Ark: Survival Ascendedhas many awesome dinosaurs, animals, and even a few mythological creatures to find, fight, and tame. The title takes the survival adventure genre and throws in some prehistoric fauna and flora. Most of the dinos and critters inArkcan be tamed to play various roles for players, like collecting resources, transporting people and goods, and fighting. SomeArkdinosaurs are obvious must-tames, like the formidable T-Rex, the massive Titanosaur capable of carrying entire mobile bases on its back, and the mighty Therizinosaur, an all-around great tame.
The game also has its share ofunderrated but useful dinosaurs that are just as useful as their more popular counterparts. There are a few dinosaurs and creatures inArkthat most players simplyoverlook in favor of the “better” versionsof them in the game. These dinos might have some flaws, but each has its own merits and offers some benefits for players if they just give them a chance.
10Spinosaurus
The Spino Hits Hard And Is Faster Than The T-Rex
The mighty Spino is one of the first big dinosaurs that players first encounter in their adventures. The terrifying carnivore is a difficult fight for beginners, especially since it can chase players into the water, unlike many other carnivorous critters inArk. However, the large dinosaur is oftenoverlooked in favor of the more popular T-Rex as an offensive partner.
10 Hardest Dinosaurs & Creatures To Tame In Ark: Survival Ascended
Creatures and dinosaurs can become reliable mounts in Ark: Survival Ascended, but some of these beasts can be extremely hard to tame into companions.
While it’s true that the T-Rex does more damage than the Spino per hit,the Spinosaurus is much faster. Sometimes, speed is more important in a fight, and the Spino’s quick movement and attack speed can lead to it doing even more damage than the Rex. Spinosaurus also has a hydration buff that lets it move without using stamina when in the water. By making the dino’s Oxygen levels, players can turn the Spino into a powerful companion.
9Equus
All-Around Useful Low-Level Tames
The Equus resembles a mix between a horse and a zebra, so it tends to be overlooked in favor of the more eye-catching dinosaurs that roam the lands ofArk. However, bypassing these herbivorous mammals is a mistake, sincethis is one of the best all-around mounts, especially in lower levels.
The horse-like Equus isgreat for travel and mobile storage, and can even be used fairly effectively in battle. Equus are also handy foron-the-go narcotic craftingthanks to the Mortar and Pestle perk, which grinds up gathered resources right in the saddle, while on the go. These quick and strong creatures are also often used by players to lure larger dinos into traps, making them indispensable for large dino taming.
8Carnotaurus
Better Than Many Dinos In Specific Situations
The Carnotaurus is amid-sized dinosaur with middle-of-the-road stats across the board.Other dinosaurs hit harder, move faster, or have other outstanding features that make them more popular with players. The Carno isn’t too fast and has relatively low HP, so wild ones typically only pose a danger to lower-level players. Carnos are often passed over in favor of the Baryonyx, which can move quickly both on land and in the water, and T-Rexes, which can move about as fast and hit harder.
However, the Carno is a useful dinosaur to have tamed for a few scenarios. Their size and overall strength make them good cave explorers, and their overall sturdiness and attack accuracy mean they can be good guard dinos for home bases. Carnotaurus alsomake good meat hunters for their strong knockback, especially when employed from uphill, as the attack can send even larger dinosaurs back and out of striking distance from the player.
7Megalania
Gain A Tactical Advantage By Walking On Ceilings
Resembling Komodo Dragons, the Megalania isvenomous and highly aggressive, andbumping into one in a cave systemcan spell trouble for adventurers.The Megalania is not an easy tame, so many players typically don’t bother with the taming process. However, the dino’s ability to climb up vertical walls makes this a useful companion to have in any survivor’s arsenal.
What Ark: Survival Ascended Dinos Are Exclusive To The Center?
There are a lot of different dinosaurs found in The Center DLC for Ark: Survival Ascended, but how many of them are exclusive to this map?
Once tamed, though, Megalania can act as versatile mounts,capable of scaling walls and even hanging upside downfrom ceilings over unsuspecting passersby. Players can even shoot from the backs of these mounts, making them fun to use in both PvE and PvP runs. Taming Megalania can be tricky due to their quick torpor loss, but it’s worth it for the tactical advantage of attacking unsuspecting dinosaurs and players from above.
6Procoptodon
Similar To Kangaroos And Jump Just As Well
While some creatures inArkare must-haves for their usefulness, others are simply fun to have. The often-overlooked Procoptodon belongs to the latter group.Procoptodons are fast and can carry a decent amount for their size.They also pack a punch with their strong knockback attacks and harvest berries at an impressive speed. That said, their best use is as a mount.
These marsupials are the prehistoric version of the kangaroo, which means that they move exactly how players expect them to. Procoptodon cancarry players or other dinosaurs in their pouches, and they move around by jumping. These jumps can carry players high and fast, making it fun to maneuver around theArkworld. Although there are objectively “better” mounts in the game, the Procoptodon is definitely one of the most fun ways to get from one place to another.
5Maewing
An Aquatic And Aerial Mount In One
The Maewing is one of thefantasy creatures inArk, with no real-life dinosaur counterpart. The creaturelooks like a very large cross between a platypus and a flying squirrel,and as such, it can be used for both aerial and aquatic travel. Due to their skittish nature, Maewings aren’t most players' first choice for mounts, but they have enough to offer to make them worth taming.
Luckily, taming one is fairly easy once the quick creature is immobilized. As a tame, Maewings make excellent mounts, especially for players with water-platform bases. The ability toswitch between water and air travelis a huge benefit of this tame, but they’re also very effective berry gatherers, able toharvest large amounts of berries with a body slam attack.
4Dimetrodon
A Better Incubator Than Mechanical Options
ARK: Survival Ascendedallows players to incubate eggs to add dinos to their pack. While this is often easier than taming new dinosaurs from the wild, it requires some setup. Players interested in hatching dinosaur eggs generally need to set up incubators or air conditioners,overlooking a much easier way to hatch eggs: the Dimetrodon.
Unlike the mechanical methods of egg hatching, Dimetrodons don’t require electricity to power, so there’s no special setup needed to use them.The dinosaurs act as live hatcheries for dinosaurs, keeping them at the ideal temperature for hatching. Taming more Dimetrodons increases their effectiveness, and with enough of them, it’s even possible to incubate a Rock Drake egg, which typically requires more than 20 AC units to bring the temperature to the necessary level.
3Compy
Annoying To Encounter But Useful To Tame
The tiny Compys are curious and will often approach players to investigate them. When they travel in packs, though, Compys hit fast and hard. It’s too easy to become overwhelmed by a swarm of Compys as they take turns attacking and running away. Most players will be too focused on running away from compys to consider taming them. As tames, the Compy is not most players' choice, sincethe small dinosaurs require the rarer Prime Meat to tame, and by the time players have access to enough of this resource, there are generally better options to choose from.
The Company is often called the “housecat” ofArkfor the way it curiously follows players around the home.
Compys have their benefits, though, and players who have enough Prime Meat should not overlook this small but ferocious companion. Taming a group of Compys means harnessing the very thing thatmakes them so annoying in the wild:Tamed Compys get a pack boost whenever they’re in a group,giving them more attack power the more of them there are (up to 10). For this reason, the Compy makes a good shoulder pet capable of helping out in a pinch and works well as a swarmer that can distract and overpower larger dinosaurs.
2Moschops
A Docile Creature With Impressive Resource Gathering Prowess
Some creatures inArkare overlooked simply because they’re found in many locations and don’t bother players. The Moschops is one of these docile darlings. Moschops are friendly and non-aggressive and will rarely attack players, even when players instigate the fight.Even when tamed, Moschops would rather run away than fight, despite having a fairly strong attack for a passive creature. This may make it seem that Moschops aren’t worth taming, leading to them being often overlooked.
10 Best Dinosaurs To Tame Early In Ark: Survival Ascended
Taming dinosaurs is the most important component of Ark: Survival Ascended, and a handful of creatures are best suited for the early hours of a save.
However, the Moschops isone of the most efficient harvesters inArk, able to collect many different types of resources. In fact, Moschops will occasionallygather Prime Meat from dinosaursthat don’t normally drop it. Moschops can even be trained to prioritize harvesting certain things by feeding them those items. Taming a Moschops is so easy that the most dangerous part of it is potentially encountering a more aggressive dinosaur in the process. Best of all,Moschops can be ridden without a saddle, making it an excellent beginner mount for low-level players.
1Dire Bear
Fast Runner And Powerful Fighter
Few creatures want to come face-to-face with a bear in the wild, and the same is true even in the prehistoric times ofArk. The threat is even more pressing when the bear in question isabout the size of a modern-day Asian elephant. Luckily, the Dire Bear prefers to keep to itself, leaving players alone unless they get too close to their territory. And, since most players would prefer not to anger an elephant-sized bear, the Dire Bear is often overlooked as a tame.
That’s a shame, because the Dire Bear makes a powerful and quick mount once it’s tamed. The bear hits as hard as a T-Rex, using an attack with an impressively large area of attack. The Dire Bear has an ability that increases its speed as it runs, and it can attack at any speed, turning it into a swift and hard-hitting tank. It’s also an excellent gatherer of fiber and berries. As a bonus, it’s very easy to make the Dire Bear saddle, making this one of the best but most overlooked creatures inArk: Survival Ascended.
