Advanced Taming Techniques — Ark: Survival Evolved Guide

Learn how to tame creatures in ARK: Survival Evolved! We cover knocking them out with fists, slingshots, or tranquilizer arrows, and keeping them fed and unconscious.

Hey there, survivor! Ready to get some new dino buddies? Taming in Ark: Survival Evolved is all about making these creatures friendly to you. Once they're on your side, they can help you out with pretty much anything – fighting, carrying stuff, or even just looking cool. They'll stick with you until the very end, and you can even pass them on to friends or tribe mates if you want to. Each creature takes a different amount of time to tame, from just a few minutes to several hours. If you're going for a longer tame, it's a good idea to have a friend or two help out. You can take turns keeping the creature knocked out, feeding it, and watching out for any danger. If you're flying solo, try to find a quiet spot or build a little enclosure before you start. Every creature has its own page on the wiki with details about its stats, what food it likes best, and some handy taming tips. Definitely check those out! ## How To Tame First things first, you gotta knock the creature out. Here are a few ways to do that: * Punch it: This is the most basic way, but be careful! You'll take some damage, and you might accidentally kill the creature before it passes out. Plus, if it's a skittish dino, it might just run away after one hit. * Use a Slingshot: This is your next best option. It's pretty cheap to make and you can find ammo easily. Just keep pelting the creature, aiming for the head if you can, and eventually, it'll go down. * Use Tranquilizer Arrows: If you've got the resources, this is the most effective way. A bow with these arrows can put most creatures to sleep pretty quickly, especially if you land headshots. Once the creature is unconscious, you need to keep it that way until it's fully tamed. Open its inventory and toss in some [Narcoberries](https://ark-survival-evolved-archive.fandom.com/wiki/Narcoberry "Narcoberry") or Narcotics. Use the 'force use item' option, and its [torpor](https://ark-survival-evolved-archive.fandom.com/wiki/Torpor "Torpor") level will go up, keeping it asleep longer. While it's out cold, you need to feed it. If it doesn't get any food, the taming progress will just reset. * Herbivores: Feed them any kind of berry, except for [Stimberries](https://ark-survival-evolved-archive.fandom.com/wiki/Stimberry "Stimberry") (they won't eat those) and [Narcoberries](https://ark-survival-evolved-archive.fandom.com/wiki/Narcoberry "Narcoberry") (those are for keeping them asleep). Most herbivores these days prefer [Mejoberries](https://ark-survival-evolved-archive.fandom.com/wiki/Mejoberry "Mejoberry"), but it's always good to double-check their preferences. * Carnivores: Feed them meat. [Raw Meat](https://ark-survival-evolved-archive.fandom.com/wiki/Raw_Meat "Raw Meat") works, but [Prime Meat](https://ark-survival-evolved-archive.fandom.com/wiki/Prime_Meat "Prime Meat") is way better. Cooked meat is the least effective, and some carnivores even prefer spoiled meat! Don't worry, you don't have to stand there the whole time. You can wander off and do other things, but keep an eye on its food level. If it runs out, you lose all your progress! Also, if its torpor gets too low, it'll wake up, and you'll have to knock it out again, which also resets your progress. You can see how far along the tame is with the brown bar, and how close it is to waking up with the purple bar. Once it's all done, you'll get to name your new friend!