In the chaotic and colorful world of Castle Crashers, your knight is more than just his armor and weapons. One of the most charming and strategically important ways to customize your character is through Animal Orbs, often referred to as Castle Crashers Pets. These loyal companions not only add flair to your adventure but also provide valuable buffs that can significantly impact your gameplay. Forget about simply looking cute; choosing the right Animal Orb can be the key to conquering challenging levels and maximizing your character’s potential. This guide will explore every Animal Orb in Castle Crashers, detailing where to find them and the unique benefits they offer, helping you become a true master of pet-powered mayhem.
Unlocking the Power of Animal Orbs: Your Castle Crashers Pet Compendium
Castle Crashers boasts an impressive roster of 29 Animal Orbs, each waiting to be discovered and add their unique abilities to your knight’s arsenal. Acquiring these pets is a journey in itself, with each one hidden in different levels and sometimes requiring specific actions or items to unlock. Importantly, every Animal Orb bestows a passive buff on your character, ranging from stat boosts to special abilities. Understanding these buffs is crucial for strategic gameplay, allowing you to tailor your pet selection to suit different levels or your preferred playstyle. Let’s dive into the comprehensive list of Animal Orbs and uncover their secrets.
| Orb Image | Pet Name | Level | How To Find | Effect | Strategic Advantage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cardinal | Industrial Castle | Defeat the Beefy Brute boss in the Industrial Castle level. | Increases Magic stat by 2 and helps find hidden items. | Excellent for magic-focused builds and treasure hunters. The hidden item detection is useful for finding extra gold and consumables. | |
| Owlet | Forest Entrance | Before entering Thieves’ Forest, go behind the musical bush at the end of Forest Entrance. | Collects fruits from trees to heal HP. | Provides passive healing throughout levels, especially helpful for beginners or longer playthroughs. | |
| Chicken | Medusa’s Lair | Dig at the ‘X’ dig spot at the beginning of Medusa’s Lair, before any battles. | Increases Strength, Agility, and Defense stats by one tier each. | A well-rounded boost to core stats, making it a solid early-game pet for general combat effectiveness. | |
| Hawkster | Tall Grass Field | Use the horn in front of the house with a horn sign (bear’s house) in the first battle area of Tall Grass Field. | Deals 1 damage to knocked-down enemies and brings fruit from defeated foes. | Offers minor extra damage and additional healing, a nice combo for sustained fighting. | |
| Mr. Buddy | Home Castle | After the Home Castle cutscene, dig at the dig spot on the far left of the NPC area. | Increases digging speed. | Primarily useful for quickly uncovering buried items and secrets, less impactful in direct combat. | |
| Giraffey | Desert | Dig at the dig spot in the area where you fight the third wave of Royal Guards in the Desert level. | Increases XP gained from each attack. | The ultimate leveling pet. Giraffey significantly accelerates character progression, ideal for grinding levels quickly. | |
| Zebra | Desert Chase | Catch and defeat the Saracen riding a camel in the middle of the Desert Chase level. | 100% chance of finding fruit when destroying grass. | Ensures consistent health recovery, especially in grassy levels or for players who frequently use light attacks to clear grass. | |
| Snoot | Cyclops’s Cave | Use 2 bombs to blow open the cracked wall in the middle of Cyclops’s Cave. | Increases Strength stat by 4 tiers. | A massive Strength boost, making Snoot perfect for melee-focused characters and maximizing physical damage output. | |
| Piggy | Swamp Village Store | Buy Piggy for 290 gold at the store in Swamp Village. | Foods and fruits provide extra healing. | Enhances the effectiveness of healing items, useful for players who rely on consumables for health recovery. | |
| Bitey Bat | Pipistrello’s Cave | Bitey Bat is Pipistrello after you defeat him; he shrinks and becomes obtainable. | Drains blood from enemies, dealing damage and distracting them. | Offers crowd control and minor damage over time, can be helpful in chaotic fights. | |
| Rammy | Tall Grass Field | After defeating the Bear Boss in Tall Grass Field, Rammy is located in the same area. | Occasionally headbutts enemies, knocking them down and dealing minor damage. | Provides additional crowd control, interrupting enemy attacks and creating openings. | |
| Troll | Thieves’ Forest | Use 3 bombs to destroy the wall in the Troll ruins in the middle of Thieves’ Forest. | Restores a small amount of HP every 10 seconds. | Passive health regeneration, slower than Owlet but still provides consistent healing over time. | |
| Spiny | Volcano Store | Buy Spiny for 300 gold at the store in the Volcano level. | Increases Defense stat by 4 tiers. | A significant Defense boost, ideal for tanky builds and reducing damage taken from enemies. | |
| Golden Whale | Various (DLC/Store) | Xbox 360: BattleBlock Theater achievement. PS3: Can’t Stop Crying Pack DLC. PC: Purchase BattleBlock Theater. Remastered: Insane Store for 750 gold. | Drops 1 gold approximately every 10 seconds. | Provides passive gold income, useful for accumulating wealth over extended gameplay sessions. | |
| Pelter | Insane Store | Xbox 360: King Pack DLC. PS3: Insane Store for 5500 gold. PC & Remastered: Insane Store for 1100 gold. | Occasionally throws ice chunks at enemies, dealing damage. | Adds ranged damage capability, helpful for characters who prefer to keep their distance. | |
| Frogglet | Marsh | Dig at the ‘X’ dig spot in the graveyard area of the Marsh level. | Catches dropped items (gold, etc.) with its tongue and brings them closer. | Improves item collection efficiency, ensuring you don’t miss valuable drops in the heat of battle. | |
| Seahorse | Thieves’ Forest | Found by the river in Thieves’ Forest. | Faster movement in water and increases Agility stat by 2 tiers. | Essential for water-heavy levels, and the Agility boost enhances overall speed and maneuverability. | |
| Snailburt | Marsh | Found in front of a wooden hut later in the Marsh level. | Increases Defense stat by 5 tiers but decreases Agility stat by 2 tiers. | Extreme Defense boost at the cost of Agility, suitable for ultra-tank builds that prioritize survivability over speed. | |
| BiPolar Bear | Snow World | Use the horn near the horn sign before entering Ice Castle in Snow World. | Kills enemies and players with a certain low amount of health remaining. | Acts as an executioner, finishing off weakened enemies automatically, surprisingly effective in crowded encounters. | |
| Yeti | Snow World | Found behind the house with smoke from the chimney at the end of Snow World. | Reduces ice damage, prevents freezing, and increases Strength stat by 2 tiers. | Excellent for Snow World and Ice Castle levels, providing elemental resistance and a Strength boost. | |
| Burly Bear | Tall Grass Field | Eat a sandwich to lift the rock on the climbable hill, bomb the wall inside the cave at the end of Tall Grass Field. | Increases Strength stat by 3 tiers and Defense stat by 1 tier. | A strong combination of Strength and Defense, making Burly Bear a versatile pet for offense and defense. | |
| Scratchpaw | Sand Castle Interior | Bomb the breakable wall at the beginning of Sand Castle Interior level. | Increases Strength and Agility stats by 2 tiers each. | Balances Strength and Agility, offering a mix of offensive power and nimble movement. | |
| Sherbert | Animal Ark | Use a Magic Jump or climbing combo to reach Sherbert above the locked door at the far end of Animal Ark. | Allows higher jumps. | Enhances vertical mobility, useful for reaching hidden areas and navigating platforming sections. | |
| Monkeyface | Church Store | Buy Monkeyface for 325 gold at the Church Store. | Increases item drop rate from defeated enemies. | Maximizes loot gains, leading to more gold, weapons, and consumables throughout your adventure. | |
| Meowburt | Parade (via Cyclops’ Cave) | Enter Cyclops’s Cave and exit immediately at the entrance to find Meowburt in Parade. | Increases Agility stat by 4 tiers. | A massive Agility boost, making Meowburt the go-to pet for speed-focused characters and maximizing attack speed and dodging. | |
| Pazzo | Snow Store | Buy Pazzo for 455 gold at the store in the Snow World level. | Increases Defense stat by 2 tiers and reveals nearby dig spots. | Combines Defense with utility, offering moderate protection and helping locate hidden treasures. | |
| Beholder | Animal Ark (Key Sword required) | Use the Key Sword on the locked door in Animal Ark. Get Key Sword in Full Moon level with Cardinal pet (approach 2nd shack in climbable area). | Increases Magic stat by 4 tiers. | The ultimate Magic pet, Beholder provides the highest Magic stat boost, essential for magic-heavy builds. | |
| Instal Ball | Alien Ship | Enter the secret passage before the three aliens during the countdown phase after the first laser barriers in Alien Ship. | Occasionally shoots plasma balls at enemies. | Adds automatic ranged attacks, providing supplemental damage output, especially useful for melee characters. | |
| Dragonhead | Insane Store | Xbox 360: Necromantic Pack DLC. PS3, PC, and Remastered: Insane Store for 1,100 gold. | Launches powerful fireballs that damage and burn enemies. | Provides powerful offensive magic, allowing for ranged attacks with burning damage, excellent for crowd control and boss fights. |
Choosing the Right Castle Crashers Pet for Your Adventure
With a plethora of Animal Orbs to choose from, selecting the best Castle Crashers pet can feel overwhelming. However, understanding your playstyle and the challenges of each level will guide your decision.
- For Leveling Up: Giraffey is unequivocally the best choice due to its XP boost. Equip Giraffey when you’re focused on grinding levels and unlocking new characters.
- For Melee Power: Snoot and Burly Bear are top contenders, offering substantial Strength increases for devastating physical attacks.
- For Magic Users: Beholder and Cardinal amplify your magical prowess, with Beholder providing the ultimate Magic stat boost.
- For Defense and Survival: Spiny, Snailburt, and Pazzo enhance your survivability. Snailburt offers extreme defense, while Spiny and Pazzo provide a more balanced approach.
- For Utility and Exploration: Owlet, Zebra, Frogglet, and Mr. Buddy offer practical benefits outside of direct combat, such as healing, item collection, and faster digging.
Ultimately, the “best” Castle Crashers pet depends on your current needs and objectives. Experiment with different Animal Orbs to discover combinations that complement your knight’s build and conquer every challenge the game throws your way. Embrace the adorable and powerful world of Castle Crashers pets, and let these loyal companions enhance your epic journey!
