The pet system is what separates Rappelz from every other classic MMORPG. This guide covers everything — taming, staging, evolution paths, belt pets, boss cards, the best pets per playstyle and the most common mistakes players make. Written from 10 years of running Rappelz Tournament.
How the Pet System Works
Every character in Rappelz can tame creatures and place them in a formation of up to 5 slots. Your pets fight alongside you, provide passive bonuses and in some classes become your primary source of damage. Unlike most MMORPGs where pets are optional extras, in Rappelz a well-built pet setup is as important as your own gear.
Pets have their own level, skills, equipment slots and stage. The higher the stage and level of your pet, the stronger its contribution. Some classes — Beast Master, Master Breeder and War Kahuna — receive additional bonuses that make their pets significantly more powerful than those of other classes at the same stage.
Taming — How to Catch Creatures
To tame a creature you need a Taming Card matching the creature type and your character must be at or above the creature’s level. Taming cards are dropped by monsters or purchased from other players. The taming process has a success rate — lower-level cards on high-level creatures fail more often.
- Always weaken the creature first — lower HP increases taming success rate
- Use advanced taming cards on rare or difficult targets
- Level your character above the creature’s level before attempting
- Master Breeder and Beast Master have higher base taming rates
- Don’t waste rare taming cards early — save them for Stage 3+ targets
- Common creatures are easy to replace — focus on farming rarer ones
- Check the creature’s skills before taming — some have more useful movesets
- Taming success is affected by your own level vs creature level gap
Pet Staging — The Evolution System
Staging is the process of combining two pets of the same stage to create a higher-stage pet. A Stage 1 creature combined with another Stage 1 creature produces a Stage 2 creature. This continues all the way to Stage 10. Each stage increase makes the pet significantly more powerful.
A failed staging attempt does not destroy the pets — you keep both and can try again. Only the Soul Catalyst is consumed on failure.
Belt Pets — Passive Bonuses Explained
Belt pets are creatures placed in your belt slots rather than your active formation. They provide passive stat bonuses based on their type, level and stage. Belt pets do not fight — their sole purpose is to give you ongoing stat benefits. Choosing the right belt pets for your class is one of the most impactful optimisations you can make.
Physical DPS (Mercenary, Berserker, Overlord, Slayer): Koala for drop rate, Unicorn for P.Atk bonus, Wolf variants for attack speed.
Magic DPS (Void Mage, Magus, Oracle): Pixie variants for M.Atk bonus, Fairy for cast speed reduction.
Templar and War Kahuna: Turtle for P.Def bonus, Dragon variants for HP increase, Bear for VIT scaling. Prioritise survivability stats over damage.
Cardinal and Master Breeder: Angel variants for healing power, Rabbit for MP recovery rate, Deer for WIS scaling to improve both healing output and mana pool.
The Koala is the best farming belt pet for almost every class. Its drop rate bonus applies to all loot and stacks with server rate buffs. Get one to at least Stage 5 as a priority early investment.
Boss Cards — What They Are and Why They Matter
Boss Cards are dropped by world bosses and dungeon bosses. They slot into Boss Crystal items that attach to your pet, granting powerful passive bonuses. A high-quality boss card on a Stage 5+ pet can give your character bonuses that rival full gear upgrades.
Priority boss cards for DPS: Dragon King card for P.Atk scaling, Ancient Dragon for magic classes, Death Tyrant for attack speed bonuses on melee builds.
Priority boss cards for tanks: Giant Turtle card for defence scaling, Ancient Yeti for HP increase, Guardian Dragon for damage reduction percentage.
Boss card quality tiers: Cards range from Normal to Rare to Unique quality. Unique quality boss cards are significantly more powerful and rare — treat them as long-term investment pieces rather than immediate upgrades.
Best Pets by Playstyle
White Dragon for sustained AoE damage support. Unicorn for healing between pulls if you run low on potions. Koala in belt for drop rate. Stage 4 or higher for meaningful contribution to clear speed.
Buff pets that enhance the whole party work well here. Fairy for magic parties, Dragon variants for physical parties. A good buff pet at Stage 5+ in your formation provides party-wide bonuses during dungeon runs.
High Stage active pets that deal burst damage or apply debuffs to enemies. Death Tyrant with a strong boss card is one of the most feared PvP pets. For defensive PvP builds, Guardian Dragon provides consistent damage reduction.
These classes receive multiplied pet damage bonuses. Any high Stage pet becomes significantly more powerful in these classes’ hands. Focus on reaching Stage 6+ on your main damage pet before spreading resources.
Common Pet System Mistakes
Spreading Soul Catalysts across too many pets. Focus on one main pet and push it to Stage 5 before starting a second. A single Stage 5 pet contributes more than five Stage 2 pets combined.
Ignoring belt pet slots. New players often fill formation slots and forget belt pets entirely. Belt pets are passive — they require no management once placed and their bonuses are always active. Even a Stage 2 Koala in a belt slot improves your farming significantly.
Neglecting pet skills. Pets have their own skill trees that must be leveled manually. A Stage 4 pet with no skills is weaker in practice than a Stage 3 pet with maxed skills. Invest in skill books for your main pet.
Attempting high Stage fusions without Premium Catalysts. The difference in success rate between a Basic and Premium Soul Catalyst at Stage 7+ is enormous. Never attempt Stage 7 or above with anything less than an Advanced Catalyst — you will lose too many attempts.
Build Your Pet Team on Rappelz Tournament
Over 200 tameable creatures, no pay-to-win, active since 2016. Every Soul Catalyst and boss card is earned in-game. No wipes — your pet investment is permanent.