The world of Ark is an intimidating place filled with adorable creatures and vicious predators who can either aid new players in their survival or make it worse. New survivalists are probably aware of how gathering supplies is an essential component to the game and how easy or hard it can make getting started. Even basic defenses and transportation are severely limited without using the right dinosaur or mammal provided in the game. New survivalists will learn during their adventures that certain animals are better at gathering certain materials, providing defense, or traveling when compared to others, and this list of essential dinos for new Ark survivors is here to help you find those creatures.
The animals of Ark listed here are easy to kite, trap, or knockout for a new player just starting out. They will make gathering supplies easier, taming strong creatures later in the game a breeze, and help new players to get a stockpile of supplies started.
Trike
The trike is a common dinosaur new survivalists will either see as the bane of their existence or as a useful companion. Trikes make a perfect first-time mount since they have a wide AOE attack, a knockback effect, and gather a good amount of berries. They’re even good for carrying a decent amount of weight which comes in handy when traveling by land or moving to a new base location.
Taming a low level is easy with a slingshot, but trike attacks do hurt. Kiting one around a rock or standing on a ledge while knocking one out is the best strategy. Depending on the map, trikes may also spawn in stuck in between trees or rocks which makes them an even easier first tame.
While it’s an excellent first mount for gathering beginner supplies and providing defense, the trike does have one drawback. Due to its low stamina, it can be frustrating to use for ground travel, but keeping it parked near a beginner base or having it on follow is usually a good option. Players can also continually pump the stamina stat, but it will take some time to get it to a decent level to use the trike as a mediocre travel mount.
Pteranodon
Flying completely changes the world of Ark on multiple levels, but scoring that first flier is easy. Pteranodons are one of the most colorful fliers and can be trapped on the ground by throwing a bola at them. Their low torpor makes it easy to knock out even the higher level fliers using fists, a wooden club, a slingshot, or tranquilizer arrows.
They’re one of the fastest fliers too which makes them great for scouting out the terrain and traveling quickly to other areas. They can even pick up smaller animals like dodos, lystros, dilophosaurus', and other players for easy transportation. Scoring a high-level pteranodon is easy as pie with the tradeoff being a longer taming time, but in return, the player is rewarded with a more powerful mount.
Pteranodons are usually a preferred first flier since they take the lowest level of kibble and they’re non-aggressive unless players steal their eggs. They’re decent for attacking other dinosaurs and even have a special ‘barrel roll’ that temporarily allows them to go faster and is their highest level attack. The only tradeoff with pteranodons is they have a low carry weight and it can be a challenge using them to take on the bigger creatures in Ark.
Carbonemys
The carbonemys is one of the slowest dinosaurs to be found in the world of Ark, alongside the snail. New players will usually see a couple of them either wandering around on the beach or swimming through water. Despite how slow they are, they’re a decent tame for food storage and defense. They’re non-aggressive until attacked, but even then they don’t present much of a threat. They’re easy to kite due to their slow speed, so there’s little chance of new players being killed if they choose to tame one or three.
One of the major aspects of this tame is their special shell ability. Carbonemys take only half damage when their shell is attacked, which makes them a decent guard dog for players building a thatched house. Their high health makes them an excellent tank too, so when attacked they won’t be wiped out so quickly. Their weight is mediocre, but they do act as decent fridges to keep cooked meat and berries from spoiling quickly. Players just starting out will usually tame one or two of these turtles and walk around on foot while crafting out in the field. The turtles act as temporary storage bins which makes it easier to bring crafting supplies back to the main base.
Their only drawbacks are that they’re not effective mounts, either on land or water. Carbonemys may be halfway decent for crossing rivers since the combination of their high health and special half-damage stat allows them to survive most attacks, but they’re also incredibly slow. Using them as temporary fridges and storage is the best way to utilize them effectively early game.
Beezlebufo
Considered one of the best beginner land and swimmer mounts available, the beezlebufo is a rather unique tame in the world of Ark. This amphibian can be found swimming in the swamp biome or hopping around on land near water. The frog has two attacks, the first being a straight tongue attack with a narcotic effect and the second being a tongue swipe that damages anything within a 180-degree radius in front of the frog.
Unlike the other recommended tames on this list, the Beezlebufo does have a special ability for gathering a rare resource. When it kills the large bugs like meganura and titanomyra, by using the second AOE attack it’s able to harvest cementing paste from the bodies. The frog also gathers a good amount of chitin too which can be used in higher level crafting recipes.
Alongside with jumping high and gathering one of the rarest resources, the beezlebufo is a must have mount for a beginner survivalist. The frog’s speed both on land and water make it perfect for getting out of dangerous situations or for taking aggressive dinosaurs head on. Obtaining one may present a challenge though since the frog is located in the swamp biome, which is one of the hardest biomes to survive in alongside the snow one. The best strategy for obtaining one is to lure it onto land, trap it with a bola, and knocking it out with a few tranquilizer arrows. Be sure to keep a wide distance too during taming since its tongue attacks can easily knock out even veteran players.
Phioma
One of the most harmless animals alongside the dodo, the phioma at first glance doesn’t provide much use. Newer players can often kill or tame one by themselves early game without much help. The phioma does run away when attacked, but is an easy source of meat and hide.
While it can’t carry much weight and has a decent speed as a ground mount, it’s perfect for pooping endlessly. Force feeding it stimberries causes it continually defecate which can be used to make fertilizer in compost bins with a few stacks of thatch. Fertilizer is needed to grow crops in Ark which can be combined with certain eggs and other components to make kibble. Other crops that can be grown are berries which can be used in crafting recipes or used as an easy source of food.
Ankylosaurus
The ankylosaurs are another slow dinosaur that can’t be used effectively as a ground mount, but it is a decent gathering creature for a variety of materials. Ankylosaurs won’t become aggressive unless attacked, but they’re easy to kite as long as players keep their distance. Knocking one out with tranquilizer arrows is recommended while kiting it around either a rock or through some trees to slow down its movement.
Ankylosaurus is great for harvesting resources like flint, metal, and even berries. They also have two attacks with one being a forward flick of the tail which damages an opponent directly in front of it. The second attack is a wider sweep of the tail which bangs down and has a knockback effect. While survivalists won’t be able to travel around on one, keeping one parked near a main base and an easy source of metal is recommended to make gathering essential materials easier.
Pachyrhinosaurus
One of the newest additions to the world of Ark, it’s probably one of the ideal mounts any survivalist or tribe could ever have. Similar to the trike in terms of speed and stamina, the pachyrhino is better in terms of its abilities. One of these is being able to release pheromones into the air that cause aggressive dinosaurs to leave the pachyrhino alone. This same ability can also be reversed using the dinosaur’s special attack which causes even peaceful loving animals like dodos to become aggressive to the horned dinosaur.
Unlike other ground mounts, the pachyrhino’s saddle can also carry another passenger if necessary. Combined with its high weight capacity this dinosaur is an awesome pack mule for beginner survivalists who are to hauling supplies to their base. The pachyrhino provides good defense and can even be used to gather a decent amount of berries when necessary.
The only tradeoff for taming this well-rounded mount is its torpor drops down rapidly. Survivalists will need plenty of narcotics or narco berries on hand to keep it knocked out until it’s fully tamed.
Taming that first starter team of dinosaurs in the world of Ark isn’t hard, given a few tries. Players who focus on getting a few key creatures early game will be able to gather essential supplies efficiently and level quickly too. While these are not the best dinosaurs to be found in the game yet, they’re still decent tames for people just starting out on their Ark journey.
