Do I have to have the bait already, to capture a companion?
No, it’s not needed.
When your companion meets a wild one during an exploration, checking the exploration result will start a 5 minute countdown. If you don’t try to capture it within this time, the capture will fail automatically and you will get a message saying your familiar had met a wild companion, but it ran away.
If you already have the bait, you just have to attempt capturing; but if you don’t, you can close the exploration window (through the gray button or the X) and go buy one. As long as you do that within the 5 minute limit, you can go back to the exploration and use your newly purchased bait.
Just make sure not to click on ending the exploration, or you’ll lose it.
PS: I’ve been asked if you can have all three room backgrounds. The answer is yes! Check the FAQ or the guide for episode 6 for more info.
Authors
The creator of this site. (Not so) Secretly a cat.