Dinosaurs – who doesn’t like ‘em? Pretty much every person on the planet is aware to some extent of these creatures, no matter how much or how little faith they have in their existence. Since the late 1800s, they have made a massive presence in pop culture as well, in many forms, from ugly, sluggish moving monsters to agile, sleek, beautiful beings, each being more awe-inspiring than the rest.
Big names like Jurassic Park, Walking with Dinosaurs and the Land Before Time have engraved themselves on the film and media industry. The gaming industry is nothing short of them either, with plenty of games to choose from in every genre. One such title dominant in today’s era is ARK: Survival Evolved.
ARK is a survival game that features a multitude of species roaming free on land, sea, and air. These animals include a massive majority of dinosaurs, alongside pterosaurs, extinct marine reptiles, Ice Age animals, and some others. The players’ objective is to explore the island, gather resources, survive and tame the beasts to assist them in gameplay.
But with such a diverse variety of animals to choose from, each with its requirements and perks, it can be a bit hard to decide which animals to make your mains and mount on to as you explore the vast landscapes. Fortunately, for you, we have penned down the list of the best prehistoric beasts you can find throughout the game, to tame and take with you as you explore the landscape. These creatures each have their traits, difficulty to tame, and where you can find them.
So now, without any further delay, let’s get down to listing those critters packed with vicious jaws, claws, and teeth!
1. Therizinosaurus
Therizinosaurus was from a group of medium-sized theropod dinosaurs of the late Cretaceous period, which has a characteristic set of long claws on each arm. Though science states that these creatures were primarily herbivorous or omnivorous at most, using their claws for foraging and defense, their game counterparts seem to be quite the opposite. Almost every ARK player is familiar with these ferocious monsters haunting the beaches and jungles of The Island.
Due to its ferocity and abundance, it is an excellent mount that you should tame. The dinosaur can prove its worth in battle with multiple hits from its talon claws in each attack. Moreover, the beast is effective in abundance harvesting and bulk collecting for berries, wood, thatch, hide, and meat. The taming process is a bit of a time-consuming one, so make sure to be packed full of tranquilizers and narcotics, along with Megalosaurus egg kibble.
Vegetables might do the trick too but would make the process even longer. Though not as difficult as other animals that live in packs, as Therizinosaurus are usually found alone or at most, groups of two to three. If you’re having difficulty taming a Therizinosaurus or any other creature, feel free to check out our marketplace at Eldorado.gg, where you can buy any of the ARK dinos tamed by other players and up for sale, that too at the best of prices.
2. Carnotaurus
The Carnotaurus is one of the fastest large theropod dinosaurs from the Cretaceous. Its in-game counterpart lives up to the same, being an excellent mid-range attacker, with agile maneuvers and inflicting a decent amount of damage on impact. The dinosaur as a mount can deliver short bursts of quick speed, along with the ability to knock a player away with its head-butt attack.
Though the carnivore will attack anything in sight, its preference of potential prey lies towards medium to large dinosaurs. Dinosaur proves useful as a mount to take into attack as well as for collecting meat for other tames, due to its high yield of prime meat. The dinosaur, though found in packs, is relatively easier to tame as it can be knocked down with a few tranq arrows, then teamed with Ankylosaurus egg kibble.
The dinosaur can be found on Dead Island most easily and can be seen at the Northeast Shore and Redwood Forest as well.
3. Ankylosaurus
The perfect all-out tank, Ankylosaurus is heavily armed with spikes running all over its body. And if that hadn’t been enough, this beast has a club for a tail ready to deliver massive blows to any attackers. Though, it should be noted that the Ankylosaurus will not attack unless provoked by a player or predator. The dinosaur serves as an excellent partner for its efficiency in mass mining. It can make the collection of metal, crystal, flint, and other ores much simpler – a task that would otherwise feel much like a chore.
The dinosaur is comparatively much easier to tame due to its relatively slow pace of movement. To tame it, make use of slingshot, tranq darts, or tranq arrows to knock the animal out. After that, make use of Dilophosaurus kibble to tame it. The dinosaur being heavily armored does not have any areas that may act as damaging multipliers, making it excellent as a defensive tank. These animals can be found all across the Island in peaceful small family units.
4. Quetzal
The Quetzalcoatlus, referred to as Quetzal in the game, is the largest of the flying reptiles. It is a free-range creature and can be found everywhere on the island, feeding on fish and small critters. The creature, when tamed, can serve as a flying base if a platform saddle is used, allowing the player to arm the creature with turrets, build forges, and transport resources.
That’s not all though; this huge winged beast can help the player transport farming animals, such as the Ankylosaurus and the Doedicurus. A really helpful creature indeed! However, the beast barely ever sets foot on the ground, making it extremely difficult to tame the creature. The massive flier is also very skittish, preferring flight over fight if startled or approached closely. When fleeing, it can attain really fast speeds for a few seconds.
Shooting at it midflight while being on a flying mount or aiming at it from below seems to be two possible ways to knock it out. Afterward, T-Rex kibble or mutton is what you need to tame it – make sure to be all packed up before you embark on this endeavor or your efforts could go to waste.
5. T-Rex
The Tyrannosaurus is one of the best mounts amongst all large predators a player can get their hands on. Undoubtedly, this is because the apex predator is a dominant species on the island. They are quite bulky beasts with twice the health of a Spinosaurus of the same level, along with incredible stamina for their size too.
The beast, however, lacks the same speed as other large predators. Wild Rexes will normally leave mounts with players on top alone, going for wild prey instead. However, mounts without a player or players down on the ground will be targeted by them. Taming a Tyrannosaurus is no easy feat as they can easily take out a player in a couple of hits.
The player needs to ensure their safety first, such as making use of a platform, while shooting the Rex with tranquilizer darts. Once knocked out, make use of Pulmunoscorpius kibble or raw mutton to tame it. As a mount, the beast is an excellent choice while roaming as very few larger predators will dare attack the T-Rex.
This was our selection of cherry-picked dinosaurs that we think are the best mounts that ARK Survival Evolved has to offer. We hope this guide helps you further enhance your gameplay and choose the best mounts for yourself.
