Pets Uncommon

Arcane Symbiote神秘術のシンビオート

This strange creature feeds off arcane energies. While lacking physical influence, their ethereal power is felt by their host.

In-game description
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Arcane Symbiote stats and effects

Pet type Buff (does not attack; strengthens its owner)
Base effects
  • +28 magic barrier
  • +11% mana regeneration while casting

Compare in the rankings: Best Pets

Unless a note on the page says otherwise, numbers are read from the game files of Core Keeper 1.3.0.6 (prefabs, configuration files, drop tables and the game's program) and calculated by this site, including upgraded (per-level) values, sell prices and mana costs. Names and descriptions are the game's official English text. Only reinforcing materials, minion and pet attacks and some food values are based on the Core Keeper Wiki (Fandom) data (CC BY-SA 3.0). Core Keeper and its images are © Pugstorm. This is an unofficial fan site.

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Arcane Symbiote talents and the best ones to take

Arcane Symbiote can roll 8 different talents. When the pet hatches, 9 talents are picked at random from this list (the same one can be picked more than once; see how many you can get). You unlock them with talent points, one every 2 levels (5 in total at the max level of 10), so the basic idea is to unlock the 5 strongest of your 9. The table lists each talent with its effect per point, from the game data.

TalentEffect (per point)Damage gain (first point)
Triple Trouble +2% chance on hit to deal triple amount of damageAffects the owner Melee (physical) +4.0% / Ranged (physical) +3.6% / Magic +4.0%
Spirit of the Hawk +3% critical hit chanceAffects the owner Melee (physical) +2.5% / Ranged (physical) +3.0% / Magic +3.0%
Crane Style +10% critical hit damageAffects the owner Melee (physical) +2.7% / Ranged (physical) +2.4% / Magic +1.9%
Divebombing +3% melee attack speedAffects the owner Melee (physical) +1.9%
Flock Together +3% range attack speedAffects the owner Ranged (physical) +1.9%
Mana Bowl +2 mana every secAffects the owner Summoner +1.6%
Arcane Beast +3% magic damageAffects the owner Magic +1.0%
Avian Run +5% movement speedAffects the owner — (no damage gain)

Talent icons: Core Keeper Wiki (Fandom, CC BY-SA 3.0).

How many talents can Arcane Symbiote get? Can you take the same talent 5 times?

  • You unlock 5 of the 9 rolled talentsWhen the pet hatches, 9 talents are rolled from the 8 candidates above. The pet earns a talent point at Lv.2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 (5 points at the max level of 10), and each point unlocks one talent.
  • The same talent can be rolled more than onceEach copy in the 9 can be unlocked separately, and the effects add up (two copies of Triple Trouble give twice the effect).
  • Five of the same talent only works if it was rolled 5+ timesWith only 5 points, a sixth copy is wasted; with only 4 copies, the fifth point has to go to something else.
  • The 9 rolled talents never changeA talent reset (200 Ancient Coins) refunds your points but keeps the same 9 talents. To get a different set, you have to hatch another egg.

How many copies of Triple Trouble end up among the 9 (an estimate that assumes each of the 8 candidates is equally likely on every roll; 1.13 copies on average).

Copies of Triple TroubleChance (estimate)Best 5 to unlockDamage gain
(Melee (physical))
0 30% Crane Style, Spirit of the Hawk, Divebombing +7.4%
1 39% Triple Trouble, Crane Style, Spirit of the Hawk, Divebombing +11.7%
2 22% Triple Trouble ×2, Crane Style, Spirit of the Hawk, Divebombing +16.0%
3 7.4% (about 1 in 14 pets) Triple Trouble ×3, Crane Style, Spirit of the Hawk +18.0%
4 1.6% (about 1 in 63 pets) Triple Trouble ×4, Crane Style +19.1%
5 or more 0.2% (about 1 in 403 pets) Triple Trouble ×5 +20.0%

The game does not publish how likely each candidate is to be rolled, so the chances are estimates that treat every candidate as equally likely. The suggested unlocks assume the rest of the 9 are all different talents (base effects included). Sources: Explorer's Guide (1.3 Update) p.68 and the Core Keeper Wiki (Fandom) "Pets" page.

Summary

Answer: the best talents for Arcane Symbiote

  1. The strongest talent is Triple Trouble (#1 for Melee (physical), Ranged (physical), Magic). One point raises expected damage by +4.0% (Melee (physical)).

  2. Triple Trouble barely loses value when stacked. If your pet rolled it more than once, taking every copy is the strongest option (Triple Trouble ×5: +20.0%, versus +11.7% with all different talents). Rolling it 5 or more times among the 9 is rare, though: about 0.2% (about 1 in 403 pets). Two or more copies happen about 31% of the time (how many you can get).

  3. The numbers are how much expected damage per second rises from endgame gear (Lv.20), including the pet's base effects (how it is calculated).

Best talent order for Arcane Symbiote (by build)

Talents in the order that raises expected damage the most at each step (5 points). If your pet did not roll a talent, skip it and take the next one.

  • Melee (physical): Triple Trouble (+4.0%) → Crane Style (+2.7%) → Spirit of the Hawk (+2.6%) → Divebombing (+1.9%) Total +11.7% (including +0.0% from base effects). If talents can be stacked: Triple Trouble ×5 for +20.0%
  • Ranged (physical): Triple Trouble (+3.6%) → Spirit of the Hawk (+3.0%) → Crane Style (+2.5%) → Flock Together (+1.9%) Total +11.5% (including +0.0% from base effects). If talents can be stacked: Triple Trouble ×5 for +18.2%
  • Magic: Triple Trouble (+4.0%) → Spirit of the Hawk (+3.0%) → Crane Style (+2.0%) → Arcane Beast (+1.0%) Total +12.9% (including +2.3% from base effects). If talents can be stacked: Triple Trouble ×5 for +22.7%
  • Summoner: Mana Bowl (+1.6%) Total +1.6% (including +0.0% from base effects). If talents can be stacked: Mana Bowl ×5 for +8.0%

Talents that do not raise damage (Avian Run) are for movement or survival. If damage is your goal, take them last.

Why Triple Trouble comes out on top (how damage stacks)

In Core Keeper, percentage bonuses of the same kind (physical melee damage, melee damage, all damage and so on) are added together, while different kinds (damage %, attack speed, critical hits, triple damage) multiply each other, according to player testing. Adding a little to a kind that is already high changes the total only slightly, while raising a kind your gear barely has changes it a lot.

Triple Trouble makes 2% of your hits deal triple damage (+200% on those hits). On average one point is worth +4%, and since almost no other gear gives triple damage, nearly all of it reaches your damage per second. Stacking it loses very little (the fifth copy still adds +3.4%), and it multiplies with critical hits and attack speed, so it gets better as your gear improves.

Players on Reddit and the Steam forums also rate an Owlux with stacked Triple Trouble as the strongest buff pet, which matches this calculation (some suggest critical hit damage first, but critical hit damage adds little while your critical hit chance is still low). The damage formula is not published by the game; it is based on player testing (details and assumptions).

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Arcane Symbiote color variants (1)

Color variants have not been confirmed (only the default color is shown here).

  • Arcane Symbiote (Default) Default

Color names are the ones used by the Core Keeper Wiki. Images: Core Keeper Wiki (Fandom, CC BY-SA 3.0).

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What is Arcane Symbiote? Features and uses

Arcane Symbiote is an uncommon item in Core Keeper (Pets).

Arcane Symbiote key points (from the game data)

  • It is a buff pet that strengthens its owner with 8 possible talents.
  • Sells to merchants for 6 Ancient Coins.

Calculated and summarized by this site from the game data (1.3.0.6).

Arcane Symbiote mechanics (checked against the game data)

  • Arcane Symbiote's base effects are a magic barrier and faster mana regeneration while casting.

Written by this site from values in the game files (1.3.0.6 prefabs and configuration files).

Arcane Symbiote notes

  • It does not attack enemies.

These notes cover behavior that the game files do not show directly. They are based on facts from the Core Keeper Wiki (Fandom) page "Arcane Symbiote" (CC BY-SA 3.0), rewritten in this site's own words.

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How to get Arcane Symbiote

  • Hatch it from a Arcane Egg in a powered Egg Incubator (30 minutes per egg)The egg becomes a Cracked Arcane Egg, which you use to hatch the pet. Where to find the egg is on its own page.