If you’ve been following ARK at all over the past month, you know full well that the game boasts the insane capabilities of dinosaur taming. Jumping into ARK: Survival Evolved for the first time, I only had a singular goal: to tame a full pack of Dinosaurs.
No expenses were spared in attaining the many dinosaurs currently sitting unguarded in a pen at my base. The feelings invoked in me while hunting on the back of my Raptor, Temma, are completely unparalleled.
Taming a Dinosaur in the ARK is no easy feat. By the time you’re finished taming your first Dinosaur, you will come to love it more than any other video game pet you’ve ever had (before it likely gets killed by something the George R. R. Martin way and you’re forced to start all over again).
There are a lot of steps to effectively taming your dinosaur, so make sure you prepare properly beforehand.
ARK - Dinosaur Taming Preparations
There are three important things you’re going to need before you even think about finding a dinosaur to tame: a knockout weapon, narcotics, and dinosaur food.
Knockout Weapons
In order to tame a dinosaur, you will first need to render it unconscious. There are many ways you can go about this:
Fists - Okay, so you don’t actually need any preparations for this one. Fists were made for punching, and that’s just what they’ll do. Slingshot and Stones - At level 5 you unlock the ability to craft a slingshot. With rocks, this is another form of blunt damage useful for knocking out a dinosaur. Bow and Tranq. Arrows - At level 15 the Bow Engram unlocks as the most useful ranged weapon early on. At level 20, the Engram for Tranquilizer Arrows unlocks, which are great for taking down the bigger beasts. You shouldn’t need more than x50 Tranquilizer Arrows for any given dinosaur. Pulmonoscorpius (Scorpion) - At level 25 you unlock the Engram for a Scorpion saddle. If you’ve managed to net yourself a Scorpion, their venom is fantastic for knocking things out — take full advantage of it!
Which one you’ll need largely depends on the dinosaur you’re going after. The bigger the beast, the badder the knockout weapon has to be.
Narcotics
This is where it starts to get tricky. In order to keep a dinosaur down, you need to force-feed it Narcoberries or Narcotics. Depending on which dinosaur you’re taming, you may need anything from x1 to x150 Narcotics before the beast is tame, and exponentially more Narcoberries if you plan to use those.
You can create Narcotics by combining x1 Spoiled Meat and x5 Narcoberries at a mortar and pestle. It gets pricey to make a large batch of them, but there are certain dinosaurs that make gathering berries a painless process.
How many Narcotics should you craft?
To figure out how many Narcotics you will need, consider the dinosaur’s species and level you want to go for. How big is the species of dinosaur? If you’re taming a Dilo or a Dodo bird, you’re not going to need more than x5 Narcotics — you’re probably better off using straight Narcoberries for those two.
If you’re trying to tame a Brontosaur or a Spinosaur — some of the largest dinosaurs currently in the game — you’re going to need around x60 Narcotics for a level 1. If you are aiming for a higher level (I assume many of you are), then you could end up needing x120 Narcotics or more!
As a rule of thumb, I always make about x20 Narcotics more than I think I’ll need. After all, you don’t want the dinosaur to wake up in the middle of taming and be forced to kill it, losing hours of work.
Dinosaur Food - Berries, Meat and… eww
In ARK: Survival Evolved, there are 3 archetypes of dinosaurs as far as food goes: Herbivore, Carnivore, and Carrion. Each dinosaur archetype has a particular food item that will raise its Affinity towards you faster than others.
Herbivores - The Mejoberry has the highest affinity gain than any other berry or vegetable in the game. Many people argue that other berries/vegetables make certain dinosaurs tame faster than Mejoberries, but this is simply untrue. The difference in time is negligible, because there’s no great way to tame a Herbivore in the ARK’s current state. Carnivore - Nothing is better than Raw Prime Meat for a Carnivore. There’s just one issue: it spoils 2 minutes after collection in a player inventory. 10 minutes in a dinosaur inventory, but that’s still a relatively short amount of time, which means there’s really no way to prepare it before taming unless you cook it. Cooked Prime Meat is only worth half of its Raw counterpart, though it lasts an outstanding 45 minutes in a non-preserved inventory. Use Raw Meat if you can’t get yourself any Prime Meat. Carrion - The scavengers of the ARK enjoy the exquisite taste of Spoiled Meat in their diet above all other meat. If you’re not sure whether you’re taming a Carnivore or a Carrion, just try feeding it Cooked Meat — Carrion won’t eat Cooked Meat.
Once you have everything in order, it’s time to tame your dinosaur!
ARK - Maximum Efficiency Dinosaur Taming Guide
Taming your dinosaur is a long process, and you need to make sure you have enough time on your hands before you begin. How long it takes a Dinosaur to tame is in the same ball park as how many Narcotics you will need, so compare the species and level for a good point of reference. Longer attempts can take anywhere from 2 to 6 hours before the Dinosaur is tame, so plan accordingly.
1. Find a Dinosaur You Want to Tame
Some people prefer taming higher level dinosaurs to bring them to even greater heights before hitting the tamed level cap. Other people like finding dinosaurs that suit their taste in color. Some even desire to tame lower level dinosaurs simply for the ease of it.
Pick out your favorite dinosaur and prepare the book of names - you’ll be needing it soon!
2. Lure it In and Knock it Out!
If you have a base, take the time to lure the dinosaur in near it so you don’t have to travel very far to get anything done. A few dinosaur species will run away when attacked, so plan ahead.
Once it’s in the area you want it, start whittling away at the dinosaur carefully. Any one of the knockout weapons listed above can easily end up killing the dinosaur instead of knocking it out. Make sure you give the Torpor time to bubble up in between hits.
3. Drop Off Food and Narcotics Immediately
The quicker you can drop the dinosaur some food after it is rendered unconscious, the better off taming efficiency will be for the long-haul. There is absolutely no way to raise taming efficiency after it has dropped, as it will slowly lower over time as the dinosaur feeds.
Make sure the dinosaur never runs out of food, or it will greatly deplete the taming efficiency of the animal. During this stage, you need to keep a close eye on the unconscious bar, or the creature’s Torpor. Whenever this bar dips down, click on the Narcotics in the dinosaur’s inventory and then Remote Use Item. This essentially force-feeds it 40 points of Torpor and keeps it down that much longer.
4. …And Now We Wait
Chances are, it’s going to take a while to tame your dinosaur. It’s okay to walk away and do your own thing for a little bit, but check up on it every few minutes to make sure it’s not going to wake up.
Use the time to gather Raw Prime Meat or Mejoberries to make better progress. Play a round of Cards Against Humanity to kill the time. It really doesn’t matter what you do, so long as the dinosaur doesn’t wake up.
5. Name Your Dinosaur!
If you are the only member of your tribe around when the dinosaur is finally tame, ARK prompts you to give it a name. You’re not forced to name them, but naming your dinosaurs gives each one a unique sense of personality.
Congratulate yourself for taming a dinosaur, you’ve earned it. That is no easy feat! There are so many things that you can do with dinosaurs in ARK: Survival Evolved that it sometimes seems impossible to do things any other way.
Good Luck Taming Dinosaurs!
Each dinosaur is unique and pivotal to your survival. Without dinosaurs on your side, you’re never going to survive the ARK. Be the predator in a world full of things that could swallow you whole!
What creatures have you tamed?
Have you had any success taming dinosaurs? We want to hear all about your great success and fail stories! Link us an image of your dinosaurs while you’re at it!
Having trouble with something in-game? Request an ARK: Survival Evolved guide and we’ll jump on it right away!
We hope to see you in the discussion below!
