The Ultimate Taming Compendium - ARK: Survival Ascended

Ascended Exclusives (New Dinos)

Creatures newly introduced in ARK: Survival Ascended.

Creature	Method	Food	Spawn Location
Fasciolasuchus	[Read Full Walkthrough ↓]	Flint / Salt	Scorched Earth: Deep desert dunes.
Gigantoraptor	Baby Steal	None	The Center / Island: Find a nest, hide in the nest, and bond with the baby while the mother is away.
Ceratosaurus	Passive (Drunk)	Hemogoblin Concoction	The Island: Grasslands. (Feed wild dinos the concoction, let Cerato eat them to get drunk, then passive feed).
Xiphactinus	Knockout	Regular Kibble	The Island: Deep oceans, swimming in packs.
Oasisaur	Defend	Potted Plants	Scorched Earth: Flying high above the desert. (Requires Bob's Tall Tales DLC. Kill vultures to revive your dead dino on its back).
Yi Ling	Dodge Minigame	Biotoxin	Aberration: Blue Zone. (Let it shoot feathers at you, dodge its divebomb so it crashes, then feed).
Cosmo	Passive	Chitin	Aberration: Green Zone hanging from ceilings. (Requires Bob's Tall Tales DLC).

Apex & Theropods

Creature	Method	Food	Spawn Location
Rex	Knockout	Exceptional / Mutton	The Island/Center: Mountains and Carnivore Island.
Giganotosaurus	Knockout	Exceptional / Mutton	The Island/Center: Northern mountains. Extremely rare. Needs metal trap.
Carcharodontosaurus	[Read Full Walkthrough ↓]	Dead Dinos	The Island/Center: Shares spawns with Giga.
Spinosaur	Knockout	Exceptional / Mutton	All Maps: Rivers and swamps. Extremely fast torpor drop.
Yutyrannus	Knockout	Extraordinary	The Island: Snow Biome. Always guarded by 3 Carnotaurus.
Allosaurus	Knockout	Superior	All Maps: Mountains/Redwoods. Spawns in packs of 3.
Therizinosaurus	Knockout	Exceptional / Crops	The Island: Jungles and beaches. Fast torpor drop.
Megalosaurus	Knockout	Superior / Mutton	The Island: Inside Artifact Caves. Only sleeps during the day.
Thylacoleo	Knockout	Extraordinary / Cooked Mutton	The Island/Scorched: Clinging to Redwood trees waiting to pounce.
Baryonyx	Knockout	Regular / Fish	All Maps: Swamps and rivers.
Carnotaurus	Knockout	Regular / Mutton	All Maps: Grasslands, beaches.
Raptor	Knockout	Simple / Mutton	All Maps: Everywhere. Spawns in packs.
Direbear	Knockout	Superior / Honey	The Island/Center: Redwoods. Very low base health, use tranq darts (not arrows).
Direwolf	Knockout	Superior / Mutton	The Island/Center: Snow Biome. No saddle required.
Sabertooth	Knockout	Regular / Mutton	The Island: Mountains.
Purlovia	Knockout	Regular / Mutton	The Island/Scorched: Snow/Redwoods. Buried underground.
Dilophosaurus	Knockout	Basic / Meat	The Island: Beaches. Blinds you with spit.
Titanoboa	Passive (Drop)	Fertilized Eggs	The Island: Swamps/Caves. Drop eggs on the floor near it.
Pulmonoscorpius	Knockout	Spoiled Meat	The Island: Caves/Mountains.
Megalania	Knockout	Extraordinary / Baryonyx Kibble	The Island: Caves. Gives Mega Rabies.
Mantis	Passive	Deathworm Horn / Rhino Horn	Scorched Earth: Desert. Use Bug Repellant.
Araneo (Spider)	Passive	Spoiled Meat	The Island: Caves. Use Bug Repellant.
Troodon	[Read Full Walkthrough ↓]	Your Tames	The Island: Jungles.
Titanomyrma / Meganeura	Untameable	N/A	The Island: Everywhere. Annoying insect swarms.

Heavy Herbivores & Utility

Creature	Method	Food	Spawn Location
Brontosaurus	Knockout	Exceptional / Crops	All Maps: Beaches and Grasslands.
Stegosaurus	Knockout	Regular / Crops	All Maps: Beaches and Grasslands.
Triceratops (Trike)	Knockout	Simple / Crops	All Maps: Beaches. Head takes vastly reduced torpor, shoot the body.
Ankylosaurus	Knockout	Regular / Crops	The Island: Mountains, Herbivore Island.
Doedicurus	Knockout	Regular / Crops	The Island/Scorched: Mountains. Rolls into a ball at low HP, making it immune to tranqs.
Mammoth	Knockout	Superior / Crops	The Island/Center: Snow Biome.
Castoroides (Beaver)	Knockout	Superior / Crops	The Island/Center: Rivers (look for Beaver Dams).
Megatherium	Knockout	Superior / Honey	The Island: Redwoods/Snow.
Equus (Horse)	Passive (Ride)	Rockarrot	The Island: Grasslands. (Sneak up, feed carrot, ride it, and press E when it bucks).
Procoptodon (Kangaroo)	Knockout	Rare Mushroom	The Island: Mountains. Extremely fast.
Chalicotherium	Passive	Beer Jar	The Island: Snow borders. Requires Ghillie Armor to approach.
Diplodocus	Passive / KO	Regular / Crops	The Island: Redwoods. Can be passive tamed safely.
Gallimimus	Knockout	Simple / Crops	The Island: Redwoods. Very low health.
Iguanodon	Knockout	Simple / Crops	The Island: Grasslands.
Ovis (Sheep)	Passive	Sweet Vegetable Cake	The Island: Snow Biome (very rare). Instatames with 1 Cake.
Pachyrhinosaurus	Knockout	Bug Repellant	The Island: Grasslands.
Carbonemys	Knockout	Regular / Crops	The Island: Beaches.
Morellatops	Knockout	Simple / Crops	Scorched Earth: Desert.
Roll Rat	Passive	Giant Bee Honey	Aberration: Green Zone. Throw honey on the ground while it is buried.
Moschops	Passive (Random)	Randomly Requested Items	The Island: Beaches. Very cowardly.
Lystrosaurus	Passive	Rare Flower / Berries	The Island: Beaches. Boosts XP of nearby dinos when petted.
Gigantopithecus	Passive	Regular / Berries	The Island: Redwoods. Can throw you over walls.
Mesopithecus	Passive	Basic / Berries	The Island: Jungles. Shoulder pet that throws poop.
Achatina (Snail)	Knockout	Sweet Vegetable Cake	The Island: Swamps. Produces cementing paste and organic polymer.
Dimetrodon	Knockout	Regular / Mutton	The Island: Swamps. Acts as a living air conditioner.
Oviraptor	Knockout	Dodo/Rex Eggs	The Island: Beaches. Boosts egg laying rates of nearby dinos.
Pachy	Knockout	Simple / Berries	The Island: Beaches.

Flyers & Gliders

Creature	Method	Food	Spawn Location
Pteranodon	Knockout	Regular / Mutton	The Island: Beaches. Immobilize with a Bola.
Argentavis	Knockout	Superior / Mutton	The Island: Mountains. Trap in a gateway trap.
Quetzal	Knockout	Exceptional / Mutton	The Island: High in the sky. Requires a flying mount and grappling hook to shoot from mid-air.
Wyvern (Fire/Lightning/Poison)	Egg Steal	Wyvern Milk	Scorched Earth/Ragnarok: The World Scar. Steal an egg, hatch it, feed baby Wyvern Milk.
Rock Drake	Egg Steal	Nameless Venom	Aberration: Deep Red Zone (Radiation). Steal egg, hatch it, feed baby Venom.
Griffin	Knockout	Extraordinary / Mutton	Ragnarok/Crystal Isles: Mountains.
Snow Owl	Knockout	Superior / Mutton	Extinction: Snow Dome.
Tapejara	Knockout	Superior / Mutton	The Island: Jungles. Skittish, use a Bola or Ghillie.
Pelagornis	Knockout	Regular / Fish	The Island: Oceans. Can only eat fish.
Tropeognathus	Chain Bola / Passive	Exceptional Kibble	Crystal Isles: Sky. Trap with Chain Bola from ballista, then feed passively.
Astrocetus (Space Whale)	Knockout (Cannon)	Extraordinary	Genesis 1: Lunar Biome. Must shoot head with Cannon.
Astrodelphis (Space Dolphin)	Passive (Pet)	Element	Genesis 2: Space. Pet it, then feed Element when it asks.
Archaeopteryx	Knockout	Pelagornis Kibble / Chitin	The Island: Redwoods. Acts as a living parachute.
Lymantria (Moth)	Knockout	Regular / Crops	Scorched Earth: Desert.
Desmodus (Bat)	Passive (Blood)	Blood Packs	Fjordur: Caves. Let it pick you up with blood packs in inventory.
Onyc (Cave Bat)	Passive	Mutton / Raw Meat	The Island: Caves. Use Bug Repellant.

Aquatics & Amphibians

Creature	Method	Food	Spawn Location
Mosasaurus	Knockout	Exceptional / Mutton	The Island/Center: Deep ocean borders. Will not cross an invisible depth ceiling.
Tusoteuthis (Squid)	Passive (Grappled)	Black Pearls	The Island/Center: Deep trenches. Let it grab your pet (like a turtle), then swim to its beak and feed 50 Black Pearls at once.
Basilosaurus	Passive	Exceptional / Mutton	The Island/Center: Shallow oceans. Guarded by Manta rays. Kill the mantas first.
Megalodon	Knockout	Spino Kibble / Mutton	All Maps: Oceans.
Plesiosaur	Knockout	Superior / Mutton	The Island/Center: Deep ocean caves.
Dunkleosteus	Knockout	Titanoboa Kibble / Mutton	The Island/Center: Deep ocean. Heavily armored, takes massive amounts of tranqs.
Anglerfish	Knockout	Regular / Mutton	The Island: Deep ocean trenches.
Sarcosuchus	Knockout	Regular / Mutton	The Island: Swamps/Rivers.
Beelzebufo (Frog)	Knockout	Regular / Mutton	The Island: Swamps.
Kaprosuchus	Knockout	Regular / Mutton	The Island: Swamps.
Diplocaulus	Knockout	Simple / Mutton	The Island: Swamps.
Karkinos (Crab)	Knockout (Catapult)	Exceptional / Spoiled Meat	Aberration: Rivers. Must shoot its main body with a Catapult or Cannon, tranq arrows kill it.
Ichthyosaurus (Dolphin)	Passive	Simple / Mutton	The Island: Oceans. Very friendly, will swim up to you.
Manta	Passive	AnglerGel	The Island: Oceans. Use Bug Repellant to avoid aggro.
Liopleurodon	Passive (Honey)	Giant Bee Honey	The Island: Deep Ocean. Temporary tame (30 minutes), boosts loot drops.
Hesperornis (Duck)	Passive (Fish)	Dead Fish	The Island: Rivers. Drag a dead fish to it. Lays Golden Eggs.
Electrophorus (Eel)	Passive	Bio Toxin / Mutton	The Island: Ocean Trenches. Can stun you.
Cnidaria (Jellyfish)	Untameable	N/A	The Island: Oceans. Farm them for Bio Toxin.
Eurypterid (Sea Scorpion)	Untameable	N/A	The Island: Ocean Floor. Farm them for Black Pearls.
Ammonite	Untameable	N/A	The Island: Deep Ocean. Hitting it makes the entire ocean aggro you.
Trilobite	Untameable	N/A	The Island: Beaches. Farm for Chitin.
Coelacanth / Sabertooth Salmon / Piranha	Fish Basket	Fish Basket	All Maps: Rivers. Can only be "tamed" by trapping them in a Fish Basket.

Fantasy & DLC Exclusives

Creature	Method	Food	Spawn Location
Reaper King	[Read Full Walkthrough ↓]	N/A	Aberration: Deep Red Zone (Radiation).
Bloodstalker	[Read Full Walkthrough ↓]	Blood Packs	Genesis 1: Bog Biome.
Shadowmane	Passive (Fish)	Fish Baskets (0.5+ size)	Genesis 2. Sneak up on it while it sleeps during the day using Ghillie, feed fish basket.
Magmasaur	Egg Steal	Ambergris	Genesis 1: Volcano. Steal egg, hatch it in extreme heat, feed baby Ambergris.
Managarmr	Knockout	Exceptional / Mutton	Extinction: Snow Dome. Very erratic, trap with a large gateway setup.
Velonasaur	Knockout	Regular / Mutton	Extinction: Desert Dome. Shoot from behind cover to avoid its turret spines.
Gacha	Passive (Drop)	Snow Owl Pellets / Tek	Extinction: Forest Cave / Aberration. Drop items on the floor in front of it.
Gasbags	Knockout	Superior / Crops	Extinction: Wasteland. Shoot when deflated (takes 80% less torpor when inflated).
Megachelon (Turtle)	Microbe Swarm	N/A	Genesis 1: Ocean. Find a Parakeet Fish swarm, aggro it, and drag it to the turtle. Defend the turtle from sharks while the swarm tames it.
Noglin	[Read Full Walkthrough ↓]	Your Tames	Genesis 2: Rockwell's Proliferation.
Maewing	Knockout	Basic / Mutton	Genesis 2 / Lost Island. Net projectile it before shooting, otherwise it launches into the sky.
Stryder (Tek)	[Read Full Walkthrough ↓]	Mutagel	Genesis 2: Throughout the map.
Phoenix	Fire Damage	Fire (Wyvern / Flamethrower)	Scorched Earth. Only spawns during Superheat. Hit it constantly with fire to tame it.
Glowbug / Jug Bug	Untameable	N/A	Aberration / Scorched Earth. Farm them for water/oil/charge.
Seeker / Nameless	Untameable	N/A	Aberration. Enemies affected by charge light.
Deathworm / Iceworm	Untameable	N/A	Scorched / Ragnarok. Farm for Deathworm Horns.
Enforcer	Craftable	Element Dust	Extinction. Kill wild ones for blueprints, then craft in City Terminal.
Defense Unit / Attack Drone	Untameable	N/A	Extinction / The Island Caves.
Mek	Craftable	Tek Replicator	Extinction. Craftable giant mech suit.
Macrophage / Defense System	Untameable	N/A	Genesis 2. Rockwell's inner organs.

Shoulder Pets, Utilities & Common Wildlife

Creature	Method	Food	Spawn Location
Otter	Passive	Dead Fish	The Island: Rivers. Kill a fish, drag its body to the Otter.
Bulbdog	Passive	Aquatic Mushroom	Aberration: Green Zone.
Shinehorn	Passive	Aggeravic Mushroom	Aberration: Blue Zone.
Featherlight	Passive	Auric Mushroom	Aberration: Red Zone.
Glowtail	Passive	Ascerbic Mushroom	Aberration: Artifact Caves.
Microraptor	Knockout	Rare Flower	The Island: Redwoods.
Dimorphodon	Knockout	Mutton	The Island: Beaches.
Sinomacrops	Passive	Chitin	Lost Island: Jungles. Walk near it, let it approach, feed Chitin. DO NOT WEAR CHITIN ARMOR.
Pegomastax	Passive (Theft)	Mejoberries	The Island: Beaches. Put berries in your last hotbar slot and let it rob you.
Ichthyornis (Seagull)	Knockout	Pegomastax Kibble / Fish	The Island: Beaches. Shoot out of the sky with a bola.
Dung Beetle	Passive	Feces	The Island: Caves. Apply bug repellant.
Jerboa	Knockout	Plant Species Y / Berries	Scorched Earth: Desert. Punches / Boomerang works fine.
Compy	Knockout	Prime Meat	The Island: Beaches. ONLY eats Prime Meat or Mutton.
Dodo	Knockout	Berries	The Island: Beaches. (Punch it).
Phiomia	Knockout	Berries	The Island: Beaches. (Use a bola).
Parasaur	Knockout	Berries	The Island: Beaches. (Use a bola).
Ferox	Passive (Element)	Element	Genesis 1: Snow. Feed it Element, let it transform and attack you, survive until it shrinks, repeat.
Kairuku (Penguin)	Knockout	Mutton / Prime Meat	The Island: Snow. Farm them (sadly) for Organic Polymer.
Vulture	Passive	Spoiled Meat	Scorched Earth. Deals massive melee damage for a shoulder pet.
Giant Bee	Passive	Rare Flower	The Island: Redwoods. Break the hive, then passive feed the Queen to get a hive for your base.
Hyaenodon	Passive (Petting)	Petting	The Island: Mountains. Must wear Ghillie, sneak up, and pet it repeatedly.
Leech / Diseased Leech	Untameable	N/A	The Island: Swamps. Gives Swamp Fever. Burn them off in a campfire.

Complex Taming Walkthroughs

Some creatures in ARK have taming methods that are incredibly specific and cannot be summarized in a simple table. Here are the step-by-step guides for the most difficult tames in the game.

Fasciolasuchus

Clear the area of all aggressive dinos. The Fasciolasuchus swims under the sand.
Throw an explosive (C4 or Grenade) onto the sand exactly where it is swimming. The explosion will stun it and force it to the surface.
While it is stunned, run up to it and press 'E' to mount it.
A minigame will begin. You must steer the Fasciolasuchus into solid rock formations before the torpor bar depletes.
Every time it crashes into a rock, it gains torpor. Keep steering it into rocks until it knocks itself out.
Once unconscious, feed it Flint or Salt to tame it.

Carcharodontosaurus

Trap the Carchar in a metal gateway trap, but leave the gates slightly open so it can look at you.
Kill wild dinosaurs nearby (Brontos or Rexes are best) and drag their dead bodies to the Carchar.
Drop the body near its face. If it sniffs the air, it will eat the body, filling a hexagonal "Friendship Meter" above its head.
Once the meter is full and turns green, the Carchar will stop being aggressive. Run up and mount it.
You now have 10 minutes to ride the wild Carchar and kill everything in sight. Every kill grants taming progress.
If you get dismounted before it hits 100%, you must start over.

Reaper King

Travel to the deep Red Zone in Aberration (Radiation Suit required).
Find a Reaper Queen. Trap her and use a Charge Lantern or Light Pet to weaken her armor.
Lower her health to exactly below 10%. She will start glowing with a pink aura.
Turn OFF all your Charge Lights immediately. Stand in front of her with a Shield.
She will perform a special tail-whip attack that impales you, bringing you to 1 HP and impregnating you.
You now have an incubation timer. Gain XP by killing dinos to give the unborn baby bonus levels (up to +75).
Before the timer hits 0, lock yourself in a small metal room. When the baby bursts out, it will try to kill you.
Claim it immediately (consuming Reaper Pheromones makes it docile) and feed it meat.

Tek Stryder

You MUST complete a specific number of Genesis 2 missions to even interact with a Stryder. Higher level Stryders require more completed missions.
Gather Mutagel (found in the space biome during certain asteroid phases, or deep in Rockwell's Innards).
Put Mutagel in your 0 slot. Walk up to the Stryder and feed it to begin the hack.
Follow closely behind the Stryder. Sparks will appear on a specific body part (Leg, Head, Chest).
Interact with the sparking part to trigger a hacking minigame. You must hit the button exactly when the moving blocks align in the center.
Repeat this process several times until taming reaches 100%. If you fail the minigame or walk too far away, taming effectiveness drops severely.

Noglin

Tame 4 to 5 high-health dinosaurs (Brontos or Stegos are ideal, but they MUST be unmutated and wild-tamed, no bred dinos).
Trap the wild Noglin in a small box. Bring your sacrificial tames to the box.
Unclaim your tames, or leave them on passive. The Noglin will latch onto their heads and take mind-control of them.
The Noglin gains taming progress based on the HP of the dino it controls. It will detach after a few minutes, dealing massive damage to the host.
It will then seek a new host. It cannot mind-control the same dinosaur twice. Keep feeding it fresh tames until it is tamed.

Bloodstalker

Craft a massive amount of Blood Packs using a Blood Extraction Syringe (you will need 500 to 1200 depending on server rates).
Equip the Blood Packs in your hotbar and inventory. Ensure you have parachutes or a Tek Suit.
Find a Bloodstalker high up in the trees of the Genesis 1 Bog biome. Let it see you.
It will shoot webs at you and reel you up into its grasp.
Once it catches you, it will automatically start drinking the Blood Packs from your inventory.
Do NOT attack it. Simply wait while it drinks. Once it consumes enough packs, it will tame instantly.

Troodon

Troodons can only be tamed by letting them kill YOUR own tamed dinosaurs.
The taming progress is based on the base XP yield of the dinosaur they kill (e.g., a baby Wyvern or a Spino gives huge progress).
Crucial Step: Troodons only gain affinity if they kill your tames at NIGHT. If they kill them during the day, you get absolutely no progress.
Trap the Troodon. Cryopod your sacrificial tames into the trap. Damage your tames until they have 100 HP left, then set them to Passive.
Let the wild Troodon kill them. The Troodon will gain affinity towards whoever originally owned the dead dinosaur.

TAMING COMPENDIUM