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 mutation mechanics. 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 high knockback damage, you need to focus on breeding creatures with the highest possible melee damage stat and then further enhance it through mutations and imprinting. Below is a detailed guide on how to achieve this.
First, you need to understand the mechanics of stat inheritance and mutations. When two creatures breed, the offspring has a 55% chance to inherit the higher stat from either parent for each stat category, including melee damage. This means you need to start with a pair of creatures that already have high melee damage stats. To find such creatures, you can tame multiple individuals of the same species and check their stats after taming. Keep the ones with the highest melee damage and discard the rest. This process is called "stat stacking," where you aim to combine the best stats from multiple creatures into a single breeding line.
Once you have a pair of creatures with high melee damage, you can begin breeding them. The goal is to produce offspring that inherit the high melee damage stat from both parents. This may take several generations, as the inheritance process is random. Keep breeding until you have a male and female with the desired high melee damage stat. These will serve as your base breeding pair.
Next, you need to introduce mutations to further increase the melee damage stat. Mutations are rare and random, but they can add up to 2 extra levels to a stat. Each mutation also changes the creature's color, which can help you track which offspring have mutations. To maximize your chances of getting a melee damage mutation, you should breed your base pair repeatedly. When a mutation occurs, check if it affects the melee damage stat. If it does, keep that offspring and use it to replace one of the parents in your breeding pair. This way, you can stack multiple melee damage mutations over time.
Imprinting is another crucial aspect of breeding for high knockback damage. When a baby creature is born or hatched, you can imprint on it by interacting with it during its growth stages. Imprinting increases the creature's stats, including melee damage, and also improves its loyalty and damage resistance. To maximize imprinting, you need to be present during the baby's growth stages and fulfill its requests, such as feeding it specific foods or taking it for walks. A fully imprinted creature can have up to a 30% increase in its stats, which significantly boosts its knockback damage.
Resource management is essential for successful breeding. You will need a steady supply of food to keep the parents and babies fed. Kibble is the most efficient food for breeding, as it provides the best taming effectiveness and reduces the time required for imprinting. You will also need a secure breeding area, as baby creatures are vulnerable to attacks from wild predators. Build a well-protected base with walls, turrets, and other defenses to keep your breeding operation safe.
Common mistakes to avoid include neglecting imprinting, not tracking mutations properly, and failing to secure your breeding area. Imprinting is a time-consuming process, but it is essential for maximizing your creature's stats. Use a spreadsheet or other tracking method to keep track of mutations and stat inheritance. This will help you avoid breeding creatures with undesirable stats or mutations. Additionally, always ensure your breeding area is secure, as losing a high-stat creature to a wild predator can set your breeding program back significantly.
Advanced techniques include using multiple breeding pairs to increase your chances of getting mutations and stacking stats more efficiently. You can also use cryopods to store and transport your creatures, making it easier to manage large breeding operations. If you are part of a tribe, coordinate with other members to share the workload and resources required for breeding. Solo players may find it more challenging to manage large-scale breeding operations, but with careful planning and resource management, it is still achievable.
In summary, breeding for high knockback damage in ARK: Survival Evolved involves selecting creatures with high melee damage stats, breeding them to combine the best stats, introducing mutations to further increase melee damage, and imprinting to maximize stat bonuses. Proper resource management, secure base building, and careful tracking of mutations and stat inheritance are essential for success. With patience and persistence, you can create powerful creatures with devastating knockback damage.
First, you need to understand the mechanics of stat inheritance and mutations. When two creatures breed, the offspring has a 55% chance to inherit the higher stat from either parent for each stat category, including melee damage. This means you need to start with a pair of creatures that already have high melee damage stats. To find such creatures, you can tame multiple individuals of the same species and check their stats after taming. Keep the ones with the highest melee damage and discard the rest. This process is called "stat stacking," where you aim to combine the best stats from multiple creatures into a single breeding line.
Once you have a pair of creatures with high melee damage, you can begin breeding them. The goal is to produce offspring that inherit the high melee damage stat from both parents. This may take several generations, as the inheritance process is random. Keep breeding until you have a male and female with the desired high melee damage stat. These will serve as your base breeding pair.
Next, you need to introduce mutations to further increase the melee damage stat. Mutations are rare and random, but they can add up to 2 extra levels to a stat. Each mutation also changes the creature's color, which can help you track which offspring have mutations. To maximize your chances of getting a melee damage mutation, you should breed your base pair repeatedly. When a mutation occurs, check if it affects the melee damage stat. If it does, keep that offspring and use it to replace one of the parents in your breeding pair. This way, you can stack multiple melee damage mutations over time.
Imprinting is another crucial aspect of breeding for high knockback damage. When a baby creature is born or hatched, you can imprint on it by interacting with it during its growth stages. Imprinting increases the creature's stats, including melee damage, and also improves its loyalty and damage resistance. To maximize imprinting, you need to be present during the baby's growth stages and fulfill its requests, such as feeding it specific foods or taking it for walks. A fully imprinted creature can have up to a 30% increase in its stats, which significantly boosts its knockback damage.
Resource management is essential for successful breeding. You will need a steady supply of food to keep the parents and babies fed. Kibble is the most efficient food for breeding, as it provides the best taming effectiveness and reduces the time required for imprinting. You will also need a secure breeding area, as baby creatures are vulnerable to attacks from wild predators. Build a well-protected base with walls, turrets, and other defenses to keep your breeding operation safe.
Common mistakes to avoid include neglecting imprinting, not tracking mutations properly, and failing to secure your breeding area. Imprinting is a time-consuming process, but it is essential for maximizing your creature's stats. Use a spreadsheet or other tracking method to keep track of mutations and stat inheritance. This will help you avoid breeding creatures with undesirable stats or mutations. Additionally, always ensure your breeding area is secure, as losing a high-stat creature to a wild predator can set your breeding program back significantly.
Advanced techniques include using multiple breeding pairs to increase your chances of getting mutations and stacking stats more efficiently. You can also use cryopods to store and transport your creatures, making it easier to manage large breeding operations. If you are part of a tribe, coordinate with other members to share the workload and resources required for breeding. Solo players may find it more challenging to manage large-scale breeding operations, but with careful planning and resource management, it is still achievable.
In summary, breeding for high knockback damage in ARK: Survival Evolved involves selecting creatures with high melee damage stats, breeding them to combine the best stats, introducing mutations to further increase melee damage, and imprinting to maximize stat bonuses. Proper resource management, secure base building, and careful tracking of mutations and stat inheritance are essential for success. With patience and persistence, you can create powerful creatures with devastating knockback damage.