One of the biggest attractions of ARK: Survival Evolved is that players can tame and raise their own dinosaurs.
Dinosaurs and other creatures can be used to gather resources, attack opponents, and defend the player’s base from intruders. On top of that, they also provide another layer of customization to the game, as gamers can level up and refresh them with cool skins.
For those new to the game, knowing where to begin the taming process can be quite intimidating and complicated. It takes a long time to complete and the right foods for each animal are different so it is completely normal to make mistakes when taming.
This article will provide a complete guide to taming dinosaurs and creatures in ARK: Survival Evolved. It will help get the process started and provide some tips on how to care for the animal.
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Instructions for taming dinosaurs in ARK: Survival Evolved
Choose the right animal
The type of animals that should be tamed depends on what people are going to use them for. For example, if you’re looking for something that’s easy to grab and can carry some light protective gear, pick up Dilophosaurus. They can carry extra items and act as base guard dogs against enemies.
If something is needed to harvest gems, the Ankylosaurus is probably the best animal. They are very good at exploiting materials such as metals and crystals, which are needed in later recipes.
Almost every creature in ARK: Survival Evolved has special skills to take advantage of, like harvesting some resources, defending yourself against enemies, or helping navigate from obstacles like rivers or cliffs.
Bring the right equipment
Players can tame certain animals simply by feeding them from the hotbar. Gamers will recognize these creatures by the on-screen prompts that appear above them whenever nearby. If no message appears then it will be necessary to try a more violent approach to taming, which involves knocking down the animal first.
The wooden mace and slingshot are perfect tools for targeting small creatures like Raptors and Dilophosaurus, while larger creatures will require tranquilizer arrows, darts, crossbows, and rifles. More expensive items will offer a greater chance of rendering the animal unconscious, but require more materials to craft. After killing the creature, the narcoberry and narcotic will keep the animal unconscious, so be sure to bring some.
Choose the right location
The taming process can take a long time to succeed, so it’s important to choose your position wisely. Somewhere near the hideout, with little chance of encountering other players, would be the perfect location.
People will be extremely vulnerable to damage while taming, so hiding is the best defense against an ambush. Gamers should hide in places with lots of trees, it will help collect more narcoberries, limiting the rush to find at the last minute of the animal attack.
Cook with the right ingredients
There are several ways to speed up the taming process, which is to use the correct ingredients. Most creatures have a favorite food, with which the taming effect increases.
Kibble is created when you put different types of animal eggs in a cooking pot with high grade plants, mejoberry, fibre, and 25% full waterskin.
These recipes can be found on the bodies of large carnivores like Megalodons, Spinosaurus, and Carnotaurus, but gamers will need to do some experimenting to find the kibble that works best for each animal.
Join a tribe
An easy way to make taming more manageable is to join a tribe. There are several benefits to this approach, for example players can team up to help find the necessary resources and pool them together.
Tribe members can also locate a nearby player for protection, following behind, and stopping anyone trying to attack. However, the most useful part of this method is when starting to stun the animal. Teaming up reduces each player’s effort in taking down an animal. This means gamers can successfully tame a lot sooner.
Ensure animal safety
After successfully taming an animal, the next thing the player needs to do is ensure its safety.
One way to do this is to build a protective ring with a stone or metal wall, with a portal for the dinosaurs. Another way to keep animals out of harm’s way is to leave them on your roof.
It’s important to keep the dinosaurs in the most inaccessible location possible, avoiding the raiders using tons of resources to knock down walls and disrupt their defenses.
Level up mounts
Defense is not the only thing that should be concerned, players should also try to level up their mounts.
There are several ways to do this but the best option is to use your beast to kill other prey. This will give them a lot of XP, depending on the level and type of animal attacking.
There are also less violent solutions, such as having a tribe member sit on his mount while crafting to share experience; or use mounts to earn resources. All of these will provide the EXP needed to increase the creature’s abilities.
Creatures to tame in ARK: Survival Evolved
Therizinosaurus
Anyone who has played ARK: Survival Evolved is familiar with this dinosaur because it will be exposed to it in the early stages. Therizinosaurus is not only one of the deadliest dinosaurs, it’s also fairly easy to tame. With this creature, players can collect wood, pick berries,…
Therizinosaurus could use its claws to hit multiple times in a single battle, making it a standout creature in combat. As taming this dinosaur can be dangerous, players should make sure they have enough narcotics and sedatives. Otherwise, gamers should absolutely not get close to Therizinosaurus.
Beelzebufo
Beelzebufo is a giant amphibian found in swamp biomes. When tamed, this creature can be used as a vehicle, due to its rapid movement and jumping skills. In addition, the Beelzebufo’s tongue is useful in hunting, as it creates an insect repellant like Meganeura.
Taming this creature can be made easier using Argentavis, which reduces blade attacks that are likely to take down the player. Its favorite foods include Kibble, cooked ribs and raw lamb
Griffin
The power of this ancient mythical animal is concentrated in four major attacks. A Griffin can dash into the air to damage any player or enemy. With a strategic position in the sky, this creature can shoot Tranquilizer Arrow with ease.
Griffins are effective both on the ground and in the sky. Its incredible speed and incredible combat ability make this creature one of the most useful taming options in the Ark.
Griffin is used to collect Wyvern eggs and tame other creatures. The only challenge one can face with Griffinis is that it is not easy to control and tame. Applying skillful taming techniques and special Kibble is the best approach.
Giganotosaurus
Besides being a great predator in general, Giganotosaurus was also an easy dinosaur to tame. By using her Gnash attack, Giga can reduce the enemy’s health by 1% for 5 seconds.
Depending on the player, Giga can be used as a defender. That said, owners should make sure this dinosaur’s rage doesn’t spill out, as otherwise it will destroy anything it encounters, including players.