ARK: Survival Evolved How To Tame The 6 Best Beginner Dinos

ARK: Survival Evolved has tons of Dinos to tame, and some of that taming can be done fairly soon after spawning on the beach. If you want to withstand the wilderness, here are six awesome creatures that should definitely be in your starter squad. There’s no particular order here, just find these creatures and tame them fast.

1) Dodos: You’ll see these little birds all around the Island, and they’re super easy to get on your team. In fact, there are no tools necessary. Just punch it, knock it out and fill its inventory with 12 berries or eight Mejoberries.. In a few minutes the Dodo will be tamed to follow you. As sad as this may sound, Dodos are nice to have around for hunger emergencies. Kill it anywhere you are, eat it and go find a new one.

2) Lystrosaurus: You can find a Lystrosaurus hanging around the beaches of the Island, and they’re basically ARK’s version of a dog. You can’t ride them and you don’t even have to knock them out to tame them. Just feed them at least 22 Mejoberries or 32 regular berries and they’ll be your best pal forever. Their signature advantage comes from petting them every five minutes. Each pet grants a 1.35 multiplied XP boost to all tamed Dinos. Set it to follow and get your party leveled up fast.

3) Dilophosaurus: While the Dilo might cause plenty of early deaths soon after you spawn, it’s still a nice Dino to have on your side for the early game. Like the Dodo, it’s common just about everywhere. Once you’ve got a bola and slingshot, just bola to stun it and sling to knock it out. Fill it with at least five pieces of raw meat and it will be tamed in a few minutes.

Dilos are great individually and in packs. In groups they can kill Dino threats and they also serve as solid base guards too. If you’re ever in a pinch against a larger foe, they’re also a decent sacrifice for meat. The Dilo’s venomous spit slows down anything in its path, so use that to your advantage.

4) Parasaur: The Parasaur was part of ARK from the start, and it’s still a great beginner Dino. It’s the first rideable Dino on this list, with a saddle that’s craftable as low as level 9. Once you find one anywhere on the Island, use a bola-slingshot combo to knock it out and fill its inventory with 27 Mejoberries or 40 regular berries. It’s great for land and water travel and does a decent job of harvesting berries. Similar to the Dilo, it can also be used as a meat shield in emergencies.

5) Raptor: Everybody loves the Raptor. They’re found all over the Island, and the taming process is basically identical to the Dilo. Just bola, slingshot and fill with 13 pieces of raw meat. Its saddle unlocks at level 18. The main purpose of the Raptor is to use it to gather massive amounts of meat and hide. In packs, however, they can be used to raid bases if you’re up for the challenge.

6) Triceratops: Much like the Raptor is a great starter Dino for meat and hide, the Trike is your main berry beast. They’re common all around the Island and have great attack and defense even if you aren’t leveled high enough to craft a saddle at level 16. We covered the taming process in our beginner’s guide, but the simple version is to find a high ledge and slingshot its body from as far a distance as possible. One it’s knocked out, fill its inventory with 53 Mejoberries or 79 regular berries.

Once you’ve tamed these six beasts, you’ll have enough supplies and power behind you to truly start feeling safe in ARK’s incredibly dangerous world.

ARK: Survival Evolved is available now on PC, Xbox One, PS4, OS X and Linux. Check out our beginner’s guide for even more tips to help survive your first few nights.

What are your favorite starter Dinos in ARK: Survival Evolved? Are there any we should include in a future list? Tell us in the comments section!