Conan Exiles Pet Tier List: Catch 'Em All...Or Don't

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Emily has thousands of hours clocked in survival games, from ARK: Survival Evolved to 7 Days to Die; she loves the diversity of the genre. Initially skeptical about the theme of Conan Exiles, she quickly became addicted to the game and now recommends it to every survival fanatic she meets. Right now, she's probably in the Tundra on a seemingly endless quest to find a Baby Sabertooth.

Conan Exiles Pet Tier List Overview

S-Tier Pets – Bear, Rocknose, Rhino, Reaper Queen, Sabretooth, Horse
Why – all-around best health, damage, bonuses, and utility
What Pets Do – fight with you, make travel faster, and guard your base.

Tier lists are always changing and always have a splash of subjectiveness. I have had amazing experiences with some pets and not-so-great ones with others. This may affect my ratings slightly, but I do my best to stay objective.

Every Pet in Conan Exiles

Crocodile
Ostrich
Hyena
Bear
Shoebill
Spider
Sand Reaper
Grey Ape
Yeti Protector
Wolf
Gorilla
Komodo
Panther
Salamander
Tiger
Frost Giant
Shaleback
Elephant
Mammoth
Gazelle
Jaguar
Lion
Rhino
Sabretooth
Camel
Rocknose
Scorpion
Boar
Horse

How I Chose the Best Pets and Tier List

Conan Exiles Pet Tier List — Image by Emily Medlock

Tier lists are not always graded in the same way. For example, this is partially because of the subject and partially because of the rater. My criteria here is strictly related to Conan Exiles pets.

Damage

The damage that the pet does at level one is important. This will affect every fight that you encounter and is one of the most crucial stats that a pet can have. But it is crucial to note that the starting damage isn’t always a good indicator of how the damage scales.

Health

HP is my top criterion because it’s a good indication of how well-rounded a pet is. There are exceptions but most of the best pets have high HP and with that HP comes decent damage anyway. Those with high HP usually win in head-to-head battles when comparing good HP with good damage.

Attributes/Bonuses

The attributes and bonuses are important because they affect how the pet scales and if they have any other great stats. The bonus is about scaling and multipliers, while the attributes let you know how good at dodging, how much armor, and such the pet is.

Greater Version

Sometimes the greater versions of pets just aren’t as good as the greater versions of other pets compared to their basic form. So I look at how improved the greater version is and if it’s worth trying to farm one.

Utility

Utility includes their carry weight, perks, and if you can mount them. For example, Rocknoses gain a ton of vitality and strength as they level due to their perks. Then, since few animals can be mounted, those that can are automatically higher tier.

Status Effects

Status effects are important because it effects the damage of the creature. Each type of creature either has specific effects or none at all. It is not random. Pets’ effects can include cripple, bleed, cold-snap, poison, sunder, corruption, and noxious gas.

Tier List For Conan Exiles Pets

A Breakdown of Each Tier of Pets in Conan Exiles

To better understand why each pet is placed where it is on the list, a breakdown of their stats and bonuses is necessary. That way, you can decide which ones are worth it for you and which ones aren’t.

Important Note: stats in parentheses are for the Greater variants.

S-Tier

S-Tier pets are the best of the best. If you never move past this set of pets, you’ll probably be perfectly happy.

Bear

Inventory slots – 10
Health – 513 (1824)
Damage – 20 (22)
Armor – 59 (84)
Strength – 1 (2)
Agility – 0 (0)
Vitality – 1 (10)
Grit – 0 (0)
Strength Damage Bonus – 7% (8%)
Agility Damage Bonus – 7% (8%)
Vitality Bonus – 79 (91)
Grit Bonus – 28 (34)

The bear is a great pet whether it’s a Greater Bear or not. It has the highest health of any pet in the game, making it top tier automatically. If you feed it Unappetizing Fish, it gains optimum strength. If your feed it Highland Berries, it gains optimum agility.

Rocknose

Inventory slots – 10
Health – 257 (912)
Damage – 0 (0)
Armor – 28 (124)
Strength – 0 (0)
Agility – 0 (8)
Vitality – 1 (1)
Grit – 0 (1)
Strength Damage Bonus – 5%
Agility Damage Bonus – 5%
Vitality Bonus – 53 (91)
Grit Bonus – 34 (40)

Rocknoses aren’t good fighters, but they have high armor and many variants to make them profitable. The Silver-vein variant regularly gives you silverstone while the Gold-vein variant gives you goldstone as long as you feed them.

Rhino

Inventory slots – 10
Health – 1174 (1623)
Damage – 0
Armor – 93 (324)
Strength – 0 (2)
Agility – 1 (0)
Vitality – 1 (6)
Grit – 0 (6)
Strength Damage Bonus – 0 (8%)
Agility Damage Bonus – 0 (8%)
Vitality Bonus – 298 (118)
Grit Bonus – 34 (40)

Only the regular Rhino can be used as a mount; the Greater Rhinoceros cannot. The stat difference isn’t enough for me to forfeit that. Especially since it does bleeding damage, too, my favorite status effect. However, the Greater Rhino’s armor is so good that it’s the perfect option if you want it for a guard.

Sand Reaper

Inventory slots – 10
Health – 343 (1004)
Damage – 20 (46)
Armor – 75 (282)
Strength – 0 (6)
Agility – 1 (1)
Vitality – 2 (2)
Grit – 1 (6)
Strength Damage Bonus – 8% (10%)
Agility Damage Bonus – 8% (10%)
Vitality Bonus – 66 (80)
Grit Bonus – 28 (34)

The Sand Reapers all do poison damage, which is fantastic. This, paired with their great stats, make them a fearsome opponent. While the non-Greater version has low health, if you can get a Queen, you’ve got it made.

Sabretooth

Inventory slots – 10
Health – 855 (1006)
Damage – 0 (75)
Armor – 69 (104)
Strength – 1 (10)
Agility – 1 (0)
Vitality – 0 (2)
Grit – 0 (2)
Strength Damage Bonus – 10%
Agility Damage Bonus – 0% (10%)
Vitality Bonus – 0 (116)
Grit Bonus – 16

Sabretooths do bleed damage, and while their health isn’t as high as the beefier pets, they make up for it with their other stats. Though I recommend farming for a Greater version with this guy.

Horse

Inventory slots – 10
Health – 993
Damage – 0
Armor – 53
Strength – 0
Agility – 0
Vitality – 1
Grit – 0
Strength Damage Bonus – 0
Agility Damage Bonus – 0
Vitality Bonus – 63
Grit Bonus – 16

Horses do not have great stats and do not have a Greater version. But they are the best rideable pet in the game as Rhinos are the only other options, which aren’t as fast or nimble as the horse.

A-Tier

A-Tier pets are still amazing, but I don’t consider these pets the best of pets. I still capture them every time I see them without hesitation, which says something because I want to keep them around.

Elephant

Inventory slots – 30
Health – 422 (558)
Damage – 18 (26)
Armor – 47 (81)
Strength – 0 (5)
Agility – 0 (0)
Vitality – 1 (5)
Grit – 0 (1)
Strength Damage Bonus – 7% (8%
Agility Damage Bonus – 7% (8%)
Vitality Bonus – 79 (43)
Grit Bonus – 28 (34)

What makes elephants special is their 30 inventory slots. This makes them amazing at packing stuff around. Since they’re not exceptionally squishy and can fend for themselves, this makes them even better. They’re not S-tier because they’re quite slow and have low health compared to similar pets. I have no idea why they don’t have twice the health they do.

Wolf

Inventory slots – 10
Health – 884 (778)
Damage – 0
Armor – 56 (91)
Strength – 0 (8)
Agility – 1 (0)
Vitality – 1 (2)
Grit – 0 (2)
Strength Damage Bonus – 0 (8%)
Agility Damage Bonus – 0 (8%)
Vitality Bonus – 245 (71)
Grit Bonus – 16 (16)

Wolves are one of my favorite pets and definitely my favorite A-tier pet. They do bleed and sunder effects while having balanced stats for a pet of its size. I love grabbing a pack of wolves to take on my enemies.

Boar

Inventory slots – 10
Health – 310 (1430)
Damage – 17 (84)
Armor – 62 (146)
Strength – 0 (7)
Agility – 0
Vitality – 1 (7)
Grit – 1 (2)
Strength Damage Bonus – 7% (8%)
Agility Damage Bonus – 7% (8%)
Vitality Bonus – 58 (83)
Grit Bonus – 28 (34)

Boars cripple enemies, making them a great pet to have by your side. They are the pet that I believe improves the most when it’s a Greater pet because the basic version is weak but the greater one is nearly S-tier.

Mammoth

Inventory slots – 30
Health – 1486
Damage – 0
Armor – 118
Strength – 5
Agility – 0
Vitality – 5
Grit – 1
Strength Damage Bonus – 8%
Agility Damage Bonus – 8%
Vitality Bonus – 114
Grit Bonus – 34

Mammoths do not have Greater versions but are already similar to the Greater Elephant. They can carry a ton of stuff but have much better health than the Greater Elephant, making them a better choice but still not quite S-tier because their damage is lacking, and they’re slow.

Yeti

Inventory slots – 10
Health – 489 (1529)
Damage – 0
Armor – 53 (84)
Strength – 1 (6)
Agility – 0 (2)
Vitality – 1 (6)
Grit – 0
Strength Damage Bonus – 5%
Agility Damage Bonus – 5%
Vitality Bonus – 100 (102)
Grit Bonus – 16

The Yeti is an average pet, but whenever you get a Greater Yeti (Black Yeti Protector), you may notice that it’s a top-tier pet. The health is great, and its damage is mediocre; this combo makes for a perfect A-tier pet.

Tiger

Inventory slots – 10
Health – 747 (1666)
Damage – 20 (0)
Armor – 63 (97)
Strength – 1 (10)
Agility – 0 (2)
Vitality – 0 (2)
Grit – 1
Strength Damage Bonus – 10% (100%)
Agility Damage Bonus – 0
Vitality Bonus – 0 (384)
Grit Bonus – 16

If you ever wonder if a tiger is worth it, fight one, and you’ll see that having one on your side is a good idea. They bleed and sunder enemies. Their stats are amazing all-around, so they’re nearly S-Tier.

B-Tier

B-tier pets are still great and worth searching for, but they’re still the definition of average. I choose these just because I love their aesthetics and want to surround myself with them.

Panther

Inventory slots – 10
Health – 747 (916)
Damage – 0
Armor – 63 (97)
Strength – 1 (10)
Agility – 1 (0)
Vitality – 0 (2)
Grit – 0 (2)
Strength Damage Bonus – 10% (10%)
Agility Damage Bonus – 0 (10%)
Vitality Bonus – 0 (105)
Grit Bonus – 16

I love panthers, in general, so it was hard for me not to add them to a higher tier. But the fact of the matter is that they’re not as good as Sabretooths or Tigers, and they need to be to get a higher ranking.

Jaguar

Inventory slots – 10
Health – 298 (916)
Damage – 19 (0)
Armor – 56 (97)
Strength – 1 (10)
Agility – 0 (0)
Vitality – 0 (2)
Grit – 1 (2)
Strength Damage Bonus – 10%
Agility Damage Bonus – 10%
Vitality Bonus – 53 (105)
Grit Bonus – 16

Jaguars are very similar to panthers, which makes sense, considering that they are the same species. Though in the game, the two are not identical in stats. Jaguars even get an added sunder effect.

Hyena

Inventory slots – 10
Health – 358 (707)
Damage – 0 (21)
Armor – 24 (331)
Strength – 0 (1)
Agility – 0
Vitality – 0 (1)
Grit – 0
Strength Damage Bonus – 0 (10%)
Agility Damage Bonus – 0 (10%)
Vitality Bonus – 0 (71)
Grit Bonus – 0 (34)

Hyenas cripple enemies, but they’d still be fierce foes even if they didn’t. They seem to be densely populated, so what I find the best about them is getting a pack of them in one run. As long as there is a Greater or two, you can do a lot with your new pack.

C-Tier

C-tier pets aren’t useless, but they’re far from good too. These are great for the early game, as most spawn near the river. But after that, you may want to branch out and find better pets.

Shaleback (purple used for reference)

Shaleback Conan Exiles Pet — Image by Emily Medlock

Inventory slots – 10
Health – 512 (1297)
Damage – 0 (18)
Armor – 58 (179)
Strength – 0 (2)
Agility – 1 (0)
Vitality – 1 (8)
Grit – 0 (3)
Strength Damage Bonus – 0
Agility Damage Bonus – 0
Vitality Bonus – 154
Grit Bonus – 34

There are four different types of basic Shalebacks, each with a different identifying color. The purple are the best, followed by red, blue, then green. Overall, you will want a Greater Shaleback if you get one at all, though they probably won’t be missed either way.

Crocodile

Inventory slots – 10
Health – 179 (1031)
Damage – 16 (23)
Armor – 24 (146)
Strength – 1 (6)
Agility – 0
Vitality – 0 (2)
Grit – 0 (2)
Strength Damage Bonus – 7% (8%)
Agility Damage Bonus – 7% (8%)
Vitality Bonus – 46 (94)
Grit Bonus – 28 (34)

Crocodiles aren’t very good if they’re not Greater versions. But the Greater version still isn’t great compared to other greater versions. However, the bleed damage and ability to guard your base keep them from being D-tier.

Spider (smallest vs. Corrupted Spider)

Spider Conan Exiles Pet — Image by Emily Medlock

Inventory slots – 10
Health – 179 (947)
Damage – 0 (15)
Armor – 52 (140)
Strength – 0 (1)
Agility – 1 (8)
Vitality – 0 (2)
Grit – 1 (2)
Strength Damage Bonus – 10%
Agility Damage Bonus – 10%
Vitality Bonus – 46 (86)
Grit Bonus – 28 (34)

There are five variants of the spider – Corrupted Spider, Black Widow, Red Widow, green Spider, and grey spider. The Corrupted Spider is the strongest the widows next, then the others. The Corrupted Spider is the only one worth getting with it cripple, poison, and good armor.

Lion

Inventory slots – 10
Health – 389 (774)
Damage – 0
Armor – 69 (200)
Strength – 0 (3)
Agility – 0
Vitality – 0
Grit – 1 (8)
Strength Damage Bonus – 7% (10%)
Agility Damage Bonus – 7% (10%)
Vitality Bonus – 70 (116)
Grit Bonus – 16

Lions are good but are really just worse Sabretooths. They may be the worst big cat in Conan Exiles. That doesn’t mean they’re not worth your time, but I don’t give them a second glance.

Frost Giant

Grost Giant Conan Exiles Pet — Image by Emily Medlock

Inventory slots – 10
Health – 843
Damage – 0
Armor – 106
Strength – 0
Agility – 1
Vitality – 0
Grit – 1
Strength Damage Bonus – 7%
Agility Damage Bonus – 7%
Vitality Bonus – 150
Grit Bonus – 28

The Frost Giant has only one version and is the only pet with the Coldsnap abilities. Coldsnap decreases the temperature of the target, which is useful in PvP but not necessarily helpful in PvE.

Gorilla

Inventory slots – 10
Health – 298 (810)
Damage – 19 (25)
Armor – 56 (145)
Strength – 0 (4)
Agility – 0
Vitality – 0 (1)
Grit – 1 (5)
Strength Damage Bonus – 7%
Agility Damage Bonus – 7%
Vitality Bonus – 67 (105)
Grit Bonus – 16

Gorillas have one of the highest pet damages in the game, but their health stat drops them down to a C-tier. All around, they’re okay, but I stand by them being C-tier material, which I confirmed after using one to fight. They have good armor, but when fought with armor pen, they are easy to take down.

D-Tier

D-tier options are not good. But, some of them do have a few bonuses that make them worth it only if you run onto them or if you just happen to like the animal, which is completely fine.

Camel

Inventory slots – 30
Health – 161
Damage – 17
Armor – 22
Strength – 0
Agility – 0
Vitality – 0
Grit – 0
Strength Damage Bonus – 7%
Agility Damage Bonus – 7%
Vitality Bonus – 41
Grit Bonus – 16

Camels are not fighters. They are pack mules. If you could ride them, I’d put them higher, but since you can’t, elephants, mammoths, and horses are all better than the camel, so they lose their purpose.

Shoebill (green vs. white)

Shoebill Conan Exiles Pet — Image by Emily Medlock

Inventory slots – 10
Health – 206 (286)
Damage – 16 (17)
Armor – 44 (162)
Strength – 0 (1)
Agility – 0
Vitality – 0 (1)
Grit – 1 (8)
Strength Damage Bonus – 7% (8%)
Agility Damage Bonus – 7% (8%)
Vitality Bonus – 49 (34)
Grit Bonus – 16

The pink Shoebill is right in between the green and white in stats. None of the three are worth taming, but I understand if you want to put them in your yard because they’re pretty.

Gazelle

Inventory slots – 20
Health – 142
Damage – 17
Armor – 19
Strength – 0
Agility – 0
Vitality – 0
Grit – 0
Strength Damage Bonus – 7%
Agility Damage Bonus – 7%
Vitality Bonus – 36
Grit Bonus – 16

The Gazelle is the worst pet in the game. Its stats are whack, and it’s all-around useless. However, there is one thing keeping it from being mentioned and that is the double inventory space. Let us ride it, and then we’ll talk.

Scorpion (small vs. queen)

Scorpion Conan Exiles Pet — Image by Emily Medlock

Inventory slots – 10
Health – 161 (1260)
Damage – 0
Armor – 56 (312)
Strength – 0 (1)
Agility – 0
Vitality – 0 (6)
Grit – 1 (6)
Strength Damage Bonus – 0 (10%)
Agility Damage Bonus – 0 (10%)
Vitality Bonus – 0 (81)
Grit Bonus – 34 (40)

There are four scorpion pets in the game – small, medium, large, and queen. Although the queen is good, I put the scorpion as a lower tier since the chance of getting her is so low, and I group the standard and greater together to rate them.

Ape

Ape Conan Exiles Pet — Image by Emily Medlock

Inventory slots – 10
Health – 343
Damage – 0
Armor – 63
Strength – 0
Agility – 0
Vitality – 0
Grit – 1
Strength Damage Bonus – 7%
Agility Damage Bonus – 7%
Vitality Bonus – 77
Grit Bonus – 16

The Grey Ape doesn’t have a greater version; it’s just a low-tier pet that I would never get because it costs a Heart of the Kinscourge anyway and cannot be found in the wild. So no thanks.

Ostrich (blue vs. red)

Ostrich Conan Exiles Pet — Image by Emily Medlock

Inventory slots – 10
Health – 161 (298)
Damage – 0 (18)
Armor – 22 (40)
Strength – 0
Agility – 0
Vitality – 0
Grit – 0
Strength Damage Bonus – 7%
Agility Damage Bonus – 7%
Vitality Bonus – 41 (76)
Grit Bonus – 16

There are three ostriches, and they’re all some of the worst pets in the game. They serve little purpose but I’m still holding out hope that you’ll be able to ride them in the future because that would be fun.

FAQs

Question: What is the Best Pet in Conan Exiles?

Answer: The all-around best pet in Conan Exiles is the Sabretooth. If you can get a Greater Sabretooth and max it out, the likelihood of needing anything else is low.

Question: Are Horeses the Only Pets You Can Ride?

Answer: In Conan Exiles, you can ride horses and the Rhino. Everything else is off-limits for riding. I strongly believe this needs to be changed, but horses may lose their value if it does.

Question: Are Some Pets in Conan Exiles Worthless?

Answer: If you happen upon them and don’t have to feed them a ton of food, no. But if you’re searching for D-tier pets that you spend a lot of resources on, they become worthless.

Picking Pets in Conan Exiles

Pets are a fun part of Conan Exiles. I enjoy the concept way more than I do the concept of thralls, though thralls are generally better when leveled. However, you don’t have to choose only one.

You may only have one follower at a time, but you can rotate or use some to guard your base while you level others. The pet or thrall you choose is up to you. If you have luck with what I consider D-tier, then go for it and enjoy your pet. Just don’t forget to name it so it will hit you right in the feels when it falls prey to the wild S-tier creatures.