qinghe Main Chapter named For Whom Does He Return. This is the official story gate for the Companion system.
Official 1.8 overview
Do not wait for a pet icon to appear by itself. The official overview tells eligible players to open Quests and inspect the Exploration list after updating.
Official 1.8 overview
Accept the Qinghe Exploration Quest Whiskered Trouble and follow its live map marker. If it is absent, the story gate or update state is still incomplete.
Official 1.8 overview
Current Global footage shows paw-tracking clues, a mountain traversal sequence, and a Whispers of the Wild negotiation. Follow the on-screen movement prompt instead of copying a PC key onto controller or mobile.
Current Global footage
Finish the negotiation and confirm that the Companions screen can summon your first cat. Current footage shows Maverick as the tutorial reward; use the live roster card for any later cat requirement.
Current Global footage
Controls are not universal
PC footage may call the movement prompt Cloud Walk or Claw Step and show a keyboard key. Use the prompt displayed by your own platform. The quest marker and state matter more than the copied button.
| Companion | Type | Live date | Current route | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maverick | Cat | June 25 | Current Global tutorial footage awards Maverick through Whiskered Trouble. | Current footage |
| Scar | Cat | June 25 | Officially live. After the tutorial, open Scar's roster card and follow the requirement shown by the current client. | Live date official |
| Pudding | Cat | June 25 | Officially live. After the tutorial, open Pudding's roster card and follow the requirement shown by the current client. | Live date official |
| Inkwell | Goose | July 3 | Use the second Companion tab and begin the goose Exploration Quest. The current field route uses a debate, an escort to Heaven's Pier, and Verden Toast. | Official date + field route |
| Goldie | Goose | July 3 | Use a Deed of Fellowship from the Companion Shop, accept Goldie's Companion Challenge, and follow its marked Meridian Touch objective. | Official date + field route |
| Gusty | Goose | July 3 | Use a Deed of Fellowship, accept Gusty's Companion Challenge, and follow the marker toward the wine jars north of Moonveil Mountains. | Official date + field route |
Available now
The official overview lists the three cats for June 25 and Goldie, Inkwell, and Gusty for July 3. These six are the current roster baseline for this page.
Announced, not counted live
Duchess was listed as arriving soon. The page will not invent an unlock route or mark Duchess live until a current official post or client roster confirms it.
Pick the cat or goose whose Bond reward or interaction you actually want. Splitting attention is fine, but it is slower when one unlock is the goal.
Mood, well-being, wishes, and Bond are related but not interchangeable. Check the live Companion panel before spending an item or repeating an action.
Official interactions include tending, playing, chatting, sharing food, petting cats, sparring with geese, and taking photos.
Higher Bond unlocks more interactions, emotes, Command or Honk Taunt actions, and milestone rewards. Check the reward track after the interaction registers.
Use the Companion Shop for a known Deed, outfit, emote, or challenge requirement. Do not buy broadly just because the currency is available.
The official overview supports Companion photo templates and co-performance. These are not evidence of combat power.
Fulfill the current wish before repeating generic interactions. It gives the session a visible goal and returns rewards.
Prices, caps, and preferred items can change. Let the live Bond track or challenge name define what you need next.
| System | How to recognize it | Correct lane |
|---|---|---|
| Version 1.8 Companions | Named cats and geese, summon/follow behavior, Mood, wishes, Bond, interactions, outfits, photos, and Companion Challenges. | Whiskered Trouble and the Companions menu |
| Homestead Retainers | Human or animal workers with jobs, residence, provisions, Vigor, and production assignments at Blissful Retreat or Beyond Mundane. | Homestead management, not the Companion menu |
| Cat Play or world cats | A local exploration interaction, collection entry, or friendly animal NPC. Petting one does not automatically add it to the 1.8 roster. | Exploration and Sentient Beings checks |
| Jianghu friends and NPC allies | Human relationship, dialogue, story, or assistance systems. Older English pages may also call these characters companions. | NPC relationship or assistance menus |
| Temporary Goose Egg followers | Treat the Qinghe Diseased Goose successfully for a Sturdy or Sickly Goose Egg, or defeat its Demon Goose state for a Deranged Goose Egg. These summons are temporary. | Use the separate Goose Egg and Goose Slayer guide |
Honking Havoc is also an older Mystic Skill name. A guide about observing a goose fighting a bear unlocks the Mystic Skill, not Inkwell, Goldie, or Gusty. Read the menu context before following a route with the same English words.
Finish For Whom Does He Return, update the game, then open Quests > Exploration and look for Whiskered Trouble.
Character level alone is not the published gate. Check the named story and quest states.
Track it from the Exploration list, return to Qinghe, and use the live marker. The Paws and Prosperity event panel can be a shortcut, but the quest list is the durable route.
Event panels can move; the official quest name is the safer anchor.
Watch for the route's paw clues and movement prompt. Use the control displayed by your platform instead of a keyboard-only guide key.
The route is traversal and tracking, not a combat DPS check.
Summon the required Companion first, stand close, and open its contextual interaction while the animal is present. Opening the general roster by itself may not count.
This is a current community workaround; objective wording and controls can differ by platform.
Current Global footage shows Companions withdraw during combat. Finish the fight, then summon the pet again from the Companion control.
Do not judge a pet as broken because it does not remain beside you in combat.
Install the latest client update and reopen the interface. The June 25 official patch fixed Companion naming length and missing emote/pose issues.
If the same issue remains on the current build, capture the screen and report it instead of applying an old launch workaround.
Live now
Do not invent
Choose a Companion for its look, behavior, photo poses, challenge, and visible Bond rewards. A combat ranking becomes useful only if a later live patch gives pets measurable combat roles or passive bonuses.
Complete the Qinghe Main Chapter For Whom Does He Return, open Quests > Exploration, accept Whiskered Trouble, and finish its cat-tracking and negotiation route.
The official prerequisite is For Whom Does He Return. Finish that Qinghe Main Chapter, install the current update, then inspect the Exploration Quest list instead of relying on an event tile.
The official Version 1.8 overview lists Maverick, Scar, and Pudding from June 25, plus Goldie, Inkwell, and Gusty from July 3. Duchess was announced as coming soon but is not counted as live on this check.
Open the unlocked Companions roster and inspect the target's challenge. Current July routes use the goose Exploration Quest for Inkwell and a Deed of Fellowship plus individual challenges for Goldie and Gusty.
The official overview says higher Bond unlocks more interactions, emotes, Command or Honk Taunt actions, and corresponding Bond milestone rewards.
There is no useful current combat tier list. The official material does not publish damage, healing, gathering, or passive-stat differences for the six live Companions. Choose by appearance, behavior, challenge, and Bond rewards.
Current Global gameplay footage shows the pet withdraw when combat begins. Finish the fight and summon it again; the present system is centered on exploration, interaction, Mood, and Bond.
No. Companions use Mood, Bond, wishes, and social interactions. Retainers are Homestead workers with residence, provisions, Vigor, talents, and production jobs.
No. Sickly, Sturdy, and Deranged Goose Eggs summon temporary followers. Goldie, Inkwell, and Gusty belong to the separate Version 1.8 Companion roster.
2026-06-24
Primary source for For Whom Does He Return, Whiskered Trouble, the June 25 and July 3 rosters, Companion Shop, interactions, Bond rewards, and Duchess coming-soon wording.
Open source2026-06-23
Primary source for Mood and well-being, meals, photos, environmental reactions, Bond growth, emotes, and reward scope.
Open sourcethrough 2026-07-09
Primary source for the launch fixes affecting Companion name length and missing emotes or poses.
Open source2026-06-25
Current gameplay cross-check for the marked start, paw tracking, traversal, Whispers of the Wild negotiation, Maverick tutorial reward, summon behavior, and combat withdrawal.
Open source2026-07-07
Field cross-check for Inkwell's quest, the Deed of Fellowship requirement, and the marked Goldie and Gusty Companion Challenges.
Open sourceThis page deliberately leaves exact shop prices, Bond values, daily caps, and Duchess acquisition out until the current Global client or an official update supports them.