Survive ARK

Dossier Wild: Usually found in the deepest parts of the water around the island, Amonitina multiamicus has a strange relationship with the other creatures of the deep. It must do something beneficial for them, since every nearby sea creature defends Ammonitina when it is attacked. What this distinct symbiosis is based on, alas, I have not yet discovered. Domesticated: Like many of the untameable ocean dwellers, Ammonitina still has enough utility to be a valuable hunting target. If a tribe is willing to risk the wrath of nearby would-be protectors, Ammonitina bile can be harvested from its corpse’s innards. This bile can be worked over with other chemicals to make manyRead More →

Dossier Wild: Thylacoleo furtimorsus is a large, powerful marsupial that can often be found hunting around trees. Its long claws and semi-opposable digits make it an apt climber, a quality that Thylacoleo uses to its advantage while hunting. It clambers up trees and waits to ambush passing prey by pouncing upon them. When something that large jumps onto a target, it becomes stunned and doesn’t stand much chance.   Domesticated: Thylacoleo is a moderately strong mount, and its ability to climb trees makes it useful for traversal such that developing tribes often tame it. Small raiding parties particularly favor Thylacoleo, as it is well suitedRead More →

Dossier Wild: Megalania Muruspede is among the largest creatures found throughout the island’s complicated cave networks. Reaching up to three meters long, it can traverse vertically up the cave walls with little difficulty, using its claws as iron-strength grips. Fortunately, Megalania’s size means it is unlikely to sneak up on anyone. Unfortunately for spelunkers, it is an aggressive and dangerous creature nonetheless. Domesticated: The extremely rare ability of Megalania to effortlessly climb walls makes it a highly sought after mount. While it is by no means the fastest, strongest, or toughest mount—the way it can effortlessly climb in the caves and scale mountains means itRead More →

Dossier Wild: Among the island’s tenacious pack hunters is Hyaenodon Dirus, a carnivore most often found across the mountains and tundras, in packs of 3 to 5. The Hyaenodon is a very intelligent predator: before engaging, it determines if the payoff for a fight is worth the risk of injury. Domesticated: Despite being too small to ride, Hyaenodon are still popular pets. Their intelligence means they train well, and their natural pack strength makes them excellent hunting dogs. Their capability to quickly recover health by consuming raw flesh off the bone ensures they can take much punishment and yet continue fighting. A common (and terrifying) sightRead More →

Dossier Wild: Leedsichthys conviviumbrosia is probably the largest fish in the waters around the island. Its meat is also extremely succulent, a surprise given its size. It is often traded with the same value as Prime Meat, and colloquially called ‘Prime Fish’. Of course, not all of Leedsichthys’ meat is this high quality, but most of it is! Domesticated: Despite its large size, and the fact that it may well be strong enough to carry heavy loads, Leedsichthys does not appear to be intelligent enough to tame. Never the less, some large tribes keep an enormous pen with a few Leedsichthys trapped inside for cultivating purposes, as bits of Prime Fish canRead More →

Dossier Wild: Quite possibly the most intelligent non-human creature on the island, Troodon magnanimus is an incredibly fast learner. It understands meaningful experiences much more quickly than other creatures (including humans), and its social nature means it also teaches its packmates, making them more clever too! Domesticated: I thought Troodon simply could not be tamed, until I finally saw a lone survivor with one. She told me that she let “Troody” hunt a few of her tribe’s smaller creatures for sport, and it eventually started following her everywhere. It seems that while Troodon is too intelligent to fall for the rote conditioning of ‘tranq-and-feed’, it can insteadRead More →