Pets & Auto-Loot

Pets in Reap and Rush (地府有点忙) are more than cosmetic flair — they vacuum Fate Stones, extend pickup radius for Soul orbs, and sometimes assist underworld duties between combat waves. Early Access highlights two fan-favorite launch pets: the balloon dog spirit and DD (听) — a helper tied to auto-loot and stone management in hectic bullet-hell moments. This guide explains how pets interact with the Five Elements backpack, companion slots, and tier lists so you stop dying while chasing drops.

Pets vs companions vs relics

Language gets muddy because the community calls everything “pets.” Mechanically: companions are run rewards with aura slots — ranked on Companion Tier List. Relics are passive items — Companions & Relics Items. Launch pets like balloon dog often arrive as companion offers or ledger unlocks with explicit auto-loot tooltips. Read the icon text before equipping; do not assume every spirit shares DD’s stone magnet behavior.

Balloon dog — pickup radius and morale

The balloon dog companion increases pickup radius for Souls and scattered loot without demanding aim precision. It shines on Hungry Ghost Market where kill counts spike and orbs scatter off-screen. Pair with Soul Lantern effects for level bar acceleration — see Builds Hub. Balloon dog is rarely top tier for boss DPS, but it saves runs where you would otherwise skip stones while kiting elites.

DD (听) — auto Fate Stone loot

DD addresses the launch pain point: Fate Stones drop during waves you cannot safely walk through. Auto-loot pulls stones into your Five Elements backpack on a short delay, letting you maintain dodge-aim loops. This matters most on Iron Seal Vaults elite packs and tier four+ difficulty where standing still equals death. DD does not replace shop planning — overflow backpack management still punishes hoarding five elements at once. Read Five Elements Builds for discard timing.

Backpack management reminder

The Five Elements inventory is a separate system from pets, but pets feed it faster. When auto-loot fills slots, you must merge, discard, or activate resonance tags before the next shop. Underworld duties pause combat but not always loot timers — finish offerings quickly if DD is pulling stones during duty cutscenes. Underworld Duties lists which events freeze combat entirely.

Unlock and slot rules

Default runs allow one active companion; ledger meta unlocks an echo slot for a second pick. Prioritize auto-loot pets when learning Combat Basics; swap to stagger pets like Stagger Moth before gate bosses — How to Beat Bosses. Envoy choice still defines your start — Envoy Tier List — pets patch holes mid-run.

Tier list and achievement routing

Auto-loot pets rarely sit in S tier for speedrun clears, but they dominate achievement routes requiring stone archive entries or duty streaks without missed pickups. Hidden achievements tied to pet dialogue appear in Achievements Guide. Track new pet additions on Updates — roadmap posts mention more spirit allies post-launch.

Controller and Steam Deck

Auto-loot reduces precision cursor work — helpful on controller and Steam Deck where aim and movement share thumbs. Full gamepad support is confirmed in Launch FAQ; pets do not require extra buttons beyond companion swap menus in shops.

Additional context

Independent fan wiki. Pet names localized differently in Chinese client — balloon dog and DD refer to launch Steam English tooltips. Report renames after patches on Steam Community Hub with version numbers.