I seem to level up with my first pet. Are they connected?

Yep, your userlevel is the level of the highest leveled pet that is created under your name. o:

It can be your starter (as you created your starter), or any pet you capture yourself (since they're under your name as well).

Yes. But you have to raise them. If a pet you capture is higher than your user level, you cannot put it in your party. So, your highest level pet has to match your level.

Ex. Your captured a level 38 Zolnixi! Yay! But you're level 33...you can't use the Zolnixi until you and your pet are level 38...

There's also another part to it.

If you capture a pet and then send it on a mission, making it a higher level then any other pets you own, it raises your user level to that pet's level.

So basically, any pet that you own that you level higher then your others raises your user level, it doesn't go with your starter pet. :)

Counts for pets you buy too. I bought a higher level pet and sent it on a mission. I leveled up with it.

So basically your user level is the highest level you have gotten a pet to.

Link: https://www.sylestia.com/forums/?thread=11974&page=1#4 Author: TopazWolf Time Posted: 2/26/2014 at 2:53 PM There's also another part to it. If you capture a pet and then send it on a mission, making it a higher level then any other pets you own, it raises your user level to that pet's level. So basically, any pet that you own that you level higher then your others raises your user level, it doesn't go with your starter pet. :)

Oh yeah. Forgot about that! XD