Guide to taming dinosaurs in ARK: Survival Evolved

ARK: Survival Evolved is an open-world survival game developed by Studio Wildcard, taking players to a mysterious island called ARK, where dinosaurs and many prehistoric creatures coexist with fantastical beasts. Starting with nothing, you must gather resources, craft tools, build shelters, hunt, and find ways to survive in the harsh environment. A highlight of the game is its system for taming over one hundred different creatures. Players can ride, train, and use them for combat, transportation, or resource extraction. ARK also supports single-player and online multiplayer modes, allowing for tribe formation, cooperation, or competition with other players. Beautiful graphics, a vast map, and diverse character development mechanics offer a captivating exploration experience. With its combination of survival, crafting, and adventure, ARK: Survival Evolved remains a favorite choice for many gamers worldwide.

If you're looking for the best dinosaurs to tame in Ark: Survival Evolved, then you've come to the right place. In this guide, we'll look at which dinosaurs are worth taming and how they can be useful in the Ark world.

Choose the right animal

The type of animal to domesticate depends on what people will use it for. For example, if you're looking for something easy to retrieve and capable of carrying some light protective gear, choose a Dilophosaurus. They can carry extra items and act as guard dogs to protect a base from enemies.

If you need something to harvest gems, Ankylosaurus is probably the best animal. They are very good at mining materials like metals and crystals, which are essential in crafting recipes later on.

Almost every creature in ARK: Survival Evolved possesses special skills that can be utilized, such as harvesting certain resources, defending themselves against enemies, or helping navigate around obstacles like rivers or cliffs.

Bring appropriate equipment.

Players can tame certain animals simply by feeding them from the hotbar. Gamers will recognize these creatures by on-screen prompts that appear above them whenever they are nearby. If no prompts appear, a more aggressive approach to taming will be needed, involving taking down the animal first.

Wooden clubs and slingshots are perfect tools for targeting smaller creatures like Raptors and Dilophosaurus, while larger creatures will require tranquilizer darts, throwing stars, crossbows, and rifles. More expensive items will offer a greater chance of stunning the animal, but require more materials to craft. After taking down the creature, narcoberry and narcotic will keep it unconscious, so remember to bring some.

Choose the right location

The taming process can take a long time to succeed, so it's important to choose your location wisely. Somewhere near a hiding place, with little chance of encountering other players, would be the perfect spot.

Players will be extremely vulnerable to damage while taming, so hiding is the best defense against ambushes. Players should hide in wooded areas, which will help them collect more narcoberries, avoiding the need to rush to find them at the last minute during an attack on the animals.

Cook with the right ingredients.

There are several ways to speed up the domestication process, one of which is using the right ingredients. Most creatures have a preferred food source, and using it will increase the effectiveness of domestication.

Kibble is made by adding various animal eggs to a pot and cooking them with 25% high-grade herbs, mejoberry, fiber, and waterskin.

These formulas can be found on the bodies of large carnivores like Megalodons, Spinosaurus, and Carnotaurus, but gamers will need to conduct some experiments to find the kibble that best suits each animal.

Join a tribe

One 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 necessary resources and pool them together.

Tribe members can also locate a nearby player for protection, follow up, and prevent anyone from attacking. However, the most useful part of this method is when initially stunning the animal. Forming a group reduces the effort each player puts into taking down an animal. This means gamers can successfully tame it much sooner.

Ensure the animal's 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 enclosure with a stone or metal wall, with an entrance gate for the dinosaurs. Another way to keep the animals away from danger is to keep them on your roof.

It was crucial to place the dinosaurs in the most inaccessible location possible, preventing intruders from using tons of resources to demolish the walls and breach the defenses.

Upgrade your mount.

Defense isn't the only thing to worry about; players should also try to level up their mounts.

There are several ways to do this, but the best option is to use your pet to kill other prey. This will give them a lot of XP, depending on their level and the type of animal they attack.

There are also less violent solutions, such as having tribal members sit on their mounts while crafting to share experience; or using mounts to gather resources. All of these will provide the necessary EXP to increase the creature's abilities.

Creatures you should tame in ARK: Survival Evolved

Therizinosaurus

Anyone who has played ARK: Survival Evolved is familiar with this dinosaur, as they will encounter it in the early stages. Therizinosaurus is not only one of the most dangerous dinosaurs but also quite easy to tame. With this creature, players can gather wood, pick berries, and more.

Therizinosaurus could use its claws to strike multiple times in a battle, making it a formidable creature in combat. Because taming this dinosaur can be dangerous, players should ensure they have sufficient narcotics and tranquilizers. Otherwise, gamers should absolutely avoid approaching the Therizinosaurus.

Beelzebufo

Beelzebufo is a giant amphibian found in swamp biomes. When domesticated, it can be used as a vehicle due to its agile movement and quick jumping abilities. Additionally, Beelzebufo's tongue is very useful for hunting, as it produces a sticky substance that repels insects like Meganeura.

Taming this creature can be made easier by using Argentavis, which reduces its tongue attacks that can knock the player down. Its favorite foods include kibble, cooked ribs, and raw lamb.

Griffin

The power of this ancient mythical creature is centered on four major attacks. A Griffin can leap into the air to inflict damage on any player or enemy. With its strategic position in the sky, this creature can easily fire Tranquilizer Arrows.

Griffins are effective both on the ground and in the air. Their incredible speed and formidable fighting ability make them one of the most useful tame choices in Ark.

Griffins are used to collect Wyvern eggs and tame other creatures. The only challenge one might encounter with Griffinis is that it's not easy to control and tame. Applying skillful taming techniques and special Kibble is the best approach.

Giganotosaurus

Besides being a generally excellent predator, Giganotosaurus was also an easily tame dinosaur. By using its Gnash attack, Giga could reduce an enemy's health by 1% for 5 seconds.

Depending on the player, Giga can be used as a defender. That said, the owner should ensure that this dinosaur's rage doesn't spill out, as otherwise it will destroy anything it encounters, including the player.

Gacha

For those engaged in PvE combat, Gacha is indispensable. Fortunately, it's one of the easiest species to tame. Gacha is very useful thanks to its ability to generate resources in the background, and depending on current needs, players can specify resources.

Gacha are tamed by dropping items, ideally Snow Owl Pellets, near them to eat. Other foods that these creatures prefer include Greenhouses and Tek Structures.

Brontosaurus

This creature can carry heavy loads, gather berries quickly, and inflict far more damage than many other creatures in ARK. Some players even build a mobile base on its back. With Brontosaurus, players can ride them for transportation.

Everyone must be extremely careful when taming this monster because it shakes everything nearby, especially when stopping far from the base. Brontosaurus mainly eats mejoberry and kibble. During taming, Tapejara brings a player on top, which is the best option for taking down Brontosaurus.

Troodon

Everyone loves a safe haven, and that's why taming Troodon was essential. Because of its speed, this dinosaur was an excellent choice to be a farm guardian.

What makes this creature particularly unique is the way it's tamed: by eating other domesticated animals. This means taming a Troodon comes with sacrifices. Most players prefer taming them at night because they eat about 40% fewer animals than during the day.

Snow Owl

This is one of the best creatures to tame in ARK. It has a dazzling appearance but is also very dangerous; its white color can camouflage it in cold places. The Snow Owl has the ability to heal players while airborne, especially in PvP. Its pellets can also be given to Gatcha.

The Snow Owl is a fast dive bomber because it can dive to the ground creating an explosion that damages enemies. This skill is crucial for raiding other bases or engaging opponents in open areas. Because Snow Owls fly in small groups, taming them can be difficult, although players can use arrows with tranquilizer darts.

Argentavis

Argentavis are the best choice for exploring the ARK map. They have high health and stamina, allowing for longer flight sessions. Although they are slow, they compensate with excellent damage output. With the ability to carry small animals, this dinosaur can be useful for transporting unconscious creatures to taming points. Overall, Argentavis make travel between areas much easier.

Food such as raw lamb is best for a domesticated Argentavis. To catch it, players need to set up chain traps. For beginners who find them difficult to obtain, look around Far's Peak in the furthest corner of the map.

Rex

It's no surprise that Rex is one of the strongest dinosaurs in ARK. With its high melee attack power, it's useful in both PvP and PvE battles. Furthermore, this dinosaur doesn't disappoint when taking down bases in raids, especially if equipped with the Tek Rex Saddle.

Their roars also intimidate enemies whenever they attack. Most players use these creatures when moving around unsafe areas due to their "agile" nature.

Rex is usually tamed by luring the dinosaur into traps, although some have succeeded with tranquilizers. Instead of easily damaged wood, gamers should use stone for traps.