Terror Birds Taming and Using in Ark Survival Evolved

Terror Birds are flightless predatory birds with huge heads and an appetite to match in Ark Survival Evolved.  Terror Birds by themselves are not too dangerous to the advanced player in Ark, but they can be a real menace in groups, which is usually the way that you find them.  Terror Birds are a lot like raptors.  They have similar base stats, and attack with speed, this can make them a real problem when there are three or four of them.  I have a fear of Terror Birds in game, and I can’t imagine what it might be like to meet a real one.  This is one species I am thankful is extinct. 

On my island in the Center map a group of four or so Terror Birds spawns in now and again and it is interesting to watch the AI at work.  Within a half-hour or so they are all dead because they take on something that is too big for them to handle.  Most of the predators in Ark Survival with the Dilos seem to last longer than even high-level Terror Birds.  I guess Terror Birds have an even more aggressive or perhaps dumber AI. 

Terror Birds don’t have very good weight, but they can run and attack fast, which can make them somewhat useful.  They have one distinct advantage over Raptors, and that is the ability to flap their tiny wings and slow the decent from any high point, so you don’t have to worry about fall damage.  Other than that, the creatures are pretty much a horse apiece

Easy Way to Train a Terror Bird

In the accompanying video, I tame a level 150 Terror Bird.  It was an ugly creature I picked up with my Argentavis and prepared to kill, but I saw it was a level 150 so I carried it over to my T-Rex Taming pen, and eventually, I got around to trapping it with a bola, and shooting it with tranq darts.  Even on foot in the wild, it is easy to take down a Terror Bird with a bola.  Then it is just a matter of knocking it out, a low-level one will go down easy with your fists for anything else tranq arrows or darts will work just fine. 

Terror Birds taking out a T-Rex in Ark Survival Evolved. 

The Terror Birds preferred kibble is Gallimimus Egg and is made with Savoroot and regular cooked meat jerky with the always required water, fiber, and mejoberries.  It is always worth making kibble if you have the eggs on a high-level dino because it greatly shortens the taming time and increases taming effectiveness.  If you don’t have the Galli kibble then prime meat is the next best thing. 

The level 150 male I tamed joined a high-level female I already had.  This mate-boosted pair made quick work of everything on my little home island, even a level 115 T-rex.  Like most of the creatures in Ark Survival Evolved, Terror Birds are fun to have around, but you will find there are lots of other dinos with better utility.  

T-Rex Taming Pen Video

Diplocaulus an Early Friend in Ark Survival Evolved

One of the dinos recently released in Ark Survival Evolved is the Diplocaulus, which is an amphibian and not a dino.  This creature is of limited use to the high-level player who has learned to craft scuba gear, but for a player that has not reached a high enough layer to craft scuba gear, or wants to keep it primitive, the Diplocaulus is a great friend.  The reason it is great, it is a good swimmer, does not require a saddle and most importantly you can use it like a living oxygen tank.  It will allow you to dive deep to harvest oil nodes, silica pearls and other resources, without having to worry about running out of oxygen.  There is a limit to the oxygen of the Diplocaulus and so eventually you and your tame can suffocate and drown.

 

The Diplocaulus resembles a giant newt and lives in the swamps of the Island and Center maps.  This is the biggest problem for a low-level player, because the swamps are probably the most dangerous place next to caves.  Expect to encounter: Sarcosuchus, Kaprosuchus, mega-piranha, leeches, Titian Boas, and clouds of Meganeura. Not to mention there are plenty of friendly creatures that will also kill you if your swings or shots go astray.  If you are going to be chasing the Diplocaulus it would be a good idea to bring friends, whether they are tribe members, or tames.  It is said that you can use the bola to stop them in their tracks, but I have not tested this.

I tamed my Diplocaulus by picking it up with a Quetzal and dropping it into a taming pen.  This option seems easy, but on my second attempt I was attacked by a Kaprosuchus, nocked of the Quetzal and died in the swamp. 

Since my Ark survivor is a high level one, and I have learned the scuba gear engrams, I really don’t have much use for the Diplocaulus, so it will just be another tamed creature in my collection.  It would be a little different if these giant newts were great fighters, but they are not.