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 creature's melee damage stat, 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 the higher-stat parent. This means that if one parent has a significantly higher melee damage stat, there is a good chance the offspring will inherit it. To maximize this, you should start by taming multiple creatures of the same species and checking their stats. Look for individuals with naturally high melee damage stats, as these will serve as the foundation for your breeding line.

Once you have identified high-melee damage parents, you can begin the breeding process. Place the two selected creatures in a secure breeding area, such as a fenced-off pen or a dedicated breeding room in your base. 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 during the breeding process. After mating, the female will either lay an egg or become pregnant, depending on the 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 will need to care for it until it reaches adulthood. This involves feeding it regularly 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. To maximize the melee damage stat, focus on imprinting actions that boost this stat, such as feeding the baby its preferred food or taking it on walks.

Mutations play a crucial role in enhancing the melee damage stat further. Mutations are random and can affect either the creature's stats or its colors. Each mutation increases a stat by two levels and can stack up to 20 times per stat. However, there is a limit of 20 total mutations per creature, so you will need to carefully manage your breeding lines to avoid exceeding this limit. To introduce mutations, breed your high-melee damage creatures and check the offspring for any stat increases. If a mutation occurs in the melee damage stat, you can use that offspring as a new parent for future breeding.

One common mistake to avoid is over-mutating a single stat without considering the overall balance of the creature. While high melee damage is important, you should also ensure the creature has sufficient health, stamina, and weight to be effective in combat. Additionally, avoid breeding creatures with too many mutations, as this can lead to diminishing returns and make it harder to introduce new mutations in the future.

Advanced techniques include using separate breeding lines for different stats and combining them later. For example, you could breed one line for high melee damage and another for high health, then crossbreed the two lines to create a creature with both high melee damage and health. This approach requires careful tracking of your breeding lines and may take several generations to achieve the desired results.

Resource requirements for breeding include a steady supply of food, such as meat or berries, depending on the species. You will also need a secure breeding area and temperature-regulating items for egg incubation. If you are playing in a tribe, you can divide the workload among members, with some focusing on taming and others on breeding and imprinting. Solo players will need to manage all aspects of the breeding process themselves, so it is important to plan ahead and allocate time for each task.

In summary, breeding for high knockback damage in ARK: Survival Evolved involves selecting high-melee damage parents, managing stat inheritance, introducing mutations, and carefully raising and imprinting the offspring. By following these steps and avoiding common mistakes, you can create powerful creatures with exceptional knockback damage, making them formidable in combat.