Taming

To tame an animal, walk up to it and initiate dialogue by pressing [E], then choose [Attempt to Tame] to open a window where you can feed the animal appropriate food from your inventory. Each food item you feed the animal increases the likelihood of a successful taming roll. Close the window to confirm.

Aggressive animals, such as Wolves, must be subdued first by dealing enough damage to reduce their health below 25% or 10 points.

Taming grants Speech experience.

(If the optional Perk Tree Integration is installed, taming animals requires the Animal Taming perk. Immortal or protected animals, ghosts, followers and many quest related animals cannot be tamed.)

Tamed animal features

Tamed animals will follow you and carry items for you. Aggressive animals will also fight for you.

A total of 34 different animal species are eligible for taming, each with five attributes:

• Damage
• Carry weight
• Health
• Hunger resistance
• Experience gain
  

Some tamed animals also have their own unique abilities.

To view the attributes of your animal, speak with it and choose the command from the dialogue tree.

Tamed animals cannot be killed in combat and will instead get knocked out temporarily. They will slowly regenerate health and eventually recover from this state, but only after combat has ended.

Commands

Speak with the animal and choose a command from the dialogue tree.

Tamed animals can be ordered to wait in place, or to follow the player. They can be given direct orders (move to a location, pick up an item, interact with an object). They can be ordered to treat the current location as their home, or to go to their home and wait there. Aggressive animals can be ordered to avoid combat, or to fight with you.

(When ordered to go to their home, tamed animals will teleport when out of sight. This enables them to live in homes that would be unsafe or impossible to access through normal pathing. Furthermore, when a location is set as a new home, any other tamed animals that are set to wait at home elsewhere will move to the new home location.)

Hunger and feeding

Tamed animals become hungry over time, and a well fed animal is stronger than a starving one.

Well Fed (90-100% sated)

• +20% damage
• +20% movement speed
• Experience gain +50%
  

Satisfied (70-89% sated)

• +10% damage
• +10% movement speed
• Experience gain +25%
  

Peckish (50-69% sated)

• No effects
  

Hungry (30-49% sated)

• No effects
  

Famished (10-29% sated)

• -10% damage
• -10% movement speed
• Experience gain -25%
  

Starving (0-9% sated)

• -20% damage
• -20% movement speed
• Experience gain -50%
  

Tamed animals will not starve to death or otherwise suffer permanent effects due to hunger.

To feed an animal, speak with it and choose the command from the dialogue tree. Feeding restores some satiation based on the potency of the item, but most animals have a selective diet. For example, only carnivores and omnivores will eat meat.

(Animals become hungry at a slower rate when they are not with you.)

Experience and training

Tamed animals gain experience over time, and some also gain experience in combat. However, they only gain experience until they reach the current level of their master. The only way to obtain an animal of a higher level than the player is by taming a higher level animal.

(Experience gains are reduced when the animal is not with you.)

When a tamed animal gains enough experience to progress to the next level, a message will appear, indicating that the animal can be trained.

To train the animal, speak with it and choose the command from the dialogue tree. Training enables you to customize your furry friend by choosing one of four attributes to improve permanently. This upgrades the animal to the next level.

• Damage +1 (aggressive animals only)
• Carry weight +2 (docile animals only)
• Health +3
• Hunger resistance +1%
  

Training a tamed animal grants Speech experience.

Size limits

For reasons of balance, the number of animals you can tame is limited. The bigger the animals you tame, the fewer animals you can tame at a time.
The total size limit is based on your Speech skill:

• Speech 1-19: Total size limit 6
• Speech 20-39: Total size limit 7
• Speech 40-59: Total size limit 8
• Speech 60-79: Total size limit 9
• Speech 80-100: Total size limit 10
  

When you attempt to tame an animal that would push you over the size limit, the attempt will fail.

(If the optional Perk Tree Integration is installed, the Beastmaster perk will increase the total size limit by 1.)

Riding your animals

Tamed animals of size 5 (medium) and above can serve as your mount. To ride an animal, speak with it and choose the command from the dialogue tree. Mount speed varies between animals.

(If the optional Perk Tree Integration is installed, riding animals requires the Animal Riding perk.)

Naming your animals

To give a tamed animal a random name, speak with it and choose the command from the dialogue tree. The name depends on the gender of the animal, as well as whether it is an aggressive or docile animal.

Magic

The following spells can be found in the form of spell tomes and scrolls:

• Shield Companions (apprentice alteration): Improves the armor rating of nearby tamed animals by 120 points for 60 seconds.
• Summon Companions (apprentice conjuration): Summons your tamed animals to your location.
  

Optional perk tree integration

Having the ability to tame animals makes your character stronger. If you prefer a more balanced experience, download one of the optional files that integrates animal taming into the Speech perk tree, adding a cost to using the feature but ultimately making it more effective.

The optional Perk Tree Integration adds three perks:

• Animal Taming: Able to tame animals. Aggressive animals must be reduced to 25% health first. Total size of your tamed animals is limited by Speech skill.
• Animal Riding: Able to ride tamed animals with size 5 or up.
• Beastmaster: Increases the total size limit of your tamed animals by 1, enabling you to tame more and bigger animals.
  

Anniversary Edition and Creation Club compatibility

Instincts does not require the Anniversary Edition or any Creation Club creations. It will automatically support food added by the following creations, if they are installed when the mod is first launched:

• Rare Curios
• Fishing
• Forgotten Seasons
• The Cause
• Plague of the Dead
  

List of tameable animals and their attributes

Aggressive animals

Frostbite Spider

• Level: 1
• Damage: 5
• Carry weight: 25
• Health: 65
• Resist hunger +10%
• Size: 4 (small)
• Eats meat
  

Mudcrab

• Level: 1
• Damage: 4
• Carry weight: 50
• Health: 70
• Experience gain +10%
• Size: 4 (small)
• Eats meat, fish
  

Skeever

• Level: 1
• Damage: 3
• Carry weight: 25
• Health: 60
• Resist hunger +10%
• Size: 3 (tiny)
• Eats vegetables, meat, fish, other organic items
  

Large Mudcrab

• Level: 2
• Damage: 5
• Carry weight: 50
• Health: 70
• Experience gain +10%
• Size: 4 (small)
• Eats meat, fish
• Name is “Mudcrab” when encountered as an enemy, but is bigger
  

Wolf

• Level: 2
• Damage: 6
• Carry weight: 25
• Health: 65
• Experience gain +10%
• Size: 4 (small)
• Eats meat, fish
  

Snowy Frostbite Spider

• Level: 3
• Damage: 7
• Carry weight: 25
• Health: 65
• Resist hunger +10%
• Size: 4 (small)
• Eats meat
• Name is “Frostbite Spider” when encountered as an enemy, but is white
  

Horker

• Level: 3
• Damage: 10
• Carry weight: 50
• Health: 200
• Resist hunger -25%
• Size: 5 (medium)
• Rideable
• Eats fish
  

Giant Mudcrab

• Level: 4
• Damage: 6
• Carry weight: 50
• Health: 125
• Experience gain +10%
• Size: 5 (medium)
• Rideable - Mount speed: 0% (slow)
• Name is “Mudcrab” when encountered as an enemy, but is bigger
  

Scrib

• Level: 4
• Damage: 10
• Carry weight: 25
• Health: 175
• Resist hunger +15%
• Experience gain -15%
• Size: 4 (small)
• Eats vegetables, meat, fish, other organic items
  

Large Frostbite Spider

• Level: 6
• Damage: 15
• Carry weight: 25
• Health: 150
• Resist hunger +10%
• Experience gain -10%
• Size: 5 (medium)
• Eats meat
• Name is “Frostbite Spider” when encountered as an enemy, but can be distinguished by being bigger
  

Ice Wolf

• Level: 6
• Damage: 20
• Carry weight: 25
• Health: 130
• Resist hunger -10%
• Experience gain +10%
• Size: 5 (medium)
• Rideable - Mount speed: 50% (medium)
• Eats meat, fish
  

Sabre Cat

• Level: 6
• Damage: 35
• Carry weight: 25
• Health: 100
• Experience gain -20%
• Gains 1% experience on attack
• Size: 6 (large)
• Rideable - Mount speed: 40% (slow)
• Eats meat, fish
  

Bristleback

• Level: 7
• Damage: 25
• Carry weight: 25
• Health: 150
• Resist hunger -25%
• Experience gain +10%
• Size: 5 (medium)
• Eats vegetables, meat, fish, other organic items
  

Large Snowy Frostbite Spider

• Level: 8
• Damage: 17
• Carry weight: 25
• Health: 150
• Resist hunger +10%
• Experience gain -10%
• Size: 5 (medium)
• Eats meat
• Name is “Frostbite Spider” when encountered as an enemy, but is bigger and white
  

Snowy Sabre Cat

• Level: 11
• Damage: 35
• Carry weight: 25
• Health: 125
• Experience gain -25%
• Gains 1% experience on attack
• Size: 6 (large)
• Rideable - Mount speed: 40% (slow)
• Eats meat, fish
  

Chaurus

• Level: 12
• Damage: 20
• Carry weight: 25
• Health: 175
• Experience gain -10%
• Size: 6 (large)
• Eats meat
• Generates chaurus eggs (if female)
  

Black Bear

• Level: 12
• Damage: 30
• Carry weight: 50
• Health: 150
• Resist hunger -10%
• Size: 6 (large)
• Rideable - Mount speed: 50% (medium)
• Eats meat, fish
  

Giant Frostbite Spider

• Level: 14
• Damage: 25
• Carry weight: 50
• Health: 200
• Resist hunger +10%
• Experience gain -20%
• Size: 6 (large)
• Rideable - Mount speed: 40% (slow)
• Eats meat
  

Vale Sabre Cat

• Level: 15
• Damage: 35
• Carry weight: 25
• Health: 150
• Experience gain -25%
• Gains 1% experience on attack
• Size: 6 (large)
• Rideable - Mount speed: 40% (slow)
• Eats meat, fish
  

Cave Bear

• Level: 16
• Damage: 20
• Carry weight: 50
• Health: 250
• Resist hunger -15%
• Size: 6 (large)
• Rideable - Mount speed: 50% (medium)
• Eats meat, fish
  

Giant Snowy Frostbite Spider

• Level: 17
• Damage: 30
• Carry weight: 50
• Health: 200
• Resist hunger +10%
• Experience gain -25%
• Size: 6 (large)
• Rideable - Mount speed: 40% (slow)
• Eats meat
• Name is “Giant Frostbite Spider” when encountered as an enemy, but is white
  

Chaurus Reaper

• Level: 20
• Damage: 55
• Carry weight: 25
• Health: 200
• Experience gain -20%
• Size: 7 (huge)
• Rideable - Mount speed: 40% (slow)
• Eats meat
• Generates chaurus eggs (if female)
  

Snow Bear

• Level: 20
• Damage: 35
• Carry weight: 50
• Health: 250
• Resist hunger -20%
• Size: 6 (large)
• Rideable - Mount speed: 50% (medium)
• Eats meat, fish
  

Chaurus Hunter

• Level: 32
• Damage: 40
• Carry weight: 25
• Health: 175
• Resist hunger -15%
• Experience gain -10%
• Size: 7 (huge)
• Eats meat
• Generates chaurus eggs (if female)
  

Docile animals

Chicken

• Level: 1
• Does not fight
• Carry weight: 25
• Health: 5
• Resist hunger +50%
• Size: 3 (tiny)
• Eats vegetables
• Always female
• Generates chicken’s eggs
  

Cow

• Level: 1
• Damage: 10
• Carry weight: 100
• Health: 75
• Resist hunger -10%
• Size: 5 (medium)
• Rideable - Mount speed: 50% (medium)
• Eats vegetables
• Always female
• Generates cow milk
• Painted cows in giant camps cannot be tamed
  

Deer

• Level: 1
• Damage: 10
• Carry weight: 100
• Health: 100
• Resist hunger -20%
• Size: 5 (medium)
• Rideable - Mount speed: 60% (fast)
• Eats vegetables
  

Elk

• Level: 1
• Damage: 10
• Carry weight: 100
• Health: 100
• Resist hunger -20%
• Size: 5 (medium)
• Rideable - Mount speed: 60% (fast)
• Eats vegetables
  

Fox

• Level: 1
• Damage: 5
• Carry weight: 25
• Health: 5
• Experience gain +20%
• Size: 3 (tiny)
• Eats vegetables, meat, fish
  

Goat

• Level: 1
• Damage: 10
• Carry weight: 100
• Health: 75
• Resist hunger -20%
• Size: 5 (medium)
• Eats vegetables, meat, fish, other organic items
  

Rabbit

• Level: 1
• Does not fight
• Carry weight: 25
• Health: 5
• Resist hunger +50%
• Size: 3 (tiny)
• Eats vegetables
  

Snow Fox

• Level: 1
• Damage: 5
• Carry weight: 25
• Health: 5
• Resist hunger +10%
• Experience gain +10%
• Size: 3 (tiny)
• Eats vegetables, meat, fish
  

Vale Deer

• Level: 15
• Damage: 10
• Carry weight: 100
• Health: 150
• Resist hunger -20%
• Size: 5 (medium)
• Rideable - Mount speed: 60% (fast)
• Eats vegetables
  

Known issues

• The mounting animation is positioned incorrectly. This appears to be hardcoded in the animation.
• Cleaning or renaming a Creation Club creation will cause the Creation Club integration to fail.
  

Compatibility

Instincts prioritizes compatibility wherever possible. Taming an animal silently replaces it and hides and kills the original animal, ensuring any scripts or quest references on the original animal are not carried over to the tamed animal to cause problems, and allowing the original animal to respawn.

The optional Perk Tree Integration is available for vanilla perks, Adamant, Ordinator and Vokrii. For the latter two, it will replace the "Speak With Animals" line of perks, which have a similar purpose as Instincts but offer less functionality.

Mod authors who add animals to the game and wish to support Instincts can do so without a patch:

• Add the injected keyword "Mumirnik_Instincts_Keyword_IsTameableAggressive" (010895D0) (for aggressive animals) or "Mumirnik_Instincts_Keyword_IsTameableDocile" (010895D1) (for docile animals) to your animal race.
• Add a pet race with the injected keyword "Mumirnik_Instincts_Keyword_IsPetRace" (01005901).
• Add a male and female actor base belonging to that race, these will be the tamed animals. Because levels are handled by Instincts, these can be set to level 1.
• Add global variables for their starting level, power, and food type (row number in the formlist "Mumirnik_Instincts_FormList_Food").
• Use a script to extend the formlists "Mumirnik_Instincts_FormList_Extensible..." on load.
• To flag an actor base as unable to be tamed, add the injected keyword "Mumirnik_Instincts_Keyword_IsUntameable" (0108E6D2).
• The feature that maps animals of the same race with different actor bases onto different pet races (for example, Wolves and Ice Wolves) is implemented via properties on the taming quest, modifying these is not recommended.
• The feature to override gender (for example, Chickens) is implemented via properties on the taming quest, modifying these is not recommended.