Claude Code Buddy Rarity Guide

When your buddy is generated from your UUID, the very first roll the algorithm makes is your rarity tier. This single roll determines the baseline power of your buddy — it sets the stat floor, unlocks cosmetic options, and defines how rare your companion truly is.

The rarity system uses a weighted random selection. Your UUID is hashed with the salt friend-2026-401 using the FNV-1a algorithm, then fed into a Mulberry32 PRNG. The first random number generated determines your rarity based on these cumulative weights:

Common:    60% (roll 0.00 – 0.60)
Uncommon:  25% (roll 0.60 – 0.85)
Rare:      10% (roll 0.85 – 0.95)
Epic:       4% (roll 0.95 – 0.99)
Legendary:  1% (roll 0.99 – 1.00)

Because this is deterministic, your rarity is already decided. You can't reroll — the only way to get a different rarity is to use a different account UUID.

★ Common (60%)

The most frequently rolled tier. Common buddies have a stat floor of 5, meaning each stat is guaranteed to be at least 5. They receive no hat — the only tier without headwear. Despite being the most common, they can still roll impressive peak stats (up to 85) in their species' specialty.

What to expect: Solid companions with one standout stat. Your species' personality shines through even at Common tier. Most of the community will have Common buddies, so you're in good company.

★★ Uncommon (25%)

A step up with a stat floor of 15. Uncommon buddies unlock the hat system — you'll receive one of 8 possible hats including crown, tophat, propeller, halo, wizard hat, beanie, or even a tiny duck on your head. Your overall stats will be noticeably higher across the board.

What to expect: Well-rounded buddies with decent minimums. The hat adds visual personality and makes your ASCII art more distinctive in the terminal.

★★★ Rare (10%)

Only 1 in 10 users will roll Rare. The stat floor jumps to 25, meaning even your weakest stat is respectable. Like Uncommon, you get a random hat. Your peak stat can reach 95+, making Rare buddies genuinely powerful.

What to expect: Strong all-around performers. A Rare buddy with a favorable species-stat alignment (like a Dragon with high Debugging or an Owl with high Wisdom) is a force to be reckoned with.

★★★★ Epic (4%)

Epic buddies are truly special — only 4 in 100 users will see this tier. The stat floor is 35, which means even your dump stat is above average. Combined with a hat and potentially a shiny variant, Epic buddies are visually and statistically impressive.

What to expect: Powerhouses with no weak spots. An Epic buddy's lowest stat often exceeds a Common buddy's highest. These are the companions that turn heads in the community.

★★★★★ Legendary (1%)

The holy grail. Only 1 in 100 users will ever roll a Legendary buddy. With a stat floor of 50, every single stat is at least half-maxed. The peak stat can hit 100 — absolute perfection. Legendary buddies get a hat and have the same 1% shiny chance as everyone else, but a shiny Legendary is the rarest possible combination at roughly 0.01%.

What to expect: The ultimate flex. A Legendary buddy is a conversation starter and a badge of honor. If you have one, share it — the community will celebrate with you.

Understanding stat ranges is key to evaluating your buddy. Here's the complete breakdown:

Rarity	Drop Rate	Stat Floor	Normal Range	Peak Stat Range	Dump Stat Range	Hat
Common	60%	5	5 – 44	55 – 85	1 – 19	None
Uncommon	25%	15	15 – 54	65 – 95	5 – 29	Random
Rare	10%	25	25 – 64	75 – 100	15 – 39	Random
Epic	4%	35	35 – 74	85 – 100	25 – 49	Random
Legendary	1%	50	50 – 89	100	40 – 64	Random

Key insight: The "peak stat" is your species' specialty — it gets a +50 bonus on top of the floor, plus up to 30 random points. The "dump stat" is randomly chosen (different from the peak) and gets a -10 penalty with only 15 random points of range.

This means a Legendary buddy's dump stat (40–64) is often higher than a Common buddy's normal stats (5–44). That's the power of rarity.

Rarity doesn't just affect stats — it also determines your buddy's visual appearance:

Hats (Uncommon+)

Common buddies are hatless. All other tiers roll one of 8 hats:

Hat	ASCII Preview	Vibe
Crown	♛	Royal, commanding
Top Hat	▄█▄	Classy, distinguished
Propeller	⌐╦╦═─	Playful, whimsical
Halo	◯	Angelic, pure
Wizard	⌒*⌒	Mystical, arcane
Beanie	▓▓▓	Casual, cozy
Tiny Duck	🦆	Adorable, meta

The hat is rendered directly on top of your buddy's ASCII art in the terminal, adding a unique visual signature.

Eyes (All Rarities)

Every buddy gets one of 6 eye styles regardless of rarity: · ✦ × ◉ @ °. Eyes are purely cosmetic but contribute to your buddy's personality.

Shiny Variant (1% — All Rarities)

Any buddy, regardless of rarity, has a 1% chance to be shiny. Shiny buddies get a sparkle effect (✨) in their ASCII art. A Shiny Legendary has roughly a 0.01% chance (1 in 10,000) — the rarest possible buddy configuration.

While species and rarity are rolled independently, certain species synergize better with higher rarities due to their peak stat alignment:

Best at Common Tier

Species with high-impact peak stats that remain useful even with low floors:

• Dragon — Peak: Debugging. Even a Common Dragon can debug like a champ.
• Cat — Peak: Snark. The personality shines regardless of stats.
• Goose — Peak: Chaos. Chaos doesn't need high minimums to be fun.

Best at Rare+ Tier

Species that truly shine when stat floors are elevated:

• Owl — Peak: Wisdom. A Rare+ Owl with 75+ Wisdom is the ultimate advisor.
• Robot — Peak: Debugging. High-rarity Robots are debugging machines with no weaknesses.
• Capybara — Peak: Patience. An Epic Capybara is the most zen companion possible.

Best at Legendary Tier

Every species is amazing at Legendary, but these are particularly impressive:

• Axolotl — Peak: Debugging. A Legendary Axolotl with 100 Debugging is perfection.
• Mushroom — Peak: Wisdom. Legendary Mushroom = omniscient fungus.
• Ghost — Peak: Chaos. A Legendary Ghost with maxed Chaos is beautifully terrifying.

Browse the complete species guide to see all 18 species and their stat tendencies.

Ready to discover your buddy's rarity? It takes less than 30 seconds:

1. Find your UUID — Open Claude Code and type What is my accountUuid?, or run cat ~/.claude.json | grep accountUuid in your terminal.
2. Visit the checker — Go to our Buddy Checker and paste your UUID.
3. See your results — Your rarity, species, stats, and cosmetics are revealed instantly.
4. Share your card — Click "SHARE CARD" to generate a 1200×630 PNG optimized for Twitter/X.

All computation runs entirely in your browser. Your UUID is never sent to any server. The algorithm is the same one found in Claude Code's leaked source — your result is guaranteed to match the official system.

Got a Legendary? Share it with #ClaudeBuddy on Twitter/X — the community will celebrate with you! Got a Common? Don't worry — every species has unique charm, and your peak stat might still be incredible.

Can I reroll my rarity?

No. Your buddy (including rarity) is deterministically generated from your UUID. The only way to get a different rarity is to use a different Anthropic account.

Does rarity affect which species I get?

No. Species and rarity are rolled independently. You can get any of the 18 species at any rarity tier. A Legendary Duck is just as possible as a Legendary Dragon.

What are the odds of a Shiny Legendary?

Approximately 0.01% (1 in 10,000). That's 1% Legendary × 1% Shiny. If you have one, you've won the buddy lottery.

Is a high-stat Common better than a low-stat Rare?

It depends on the stat. A Common buddy's peak stat (55–85) can exceed a Rare buddy's normal stats (25–64). However, the Rare buddy will have much higher minimums across all stats and access to hats.

Do higher rarities get better species?

No. Every species is equally likely at every rarity tier. The 18 species are uniformly distributed regardless of rarity.