Gorgon Codex

Pet Build Guide

Pet / SummonerIntermediate

Primary Skill

Animal HandlingAnimal Handling

Secondary Skill

ArcheryArchery
Recommended level: 100Open in Build Planner →

Overview

Animal Handling and Archery is the most popular pet build in Project Gorgon. Your pet tanks and deals heavy melee damage while you contribute personal DPS from range with Archery. This is one of the safest solo playstyles — enemies focus on your pet while you attack from distance. The March 2025 update significantly buffed Animal Handling's abilities and pet balance, making AH builds stronger than ever.

Animal Handling lets you tame and train pets (Bears, Big Cats, Rats, Bees), each with different strengths. Pet management is a core part of the gameplay: you'll need sacrifice items to tame (cheese for Rats, string for Cats, etc.), keep your pet's Happiness up, and use That'll Do between fights to restore pet health. The first 3 stable slots are free; additional slots can be purchased from Stable Masters.

Strengths

  • Pets tank for you — one of the safest solo playstyles in the game
  • Archery provides strong personal ranged DPS while your pet holds aggro
  • Multiple pet types for different situations (Bears=tank, Cats=damage, Rats=poison/debuff, Bees=ranged)
  • Monstrous Rage provides massive pet burst damage (+175% at max rank)
  • March 2025 update significantly buffed Animal Handling abilities and pet balance

Weaknesses

  • Pet management adds out-of-combat complexity (taming, happiness, bond leveling)
  • Pets can die in high-damage encounters, leaving you vulnerable
  • Archery requires arrows (crafted or purchased) — inventory management
  • AH trainers are spread across the world (Serbule, Fae Realm, Povus)

Key Abilities

Sic 'EmAnimal Handling

Commands your pet's special attack with speed and damage buffs. Primary pet damage source.

Monstrous RageAnimal Handling

Buffs your pet's next attack by up to +175% damage. Use on cooldown for massive burst.

Clever TrickAnimal Handling

Commands your pet's species trick and recovers pet armor. Core rotation ability for pet maintenance.

Feed PetAnimal Handling

Heals your pet mid-combat (restores Health, or Armor if Health is full). Essential for pet sustain.

Get It Off MeAnimal Handling

Redirects enemy aggro to your pet and boosts pet taunt. Use immediately if enemies target you.

Aimed ShotArchery

Precise ranged attack dealing extra damage. Your main personal DPS contribution from range.

Blitz ShotArchery

Fast zero-cost ranged attack. Triggers Combat Refresh for HP/armor/Power sustain.

Fire ArrowArchery

Fire-damage ranged attack. Adds a second damage type beyond your pet's Slashing/Crushing.

Treasure Mod Recommendations

Sic Em Slashing BoostHead, Main Hand

Boosts Sic 'Em Slashing damage for Cats and Bears. Primary pet damage mod.

Sic Em HealLegs, Hands

Sic 'Em also heals your pet, reducing Feed Pet pressure and improving sustain.

Archery BoostHead, Off Hand

Percentage boost to all Archery damage for your personal DPS contribution.

Aimed Shot BoostChest, Feet

Boosts your main personal ranged attack.

Related Skill Guides

Animal Handling

Animal Handling Guide

Abilities, mods, trainers

Archery

Archery Guide

Abilities, mods, trainers

Frequently Asked Questions

Which pet is best?
Bears have the most health and are best for tanking. Big Cats deal the most damage. Rats are available earliest and specialize in poison, debuffs, and utility. Bees provide ranged damage and elemental pressure. Check the Pet Stats guide for detailed comparisons at each tier.
Can I have multiple pets at once?
No — you can only have one Animal Handling pet active at a time. You can purchase additional stable slots from Stable Masters (first 3 are free), letting you store and swap pets for different situations.
What do I need to know about pet management?
Tame pets using sacrifice items (cheese for Rats, string for Big Cats, perch for Bears, bouquet for Bees). Keep Happiness high for better XP gain — it drops sharply if your pet dies. Use That'll Do between fights to restore pet health. Visit an AH trainer to level up your pet when it has enough XP.
Why Archery over Psychology or Druid?
Archery provides strong ranged personal DPS that complements your pet's melee damage perfectly — you stay at range while your pet holds aggro in melee. Druid is also viable if you prefer healing support over damage. Psychology works but provides less personal DPS from range.