Monster Rearing is a feature of Mog Gardens in which players can raise monsters from childhood to maturity. When cared for properly, the monsters can provide the player with items, change appearances, and even confer global bonuses (called a "cheer" effect), similar to how a Moghancement works.
Eligibility
- Complete Jingly Dangler.
- Use all gathering activities until they are eligible for, or at, Rank 4.
Once you meet those requirements, you can speak to Green Thumb Moogle to begin Release the Fleece. Once you complete the quest line (Feeding Frenzy ending with Cry Not, Caretaker), Monster Rearing will be fully unlocked. You will begin rearing a Sheep named "LittleSheep" by default.
- Rank 2 monsters are unlocked if you obtain
"Sakura and the Magic Spoon" and complete Chacharoon's Cheer. You will also be able to activate "Cheer" bonuses (which are based on mementos you have earned).
- Rank 3 monsters are unlocked if you obtain "Sakura and the Fountain" and complete Trial of the Chacharoon. You will also be able to raise two monsters at once after visiting the Rearing Grounds. Green Thumb Moogle will begin selling Bastore Sardine in his "Rank 3 monsters" shop.
- Rank 4 monsters are unlocked if you obtain
"Sakura and the Magicked Net".
- Rank 5 monsters are unlocked if you obtain "Sakura's Excellent Adventure" and complete Doctor Chacharoon. You will also be able to raise three monsters at once. Green Thumb Moogle will begin selling San d'Orian Carrot in his "Rank 5 monsters" shop.
- Rank 6 monsters are unlocked if you obtain "Sakura and the Cactus Corps".
- Rank 7 monsters are unlocked if you obtain "Sakura and the Holy Grail". You will also be able to raise four monsters at once.
Monster Management
Talk to Chacharoon to start rearing a new monster. This can be done once per day (twice starting at rank 5). You will have to remove one you are already rearing for each new one you wish to rear if you are already at the maximum number of monsters (per the Eligibility list above).
- Rank 1 monsters:
- Rank 2 monsters:
- Rank 3 monsters:
- Rank 4 monsters:
- Rank 5 monsters:
- Rank 6 monsters:
- Rank 7 monsters:
All monsters can be seen in the Rearing Grounds, which can be reached through Chacharoon, Green Thumb Moogle, Mog Dinghy, or walking through the ravine.
Names
Monsters will come with randomly generated names until you give them a new name.
- The random names are often the same ones you see in Chocobo Racing.
- Some names are not allowed, such as profane words, "ad", and "gm".
- Giving your monster a name will cause a "3 red hearts" animation, signifying a Somewhat Positive effect on its mood.
Rearing Options
- Parental Style
- Personal Growth - monster will gradually mature every day, though its mood will gradually degrade unless you check, feed and/or interact with it. An exception to the interaction part would be a monster that does not like any interaction, such as the Behemoth family or Great Adamantoise.
- All new monsters spawned are set to this style by default.
- Enjoying the Moment - monster's growth level will not increase, even if you feed it.
- Personal Growth - monster will gradually mature every day, though its mood will gradually degrade unless you check, feed and/or interact with it. An exception to the interaction part would be a monster that does not like any interaction, such as the Behemoth family or Great Adamantoise.
- Rearing Priority - talking to Chacharoon allows you to change which one of your monsters will be showcased in the Mog Garden, and it will be given "rearing priority."
Mementos
Obtaining a "<Monster type> memento" from a monster (e.g., Sheep memento) unlocks one of Chacharoon's Cheers and an item in Green Thumb Moogle's shop. Each Cheer confers different global bonuses when activated. Feeding, interacting with, or collecting items from a monster gives you a chance at obtaining a memento from it.
- Feeding, interacting with, or collecting items from a baby monster (1st stage evolution) may earn you its memento at around 2 stars of growth. An adult monster can give its memento at any time.
- A 2nd stage (adult) monster will occasionally grant the memento of its baby version if you have not received it already, but a 3rd stage adult monster will never grant its 2nd stage's memento. Putting a monster on Enjoying the Moment if it is approaching the maximum 3 stars growth will ensure you do not miss it if you have not gotten it by then.
- To change your current Memento Cheer effect, you must talk to Chacharoon and select "talk about cheers". There will be a Shining Stars cost (listed on the Cheers page).
- Only one Cheer may be active at a time.
- Each monster's memento is listed on its page.
Parting
You have two options to part with your monster permanently. You can begin rearing a new monster immediately (see "Monster Management" introduction above for qualifications).
- Send It Back Home - will earn you a gil reward and up to 4 Mog Garden items, depending on maturation level and player interaction:
- Cactus Stems, Tree Cuttings, Tree Saplings, Coalition Serum, Coalition Humus, Coalition Fertilizer, Star Sprinkles, Super Baitball.
- Obtaining a new monster and then immediately sending it away results in no reward.
- Put It Down - will earn you 1-3 items tagged as "Put down" on each monster's page.
Monster Care
The monster's mood falls on a scale between "succumbing to darkness" and "beaming with pure contentment." It is somewhat difficult to achieve these extreme states, however.
- The farther from Neutral a monster's response is, the more its mood is affected. A Neutral response does not affect its mood one way or the other.
- An interaction that normally "strongly resonates" with a monster will reward you with Shining Stars if done when it is "beaming with pure contentment". If a monster normally does not "strongly resonate" with any interaction, such as the Great Adamantoise, you cannot receive this reward. Feed will not earn you Shining Stars.
- Checking a monster that is "succumbing to darkness" will render all Mog Garden activities unusable, except for Flotsam. Only the following actions may be performed on a monster in this mood:
- Use moogle magic to improve the monster's mood. Requires an expenditure of Shining Stars equal to the monster's family rank, with the number increasing per use, and may not work.
- The monster may be put down.
- The monster's growth level is represented by 0-3 stars (an unfilled star denoting one-half star).
- Japanese Midnight
- A monster on the Personal Growth parental style will grow by 0-0.5 stars. Each species seems to have its own number of days that must pass before this has a chance to occur. Different species within the same family (sapling vs. red foliage treant, e.g.) can noticeably vary.
- A monster at 3 stars on Personal Growth will have an evolutionary dice roll chance to evolve into its next normal adult form, if there is one (an example of a monster that doesn't have one is the Adamantoise). So, if you want the monster to evolve to a variant form instead, if there is one (or two), it is recommended to set it to Enjoying the Moment before it reaches 3 stars, to prevent it from normal evolution.
- Monsters with three stages of growth typically do not evolve into their third forms without evolution food.
- Japanese Midnight
Responses
Once per Earth day, you may interact with each monster. There are 6 interaction choices: Do nothing, Pet it, Poke it, Slap it, Yell at it or Get Angry at it. "Do nothing" seems to, well, do nothing, and merely act as an Escape key. Interactions will have either a positive, neutral or negative effect on its mood, per the messages below.
- Strongly Positive - "That strongly resonated with <MonsterName>." (Animation: yellow/orange notes)
- Somewhat Positive - "That was surprisingly not worthless in the eyes of <MonsterName>." (Animation: 3 hearts)
- Neutral - "<MonsterName> stares off into the distance as if you're not even there." (Animation: none)
- Somewhat Negative - "That didn't go over too well with <MonsterName>." (Animation: none)
- Strongly Negative - "<MonsterName> is visibly angry at what you just did." (Animation: black scribbles in gray clouds)
Once per Earth day, you may feed the monster a "treat" (Chacharoon tends to the regular feedings). Monsters will only accept certain things to ingest, as per the Feed table below.
- A monster you feed will grow faster than one you don't, but still no more than 0-0.5 stars per day.
- Normal feed - Any feed that cannot cause evolution, only growth. Any monster will accept anything from the Feed chart, but each species has its own likes and dislikes, which affect its mood.
- Evolution feed - Some species have a feed that will give them a chance to evolve into a variant adult form (if they have one); it will act as normal feed to other monsters. There are also species that have feed that will give them a chance to evolve into their normal adult form sooner than 3 stars, similar to variant feed.
- These monsters will "squirm uncontrollably", or even "shudder violently", if you feed them their specific evolution feed. Monsters can begin squirming at 1.5-2.5 stars growth level (exact growth level depending on the species). Immediately after you zone, the monster has a chance to evolve if it was squirming, while it will always evolve after shuddering.
- Since Enjoying the Moment parental style blocks normal evolution, it can be useful when you want a variant evolution.
- Since not all minimum squirm levels are known, it is recommended to wait until 2.5 stars growth before feeding an expensive item such as Savory Shank.
- After evolving, adult monsters can continue growing to the maximum of 3 full stars again. At that point, the Personal Growth parental style will have no effect on either its mood or its growth.
Once per Earth day, you may collect 1-4 items from the monster. This will always "not go over well", unless the monster is "beaming with pure contentment", or a Mog Gardens Campaign is going on.
Feed
| Berries | Fishes | Fruits |
|---|---|---|
| Fungi | Greens | Liquids |
| Meats | Minerals | Seeds |
☆ Available from the Green Thumb Moogle with the appropriate Memento acquired.
★ Represents the cheapest NPC-sold options. Clusters are not sold by NPCs, but are easily hunted in Ru'Aun Gardens or gotten from an Ephemeral Moogle, and Gems can typically be purchased with Login Points.
Bold items can be used to evolve a monster to its next stage.
Available Monsters
The pages found at the links below list each monster's Evolutions, Interactions, Feed, Memento bonuses, Collected and Put Down items.
| Monster Rearing Index | |
|---|---|
| Rank 1: | |
| Rank 2: | |
| Rank 3: | |
| Rank 4: | Coeurl Cub • Coeurl • Lynx
Buffalo Calf • Buffalo Mini Slime • Slime • Clot • Hecteyes Mandragora Sproutling • Mandragora • Elder Mandragora • Lycopodium • Ake-Ome • Adenium • Elder Adenium • Korrigan • Pachypodium • Citrullus |
| Rank 5: | |
| Rank 6: | |
| Rank 7: |