Starter Wolf
by pokejef143
Starter Wolf gives each new player a tamed wolf companion on first join, and the wolf grows stronger through combat with an RPG leveling system.
What it does
On the first join to a world, the mod spawns a named Starter Pet beside the player, already tamed. The wolf is a loyal companion that follows the player and fights for them. If the Starter Pet dies, the next time the player logs in a new Level 1 wolf is granted, so a lost companion does not end the run.
The wolf earns EXP by dealing damage to mobs, and it receives a bonus equal to the mob's maximum health when it lands the final killing blow. At Level 20 it reaches its maximum, and each level-up permanently raises its health and attack damage. Physical growth makes it larger as it levels, reaching nearly twice the size of a standard vanilla wolf at the top level.
Starter Wolf runs on Forge for 1.20.1 and needs Pehkui, which handles the size changes. The server and every player need the mod installed. The mod is released under All rights reserved and is not open source, though its source code is public.
Key features
Automatic first pet
A tamed wolf named Starter Pet appears on the player's right side the first time they join a world.
Combat-based RPG leveling
The wolf gains EXP from damage and final blows, and each level raises its health and attack damage.
Physical growth
The wolf visibly grows as it levels, reaching nearly double the size of a vanilla wolf at Level 20.
Collar tiers
The collar changes color automatically as the pet levels, so its strength can be read at a glance.
Berserk mode
Right-clicking the wolf with a bone toggles Berserk Mode, where it hunts hostile mobs and animals on its own.
Gallery
Compatibility
Latest build for each game version and loader.
Only full game releases are shown. This mod publishes no snapshot builds.
Requirements
Dependencies declared by the latest file for each loader.
Required 1
Use cases
Starting a survival world
A player who begins alone gets a loyal companion immediately, without having to find and tame a wolf.
Who it’s for: Players who want a companion that grows over time in a survival or adventure world, and server owners who want every new player to start with a pet.
How it compares
More Starter Weapons is client-side only, so it changes nothing on the server, and it is released under All rights reserved for 1.20.1. Auto Leveling Naming and Starter Orb run on client and server, as Starter Wolf does, and are published for 1.20.1 under the MIT License and All rights reserved respectively.
| Mod | Loaders | Game versions | Environment | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starter Wolf | Forge | 1.20.1 | Client and server | 2026-07-08 |
| More Starter Weapons | Forge | 1.20.1 | Client-side only | 2026-01-19 |
| Auto Leveling Naming | Forge | 1.20.1 | Client and server | 2026-01-16 |
| Starter Orb | Forge | 1.20.1 | Client and server | 2025-03-05 |
Questions
Does Starter Wolf require another mod?
Does the server need Starter Wolf?
What happens if Starter Pet dies?
In the catalog
Starter Wolf is one of 19,031 Adventure mods on ModsFinder, and one of 10,478 Adventure mods for Forge. 34,764 mods support Minecraft 1.20.1.
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What the author says
🐺 Starter Wolf: RPG Companion Never start your Minecraft adventure alone again! Starter Wolf is a Vanilla+ companion mod that guarantees every player gets a loyal, auto-tamed wolf the very first time they log into a world. But this isn't just a regular vanilla dog—your new Starter Pet features a fully custom RPG…
Official listing
- Modrinth page
- modrinth.com/mod/starter-wolf
- Owner
- pokejef143
- Published
- 2026-07-08
- Updated on Modrinth
- 2026-07-08
- Facts verified
- 2026-10-15