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There are very few animal companions in vanilla Skyrimin fact, without Creation Club elements or Skyrim Anniversary Edition installed, a player's only choices are dogs. Technically children can keep a variety of other animals, but they don't follow or provide a service for the Dragonborn.

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If having an animal companion to follow you around Skyrim sounds fun, look no further than the Pets of Skyrim creation. Included in Anniversary Edition and available for download with Special Edition, Pets of Skyrim adds five new pets who have a variety of unique benefits for players. They aren't easy to find, though, as they are spread out throughout the whole province.

Updated April 30, 2022 by Erik Petrovich: The Pets of Skyrim creation is one of the most popular Skyrim creations because it gives players more options for companions in their adventures. Each of these new pets can be acquired in different ways, and each has their own special abilities – some even let you steal items without being penalized, as long as you're not the one who picks it up in the first place. They aren't the only thing included with these Skyrim pets, though. Alongside five unique companions, the mod adds two special pieces of equipment for your pet and a new Poison that is exclusively tied to the Spider Arachnia.

How To Start The Pets of Skyrim Creation

Pets of Skyrim Anniversary Edition Bannered Mare Quest Start

The Pets of Skyrim creation includes a multi-branching questline revolving around each of the five new animal companions. This quest can start in one of two ways: either by reading a notice, or by discovering the location of a pet out in the world, which triggers the quest to start at the stage associated with that pet.

The notice "For Sale" can be found in the Bannered Mare, the Inn opposite Belethor's General Goods in the central market plaza. Upon reading the note instructions for each of the five pets appear in the journal. If a pet is discovered out in the wild without reading this notice, the quest will start but only feature the instructions for unlocking that specific companion.

Arachnia the Spider

Pets of Skyrim Anniversary Edition Arachnia Spider
  • Where To Find Arachnia the Spider: Cronvangr Cave, in the northwest of the sulfur pools of Eastmarch
  • Arachnia the Spider's Abilities: Can create Web Traps, which paralyze enemies. Can provide Potent Frostbite Venom occasionally

Arachnia the Spider is a frost spider that appears bluer than a normal frost spider. Arachnia's primary special ability is to create Web Traps before combat, which can paralyze foes who step over them.

RELATED: Skyrim: How To Get Netch Leather ArmorArachnia can also produce Potent Frostbite Venom, which can be harvested through a dialogue option that pops up regularly when interacting with her. As the name suggests, Potent Frostbite Venom is basically just a stronger version of regular Frostbite Venom and has the same effect of dealing damage to both Stamina and Health on hit.

Arachnia is found in Cronvangr Cave, a dungeon just southeast of Kynesgrove in the northeastern area of Eastmarch's large sulfur pool zone. It is trapped in a cage, and players must kill the nearby Vampire Naturalist to obtain the key and free this spidery ally.

Hilda the Goat

Pets of Skyrim Anniversary Edition Hilda Goat
  • Where To Find Hilda the Goat: Purchased from Halvar in Rorikstead for 200 gold
  • Hilda the Goat's Abilities: 140 Carry Weight (with Animal Pack). Can provide Milk occasionally

Hilda the Goat is the easiest of the Pets of Skyrim to find and acquire. While most of the Pets of Skyrim are trapped and must be freed, Hilda is a simple farm animal who can be bought from her owner, Halvar.

Hilda the Goat has a high 100 Carry Weight, increased to 140 Carry Weight with her included Animal Pack. Like Arachnia, Hilda will occasionally have a dialogue option that provides a resource. Instead of Venom, though, it's Goat Milk, which can be used in a variety of cooking recipes.

To get Hilda the Goat, players need only travel to Rorikstead and buy her from her current owner, Halvar, for the paltry sum of 200 gold.

Skritch the Skeever

Pets of Skyrim Anniversary Edition Scritch Rat
  • Where To Find Skritch the Skeever: In a cage in Riften's Ratway, key is located on a nearby dead Orc
  • Skritch the Skeever's Abilities: Can be commanded to "Go Find Food" for the player. Occasionally offers a random piece of food without being commanded.

Skritch the Skeever is more useful in Survival Mode than in normal gameplay. This giant rat's special ability is to hunt down food in the nearby surroundings and bring it to the player. This usually ends up being a piece of bread, but depending on the area Skritch can pick up some pretty valuable items.

RELATED: Skyrim: How To Rename Your Horse (And Get Horse Armor)Additionally, a dialogue option sometimes appears to check out what Skritch is holding, which gives the player a random piece of food. You don't need to send Skritch out on a foraging journey every time you want ingredients this way, though it is a bit rare.

Skritch the Skeever is found in the Ratway beneath Riften inside of a cage deep in the tunnels. Players are prompted to find a key, which can be found on the body of an Orc in the Ratways nearby. Head back to the cage, use the key, and you'll have a new food-finding furry friend.

Sweet Roll the Fox

Pets of Skyrim Anniversary Edition Sweet Roll Fox
  • Where To Find Sweet Roll the Fox: In the forest heading north from Falkreath. Must be given a Sweet Roll to gain its trust.
  • Sweet Roll the Fox's Abilities: Can be told to locate nearby treasure, gear, and other valuables. Will occasionally have an item to give the player without being commanded.

Sweet Roll the Fox is a red fox with an ability long believed by many Skyrim players to be a feature of the vanilla game. A common belief on the game's release was that foxes throughout Skyrim could lead players to nearby treasure if they followed the fox for long enough. While it's not a feature of wild foxes, Sweet Roll the Fox does exactly that.

When commanded, Sweet Roll will find the nearest piece of loot, and occasionally will offer the player an item it found without being asked first. These items are quite literally taken from the nearby area, so Sweet Roll can theoretically be used to steal items just laying around without incurring a fine.

Sweet Roll is found in the forests south of Half-Moon Mill, just North of Falkreath. Come prepared with a Sweet Roll, though, as the fox only follows the player when given its favorite baked treat.

Thistle the Rabbit

Pets of Skyrim Anniversary Edition Thistle Rabbit
  • Where To Find Thistle the Rabbit: Hopping outside an Alchemist's Shack just south of Ivarstead. Must be given a Carrot to earn its trust.
  • Thistle the Rabbit's Abilities: Will find nearby Alchemy ingredients and bring them back to the player on command

Thistle the Rabbit, like Skritch the Skeever, is a pet that is more suited for Survival Mode than normal gameplay (though its ability can be useful for regular playthroughs too).

When prompted, Thistle the Rabbit will hop to the nearest plant-based Alchemy ingredient and bring it back to the player. Just like the other foraging Pets of Skyrim, Thistle takes these items from the immediate area, though it seems to only work on naturally-growing materials and not on ingredients that are laying on a table, for example.

Thistle is found in a new Alchemist's Shack in the mountains just south of Ivarstead. Be sure to bring a Carrot with you to give to Thistle to earn its trust and make a follower out of this potion master's best friend.

New Items In Pets of Skyrim

Skyrim Best Creation Club Mods Pets of Skyrim

There are a lot of new items added to the game with the Pets of Skyrim creation, but just three are useful as consumables or equipment. The Potent Frostbite Venom is a new poison that can be harvested from Arachnia's fangs. It is twice as effective as the normal Frostbite Venom, though it does become a bit less useful at high levels.

Two pieces of equipment can be given to your companion to change their appearance and abilities. The Animal Collar puts a collar around your pet's neck as a cosmetic-only change. The Animal Pack, on the other hand, can be given to any pet to increase the player's carrying capacity by 40 points. It's a super useful item, especially in the very limited Survival mode.

Skyrim Special Edition is available for Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4 and 5, and Xbox One and Series X|S

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