Diablo 4 is a game about slaying hordes of demons and saving the last remnants of humanity from unspeakable evil. But, like any good video game these days, it has dogs and cats for you to pet and befriend. Unfortunately, it's still Diablo 4, so petting an animal is a bit more involved than just walking up and pressing a button.
In this Diablo 4 guide, we'll teach you how to pet your furry friend around town and what you can get from it.
How to Interact with Dogs and Cats
A barbarian pulls up the action wheel to pet a dog in Diablo 4
It's so easy to pet dogs and cats in Diablo 4, but it's never explained in the game either - it's a crime! You've probably walked hundreds of hours in a shelter without petting an animal
If you want to start being a productive member of society (i.e. an animal lover), all you need to do is walk up to a cat or dog and use the "hello" emoji on them. Do this when you're close enough to the dogs that your character will bend down to pet them when they say hello. You can do the same thing with cats, but without the petting animation - another Blizzard crime! Instead, they'll throw themselves on the floor and stick out their bellies to rub their bellies.
If you're new to using emojis like "hello," it's pretty easy. Open your action wheel (D-pad on controller and custom keybindings on PC) - like you did for several side quests - and just select the one that says "Hello" on the wheel part. Hit OK and you'll make the emote.
If you don't see "Hello" on your steering wheel, you may need to change pages (shoulder buttons) or customize your steering wheel, a prompt will appear on the menu. If you tap "Customize," you'll see a long list of emojis you can place on the empty part of the wheel. Find "Hello" and move it to a convenient location. Then click OK and you're ready to go.
What does petting dogs and cats do?
A wild man walking up and down, followed by two dogs
Image: Blizzard Entertainment via Polygon
Currently, petting animals in Diablo 4 doesn't offer any real benefits. At least until now. (Blizzard may add a trophy or achievement at some point. Or it may be a goal in the season journey.)
However, petting the dogs does cause them to follow you until you leave town. If you're in a big town with lots of dogs, you can become a puppy necromancer and run through town with an army on his heels. Cats, like their real world counterparts, just pounce on you and don't follow you out no matter how nice you are - they have feline things to do and you're only temporary to them interference.
If you're looking for pet dogs and cats, you can basically go to any town in the game. You should see at least one dog walking around somewhere. Cats are of course harder to find, but you can definitely find one in Kivashad's hotel, as well as in other cities.
Can you get pets in Diablo 4?
In Diablo 4, a barbarian looks down at a sleeping cat out the window
Image: Blizzard Entertainment via Polygon
Unfortunately, Diablo 4 doesn't have a permanent pet system like Diablo 3 did.
For those of you who never played Diablo 3, Blizzard finally implemented a pet system in the game, where you can unlock decorative animals to pick up D4 gold coins dropped by enemies. This actually helps to speed up the game considerably, since you waste less time tapping the ground to fill your coffers.
Blizzard hasn't announced any pet system for Diablo 4, and it's entirely possible that it will never make it to the game, since the game's darker tone doesn't allow for the cute, unlockable pets it did in its predecessor.
