There are loads of Ark dinos to tame, and knowing exactly which ones to prioritize isn’t easy. While you won’t be recreating your dinosaur theme park – we all know how that went the first time around – deciding between a T-Rex or a Carnotaurus, a Quetzal or a Doedicurus, or even non-dinosaur creatures like the Mammoth or Beelzebufo can be difficult.
That’s where we come in. This list of the ten best Ark dinos to tame will help guide your efforts with tips for taming and capturing each one. We’ve considered multiple aspects of each dino when putting together this list, including their utility, base stats, and how easy they are to tame generally, so this is especially useful for any beginners. Fancy making the game easier for yourself? Check out our guide on Ark admin commands, which are essentially cheats. Alternatively, if you fancy dinosaurs elsewhere, our list of the best dinosaur games has what you need.
Here are ten of the best Ark dinos (and other creatures) for you to start taming:
- Doedicurus
- Therizinosaurus
- Argentavis
- Quetzal
- T-Rex
- Mammoth
- Ankylosaurus
- Carnotaurus
- Ichthyosaurus
- Beelzebufo
Doedicurus
Our first dinosaur, the Doedicurus – or Doed for short – is an armadillo-esque mammal typically found around the Red Peak, Frozen Tooth, and Grand Hills areas of The Island. It can be used to harvest obsidian and stone or as transport due to its rolling ability.
It is very difficult to kill due to its hardened shell. If its health ever drops below two-thirds, it will simply crawl up into a ball, taking less damage from predators. Pack some tranq darts or arrows to knock it out and aim for its head. If possible, make some Dilophosaurus kibble for food as this decreases the taming time when fed to the Doed.
Therizinosaurus
The next entry will be familiar to almost everyone who has played Ark: Survival Evolved. The Therizinosaurus is one of the most dangerous animals you will encounter early on in the game, haunting The Island’s beaches.
It is an incredibly capable creature, as you will find out when it is tamed. You can use it to collect abundant berries, hide, wood, thatch, and meat. Its claws also hit multiple times per attack, making it a superb mount for taking into battles with you.
A few quick tips for taming: keep your distance, pack plenty of tranquilizers and narcotics, and feed it Megalosaurus kibble or vegetables.
Argentavis
If you want to get around the map more safely, then an Argentavis is an excellent choice. These flying mounts have higher stamina and health than the Pteranodons and have far better damage output, more than making up for their lack of speed.
They can also carry smaller animals, allowing you to move unconscious creatures to a better taming spot. In short, they make your travels back and forth across the Ark much easier.
Its preferred taming food is stegosaurus kibble or raw mutton. You can also knock it out by aiming for its head with projectiles or setting bear or chain bola traps. If you are struggling to find an Argentavis, they are incredibly common around Far’s Peak, up near the northeast corner of the map.
Quetzal
The Quetzal is another flying mount worth taming. If you have a platform saddle, you can transform it into a flying base, arming it with turrets and taking resources wherever you go.
The Quetzal can also transport farming animals across the map, like the Ankylosaurus and Doedicurus, which the Argentavis cannot. This makes it perfect for bringing on mining adventures. Build a few forges on its back, and you will have your own portable smeltery.
Its only downside is that it is spectacularly difficult to tame, as it never stops flying. You either need to use a flying mount to keep up with it and then shoot at it from the ground, or use a Tapejara and shoot tranqs from the passenger seat. Once down, it will need T-Rex kibble or raw mutton. Remember to pack one of these; otherwise, all your hard work will be in vain.
T-Rex
There are several big predators in Ark: Survival Evolved, but the T-Rex is arguably the best. Why? Because it is one of the most dominant creatures on the island. The T-Rex has tremendous stamina and health compared to other predators. It can also be taken into all boss arenas, unlike the giga.
A good method of taming a t-rex is to build a platform to shoot tranquilizer darts from or find a ridge nearby. Stay out of reach, and then, when you get it down to the floor, start feeding it Pulmonoscorpius kibble or raw mutton.
Mammoth
The Mammoth gets a place on this list for being one of the best animals in the game for gathering wood. Found in the snowy north of The Island, many dangerous animals surround it so taming can be a real problem. Nevertheless, it is worth the risk. Not only for the mammoth’s harvesting skills but also for its ability to absorb lots of damage. It is a great tank, significantly faster and more portable than the Brontosaurus or Diplodocus. To tame a Mammoth, you will need tranquilizer darts and either vegetables or Raptor kibble.
Ankylosaurus
A spiky dino with a club for a tail, the ankylosaurus is capable of gathering lots of metal, crystal, and flint, making it invaluable for mining. It is also extremely easy to tame due to its sluggish pace. All you need is Dilophosaur kibble for food and a means of knocking it out like a slingshot, tranq arrows, or tranq darts. You will soon find collecting ore becomes far less of a chore if successful.
Carnotaurus
A great mid-range predator, the Carnotaurus is fast and inflicts significantly more damage than a Raptor. It also yields a substantial amount of prime meat, so you can use it for collecting food for your other tamed dinos if necessary. They are most commonly found on the Dead Island, but you may also find them around the Northeast Shores and Redwood Forest.
It is tamed with Ankylosaurus kibble and can be knocked out quite easily using tranq arrows. Just ensure you are in a safe spot, as they can quickly overwhelm you in the wild if you are not careful.
Ichthyosaurus
Many players prefer the Megalodon over the Ichthyosaurus, as the former is much more formidable in the water. However, we have decided to be different and have gone for the latter due to its remarkable speed.
The Ichthyosaurus is exceptionally fast in the water, allowing it to escape most underwater predators unscathed. It can also take you to the bottom of the ocean and back in seconds, meaning it is a superb pearl farmer.
If all that wasn’t good enough, you can also tame it. Put some Dodo kibble in the last slot on your hot bar and feed it from there. You should have one tamed in no time at all.
Beelzebufo
The last creature we will recommend is the Beelzebufo – a large amphibian native to the swamp biome. This animal is useful as a taming mount due to its ability to torpor prey and as a means of transport because of its hopping skill.
It is also one of the best animals at farming the large quantities of cementing paste and chitin necessary to upgrade your base to metal. It is handy to have around.
While taming, you will want to target the Beelzebufo from a distance. Try to find a rock to get some height, then pummel it with tranq arrows until it passes out. Feed it either Pulmonoscorpius kibble or raw mutton; you should be able to tame it relatively quickly. Good luck!
And there you go, there’s your Ark taming guide to ensure that you’re a master of survival. If you’re keen on spicing up your dino game with new creatures, maps, features, and more, check out our best Ark mods list. You can also check out the other best survival games on PC. And now, with a legion of massive beasties under your control, let us say how err, lovely you’re looking today.