Early in Wasteland 3, you’ll come across a cat named Major Tomcat. Contrary to what you might think, Major Tomcat is actually a very useful ally. He’s helpful in combat and can join your party as an animal follower that doesn’t take up a permanent party slot. Even though he’s just a cat, he actually does way more damage to enemies than you’d expect. You don’t have to keep him around if you don’t want to, but he can help you get through some early game fights with ease if you let him stay on your team
What Does Major Tomcat Do?
Major Tomcat will join your party as an animal companion if you let him. You’ll encounter him after completing the initial encounter with the Dorseys when you first arrive in Colorado. There are two ways to recruit Major Tomcat. The first is to offer him a cigarette. A Ranger you meet earlier tells you that he likes cigarettes, so waving one in front of his face will prompt him to jump down and follow you. The second method is to use the Animal Whisperer skill to convince him to join you. You only need Animal Whisperer level 1 to succeed, so anyone in your party with the skill should be able to do it.
If you recruit Major Tomcat to your party, he will fight alongside you in combat. His sharp claws deal a surprising amount of damage, and they even have a chance to inflict bleeding. He acts on the Ally turn during combat, moving and attacking after all six of your Rangers have taken their turn. He can take a few hits, but his health is low overall. Make sure to heal him after combat to keep him in top shape.
Can Major Tomcat Die?
Unfortunately, Major Tomcat can die. His health is very low, and strong enemies have a chance of taking him down with one or two attacks. Early in the game, you shouldn’t worry about his safety. As long as you don’t do anything rash like throwing a grenade near him, he’s perfectly capable of surviving combat. Major Tomcat is a surprisingly able fighter, and his claws can seriously mess up early-game enemies.
If you would rather not have Major Tomcat’s death on your conscious, you can dismiss him and leave him in a safe place. To dismiss Major Tomcat, click on him to initiate dialogue and choose the option to dismiss him. On PS4 and Xbox One, you’ll need to press L3/LS to toggle targeting mode and select Major Tomcat to speak to him and dismiss him. It’s best to leave him somewhere safe like Ranger HQ so you don’t lose track of where he is.
Animal Companions Explained
You can have multiple animal companions in Wasteland 3. Recruiting most animals requires the use of the Animal Whisperer perk, but there are a select few companions that can be tamed by other means. Major Tomcat is one example of an animal that doesn’t require Animal Whisperer, as you can just offer him a cigarette in exchange for his services in combat. Most other animals, like dogs and other wildlife, will require you to have at least a few points in Animal Whisperer. The stronger the animal, the more points in the skill you’ll need to have.
