Imprinting is a crucial aspect of raising baby dinosaurs in ARK: Survival Evolved. It involves bonding with and imprinting on the baby creature, which enhances its stats and establishes a connection with the player. The maturation process, on the other hand, refers to the time it takes for the baby dinosaur to grow and reach adulthood. Here’s an overview of imprinting and the maturation process:
1. Imprinting: Imprinting is a series of interactive actions that you perform with the baby dinosaur to create a bond and enhance its stats. Here are the key points to understand about imprinting:
- Imprint Time Windows: Imprinting actions have specific time windows during which they need to be performed. These windows occur at intervals throughout the maturation process.
- Imprinting Quality: Each imprinting action has a quality percentage associated with it. Higher-quality imprints provide greater stat bonuses and bonding effects.
- Imprinting Benefits: Successful imprints improve the baby dinosaur’s stats, including health, damage, speed, and resistance. Additionally, imprinting increases the creature’s affinity towards you, making it more loyal and responsive.
- Imprinting Bonuses: Upon reaching certain imprinting milestones, you can unlock additional bonuses, such as increased carry weight, damage reduction, or additional special abilities.
2. Maturation Process: The maturation process refers to the time it takes for a baby dinosaur to grow and reach adulthood. Here’s what you need to know:
- Maturation Time: The maturation time varies depending on the species and server settings. It can range from a few hours to several days.
- Feeding and Care: Throughout the maturation process, you need to feed the baby dinosaur and take care of its needs. Pay attention to its hunger, health, and temperature to ensure proper growth.
- Baby to Juvenile to Adolescent: The baby dinosaur progresses through different growth stages, starting as a helpless baby and gradually becoming a juvenile and then an adolescent. Each stage has specific care requirements and feeding preferences.
- Accelerated Maturation: Some servers or game modes may have accelerated maturation settings, which reduce the time it takes for a baby dinosaur to reach adulthood. Check the server settings or adjust them if you prefer a faster or slower maturation process.
3. Tips for Imprinting and Maturation: Here are some tips to help you successfully navigate the imprinting and maturation process:
- Set Timers and Reminders: Imprinting requires you to perform actions within specific time windows. Set timers or reminders to ensure you don’t miss any imprinting opportunities.
- Prepare Imprinting Care: Gather the necessary items and resources for imprinting care, such as cuddling, hand-feeding, or taking the baby dinosaur for a walk. Make sure you have the required food and supplies on hand.
- Monitor Baby’s Needs: Regularly check the baby dinosaur’s health, hunger, and temperature. Keep it well-fed and ensure its environment is suitable for growth.
- Coordinate with Tribe Members: If you’re part of a tribe, coordinate with other members to ensure someone is available for imprinting care even when you’re not online.
- Breed for Imprinting Potential: Consider breeding creatures with high stats and desired traits to increase the potential for strong imprints in future generations.
Successfully imprinting on a baby dinosaur and guiding it through the maturation process can result in a powerful and loyal companion. Invest time and attention into imprinting, and enjoy the benefits of a well-imprinted creature in ARK: Survival Evolved.
