ARK Taming: Five effective companions for you

Velonasaur - the machine gun

The Velonasaur came to ARK: Survival Evolved with the Extinction map. The Velonasaur has several spiky fins growing out of its face, which you should keep a very close eye on. They are not only a good identifying feature for the dinosaur, they are also a damn deadly weapon.

If you have attracted the Velonasaur's attention and thus triggered it, pay attention to whether its spiny fins are folded inwards or outwards. If they point inwards, it will attack you with its claws and teeth. If they are up, however, he will fire a spiky storm at you like a machine gun.

However, since this attack drastically limits his mobility and causes him to expend a lot of energy himself, he sometimes prefers to fire all of his spikes in one deadly burst while spinning around, allowing him to defend himself from all angles.

How to tame the Velonasaur

Before you go out to tame a Velonasaur, you need to put on some very good armor so that it won't kill you right away if it fires its spikes at you. The best thing to do is to find a place where you have a good view of the dinosaur and shoot it until it is unconscious. Remember the spikes and take cover every now and then.

Feed him meat or dry food once he is unconscious and keep him calm by giving him narco berries or the anesthetic. He is an excellent and fast mount for single riders, but he is most effective when he can defend a fixed position. You can make the saddle from level 27 and with 8 engram points. And these are the resources you need for his saddle:

• 350 Leather
• 185 Fiber
• 150 Chitin, Keratin or Shell fragment

Karkinos - multitasking snapper

The Karkinos is absolutely not to be messed with. The Karkinos has been in ARK: Survival Evolved since the Aberration DLC and, as a mix of gigantic crab with spider-like legs, is a truly terrifying appearance.

Due to its remarkable speed and extraordinary agility, the Karkinos is able to control both of its crescent-shaped claws individually and very precisely. This allows it to hold an opponent in one claw so tightly that it feels like it's being squeezed in a vice, while casually slaying another opponent with its second claw.

He is an excellent fighting animal, as he can tear enemy riders off their mounts with ease and grab smaller creatures and throw them away. In addition, he can jump excessively high and thanks to his speed, coupled with his uncanny size, he can be used wonderfully for caravans.

How to tame the Karkinos

Be prepared that taming the Karkinos will not be a fun event. Since he can move incredibly fast in the water and on land and can jump on cliffs and hills, it's enormously difficult to escape him.

The only way to tame the Karkinos is to bombard him with stones from a catapult and hit him repeatedly in the back until he falls unconscious. The whole thing will be a little easier if you trap him first. Once he is unconscious, feed him Exceptional Kibble.

From level 65 and with 28 engram points, you can craft the Karkinos Saddle. This is made from the following ingredients:

• 170 Leather
• 225 Fiber
• 200 Fungal Wood
• 80 Blue Gem or Blue Crystal Sap

Pteranodon - the flying carpet

As the first flying dinosaur in ARK: Survival Evolved, the large Pteranodon continues to be universally popular and is one of the best and safest ways to get around the island. Thanks to its remarkable speed, you'll be able to discover large parts of the game in no time.

The only drawback to this truly spectacular flying dinosaur: its stamina. The Pteranodon often has to take a short break to get ready for the next trip. It can't be called a great fighter either, as it takes off at the slightest sign of danger.

The Pteranodons are passive and do not react aggressively. At least not as long as you don't steal any of his eggs. The corrupted version of him, like all corrupted versions of dinosaurs and other creatures, is extremely aggressive, though.

How to tame the Pteranodon

Either you trap the rather fearful pterosaur with a bola, or you shoot it from a distance with a bow or slingshot. Be careful though, as it has low health and takes additional damage from ranged attacks.

The easiest way is to attack the Pteranodon during one of its rest breaks on the beach. Once on the ground and unconscious, feed it meat or kibble and make it remain still with stimberries. In order to be able to transport you on the flying dinosaur, you will need its saddle. The following is a list of the resources needed for it:

• 230 Leather
• 125 Fiber
• 75 Chitin, Keratin or Shell fragments

Brontosaurus - relaxed and comfortable, isn't it?

Because of its strength and size, it is one of the few creatures that can carry a so-called platform saddle. No matter if bases, outposts or other buildings, there are almost no limits for your platform ideas.

Thanks to its truly enormous size, the Brontosaurus is not a prey for other creatures on the island. By nature it is relaxed and comfortable, but this changes drastically should it be attacked. Its gigantic mass and considerable amount of health are its greatest strengths as well as weapons.

Once the Brontosaurus is startled and has drawn its aggression towards you, it will either try to trample you down with its large feet or throw you around with a slash of its whip-like tail.

How to tame the Brontosaurus

The extraordinary amount of health doesn't exactly make it easy for you to tame a Brontosaurus. For a variant that's a bit elaborate but effective, you'll need one or more large bear traps that you set up to run him in.

If he's stuck, you shoot him with stunning arrows and wait until he's unconscious. Easier, but also more dangerous is the other option, where you shoot at him with a crossbow or a bow. However, make sure that you always keep enough distance from him. And be careful! Just because the Brontosaurus carries such a mass, it's not as slow as you might think.

If he's unconscious, feed him Exceptional Kibble or vegetables and make sure he doesn't wake up by giving him anesthetics or Narco Berries. For the practical platform saddle, you need to reach at least level 82 and have 35 engram points. You will need the following ingredients:

• 550 Leather
• 325 Fiber
• 90 Metal ingot
• 125 Silica pearls
• 45 Cementing paste

Therizinosaur - flexible like no other

With the tamed Therizinosaur you have the most flexible companion you can have at your side. Thanks to its incredibly large and sharp claws, it can not only farm wood or fiber efficiently, it can use them just as well as a deadly weapon against enemies and anything else that gets in its way.

Since it seems to travel rather slowly for its size and to be a loner, one wonders why Therizinosaur has been able to survive on the island so far and has not been depopulated by other creatures yet. One theory is that it acts very aggressively and is tolerated by the T-Rex.

During a fight, the Therizinosaur knows no restraint and pierces any armor or supposedly safe buildings with its sinister claws. Even stone walls can't stop this aggressive killer.

How to tame the Therizinosaur

The Therizinosaur is rather peaceful, but if you get too close to it, be prepared that it will chase you and won't let off until it has grabbed you. It is therefore a good idea to trap him. Once he's trapped, shoot him with stunning arrows.

If he is lying on the ground and unconscious, feed him Mejo Berries or Exceptional Kibble. Use stimberries or the anesthetic to maintain his stun. Since the taming process of the Therizinosaur can take a long time, it is a good idea to put spikes around it to protect it.

In order to use the Therizinosaur as a versatile mount, you'll need its saddle. For this you need to reach level 69 and have 40 engram points. The following resources are required for the saddle:

• 285 Leather
• 160 Fiber
• 120 Wood
• 55 Metal ingot

Rent your GPORTAL ARK: Survival Evolved Server

We understand if you want to tame one or more of these stunning creatures now and explore the island with them, so rent your own ARK: Survival Evolved server here at GPORTAL easily, quickly and without contract terms.