Part of the Heroes Series:
- Pets and Breeding: Adoption, the Breeding Chamber, and nurturing juveniles (You Are Here).
- Heroes Guide Hub: Troop affinity, roles, and fragment priorities.
- Hero Tier List: Ranked picks by role.
- Biocaps and Spending Guide: Budgeting for a deep optional system.
Quick Answer
Pets attach to heroes and add another progression layer on top of your roster.
Getting them: pet adoption certificates are the primary route.
Breeding rules that matter:
- Both parents must be the same type and same generation.
- Each pet has a limited number of breeding attempts.
- A bred pet cannot breed again. Only originals reproduce.
- Unassign pets from heroes before breeding, or the option won't be available.
After breeding: you get a juvenile. Nurture and evolve it to adulthood to unlock its skill manual and gain a random skill. Its starting potential stats are the average of its parents.
Parents come out weakened and need Pet Medical Kits to recover.
Overview
Pets are one of the deeper optional systems in the game and one of the easiest to burn resources on without understanding the rules first. The breeding constraints in particular are unforgiving: a bred pet is a dead end reproductively, so which pets you breed and in what order genuinely matters.
What you'll find is that the system rewards planning several steps ahead. Because offspring stats average the parents, and because breeding attempts are limited, the sequence you breed in determines your ceiling. Pairing your two best pets first feels right and often isn't, because you've then spent attempts you needed later.
Here's the framing before you start: this is a late-priority system. If your HQ, troops, research and core heroes aren't healthy, resources spent here return less than the same resources spent there.
The Eight Pets and What They're For
Pets specialise by troop type, and a pet only does its job when it's attached to a hero of the matching class. There are eight species, split three, two, three.
| Troop type | Hero class | Pets |
|---|---|---|
| Infantry | Brawler | Gray Wolf, Bengal Tiger, Panda |
| Riders | Scout | Doberman, Fennec Fox |
| Hunters | Marksman | Sand Cat, Saker Falcon, Kangaroo |
That table is the first thing to check before you spend anything on this system. A Saker Falcon attached to a Brawler is doing nothing for you, and the pairing is easy to get wrong because the interface will happily let you do it.
Riders only have two species, which matters if you're a Rider-focused account. Fewer options means fewer chances at a matched breeding pair, so acquisition planning is tighter for Scouts than it is for the other two classes.
Match your pets to whatever troop type you actually specialise in. Three mediocre pets on your main type beat one excellent pet on a type you never field.
Getting Pets
Pets sit alongside the other account-wide bonus systems, including Hero Appointment and VIP.
Pet adoption certificates are the main acquisition mechanism. They come through events, shops and packs in the usual way.
Because breeding requires two pets of the same type and generation, acquisition isn't just about collecting variety. A single rare pet with nothing to pair it with is a display piece. If you're planning to breed, you need matched pairs, which changes what's worth acquiring.
Generations: Where the Power Actually Is
Gen 1 pets are the base forms, tamed through Pet Paradise and events. Everyone has these.
Gen 2 pets come only from the Breeding Chamber, produced by breeding two pets of the same type and the same generation. This is the single biggest power spike in the pet system, and it's the reason the breeding rules below are worth reading carefully rather than improvising through.
The gap between a full set of Gen 1 pets and a full set of Gen 2 is not incremental. If you're going to engage with pets at all, Gen 2 is the target, and everything before it is groundwork.
Later updates layered further evolution on top of this, under the Tactical Breeding banner. The structure above is the solid part; the newer evolution layer is worth exploring in-game before committing materials to it.
Breeding: The Rules
Head to the pets building and select breed pets, then choose two.
The constraints, all of which bite:
| Rule | Consequence |
|---|---|
| Same type and generation required | You need matched pairs, not variety |
| Limited breeding attempts per pet | Attempts are a finite resource; plan the order |
| Bred pets cannot breed again | Offspring are reproductive dead ends |
| Must unassign from heroes first | The option won't appear otherwise |
| Parents are weakened afterwards | Costs Pet Medical Kits to recover |
[!IMPORTANT] "Bred pets cannot breed again" is the rule that punishes improvisation. Every generation you produce consumes attempts from originals and creates something that can't continue the line. Work out your target before you spend the first attempt.
Nurturing a Juvenile
A newly bred pet arrives as a juvenile. It has to be nurtured and evolved to adulthood before it unlocks its skill manual and gains a random skill.
Its initial potential stats are the average of its parents, which is the single most important number in the whole system. Breeding a strong pet with a weak one produces something mediocre. Two strong parents produce a strong juvenile.
Two nurturing routes:
Basic nurturing is free, with a limited number of attempts based on the quality of the parent pets. Better parents, more free attempts.
Focused nurturing costs Power Bits and also has limited attempts.
That basic-nurturing detail is worth pausing on: parent quality doesn't just set the juvenile's starting stats, it also determines how many free attempts you get to improve it. Good parents pay off twice.
Pet Currencies
Worth knowing what each one is for before you're offered a bundle of them.
| Currency | What it does |
|---|---|
| Adoption certificates | Obtaining new pets |
| Gene Capsules and Gene Injections | Levelling and raising |
| Power Bits | Focused nurturing attempts |
| Pet Medical Kits | Healing parents after breeding |
| Crowns | Premium currency for targeted high-end gains |
| Pearls | Premium currency for steady incremental progression |
The Crowns versus Pearls decision is the one people ask about, and the honest answer is that it depends on where you are. Crowns buy targeted outcomes, so they're worth it when you know exactly which pet you're pushing and why. Pearls buy steady progress, which suits an account still assembling matched pairs and unsure of its final target.
If you can't name the specific pet you're spending on, you're in Pearl territory.
[!TIP] Survival of the Fittest stages include pet item tasks. Bank Gene Capsules and pet materials rather than spending them as they arrive, and fire them on the stage that scores them.
Aftercare
Parents are weakened by breeding and need Pet Medical Kits to heal.
Budget for this. Breeding a pair and then leaving both parents weakened because you didn't stock kits means two pets out of action, and if you were planning a second breeding from one of them, you've stalled the whole sequence.
A Sensible Approach
For an account starting out with pets:
- Don't start until the fundamentals are solid. Same argument as the Behemoth.
- Collect matched pairs, not variety. Same type, same generation.
- Stock Pet Medical Kits before breeding, not after.
- Breed your best matched pair, since offspring average the parents and parent quality also sets free nurture attempts.
- Use basic nurturing fully before spending Power Bits.
- Accept the random skill. You don't control what the juvenile gets.
[!TIP] Because the skill is random and the stats are an average, breeding is closer to a considered gamble than an upgrade path. Go in expecting variance rather than a guaranteed improvement.
F2P vs Spender
F2P accounts should treat pets as a slow background system. Adoption certificates arrive through events, breeding attempts are finite, and Power Bits are scarce. Use basic nurturing exclusively and don't chase specific outcomes.
Spending accounts get more here because Power Bits and certificates are purchasable, and the system has real depth to spend into. Even so, the same-type same-generation rule means money can't fix a roster with no matched pairs.
Common Mistakes
Breeding before checking types and generations. Both parents must match on both. Fix: verify before you commit an attempt.
Forgetting to unassign from heroes. The breed option won't be available. Fix: unassign first.
Breeding a strong pet with a weak one. Offspring average the parents. Fix: pair your best matched pair.
Expecting bred pets to continue the line. They can't breed again. Fix: plan the sequence before starting.
No Pet Medical Kits stocked. Leaves both parents weakened and stalls the plan. Fix: stock before breeding.
Spending Power Bits before exhausting basic nurturing. Basic is free. Fix: use free attempts first.
Starting pets before your account is healthy. Fix: HQ, troops, research and core heroes first.
FAQ
How do I get pets in State of Survival? Primarily through pet adoption certificates, which come from events, shops and packs.
What pets are in State of Survival? Eight species, split by troop type. Infantry pets are Gray Wolf, Bengal Tiger and Panda. Rider pets are Doberman and Fennec Fox. Hunter pets are Sand Cat, Saker Falcon and Kangaroo.
Which pet should I use? The one matching the troop type you specialise in, attached to a hero of that class. An Infantry pet on a Marksman does nothing for you.
What's the difference between Gen 1 and Gen 2 pets? Gen 1 pets are the base forms, tamed through Pet Paradise and events. Gen 2 pets come only from breeding two same-type, same-generation pets, and they're the biggest single power spike in the system.
Should I spend Crowns or Pearls? Crowns for targeted high-end gains when you know exactly which pet you're pushing. Pearls for steady progression when you're still assembling matched pairs.
What do I need to breed pets? Two pets of the same type and the same generation, both unassigned from heroes, plus breeding attempts remaining on each.
Can bred pets breed again? No. Offspring are reproductive dead ends, so only original pets continue a line.
What stats does a bred pet start with? Its initial potential stats are the average of its two parents.
What's the difference between basic and focused nurturing? Basic is free with a limited number of attempts set by parent quality. Focused costs Power Bits and is also limited.
Why are my pets weakened after breeding? Breeding weakens both parents. Heal them with Pet Medical Kits.
Do I get to choose the skill? No. The juvenile gains a random skill once nurtured and evolved to adulthood.
Should I prioritise pets? Only once HQ, troops, research and your core heroes are healthy. Resources return more elsewhere before that.
Key Takeaways
- Eight pets, split by troop type: Gray Wolf, Bengal Tiger and Panda for Infantry; Doberman and Fennec Fox for Riders; Sand Cat, Saker Falcon and Kangaroo for Hunters.
- Match pets to the troop type you actually field. A pet on the wrong class does nothing.
- Gen 2 is the target. Bred pets are the biggest power spike in the system; Gen 1 is groundwork.
- Adoption certificates are the main way in; breeding needs matched pairs of the same type and generation.
- Bred pets cannot breed again. Plan the whole sequence before your first attempt.
- Unassign pets from heroes or the breed option won't appear.
- Offspring stats are the average of both parents, and parent quality also sets your free nurture attempts.
- Basic nurturing is free; focused costs Power Bits. Exhaust free attempts first.
- Stock Pet Medical Kits before breeding — parents come out weakened.
- The resulting skill is random. Treat breeding as a considered gamble, not an upgrade path.