As any player can see by perusing the Lion Wardrobe, Lioden is absolutely chock-full of mutations. Here, we're focusing on one specific mutation and its variations: Primal! Below, we have listed out the current known variations, as well as a FAQ section regarding Primals, and finally, a miscellaneous section for charts related to Primals.

Basic Primal  

Cub Newborn

Cub Young

Cub

Adolescent Female

Adolescent Male

Adult Female

Adult Male

Above, we have provided mockups of a basic Primal in all age stages and genders. They're very fuzzy, but don't let all that poof distract you—those teeth are sharp and quite deadly!

The Primal mutation was first added to the site in January 2017, and announced within the January event news post. The lore surrounding Primals is that, due to the lack of food during the month of January, and with everyone being very hungry, some lions were turning cannibalistic... therefore unlocking their primalistic natures.

The basic Primal mutation can be applied using a Mutie On Demand: Primal applicator, which can be purchased for 201 Leather Beetles from January's Boneyard; however, in order to find the item in the Boneyard, you must dig or donate bones and skulls.

Mutie On Demand: Primal
With this item, you can apply the Primal mutation to your chosen male lion, so long as he does not already have a mutation and isn't posed. This will only apply the basic Primal mutation. This mutation has a small chance of naturally passing!

Note that MOD: Primal can only be applied to non-mutated, non-posed male lions. It cannot be applied to female lions whatsoever. However, it is possible to get around this by applying the MOD to a male cub or adolescent, then sex changing them to a female.

The basic Primal mutation is heritable, and can be passed down to cubs, but only from the father. Primal lionesses do not have their mutation factored into whatsoever when they are bred to a Primal lion. It is only the father that determines whether his mutation will pass down to cubs. Additionally, the Primal mutation is very male-dominated. Male cubs have a higher chance of being Primals than female cubs do. If you're aiming to breed for Primals, it's a good idea to feed your male (or desired Primal stud) a Red Cock before the breeding occurs!

Primal is also visible straight from birth, as you can see from the above mockups! Primal cubs will not display in the Falcon's Eye dropdown, as their mutations are plainly visible, thanks to their bobbed tails.

Speaking of bobbed tails, it is a common misconception that a Primal parent will produce Bobbed Tail cubs more often than other lions, mutated or not. The Primal mutation has nothing to do with the Bobbed Tail mutation whatsoever. The only thing that is connected between them is that the Cub Newborn lineart is identical. Primal parents do not produce more Bobbed Tail cubs than other lions.

If you're aiming to breed a Primal cub, the best thing you can do is utilise Red Cocks and Pennyroyals. Using other mutation items will hurt your chances of getting a Primal cub, as all mutation items overwrite Primal's natural heritance chances. Per the official mutation roll order, Primal cubs will roll very last (excluding the use of a Tigon boost or Mukombero, which we will elaborate on later).

Leopon OR Overgrown Fur OR Tigon ➜ Patches/Piebald ➜ GMO Cow/Lion Meat ➜ Cotton Root Bark ➜ Fertility/Natural Chance ➜ Lion Scrotum ➜ Primal ➜ Dorsal Fur ➜ Tigon Boost* ➜ Mukombero ➜ Dorsal Fur Guarantee*

Pennyroyal
This item will boost chances of a mutation variation for your next breeding's litter. Works for only one breeding. Currently works on Primals only. Fed to studs. Ferus chance present (and high) only if both parents are Ferus.
Red Cock
If fed to your main male, next breeding's litter will be entirely male.

The above items are your best friends when breeding Primals.

Pennyroyal, the item on the left, can be purchased for 1 GB from the Oasis year-round. It is given to your Primal stud of choice before the breeding occurs, and will heighten the chances of that stud producing a Primal variant in his immediate next litter. Red Cock, the item on the right, can be won randomly from the Slots minigame year-round. It is given to your stud of choice before the breeding occurs, and will make every cub in his immediate next litter entirely male.

For a quick reference note, basic Primal kings can produce cubs that are basic Primal, Primal (Felis), Primal (Smilus), and Primal Fangs.

Primal (Felis)  

Cub Newborn

Cub Young

Cub

Adolescent Female

Adolescent Male

Adult Female

Adult Male

Primal (Felis) is the second Primal variation to be released. Primal (Felis) was added to the site in August 2017, and announced within a standard Friday news post. Just as with the basic Primal mutation, this mutation can show and be passed down onto females! What's unique about Primal (Felis) lionesses is that their mane colour and mane markings (if they have any) will be displayed once they're an adult.

Primal (Felis) can be bred for. It cannot be applied using the MOD: Primal applicator, as that only applies the basic Primal mutation. Primal (Felis) functions identically to the basic Primal mutation. This means that the mutation is also heritable, and can be passed down onto cubs; however, Primal (Felis) kings do not have a higher chance to produce Primal (Felis) cubs. Their chances are the same as a basic Primal, but can be increased with the use of a Pennyroyal! Just as with basic Primal, Primal (Felis) lionesses cannot pass down their mutation onto cubs, and their mutation is not factored into whatsoever when they are bred to a Primal (Felis) lion.

Primal (Felis) is also visible straight from birth, as you can see from the above mockups. Primal (Felis) cubs will not display in the Falcon's Eye dropdown, as their mutations are plainly visible, thanks to their bobbed tails.

Just as with basic Primals, Primal (Felis) kings do not produce more Bobbed Tail cubs than other lions.

Pennyroyal
This item will boost chances of a mutation variation for your next breeding's litter. Works for only one breeding. Currently works on Primals only. Fed to studs. Ferus chance present (and high) only if both parents are Ferus.

If you're aiming to breed a Primal (Felis), we recommend using the above item.

For a quick reference note, Primal (Felis) kings can produce cubs that are basic Primal, Primal (Felis), Primal (Smilus), and Primal Fangs.

Primal (Ferus)  

Cub Newborn

Cub Young

Cub

Adolescent Female

Adolescent Male

Adult Female

Adult Male

Primal (Ferus) is the third Primal variation to be released. Primal (Ferus) was added to the site in March 2019, and announced within the March event news post. It also had a dedicated news post entitled Ferus Information. Just as with the basic Primal mutation, this mutation can show and be passed down onto females!

Primal (Ferus) is incredibly unique. Not only can Primal (Ferus) lionesses pass down their mutation onto cubs, but there is a breeding item that guarantees your lioness will produce one Primal (Ferus) cub in her next immediate litter.

As Primal (Ferus) was released during March, it is directly tied into the March event, just as basic Primals are tied into the January event. In fact, their lore is that they are beastly, primeval creatures restored into Africa's lion populations by ancient ancestral big cats, in order to avenge all animals that were murdered by poachers. After March's Tier 2 is unlocked, whilst exploring, there is a very rare chance that you will come across a lion shaman (with the chances of encountering being increased once March's Tier 3 unlocks).

Behold! An ancient primal spirit has possessed this shaman!

"Finally, I've found the strong lion I've been seeking. The spirits are disturbed, joined suddenly by the ones who were killed as mere trophies... too early, too many." She speaks deeply in her trance, whilst a feral spirit begins to manifest before your very eyes.

Action Result Reward
Listen The hunters shall become the hunted. These humans must pay the price for their cruel, evil deeds. You must spawn a cub that will be used as the tool for our revenge. This tool will let us, the ancient spirits, rise up in the form of a Ferus, to bring a devastating end to all poaching." The shaman approaches you and hands you a pouch of herbs. You have been granted a rare gift - use it wisely! +1 Mukombero

If you accept this task, you will be granted one Mukombero.


Mukombero
Give this to a non-mutated lioness, then breed her at night in order to invoke the primal spirits. One cub from her next litter will become a Ferus beast, sworn by the spirits to hunt down any human outlaws that dare to murder the sacred African wildlife.

The stipulations for this herb means that your lioness cannot be any younger than 2 years, be any older than 14 years, nor can she be mutated. Additionally, the lioness that you give the Mukombero to can only be bred at night. With all of these requirements met, once she is bred, she will successfully give birth to a Primal (Ferus) cub in her next immediate litter (provided you nest her properly, and take care of her during her pregnancy).

The Mukombero item can only be found during March's event; however, on occasion, they may be raffled off during community update raffles. Thankfully, you do not need a Mukombero in order to breed a Primal (Ferus), as it can be naturally passed down from Primal (Ferus) parents of both genders.

If you're aiming to breed a Primal (Ferus) cub, you will have the absolute best chance of getting one by using a Mukombero, as it guarantees one Primal (Ferus) cub. Of course, not everyone has it, so what's the next best option? If you have a Primal (Ferus) lioness and you decide to breed her to a Primal (Ferus) lion, you should highly consider using a Pennyroyal. If two Primal (Ferus) lions are bred together after the father has consumed a Pennyroyal, both parents will have a boosted chance of producing a Primal (Ferus) cub!

Not only do Primal (Ferus) lions and lionesses have the unique ability to pass down their mutations, but Primal (Ferus) kings also have a special battle boost against all primate-type enemies whilst exploring! If your Primal (Ferus) king fights any primate NPC, including humans and poachers, their "primal spirit" may kick in, and boost their attacks by +3 damage.

For a quick reference note, Primal (Ferus) lions, both male and female, can produce cubs that are basic Primal, Primal (Felis), Primal (Ferus), Primal (Smilus), and Primal Fangs.

Primal (Smilus)  

Cub Newborn

Cub Young

Cub

Adolescent Male

Adult Male

Despite being the last true Primal variation on our page, Primal (Smilus) is actually the first Primal variation to be released. Primal (Smilus) was added to the site in May 2017, and announced within a standard Friday news post. If you've noticed from the above mockups, there are only male images shown. This is because Primal (Smilus) is a male-only mutation, meaning it absolutely cannot be passed down onto female cubs. If you choose to sex change a Primal (Smilus) cub, its mutation will be completely wiped. Even if you sex change them back, the mutation is permanently gone. This also goes for using a Lab Test Frog on a Primal (Smilus) lion—as the mutation has no art files for a female version, your lion will be invisible if you decide to equip a Lab Test Frog onto him!

Primal (Smilus) can only be bred for. It cannot be applied using the MOD: Primal applicator, as that only applies the basic Primal mutation. Primal (Smilus) functions nearly identically to the basic Primal mutation, the only real difference being that there is no female version. This means that their mutation is also heritable, and can be passed down onto cubs; however, Primal (Smilus) kings do not have a higher chance to produce Primal (Smilus) cubs. Their chances are the same as a basic Primal, but can be increased with the use of a Pennyroyal and Red Cock!

Primal (Smilus) is also visible straight from birth, as you can see from the above mockups. Primal (Smilus) cubs will not display in the Falcon's Eye dropdown, as their mutations are plainly visible, thanks to their bobbed tails.

Just as with basic Primals, Primal (Smilus) kings do not produce more Bobbed Tail cubs than other lions.

Pennyroyal
This item will boost chances of a mutation variation for your next breeding's litter. Works for only one breeding. Currently works on Primals only. Fed to studs. Ferus chance present (and high) only if both parents are Ferus.
Red Cock
If fed to your main male, next breeding's litter will be entirely male.

If you're aiming to breed a Primal (Smilus), we recommend using the above items.

For a quick reference note, Primal (Smilus) kings can produce cubs that are basic Primal, Primal (Felis), Primal (Smilus), and Primal Fangs.

Primal Fangs  

Cub Newborn

Cub Young

Cub

Adolescent Female

Adolescent Male

Adult Female

Adult Female Evil Pose

Adult Female Good Pose

Adult Female Jolly Pose

Adult Female Kind Pose

Adult Female Neutral Pose

Adult Female Snarky Pose

Adult Male

Primal Fangs is the first-ever hereditary "fail mutation" to be released. It was added to the site in September 2019, and announced within the September's Big Update #13 news post.

Primal Fangs is not a variation of Primal. The only reason it is listed on this page is due to the fact that it can only appear from a failed Primal breeding. Primal Fangs has a chance of being inherited by cubs if they were not going to get a Primal (or variant) mutation to begin with.

Primal Fangs can only be bred for. It cannot be applied using the MOD: Primal applicator, as that only applies the basic Primal mutation. Primal Fangs is only a cosmetic mutation and does not give any benefit or penalty to lions that have the mutation. This means that their mutation is not heritable without the use of a Lion Scrotum. Primal Fangs kings and lionesses do not have a higher chance to produce Primal (and variant) cubs. Their mutation plays no part in the production of other mutations whatsoever.

Primal Fangs are visible straight from birth, as you can see from the above mockups. Primal Fangs cubs will not display in the Falcon's Eye dropdown, as their mutations are plainly visible, thanks to their cute little, er, big fangs.

Primal Fangs kings and lionesses do not produce more Overgrown Teeth cubs than other lions, and actually cannot produce any mutations through hereditary means; any mutations that are born are simply happenstance.

Frequently Asked Questions  

Q: Can I apply a Primal variation using Mutie On Demand: Primal?
A: No. The Mutie On Demand: Primal applicator will only apply the basic Primal mutation to your chosen male lion.

Q: Can my Primal lioness pass her mutation down onto her cubs?
A: No. Primal and Primal (Felis) lionesses cannot pass their mutations down onto their cubs; however, Primal (Ferus) lionesses do have the ability to naturally pass their mutation, as well as Primal, Primal (Felis), and Primal (Smilus), onto their cubs. Otherwise, Primal and its variations are only passed down by males.

Q: Can I use a mutation item to boost my chances of getting a Primal?
A: No. The only items that will help you with getting a Primal are Mukombero, Pennyroyal, and Red Cock. All other items are useless and will only hurt your chances of getting a Primal, rather than help.

Q: Where is Primal on the official mutation roll order?
A: Leopon OR Overgrown Fur OR Tigon ➜ Patches/Piebald ➜ GMO Cow/Lion Meat ➜ Cotton Root Bark ➜ Fertility/Natural Chance ➜ Lion Scrotum ➜ Primal ➜ Dorsal Fur ➜ Tigon Boost* ➜ Mukombero ➜ Dorsal Fur Guarantee*

Q: If I breed my Leopon or Tigon to a Primal, will the father's Primal mutation overwrite any Leopon or Tigon cubs that may have been produced?
A: No. As shown in the above mutation roll order, hybrids will roll first, with Primals rolling essentially last (barring the Tigon boost and Mukombero item). You can safely breed any mutated lioness to a Primal stud, including variations, without fearing that the cubs' mutations may be overwritten.

Q: Can I sex change a Primal lion?
A: It depends. Any mutated adult lions cannot be sex changed whatsoever. Mutated cubs and adolescents can be sex changed, but you need to be cautious depending upon which Primal variation you have. Primal, Primal (Felis), and Primal (Ferus) cubs and adolescents can be safely sex changed without worry; however, sex changing a Primal (Smilus) cub or adolescent will cause his mutation to be wiped permanently, as there is no female version for Primal (Smilus).

Q: What does the Pennyroyal item do?
A: When given to a Primal stud (including variations), it will increase the stud's chances of producing a Primal variant in his next immediate litter. Primal, Primal (Felis), and Primal (Smilus) kings naturally have a low chance of producing basic Primal cubs, as well as a very low chance of producing Primal (Felis) and Primal (Smilus) cubs. Using a Pennyroyal will give a slight boost to those chances.

Q: Can you use Lion Scrotums on Primals?
A: No. Lion Scrotums cannot be used on any Primals, regardless of whether it's a basic Primal or a variation of the mutation.

Q: Can you use Lion Scrotums on Primal Fangs?
A: Yes. Primal Fangs are not a true variation of the Primal mutation; they are only a genetically-related hereditary fail. Lionesses with Primal Fangs can pass down their mutation to their cubs with the use of a Lion Scrotum.

Q: Can I pose a Primal lion?
A: No. Poses and Primals (all variations) are not compatible.

Q: Can I pose a Primal Fangs lion?
A: Yes. Again, as Primal Fangs are not a true variation of the Primal mutation, they can successfully be posed.

Q: Is Mukombero limited? Can you only get one per account?
A: No. During March's event, you can find more than one Mukombero while exploring.

Q: Can you use Mukombero outside of the March event?
A: Yes. Mukomberos can be stashed away and used during any time of the year, so long as its breeding requirements are met.

Q: Can you only breed using Mukombero at night in real life?
A: No. Your real life timezone does not matter when using Mukombero, it just needs to be nighttime within Lioden's realm.

Q: Is the encounter to get Mukombero only available during nighttime?
A: No. The shaman encounter can be found during daytime and nighttime.

Q: Does the Pennyroyal item work on Primal (Ferus)?
A: Yes. If you give a Primal (Ferus) king a Pennyroyal, he will have an increased chance to produce Primal (Felis) and Primal (Smilus) cubs. If you breed that Primal (Ferus) king with a Primal (Ferus) lioness, while using a Pennyroyal on the king, then a boosted chance for Primal (Ferus) offspring will trigger.

Q: Do Primal (Ferus) kings have a battle boost on any NPCs?
A: Yes. Primal (Ferus) kings have a battle boost specifically against primate-type NPCs, which includes the following: Baboon, Gelada, Gelada Pack, Mandrill, Masai Warrior, Mountain Gorilla, Shady Poacher, and any human NPCs that may be found during specific events. The boost is an added +3 damage to your king's attacks against a primate-type NPC.

Miscellaneous  

A now slightly outdated image (as it does not include Ferus data) regarding Primal offspring chances.


A size chart comparing the sizes of all Primal variants alongside regular lions and a very tall human.


An outdated image (as it does not include Ferus data) comparing Primals, including variations, and normal lions.