Forum:Ascend with original (non-poly) pet in tow?

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Hi :)

Question on 3.4.3 vanilla..

Is it realistically feasible to take your original pet right through the game to ascension, *without* polymorphing it into something tougher?

I get rather attached to my kitty (actually I have a bad habit of restarting anytime it gets killed) but if I read the spoilers right, they never get past xp level 9 normally. Seems wraith corpses can break this cap, but I dont know of a way to farm these effectively outside wizard mode. That and zapping with speed monster is all I've found for boosting them up at all.

Are there any other tips / strategies for toughening them up, and getting them through gehennom and the astral planes?

Any help would be much appreciated!

I hate to break it to you, but it's going to be quite difficult to keep your kitty alive that long. There are ways to get lots of wraith corpses (lure the wraiths out of the valley, use reverse genocide), but even if you have a level 50 large cat, it still won't have resistances or decent AC and can't use equipment to get any. That means it will be vulnerable to fire traps and all the powerful attacks of late-game monsters, not to mention wands and breath attacks. Also, it will constantly be picking fights with more dangerous monsters, especially if you've raised its level above its natural max. You'd have to heal your cat constantly, since it doesn't have regeneration and can't heal itself. It's possible to do, I'm sure, but it will take healthy portions of both skill and luck. Your best bet might be a healer or a wizard that starts with a healing spell or can find one early, and careful use of a magic whistle (or possibly a leash) to keep your cat out of harm's way later in the game. Aaxelb (talk) 16:31, 22 April 2013 (UTC)