Dinosaur Color Regions
Every creature in ARK has exactly 6 Color Regions (numbered 0 through 5). Not all creatures use all 6 regions. For example, a Rex might only use Regions 0, 1, 4, and 5.
Mutating Colors
When you breed two dinosaurs and a mutation occurs, the game will randomly select one of the 6 regions and assign it a completely random color from the ARK palette (over 100 possible colors).
- If the mutation lands on a Region that the creature does not use (e.g., Region 3 on a Rex), the baby will receive the stat boost, but there will be NO visible color change. This is known as a "hidden color mutation".
- You can combine colors from different parents! If the father has a Neon Green belly (Region 1) and the mother has a Cyan back (Region 4), their baby has a chance to inherit both!
Event Colors
During official ARK Holidays (or by using the active event setting on your private server), wild dinosaurs will spawn with extremely rare, saturated colors.
| Event | Dominant Wild Colors |
|---|---|
| Fear Evolved (Halloween) | Dino Light Orange, Midnight Blue, Dragon Fire, Dino Dark Purple |
| Winter Wonderland (Christmas) | Red, Green, Dino Light Grey, White |
| Love Evolved (Valentines) | Magenta, Deep Pink, Lavender, Red |
| Summer Bash | Yellow, Cyan, Light Blue, Mint |
Tip: Tame wild event dinos (even low levels) just to breed their unique colors into your high-stat boss army lines!
Dye Recipes
Dyes can be used to paint armor, saddles, structures, and even the canvas/flags in your base. To make dye, place the ingredients in a Cooking Pot or Industrial Cooker with Water (Ascended recipes, ARK Official Community Wiki).
| Color | Required Berries (Cooking Pot) |
|---|---|
| Red | 12x Tintoberry |
| Green | 12x Verdberry |
| Blue | 12x Azulberry |
| Yellow | 12x Amarberry |
| Purple | 12x Magenberry |
| Orange | 6x Amarberry, 6x Tintoberry |
| Black | 6x Narcoberry, 6x Stimberry |
| White | 6x Narcoberry, 6x Stimberry |
The Paintbrush & Spray Painter
Use a Paintbrush to paint individual structure panels or your character's face. Once you reach the endgame, craft a Spray Painter. It uses 1 dye to paint an enormous surface area and is essential for coloring large metal bases.