No, not the massive river otters we talked about before. Those are a problem in Emerald to deal with (they steal the watermelons), not pets. These are the frankly adorable small river otters that are frequently seen on zoo documentaries. While they are trouble-making, curious little urchins, they are also very sweet. Otters are available in every district, and if the main character (MC) stumbles across in the wild, players can use spells and bribes to tame one.

Otters eat fish, clams, and other river denizens they can get their hands on. Their small claws mean they are excellent at solving puzzles, but their curiosity can frequently get them into trouble. They’ll want to examine anything new they encounter…which may mean chewing on something they aren’t supposed to, so players will have to keep a close eye on their friend. But if they offer the MC some of their spoils, that’s a sign of true companionship between otters, so they should take it with grace.

If players want to tame their own, they can find otters along river banks, particularly ones with lots of trees or tall grasses for them to hide in from larger predators. The better the fishing, the more likely an otter tribe or two can be in the area.. Alternatively, there are breeders (like you’d find for dogs and cats) that can adopt players a otter if they’re either in a not-particularly wooded or river-clad district, or it sounds like more work than they want to invest.

While they are loud and get their noses into everything, there’s just a lot of enjoyment in watching an otter play and explore. They can make the best of companions on adventures through Astranar. Or perhaps they still aren’t wild enough for you? Well, we could have you covered next week with something that’s less of a pet, more of a foster situation…