ARK: Taming - effectiveness, creature's level, their stats ARK Survival Evolved guide, tips
Last update: 12 June 2020
Below you can find information about the effectiveness of the taming process and the creature's abilities that can influence it.
Effectiveness of the taming process
Taming a monster with the high effectiveness level gives you an additional level boost. You start the taming process from 100% effectiveness and it lowers each time the creature is fed and / or receives damage. This is why it's so important to feed the creature with its preferred type of food - it will allow you to finish the taming process faster and end with a higher effectiveness level.
The best food for most of the dinosaurs is a specific type of fodder (kibble) - it decreases the effectiveness of taming by an insignificant value. The highest possible effectiveness level that you can reach is 99.9%. Effectiveness increases the level of the creature when the taming process is finished.
The following model is used when calculating the bonus level:
Creature's level x effectiveness level you managed to reach / 2.
For instance: Diplodocus with the 100th level, with 80% effectiveness: 100 + 80 / 2 = 140 level of the tamed creature.
Additionally, the creature will receive increased stat, such as total carrying capacity, with as high effectiveness level as possible. Most of the dinosaurs have 40% x taming effectiveness, but some of them will also get 15% when fed with the preferred type of food.
The best solution is to feed the creature you're trying to tame its preferred type of food. You must remember that the higher the level of the creature, the bigger the bonus it will receive. However, it's also directly linked to the bigger amount of narcotics, food or overall time needed for the taming process to end. You must be prepared when planning to tame a creature. Specific taming stats of each creature can be found in the Most Useful Dinosaurs chapter.
Creature's level and its stats
Creature's level can be checked by approaching it. With the help of the scope you can check creature's and their levels from a considerable distance.
Creatures in ARK: Survival Evolved appear up to the 120th level. It's also closely related to the server you're currently playing on. With each level the dinosaur receives a boost to a random stat. When you, however, have the creature tamed, you're the one deciding which stat should be increased.
After taming the dinosaur you can increase its level by 61. It means that the maximum level a tamed dinosaur can reach is 240 - starting with 120th level of the dinosaur, receiving +59 bonus from the taming effectiveness and +61 bonus from increasing the creature's level after you've tamed it.
Tamed creatures receive experience points for each activity they complete, as well as a smaller amount for doing nothing. Additionally, your character will also receive some experience points when mounting the creature, even when you're not doing anything.
Experience required after taming a creature is always the same. There's no difference whether you tame it at 1st level or at 60th.
Creatures that cannot be tamed
There are obviously creatures that cannot be tamed no matter what. You can find them in every location, as well as in the swamp lands and in frozen caverns.
The creatures that cannot be tamed are as follows:
- Alpha creatures
- Bosses
- Coelacanth
- Eurypterid
- Meganeura
- Piranha
- Sabertooth Salmon
- Titanoboa
- Titanomyrma
- Trilobite
- Yeti