Charm Animal


 * - valign=middle

Description
Charm target animal. Once charmed, your animal companion will travel with you whenever you have Charm Animal equipped.

Acquisition
Skill Quests: Skill Trainers:
 * The Ranger's Companion (Regent Valley (Pre-Searing))
 * Endangered Species (Old Ascalon)
 * Sir Bertran (Ascalon City)
 * Dakk (Ember Light Camp)

Usage Notes

 * Upon using this skill, the target animal will immediately become hostile during the skill activation time. If you have high level henchmen with you, they can easily kill it before you can finish casting.


 * For more information on pets, please see Animal companion.

Charmable Creatures
After extensive testing, it has been shown that all charmable creatures have identical stats, with all other factors kept equal, such as level, Beast Mastery attribute, and the creature's 'evolution' (its prefix, such as Dire, Hearty, or Elder). All pets have 80 armor at level 20 (armor scales with pet level).

The only exception to this is the Bear, whose skill Brutal Mauling animates slightly slower then a normal attack, and thus has slightly lower damage per second then other pets.

The /petname command can change your pet's name to whatever you desire, or can be used without an argument to revert it to default (used mostly so you can learn what prefix your pet has).

Evolution
Pets, as they level up, will occassionally 'evolve'. They will gain a prefix to their name when this happens. For example, a Melandru's Stalker might become an Aggressive Melandru's Stalker. Pets will typically evolve up twice by the time they are level 20. There is an exception to this, read about it in the last paragraph of this section. Evolutions can not be undone.

At each evolution, a pet can evolve one of two ways. An unevolved pet can become either Aggressive, or Playful. An Aggressive pet can become either Elder or Dire. A Playful pet can become either Hearty or Elder. Evolutions grant these benefits:


 * Dire : +2 damage / -60 health
 * Aggressive : +1 damage / -30 health
 * Elder : +0 damage / +0 health
 * Playful : -1 damage / +30 health
 * Hearty : -2 damage / +60 health

It was originally widely thought that Elder provided +3 damage, without a drawback. This has been disproven. Furthermore, it is logical to assume that in a game like Guild Wars no single pet evolution would be all around superior.

While the specific mechanism for determining evolutions is not known, it is thought (and been tested non conclusively) that in order to progress your pet closer to Dire, you should use primarily pet attack skills. In order to progress your pet closer to Hearty, use primarily defensive pet skills, while you provide the damage output (say with Marksmanship skills). To reach Elder, simply use one method, then switch after the first evolution.

Unlike players, pets can gain experience from nearby monster kills even if they are dead. Pets can even level up when they are dead. They cannot, however, evolve while they are dead, so it is possible that a pet who levels while dead will miss an evolution. This is generally disadventageous, unless you want to keep your pet at its current evolution.

Pre-Searing
Melandru's Stalker
 * Found in: Regent Valley (Pre-Searing) (see also: The Ranger's Companion)
 * Initial Level: 5

Strider
 * Found in: Lakeside County (Ashford village and near the gate to Ascalon city)
 * Initial Level: 1

Warthog
 * Found in: Lakeside County (near the gate to Ascalon city), The Northlands (Across the Wall quest)
 * Initial Level: 2
 * Note: The "prize winning hogs" that can be found in Ashford village cannot be charmed.

Wolf
 * Found in: Lakeside County (fields near Ashford village), Regent Valley (Pre-Searing)
 * Initial Level: 2

Note:
 * Both versions of the Moss Spider (the peaceful as well as the aggressive one) cannot be charmed.
 * The Black Bears in Pre-Searing can no longer be charmed. They now have the ability to interrupt the Charm Animal skill even if they are too far away (or seperated by something like a ridge) to attack.
 * The Rabbit that is on the rise above Ashford Village also cannot be charmed.

Post-Searing
Black Bear
 * Found in: Southern Shiverpeaks region
 * Initial Level: 5

Black Widow (Elder, Hearty, Dire)
 * Found in: The Underworld
 * Initial Level: 20

Elder Wolf
 * Found in: Spearhead Peak
 * Initial Level: 15
 * Note: Some times an Elder Wolf in that area will appear hostile (red dot). This means a nearby enemy Stone Summit Ranger has tamed it and you can no longer tame it.

Dune Lizard
 * Found in: Crystal Desert region (Prophet's Path)
 * Initial Level: 5

Lynx
 * Found in: Kryta region (Gates of Kryta mission, North Kryta Province)
 * Initial Level: 5

Melandru's Stalker
 * Found in: Old Ascalon (see also: Endangered Species)
 * Initial Level: 5

Moa Bird
 * Found in: Ascalon region (Old Ascalon, Eastern Frontier)
 * Initial Level: 3

Snow Wolf
 * Found in: Traveler's Vale
 * Initial Level: 5

Warthog
 * Found in: Maguuma Jungle region
 * Initial Level: 5