Alright, settle down, Exiles! Pull up a crate, wipe that monster goop off your boots, and listen close. So, you’ve heard the whispers carried on the corpse-stinking winds of Wraeclast? Heard about folks running around with their very own, previously-murderous critter trotting faithfully at their heels? Yep, Beast Taming is the hot new thing in Path of Exile 2, a whole new layer to this crazy game, and yours truly is here to give you the real dirt on how to turn feral murder-beasts into your personal entourage of buffs, bites, and brute force.
Forget those flimsy skeletons or polite golems. We’re talking about capturing the wild soul of a beast, complete with all its nasty tricks, and making it work for you on your chosen path through Wraeclast. Ready to become the ringmaster of your own monstrous circus in this crazy game? Let’s get cracking.
Step One: The “Mine Now” Button (aka Taming 101)
First things first, you need the Tame Beast skill gem. No shiny gem, no scary pet. Got it? Good.
Now, the actual taming process is a delicate dance… well, more like a desperate scramble before something eats your face, poor exile. Not always easy for beginners! Here’s the gist:
Pick Your Target: You’re hunting Rare monsters of the Beast type. Not just any mangy hound, mind you. Look for the ones with the fancy yellow names and the laundry list of terrifying modifiers that probably killed you last map. Those are the keepers.
- Slap on the Sticker: Use your Tame Beast skill on your chosen victim. This applies a special ‘hinder’ effect, basically painting a big “Capture Me!” sign on its backside. It usually has a timer (check your gem, smarty pants!), something like 10 seconds or so.
- The Beatdown Ballet: Here’s the crucial bit: you gotta defeat the beast WHILE that hinder is still active. If you kill it too fast before applying the hinder, or if the hinder wears off before the kill, you effectively cancel your own capture attempt. Timing is key! Mess it up, and you’re back to square one in this unforgiving part of the game.
- Pro Tip from a Pro: Don’t just whale on it from full health like a berserker who stubbed their toe. Especially with the beefy rares – they’re chunky, tanky, and stubborn… kinda like some people I know. Whittle its health down first, get it nice and low, then hit it with Tame Beast for the finishing blow. Makes managing that timer way easier. This is especially good advice for beginners who might not burst things down instantly. Think tenderising before grilling.
- Gotta Catch ‘Em… Sort Of: Do it right, and SCHWOOP! The beast’s essence gets hoovered right into your Tame Beast gem. Like trapping a thunderstorm in a teacup, but with more teeth and questionable smells.
Step Two: Unwrapping Your New Murder-Floof – The Companion Gem
Say goodbye to that basic Tame Beast gem. In its place, you now have a glorious Companion Gem, custom-made with the soul of the beast you just… persuaded.
Here’s the deal with your new sidekick-in-a-stone:
It’s YOURS. Forever: This gem is that specific beast now, warts and all. It keeps all the delightful (or dreadful) auras, unique abilities, and special modifiers the original rare monster had. A permanent addition to your arsenal as an exile.
No Resale Value: Sorry, wheelers and dealers. These companions are Account-Bound. You can’t trade ’em or sell ’em off. But! The silver lining is you can use this gem and summon your pal across all your characters in the current league. Handy!
Spirit Spender (And How Not to Go Broke): Summoning your new buddy isn’t free. It reserves a chunk of your Spirit (think mana, but fancier and probably purple). The percentage cost varies – some cost a gentle 30%. Others barge in like, “I’ll take half your Spirit and a side of regret,” demanding 40-something percent or more. The juicier the beast and its mods, the higher the spirit tax.
- Psst! Don’t despair if your dream beast has the appetite of a god. Adding Quality to the Companion gem can help lower that reservation cost. Even better, keep an eye out for helpful passive nodes like Easy Going on your travels – these little lifesavers can slash reservation costs significantly (up to 30%!), making your companion feel less like a luxury tax and more like a valued employee. Don’t despair if your dream beast has the appetite of a god. Adding Quality to the Companion gem can help lower that reservation cost. Even better, keep an eye out for helpful passive nodes like Easy Going on your travels – these little lifesavers can slash reservation costs significantly (up to 30%!), making your companion feel less like a luxury tax and more like a valued employee. Now you can keep your other crucial skills and your emotional support murder-dog, no matter your chosen class.
Growing Pains & Leveling Up (Hidden Menus & Ritualistic Nonsense): Nabbed a beast early on that’s now feeling a bit like dead weight next to the hellspawn you’re currently wrangling? No need to cry into your Spirit Flask – Companion Gems can, in fact, level up! Naturally, Wraeclast isn’t gonna hand that process to you on a silver UI platter, not in this game. To beef up your beastie, you’ll need a brand-spankin’-new, higher-level uncut Tame Beast gem (the basic kind!). Crack open your gem panel, but don’t you dare click on the regular skill upgrade tab — no no, this arcane ritual lives in the All Gems section. Pick your dusty old companion gem, slap it in alongside the shiny new uncut gem you acquired, pay the fee, and voilà: ritual complete. Stronger stats, better scaling, mildly cultish vibes. Your companion is now buffer, meaner, and ready for more mayhem on your path to glory. The UI might get updated eventually to make this less obscure, but for now, the All Gems tab is where the leveling magic happens.
Found a shinier beast you want instead? You’ll need to grab a new uncut Tame Beast gem and start the whole capture process over. Build a collection! (And we’ll talk about what to do with the old ones later…)
Step Three: Why Bother With All This Furry Fuss?
“Sounds like work,” you grumble. And it is! But oh, the rewards! These companions aren’t just pretty faces:
Mobile Modifier Mayhem: Remember all those infuriating monster abilities? Temporal Bubbles turning the air to molasses? Hinder Auras making you feel like you’re wading through cheese? Shocked ground, Chilled ground, the whole elemental disco floor of pain? Guess what? Now you, the player, can unleash that misery on your enemies! Your companion brings those mods to the party, fighting fire with fire (or ice, or lightning…). Sweet, sweet revenge for every exile who’s been stun-locked by these things.
- Your Personal Utility Belt (or Meat Shield): Based on the beast you snag, and maybe your chosen class, your companion can fill different roles:
| Tank | Your walking, grunting meatshield. Distracts the nasties so you don’t get splattered across the floor like cheap paint. | Taunts, Defensive Auras, Knockbacks, Generally Annoying to Enemies | Squishy folks needing breathing room (Lookin’ at you, Witch class!) |
| DPS | All teeth and claws, zero self-preservation instinct. Makes things dead, fast. Might die just as quick, but hey, fireworks! | Bleeds, High Crit, Burst Damage, Offensive Mods that go BOOM | Speedy clears, Melting single targets (if it survives the sneeze test) |
| Support | The helpful gremlin trotting behind you. Doesn’t steal the spotlight, just makes you look better. Like good lighting, but with more biting. | Buff Auras (Haste!), Debuffs (Chill!), Regen, Enemy Slows, Generally making life easier | Literally everyone who likes buffs, debuffs, or just not dying quite as much. |
Surprisingly Sticky: Worried your pet will just die constantly? They’re tougher than they look. The Last Gasp support gem gives them a few seconds of defiance after hitting zero HP. Combine that with a very short resummon cooldown (like 5 seconds!), and they’re barely off the field for more than a blink. High uptime is the name of the game.
Loyal Little Shadows… Except When They’re Feral Toddlers: Most companions stick to you like bloodthirsty glue. Loyal, dependable, ready to maul on command. Even if you’re zooming around, they generally do a good job keeping up, teleporting or leashing to you if needed. However, some companions – cough the ones with charging attacks or Leap Slam Quadrillas cough – sometimes have the attention span of a toddler on espresso. They might decide to chase a random enemy halfway across the map while you’re trying to deal with something important right here. Bad pet! Usually, they teleport or leash back eventually if you bolt far enough ahead. But if that wanderlust is ruining your vibe (especially for aura delivery), consider hunting down a clingier companion. Ones focused purely on auras or defensive mods tend to hover nearby, dutifully vibing in buff range instead of sprinting into the abyss for a solo adventure.
Step Four: Grooming Your Gremlin – Upgrades & Support Gems
We already covered leveling up your Companion gem via that obscure menu. But don’t stop there! Treat your companion like the valuable asset it is:
Support Gems Are Key: Socket useful supports onto your Companion gem!
- Loyalty: A flat 10% reduced damage taken for you. Yes, please!
- Last Gasp: Essential for minimising downtime when they inevitably faceplant.
- Blind Support: If your beast hits things (especially with AoE), this is amazing free defense.
- Meat Shield / Elemental Army: Make your tank even tankier! More survivability means more aura/debuff uptime.
Step Five: Where the Wild Things Really Are – Efficient Farming
Okay, wandering aimlessly hoping to stumble upon the God-Tier Beast of Destiny™ can take eons. Not the most efficient path for a busy exile, especially beginners who want results! This Act 3 farm gets you started beautifully, but don’t stop looking! You’ll gather potential upgrades throughout the campaign and deep into the endgame.
The Checkpoint Cha-Cha:
We’re heading to the Embattled Encampments waypoint in Act 3. Two prime spots nearby are perfect for this trick in the current state of the game:
- The Infested Barrens: Near a campsite here, two rare beasts reliably spawn close together. Double the chances per reset! Great if you’re fishing for specific modifiers.
- The Jungle Ruins: Make your way to the Troubled Camp. Right next door, a rare Quadrilla always spawns. Only one beast, but Quadrillas are naturally tanky, mobile (Leap Slam!), and make fantastic all-rounders. Solid choice (despite their potential wanderlust).
The Method to the Madness:
- Zone into the Barrens or Ruins.
- Find the guaranteed rare(s) near their camp. Check their mods. Like what you see? Great!
- DO NOT KILL THEM (unless you’re capturing, obviously!). This is the golden rule!
- If the mods are garbage, pop open the main menu and hit “Reset at Checkpoint”. You’ll respawn nearby, and crucially, the rare beasts at the camp will reroll with fresh modifiers. Magic!
- Trot back to the camp (it’s super close). Check the new offerings. Still no good? Reset again! Rinse and repeat.
Whoopsie-Daisy: Accidentally vaporised the beast you didn’t want? The checkpoint reset won’t bring it back. You’ll need to portal to town or backtrack to the zone entrance and create a new instance of the area, then find the camp again. Try to keep your murder-hobo instincts in check until you find ‘The One’.
This method is fast, great for beginners and veterans alike; checking beasts takes seconds per reset. You can find something decent with 2 or 3 useful mods in minutes, unless you’re aiming for that mythical 4-mod perfect beast (which can happen, especially in Cruel difficulty or later!).
Step Five-and-a-Half: Unwanted Beast? Recycle That Gremlin with Style
So you farmed up a storm, tamed a beast, gave it a cute name (“Stabby McStabface”?), maybe even sang it a little shanty… and then five minutes later found something shinier, meaner, and generally better. It happens. Relatable content right here. But hey — no need to commit gemicide or let that old Companion Gem gather dust in your stash like a forgotten relic.
March proudly over to any vendor, open the sell window, and toss your unwanted, now-obsolete Companion Gem in there like yesterday’s trash. Poof! It magically turns back into a basic, level 1, uncut Tame Beast gem. Fresh, clean, unjudgmental, and ready for your next conquest. It’s like spiritual composting, but way more satisfying and involves zero actual dirt. (And maybe share this tip with that friend who hoards everything). Go forth and recycle!
Step Six: Building Your Wishlist – What Mods Make the Cut?
What makes a beast good really depends on your path through the skill tree and your chosen class. Every exile has different needs! Want a full list of every single modifier a beast can possibly roll? Dive into a dedicated fan website or wiki – those lovely nerds keep track of everything. Keep your eyes peeled for these rare ‘Empowered’ treats! They might be more common in the endgame map grind, but getting one early is like hitting the jackpot.
| Auras (Buff You!) | Haste Aura, Elemental Resist Aura, Energy Shield Aura, Phys Damage Aura | The good stuff! Buffs YOU, not just your furry friend. Makes you faster, tougher, or sparklier. Read the label – ‘Aura’ is key! |
| Debuffs & On-Hit | Shock/Chill on Hit, Poison/Bleed/Ignite on Hit | Making enemies miserable is always fun. Softens ’em up or applies nasty DoTs your build might love. Let your pet do the dirty work! |
| Crowd Control & Ground Effects | Temporal Bubble, Hinder Aura, Shocked/Chilled/Ignited Ground Trails | Slows ’em down, trips ’em up, makes ’em suffer on nasty patches. Great for control freaks (like me!). Wind Spear users, pay attention! |
| Beast Mobility & Defense | Hasted (Selfish), Shroud Walker, Armored, Evasive, Extra ES | Keeps your expensive pet alive and mostly where you want it. Less dying = more buffing/biting. ‘Hasted’ only speeds up the beast, remember! |
| Empowered Goodies | Empowered Mana Siphon, Empowering Volatile, etc. | Like regular mods, but with extra spice. Rare, fancy, and often surprisingly potent. Grab ’em if you see ’em! Check wikis for specifics. |
Know Your Mods – Haste vs. Hasted (Don’t Be Fooled!): Before you go naming your new companion “Speed Goblin,” let’s get one thing crystal clear: Haste Aura and Hasted are NOT the same thing, and mixing them up will leave you sad, slow, and thoroughly unbuffed.
- Haste Aura: This is the real MVP. It buffs you (and potentially nearby allies) with lovely attack speed, cast speed, and movement speed. More zoom for everyone!
- Hasted: This modifier only affects the companion itself. That’s it. Your fuzzy friend might turn into Sonic the Hedgehog, zipping around like crazy, but you will still be waddling behind at your normal pace. If the mod description doesn’t explicitly say “Aura”, assume the buff is only for the beast doing cardio without you. Don’t get excited over a purely selfish speed boost!
Think Synergy! Don’t just grab random shiny mods. Think about your build and class. Consider how the beast’s mods synergise not just with your skills, but also your equipped items. Got gloves that benefit from chilled enemies? Find a chill-applying beast! Playing a beefy Marauder? Maybe that Physical Damage Aura is exactly what you need. A squishy Witch class needing protection? Look for defensive auras or a tanky beast. Understanding your class strengths and weaknesses is key throughout Path of Exile. Some mods might seem underwhelming alone but are great for beginners setting up basic synergies early in the game.
Step Seven: Advanced Beast Banter – Final Tips from the Trenches
A few final nuggets of wisdom to chew on:
- Always Carry a Spare: Keep an uncut Tame Beast gem in your inventory. You never know when you’ll stumble upon an upgrade in the wild. Don’t be caught unprepared!
- Be Picky: Don’t feel obligated to tame the first decent thing you see, especially once you have a basic companion. Hold out for mods that truly benefit you.
- Distraction Tactics: Finding it hard to capture a beast without it (or you) dying? Use tools like Decoy Totem or movement skills to create openings.
Final Musings from Path of Exile 2 Critter Collector
Look, the overlords might tweak the checkpoint reset farm someday. They get twitchy about things that are too efficient or fun. But for now? It’s a golden ticket to crafting a powerful, personalised sidekick for almost any Path of Exile 2 build imaginable.
Tame Beast is more than just collecting pets. It’s strategic depth, utility on legs (or claws, or tentacles), and frankly, just plain cool. The right companion can elevate your build from “meh” to “magnificently murderous.”
So get out there! Farm smart, tame wisely, recycle ruthlessly, and don’t settle for some wheezing hound that occasionally burps icicles when you could have a lightning-wreathed monstrosity with a proper Haste aura that follows you into the jaws of hell itself. Find a killer combo? Share it with your mates or on your favourite forum!
The wilds are waiting, Exile. Go find yourself a new best friend. Preferably one with sharp teeth, useful buffs, and a great personality.
(PS: Seriously, name your favorites. Even if you recycle them later. They’re not just spirit-draining meatbags while they’re with you. They’re family. Weird, stabby, potentially recyclable family.)
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What even is this Tame Beast thing?
Think of Tame Beast as your special monster-charming tool! It’s a skill gem you use. When you zap a specific kind of bad guy – a rare Beast monster – with it, you put a little magic timer on them. If you defeat them before that timer runs out, poof! You suck their monster-soul right into the gem and get yourself a permanent pet!
So, how do I actually catch one? Is it like throwing a ball?
Kinda, but with more violence! First, find a rare Beast (yellow name!). Then, you gotta rough ’em up a bit – get their health nice and low. Then, hit ’em with your Tame Beast skill. That puts the magic timer on them. Now, finish the job and defeat them before that timer disappears (it’s usually around 10 seconds). If you time it right, SCHWOOP, you got ’em! If you mess up the timing, no pet for you.
What happens to my Tame Beast gem after I catch something?
Ah, magic! Your basic Tame Beast gem actually transforms. It turns into a brand new, special gem called a Companion Gem, named after the beast you just snagged (like “Companion – Quadrilla”). That new gem is your pet now. You use that gem to summon your new buddy whenever you want.
Is my new pet mine forever? Can I give it to my friend?
Yep, it’s yours for keeps! That specific Companion Gem is bound to your account. Sadly, that means no trading or giving it away – your friend has to go catch their own murder-floof. But the good news is, you can use that same pet across all your characters in that league! One pet, many heroes!
What’s so great about having these pets? What do they do?
Oh, they’re amazing! See, they keep all the cool (or annoying) powers the original rare monster had. Did it have a Haste Aura? Your pet might have it too, making you faster! Did it leave nasty Shocked Ground? Now your pet can do that to enemies! They act like walking buff/debuff machines, tanks, or even extra damage dealers, all based on the monster you caught.
Do these pets cost anything to use? Like mana?
They use something called Spirit! When you summon your companion, it reserves a chunk of your Spirit bar – think of it like setting aside some of your magic power just for them. Bigger, tougher, or fancier pets usually reserve more Spirit, maybe 30% to over 40%. Quality on the gem or special passive skills can help lower this cost, though!
My pet feels kinda weak now. Can I make it stronger?
You bet! You can level up your Companion Gem. It’s a bit weird, though. You need to get a higher level basic, uncut Tame Beast gem (the plain kind). Then, you go into your gem panel, find the All Gems tab (not the normal upgrade place!), put your old Companion Gem and the new Tame Beast gem in there, pay a little fee, and boom! Your pet gets stronger stats.
Where’s the best place to find good monsters to catch early on?
Act 3 is your best bet for starting out! Head to the Embattled Encampments waypoint. From there, you can easily reach either the Infested Barrens (which has two rare beasts close together, great for seeing lots of options) or the Jungle Ruins (which always has a tough Quadrilla near the Troubled Camp).
How does that Act 3 farming trick work again?
It’s super cheeky! Go to one of those spots (Barrens or Ruins), find the guaranteed rare beast(s). Look at their powers. Don’t like ’em? Don’t kill them! Instead, open your menu and hit “Reset at Checkpoint”. You’ll pop back to the nearby checkpoint, and the game magically rerolls the monsters at the camp with new powers! Just run back, check again, and repeat until you find one you like.
What if I accidentally kill the monster I didn’t want while farming?
Whoops! If you kill the rare beast(s) at the farming spot, the “Reset at Checkpoint” trick won’t bring them back with new mods anymore. You’ll have to go back to town (or the zone entrance) and create a brand new version of the whole area from the waypoint map. Then you gotta run and find the camp all over again. So, try to hold your fire until you find the keeper!
What are some of the best powers (mods) to look for on a beast?
You really want things that help you! Look for mods that say “Aura” – Haste Aura, Elemental Resistance Aura, Energy Shield Aura are all fantastic. Things that debuff enemies are great too, like Temporal Bubble, Hinder Aura, or Shock/Chill on hit. Ground effects like Shocked/Chilled Ground can also be super useful, especially for certain builds.
The guide mentioned “Haste Aura” and “Hasted”. What’s the difference?
Super important distinction, pay attention! Haste Aura is the good stuff – it makes YOU (and nearby friends) faster. More attack, cast, and movement speed for everyone! Hasted just makes the pet itself faster. Your pet might zoom around like crazy, but you won’t get any speed boost from it. Always look for the word “Aura” if you want the buff for yourself!
My pet seems to die sometimes. Is that bad?
Nah, don’t worry too much! They’re pretty tough, especially with support gems like Meat Shield. Even if they do hit zero health, the “Last Gasp” support lets them stick around for about 4 extra seconds. And the best part? Their respawn timer is super short, like 5 seconds total. They’re only really “gone” for about 1 second before popping right back up! They have amazing uptime.
Will my pet keep up if I run really fast?
Mostly, yes! They’re designed to stick with you. If you zoom way ahead, they’ll usually leash or just teleport right to your side. Some specific beast types (like chargers or Leap Slammers) might occasionally get distracted by an enemy off-screen and hang out there for a bit, but generally, they do a good job staying close enough to be useful.
What other gems should I put with my Companion Gem?
Good thinking! Besides the main Companion Gem, Loyalty is great (gives you less damage taken). Last Gasp is almost mandatory for keeping them active. Meat Shield or Elemental Army makes them tankier. And Blind Support is amazing if your pet has attacks that can hit multiple enemies – free defense for you!
I caught a pet, but now I found a better one. Can I get rid of the old one?
Yep, easy peasy! Just take that old Companion Gem you don’t want anymore and sell it to any vendor (like Nessa or Tarkleigh). Poof! It turns right back into a basic, level 1, uncut Tame Beast gem, ready for you to use again for your next capture attempt. It’s like recycling for monster souls!
What are those “Empowered” mods the guide mentioned?
Think of them like rare, super-charged versions of normal monster powers. They might look similar at first, but they often have cool extra effects. Like, maybe a Mana Siphon mod that also leaves damaging Shocked Ground. They’re harder to find but can be really powerful! Keep an eye out for mods that seem a little… extra.
Does the level of my Tame Beast skill gem matter when I’m trying to catch a monster?
Nope! The level of the basic Tame Beast gem you use for the capture doesn’t really matter. You just need the gem to apply the hinder effect. You level up the Companion gem after you’ve caught the beast, using higher-level uncut Tame Beast gems in that special “All Gems” menu.
The guide mentioned Tank, DPS, and Support pets. Can you remind me what those are?
Sure thing!
Tank: Your big meatshield. Takes hits for you, keeps enemies busy. Great if you’re squishy.
DPS: The damage dealer. Hits hard but might be fragile. Good for killing things faster.
Support: The helper. Gives you buffs (like Auras), debuffs enemies, or provides utility. Makes you better.
Are these pets good for every character class and build?
Pretty much, yeah! Because you can capture beasts with so many different powers (auras, debuffs, ground effects, etc.), almost any build can find a companion that helps them out. Need more defense? Get a tank or resist aura beast. Need more offense? Get one with a damage aura or debuffs. Need utility? Find one with slows or specific ground effects. They’re super flexible!
