How to item? How to pet? How to know-how?

Jostabeere

So I am curious about some things.
First of all. How do I actually get good gear?
My equipment has rare +3% STR potentials. I farmed low-level items with said potential and kept transferring the bonuses to save Spell Traces. What I'd like to know how do I get better Potentials. Like Epic and stuff. Is there some in-depth guide on how to properly enhance, change and transfer gear?
Also. Pets. Are there pets I can get in the game by playing, doing quests or as rewards? Any pseudo-permanent ones, aka I can get them over and over, or actually permanent ones?
And lastly. Tots know-how. Nice little mechanic. Is it a one-time thing for the first character on a server? I created some new characters but they don't have the know-how quests at all.

AKradian

Tot's Know-How was unfortunately removed from the game in the October 2nd patch (v208).

The best way to make your potentials Epic is to use Epic Potential Scrolls. They are available from Elite Bosses and various coin shops around the game, as well as Auction House (if you're in non-Reboot).

To get better potentials, you use items called "cubes". There are various grades of them. Cubes reroll the potential on your equipment, with some chance of ranking it up.
The weakest ones are Occults, which are readily available from Sudden Missions, Elite Bosses, Harvesting, Monster Collection, and most bosses. Occult cubes can rank your equipment's potential up to Epic, but at a low rate.
Better ones are Master Craftsmans' and Meister's cubes. They are available from the same sources as Occults, but more rarely. They can rank up to Unique (Master Craftsman) or Legendary (Meister).
The best cubes are the ones in the cash shop: Red and Black. They can both get to Legendary rank. The difference is that Black Cubes let you choose between the potential your item already had, and the new potential the cube rolled. All other cubes change your item's potential irreversibly.

For pets, outside of Cash Shop, the pickings are slim:
- There is supposedly a new quest at level 33 that gives the 7-day Puffram, in place of Tot's Know-How.
- The boss Hilla has a chance to drop a box that may contain the 90-day pet Blackheart (that can be revived with Water of Life). Normal Hilla (accessible, and generally beatable, at level 120) has a low chance to drop this box, but can be fought daily. Hard Hilla (accessible at 170 but not easy to beat even above 200) almost always drops the box, but can only be defeated once a week.
- If you are not in Reboot, the new pets from Wisp's Wonderberry are tradable, and people have been selling them in the Auction House.

Aggraphine

To your last point, AK, I think the cheapest I've seen one is ~325m or so, extending all the way up to nearly 12b for the puff pet. I'd have to check again(will edit if/when I do), but that seems marginally out of reach for new players.