Taming creatures is a crucial aspect of gameplay in ARK: Survival Evolved, as they can serve as companions, mounts, and utility animals. Here are some mechanics and strategies to help you succeed in taming creatures:
1. Knocking Out the Creature: To begin the taming process, you need to render the creature unconscious. You can achieve this by using various methods:
- Tranquilizing Weapons: Use tranquilizer darts, tranquilizer arrows, or other tranquilizing weapons to weaken the creature and eventually knock it out.
- Traps: Some creatures can be trapped using structures like cages or bola-like weapons that immobilize them temporarily, making it easier to administer torpor-inducing shots or feed them.
2. Feeding and Taming Effectiveness: Once the creature is unconscious, you need to feed it appropriate food to begin the taming process. Consider the following:
- Preferred Food: Each creature has preferred food or specific items they eat. Using the correct food can significantly increase the taming effectiveness and speed up the process.
- Taming Effectiveness: The taming effectiveness represents the quality of the creature you are taming. Higher effectiveness results in better stats upon taming completion. Minimize damage to the creature and feed it its preferred food to maintain high taming effectiveness.
3. Passive Taming vs. Aggressive Taming: There are two main methods of taming: passive taming and aggressive taming.
- Passive Taming: Passive taming involves placing food into the creature’s inventory and waiting for it to consume the food over time. This method is often used for herbivorous creatures that are not aggressive. Keep an eye on the creature’s torpor level and make sure it stays unconscious during the taming process.
- Aggressive Taming: Aggressive taming requires you to continuously attack and knock out the creature while keeping it unconscious. During this process, you must monitor its torpor level and administer torpor-inducing shots or feed it narcotics to prevent it from waking up.
4. Taming Efficiency Strategies: To maximize taming efficiency and reduce the time and resources required, consider the following strategies:
- Kibble: Craft and use kibble, a specialized food made from specific ingredients, to tame creatures more efficiently. Kibble provides a significant taming effectiveness bonus.
- Taming Pen: Build a taming pen using structures to create a secure and controlled environment for taming. This helps protect you and the creature from external threats.
- Taming Calculators: Utilize external taming calculators or mods to determine the exact food requirements, taming time, and effectiveness of different creatures. These resources can assist in planning and optimizing your taming strategy.
5. Taming Safety: While taming creatures, it’s important to ensure your safety and protect yourself from threats:
- Scout the Area: Before initiating the taming process, scout the surroundings for potential threats, aggressive creatures, or hostile players. Clear the area or create a safe zone to minimize interruptions and dangers.
- Taming Assistants: Have a companion or tamed creature with you to provide protection and assist in defending against threats.
- Be Prepared: Carry healing items, extra tranquilizers, and necessary supplies to handle unexpected situations or complications during the taming process.
Remember that taming larger or more powerful creatures may require additional preparation, resources, and strategic considerations. Additionally, some creatures have unique taming methods or specific requirements. Consulting external resources, such as taming guides or community forums, can provide valuable insights and strategies for taming specific creatures.
Mastering taming mechanics and implementing effective strategies will allow you to build a powerful and diverse collection of tamedcreatures in ARK: Survival Evolved. Good luck on your taming endeavors!
