How do I breed for oxygen stats in ARK: Survival Evolved?
Breeding for oxygen stats in ARK: Survival Evolved involves a combination of careful planning, resource management, and understanding the game's breeding mechanics. Oxygen is a stat that primarily benefits aquatic creatures, such as the Ichthyosaurus, Megalodon, or Basilosaurus, as it increases their swim speed and underwater stamina. Breeding for high oxygen stats can be useful for players who focus on underwater exploration, resource gathering, or combat in aquatic environments. Below is a detailed guide on how to breed for oxygen stats effectively.
To begin, you need two creatures of the same species with desirable stats. Ideally, one parent should have a high oxygen stat, while the other has other strong stats you want to combine. The breeding process starts by placing the two creatures close to each other and enabling the "Enable Wandering" or "Enable Mating" option. Make sure they are well-fed and in a safe environment, as breeding can take some time. Once the mating process begins, the female will either lay an egg (for egg-laying species) or become pregnant (for live-bearing species). For egg-laying creatures, you will need to incubate the egg at the correct temperature, which can be achieved using air conditioners, standing torches, or other temperature-regulating items.
After the egg hatches or the baby is born, you must care for it until it reaches adulthood. This involves feeding it the appropriate food, such as meat for carnivores or berries for herbivores, and ensuring it is protected from predators. During this time, you can also imprint on the baby by interacting with it when it requests care. Imprinting increases the baby's stats and loyalty, making it more effective in combat or other tasks. For oxygen-focused breeding, imprinting is less critical unless you want to maximize the creature's overall performance.
Stat inheritance is a key mechanic in breeding. Each stat, including oxygen, has a 55% chance to be inherited from either parent. This means you can selectively breed creatures to pass down high oxygen stats to their offspring. To optimize this process, you should track the stats of your breeding pairs and their offspring. Keep a record of which creatures have the highest oxygen stats and use them as parents for future generations. Over time, you can create a lineage of creatures with increasingly high oxygen stats.
Mutations are another important aspect of breeding. Mutations can randomly increase a stat, such as oxygen, or change the creature's colors. However, mutations are rare, with only a 2.5% chance per stat per baby. To maximize your chances of getting a mutation in the oxygen stat, you should breed as many creatures as possible. This requires a significant amount of resources, including food, time, and space for raising babies. Advanced players often set up dedicated breeding bases with multiple mating pairs to increase their chances of obtaining mutations.
Resource management is crucial for successful breeding. You will need a steady supply of food, such as raw meat or berries, to feed both the parents and the babies. Additionally, you will need materials for building incubators, air conditioners, and other temperature-regulating items. If you are breeding aquatic creatures, you may also need to create underwater pens or enclosures to keep them safe. For tribes, coordinating breeding efforts can be beneficial, as multiple players can share the workload of raising and imprinting babies. Solo players should focus on smaller-scale breeding projects to avoid being overwhelmed.
Common mistakes to avoid include neglecting to track stat inheritance, failing to provide adequate care for babies, and not planning for resource requirements. It is also important to avoid over-mutating your creatures, as each creature can only have 20 mutations total (10 from each parent). Once a creature reaches this limit, it can no longer gain new mutations, so you should carefully manage your breeding lines to avoid wasting mutations on less desirable stats.
Advanced techniques for breeding include stacking mutations and using clean breeding pairs. Stacking mutations involves breeding mutated creatures with non-mutated ones to concentrate the mutations in a single stat, such as oxygen. Clean breeding pairs are creatures with no mutations that are used to reset the mutation counter and ensure future mutations are applied to the desired stat. This requires careful record-keeping and patience but can result in highly specialized creatures.
In summary, breeding for oxygen stats in ARK: Survival Evolved requires a deep understanding of the game's breeding mechanics, careful planning, and resource management. By selectively breeding creatures with high oxygen stats, tracking stat inheritance, and utilizing mutations, you can create powerful aquatic creatures tailored to your needs. Whether you are playing solo or as part of a tribe, patience and persistence are key to achieving your breeding goals.
To begin, you need two creatures of the same species with desirable stats. Ideally, one parent should have a high oxygen stat, while the other has other strong stats you want to combine. The breeding process starts by placing the two creatures close to each other and enabling the "Enable Wandering" or "Enable Mating" option. Make sure they are well-fed and in a safe environment, as breeding can take some time. Once the mating process begins, the female will either lay an egg (for egg-laying species) or become pregnant (for live-bearing species). For egg-laying creatures, you will need to incubate the egg at the correct temperature, which can be achieved using air conditioners, standing torches, or other temperature-regulating items.
After the egg hatches or the baby is born, you must care for it until it reaches adulthood. This involves feeding it the appropriate food, such as meat for carnivores or berries for herbivores, and ensuring it is protected from predators. During this time, you can also imprint on the baby by interacting with it when it requests care. Imprinting increases the baby's stats and loyalty, making it more effective in combat or other tasks. For oxygen-focused breeding, imprinting is less critical unless you want to maximize the creature's overall performance.
Stat inheritance is a key mechanic in breeding. Each stat, including oxygen, has a 55% chance to be inherited from either parent. This means you can selectively breed creatures to pass down high oxygen stats to their offspring. To optimize this process, you should track the stats of your breeding pairs and their offspring. Keep a record of which creatures have the highest oxygen stats and use them as parents for future generations. Over time, you can create a lineage of creatures with increasingly high oxygen stats.
Mutations are another important aspect of breeding. Mutations can randomly increase a stat, such as oxygen, or change the creature's colors. However, mutations are rare, with only a 2.5% chance per stat per baby. To maximize your chances of getting a mutation in the oxygen stat, you should breed as many creatures as possible. This requires a significant amount of resources, including food, time, and space for raising babies. Advanced players often set up dedicated breeding bases with multiple mating pairs to increase their chances of obtaining mutations.
Resource management is crucial for successful breeding. You will need a steady supply of food, such as raw meat or berries, to feed both the parents and the babies. Additionally, you will need materials for building incubators, air conditioners, and other temperature-regulating items. If you are breeding aquatic creatures, you may also need to create underwater pens or enclosures to keep them safe. For tribes, coordinating breeding efforts can be beneficial, as multiple players can share the workload of raising and imprinting babies. Solo players should focus on smaller-scale breeding projects to avoid being overwhelmed.
Common mistakes to avoid include neglecting to track stat inheritance, failing to provide adequate care for babies, and not planning for resource requirements. It is also important to avoid over-mutating your creatures, as each creature can only have 20 mutations total (10 from each parent). Once a creature reaches this limit, it can no longer gain new mutations, so you should carefully manage your breeding lines to avoid wasting mutations on less desirable stats.
Advanced techniques for breeding include stacking mutations and using clean breeding pairs. Stacking mutations involves breeding mutated creatures with non-mutated ones to concentrate the mutations in a single stat, such as oxygen. Clean breeding pairs are creatures with no mutations that are used to reset the mutation counter and ensure future mutations are applied to the desired stat. This requires careful record-keeping and patience but can result in highly specialized creatures.
In summary, breeding for oxygen stats in ARK: Survival Evolved requires a deep understanding of the game's breeding mechanics, careful planning, and resource management. By selectively breeding creatures with high oxygen stats, tracking stat inheritance, and utilizing mutations, you can create powerful aquatic creatures tailored to your needs. Whether you are playing solo or as part of a tribe, patience and persistence are key to achieving your breeding goals.