Stat Allocation Guide

Learn how creature stats are calculated in ARK: Survival Ascended. Understand base values, leveling, taming bonuses, and imprinting for optimal stat allocation.

Hey there, survivor! So you're looking to get a handle on how your creatures' stats work in ARK: Survival Ascended, huh? It can seem a bit complex at first, but don't worry, I've got your back. Think of this as your friendly guide to understanding what makes your dinos tick. ### Variables Involved Every creature in ARK has a set of variables that determine its stats. These are: * Base-value (B): This is the starting point for a stat. * Increase per wild level (Iw): How much a stat goes up for each level gained while the creature is wild. * Increase per domesticated level (Id): How much a stat goes up for each level you put into it after taming. * Additive taming-bonus (Ta): A bonus added during taming. * Multiplicative taming-bonus (Tm): A bonus that multiplies your current stat value after taming. * Taming effectiveness (TE): How effective your taming process was, which influences the bonuses. * Imprinting bonus (IB): A bonus you get from imprinting on baby creatures, which only affects bred dinos. There are also some global modifiers that tweak these variables, like `TaM`, `TmM`, and `IdM`. These are pretty standard across the board for official servers, but it's good to know they exist. One thing to watch out for is the `TamedBaseHealthMultiplier` (TBHM). For some creatures, this actually lowers their health right after taming, before other bonuses kick in. Also, remember that the `Tm` bonus only gets better with higher `TE` if it's a positive bonus; negative `Tm` values (like for Aberrant variants) won't improve with lower `TE`. ### The Stat Formula Alright, let's look at the magic formula that puts it all together. If a creature has gained `Lw` levels in the wild, `Ld` levels after taming, and was tamed with `TE` effectiveness, the final stat value (V) you see is: ``` V = (B × (1 + Lw × Iw × IwM) × TBHM × (1 + IB × 0.2 × IBM) + Ta × TaM) × (1 + TE × Tm × TmM) × (1 + Ld × Id × IdM) ``` Don't let this scare you! Let's break it down: * Value Wild (Vw): This is the stat value before any taming bonuses are applied, based on its base value and wild levels: `Vw = B × (1 + Lw × Iw × IwM)`. * Value Post-Tamed (Vpt): After taming, this takes your `Vw`, applies the `TBHM`, adds the `Ta` bonus, and then multiplies it all by the taming bonus based on `TE` and `Tm`: `Vpt = (Vw × TBHM + Ta × TaM) × (1 + TE × Tm × TmM)`. * Value Post-Tamed with Imprinting: If you're breeding and imprinting, the formula adjusts to include the imprinting bonus: `Vpt = (Vw × TBHM × (1 + IB × 0.2 × IBM) + Ta × TaM) × (1 + TE × Tm × TmM)`. * Final Value (V): Finally, you add your domesticated levels (`Ld`) to this `Vpt`: `V = Vpt × (1 + Ld × Id × IdM)`. If you ever forget how many levels a creature has gained, there's a handy tool called the ARKStatsExtractor that can help you figure that out and even find the stat values for many creatures. ### A Note on Bonuses Keep in mind that `Ta` and `Tm` are often 0. For health, `Ta` is usually 0.5, but some creatures like the Giganotosaurus or Griffin have special negative values. For melee damage, `Ta` is typically 0.5 and `Tm` is 0.4, giving a nice boost. The `TBHM` is usually 1, meaning no change. However, some dinos like the Brontosaurus, Doedicurus, Carbonemys (0.9), and Quetzal (0.85) have lower values, meaning they'll have slightly less health right after taming. ### Examples Let's see this in action: Rex Health Example: * Base Health (B): 1000 * Wild Level Increase (Iw): 20% (0.2) * Domesticated Level Increase (Id): 27% (0.27) * Additive Taming Bonus (Ta): 0.5 * Multiplicative Taming Bonus (Tm): 0 If your Rex had 5 wild levels in health (`Lw = 5`), you leveled it 12 times in health after taming (`Ld = 12`), and tamed it with 82% effectiveness (`TE = 0.82`), its final health value would be: ``` V = (1000 * (1 + 5 * 0.2 * 1) + 0.5 * 0.14) * (1 + 0.82 * 0 * 0.44) * (1 + 12 * 0.27 * 0.2) V = 3296.1 ``` Rex Melee Damage Example: * Base Melee Damage (B): 100% * Wild Level Increase (Iw): 5% (0.05) * Domesticated Level Increase (Id): 10% (0.1) * Additive Taming Bonus (Ta): 0.5 * Multiplicative Taming Bonus (Tm): 0.4 With the same stats (`Lw = 5`, `Ld = 12`, `TE = 0.82`), the final melee damage would be: ``` V = (100% * (1 + 5 * 0.05 * 1) + 0.5 * 0.14) * (1 + 0.82 * 0.4 * 0.44) * (1 + 12 * 0.1 * 0.17) V = 181.9% ``` Understanding these formulas can really help you make smart choices when leveling up your creatures. Happy taming and leveling!