How do I breed for high knockback damage in ARK: Survival Evolved?

Breeding for high knockback damage in ARK: Survival Evolved involves a combination of selective breeding, stat inheritance, and careful management of mutations. Knockback damage is primarily determined by the melee damage stat of a creature, as higher melee damage increases the knockback effect when attacking. To achieve this, you will need to focus on breeding creatures with high melee damage stats and potentially introduce mutations to further enhance this stat. Below is a detailed guide on how to achieve this goal.

First, you need to understand the mechanics of breeding and stat inheritance. When two creatures breed, the offspring inherits stats from either parent. Each stat, including melee damage, has a 55% chance to be inherited from one parent and a 45% chance from the other. This means you need to start with a pair of creatures that have high melee damage stats. Capture or tame multiple creatures of the same species and check their stats. Select the ones with the highest melee damage to use as your breeding pair.

Once you have your breeding pair, place them in a secure and controlled environment, such as a breeding pen. Ensure they are set to wander or enable mating in their behavior settings. Keep them well-fed with the appropriate food to maintain their health and stamina. When they mate, they will produce an egg (for egg-laying species) or a live baby (for mammals). The baby will inherit stats from both parents, so you want to ensure both parents have high melee damage.

After the baby is born or hatched, you need to care for it until it reaches adulthood. This involves feeding it regularly and protecting it 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. Aim for 100% imprinting to maximize the melee damage stat.

Mutations are a key part of breeding for high knockback damage. Mutations can randomly increase a stat, such as melee damage, or change the creature's color. To introduce mutations, you need to breed multiple generations of creatures. Each mutation has a small chance to occur, so you may need to breed many creatures to get the desired result. Keep track of your breeding lines to ensure you are making progress. When a mutation occurs, check if it affects the melee damage stat. If it does, use that creature in future breeding to pass on the mutation.

One common mistake is neglecting other stats while focusing solely on melee damage. While high melee damage is important for knockback, you also need to consider health, stamina, and weight. A creature with high melee damage but low health will not survive long in combat. Balance your breeding efforts to ensure your creatures are well-rounded and effective in various situations.

Advanced techniques involve stacking mutations to further increase melee damage. Each mutation increases a stat by a small amount, and you can stack multiple mutations to achieve significant boosts. However, there is a limit to how many mutations a creature can have. Each creature can have up to 20 mutations from each parent, totaling 40 mutations. Plan your breeding lines carefully to maximize the number of beneficial mutations.

Resource requirements for breeding include food, shelter, and time. You will need a steady supply of food to keep your breeding pair and their offspring healthy. Build a secure base with walls and turrets to protect your creatures from wild predators and other players. Breeding and raising creatures takes time, so be patient and plan accordingly.

Tribe considerations are important if you are playing with others. Coordinate with your tribe members to share the workload of breeding and raising creatures. Assign roles, such as one person responsible for gathering food and another for imprinting on babies. Solo players will need to manage all aspects of breeding on their own, so prioritize efficiency and organization.

Specific examples include breeding Rexes or Therizinos for high knockback damage. These creatures have high base melee damage and are effective in combat. Start by taming multiple Rexes or Therizinos and selecting the ones with the highest melee damage. Breed them and introduce mutations to further enhance their stats. With careful planning and management, you can create powerful creatures capable of dealing significant knockback damage in ARK: Survival Evolved.