How to tame dinosaurs in Ark: Survival Ascended

Ark: Survival Ascended is all about taming dinosaurs, and each dinosaur has its own unique set of traits. These traits can range from the ability to gather stones to being able to have a base built on their backs! I’ll tell you everything you need to know about taming in ASA below.

How to tame dinosaurs in Ark: Survival Ascended: Beginner taming

The taming strategy in Ark: Survival Ascended will vary from species to species. Some dinosaurs require you to knock them unconscious and feed them, others require a more peaceful and passive taming strategy.

In the image above, you see an unconscious Parasaur with its horrified child nearby. I knocked this Parasaur out by using a Bola to trap it in place and then shot it in the head with rocks from a Slingshot.

Once it was knocked out I put some Berries in its inventory since it is a herbivore. Carnivores will require meat.

While taming dinosaurs in Ark: Survival Ascended, you’ll see an Unconscious bar and a Taming bar. If you let the unconscious bar hit zero, the dinosaur will wake up and all of your taming progress will be lost. Once the dinosaur eats enough food, the taming bar will completely fill and your dinosaur will wake up and finally be tamed!

If you put food in the dinosaur’s inventory and it isn’t eating after a good bit of time, it either means you aren’t giving it the right food or the dinosaur requires a different taming method.

While this method of taming works for the Parasaur, other dinosaurs require a Passive Tame instead. A Passive Tame requires you to feed the dinosaur while it’s awake, removing the need to knock it out.

For example, the Oviraptor requires you to drop dinosaur eggs on the ground, which it will eat and eventually be tamed. The Oviraptor increases egg generation to nearby tamed dinosaurs, which makes it an extremely valuable tame to Ark experts.

There are many dinosaurs that have their own unique taming method, so you’ll need to get crafty.

As you progress through Ark: Survival Ascended, you’ll discover more efficient ways to tame dinosaurs. Once you unlock Tranq Arrows and Tranq Darts, you will be able to knock dinosaurs out from range extremely easily—granted you can avoid the fight they’ll put up!

You’ll also eventually be able to craft Kibble which is the most efficient dinosaur food obtainable. Kibble will allow you to almost instantly tame even the most formidable of dinosaurs.

Well, now that you know the basics of taming dinosaurs in Ark: Survival Ascended, it’s time to get out there and tame your very first Dodo army.