Starbound is a game for players who dreamed of a mash-up between Terraria and No Man's Sky. It looks like Terraria but ups the ante by giving the player a starship with which they can partake in some interstellar exploration. Just as in Terraria, there's plenty of exploration, collecting, and crafting to be done.
One fun aspect of Starbound is the ability to collect some of the animals the player encounters and keep them as pets. These pets aren't simple collectible items either, they can actually assist the player. This adds a Pokemon-like element to Starbound; however, just as with Pokemon, not all pets are equally useful.
10 Floating Geode
Most of the pets on this list are here because of their combat abilities. The Floating Geode technically is here for the same reason, but not because it defeats enemies. The Floating Geode made this list because of its ability to heal the player.
When released, this critter floats around the player's area generating healing prisms. While inside one of these sizable prisms the player's injuries are healed. This allows the player to be a bit more aggressive than they might otherwise be. These can be found in the Geode mini-biomes.
9 Poison Nutmidge
The Nutmidge is normally nothing more than a momentary distraction for the enemy. If it's wearing the Fire Bomb collar the Nutmidge can be quite helpful in battle though, as this will cause four explosions as the Nutmidge is separated into three Nutmidgelings. They don't have much in the way of hit points, but in this scenario, it is preferable for the Nutmidge to die in battle - maybe save one of the Nutmidgelings to be healed later.
The Poison Nutmidge doesn't need the Fire Bomb collar to be useful in battle. This Nutmidge poisons enemies when defeated, and the three Nutmidgelings also poison nearby enemies when they die.
8 Ice Fennix
The Fennix is a pet than can quickly kill a beginning player if encountered in the wild. This cute little fox-like creature has the ability to spit a gout of flame at enemies. This flamethrower attack causes a decent amount of damage and has good range. It is also capable of hitting multiple opponents if they are grouped.
The Ice Fennix replaces this flame attack with an icy breath weapon. This variant's attack has a better range and can apply the Frost status effect on enemies. This will slow the enemy down while also dealing damage. The icy attack doesn't illuminate the area like the fire attack does, but there are plenty of other ways to light up a dark area.
7 Pulpin
The Pulpin doesn't look like it would be much use in battle. It's small, slow, and very benign in appearance. When enemies appear it becomes quickly obvious that this first impression is wrong. The Pulpin jumps into the enemy as its primary attack; this doesn't do much damage and makes the physically weak Pulpin susceptible to attacks.
This pet has a secondary attack that allows it to shoot a stream of bubbles at a target. This stream of bubbles causes a significant amount of damage, and like the Fennix's attacks can strike multiple enemies with one attack.
6 Large Flying Monsters
In the upper atmosphere of many planets is where players can find large flying monsters. These are procedurally generated creatures without specific names. It can be tricky getting up high enough to encounter these monsters, but they make excellent companions in battle.
This type of pet doesn't have an overly complex attack. These monsters will stay in the air above the player and swoop down to attack the enemy. After each attack, they will fly back to their place above the player. This attack does a good amount of damage, and at the same time, the swooping pattern keeps them out of harm's way.
5 Anglure
Too many of the pets in Starbound attack the enemy by literally throwing themselves at the target. Those types of pets typically don't last long. There are a few, like the Large Flying Monsters, that can get away with this by having a lot of hit points and staying airborne.
The Anglure attack from a distance by spitting numerous little creatures at the target. This is a rapid-fire attack that can clear a group of enemies in no time. Best of all, the critter projectiles glow and will briefly provide some illumination. There is a rare electric variant that spits gas clouds and electrocutes enemies that come into contact.
4 Glowing Ball
The Glowing Ball is inarguably the best pet for exploring dark subterranean areas, with the possible exception of the Fire Lumoth. This creature floats through the air providing illumination, but it also periodically releases a glowing orb that stays stationary in the air. There's more though, the Glowing Ball drops light sticks on the ground to provide even more illumination.
This utilitarian pet, unlike the Lumoth, also has an attack. When enemies are near the Glowing Ball it will fire a spread of projectiles toward the target. This doesn't do a lot of damage, but every little bit helps - and the main reason to bring this pet along is for the light.
3 Kluex Sentry
Most players of Starbound have encountered the annoying scenario of enemies constantly approaching when they are tunneling, trying to clear out a new space, or building on the surface. This forces the player to stop what they were doing and fight the attackers. The Kluex Sentries are perhaps the best answer to this problem.
This winged golem stays airborne and shoots red energy bolts at the enemy that do a fair amount of damage. Many pets have a similar attack strategy, but the Kluex Sentry has more hit points than many of those pets, and they don't have the Kluex Sentry's resistances.
2 Adult Poptop
It's almost unheard of to not see the Adult Poptop in a list of the best pets in Starbound. This large beast is commonly referred to as a meat shield because of its ability to soak up large amounts of damage without dying. The Adult Poptop also has a very powerful slashing attack. Players can safely stand behind this pet and take down enemies with the distance weapon of their choice.
This pet is so good that the rare variant simply has an all-white coat; most pet variants come with additional abilities. Using this pet as a shield greatly increases the player's chance of exploring a new area filled with hostile creatures.
1 Peacekeeper Drone
The Peacekeeper Drone is perhaps the best pet in the game. First, this is a flying pet; so it can maintain distance between itself and the enemy. The Peacekeeper Drone has a quick-firing distance weapon for attacking enemies. This attack leaves fire burning on the ground in a wide area that continues to damage the enemy and provides additional illumination. Lastly, the body of this pet provides some illumination in dark areas.
This pet is not acquired in the normal fashion. Normally the player capture pets when they encounter them with the help of a Capture Pod - basically a Pokeball. The Peacekeeper Drone is purchased at the Peacekeeper Store for 20 Peace Credits.
Starbound is available on PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PlayStation Vita.