What is the best way to breed for high oxygen efficiency in ARK: Survival Evolved?

Breeding for high oxygen efficiency in ARK: Survival Evolved involves a combination of understanding the game's breeding mechanics, careful planning, and patience. Oxygen is a stat that determines how long a creature can stay underwater before needing to surface for air. While this stat is not as commonly prioritized as health or melee damage, it can be crucial for aquatic creatures or for players who spend a lot of time exploring underwater environments. HereÔÇÖs a detailed guide on how to breed for high oxygen efficiency.

First, you need to understand the mechanics of stat inheritance and mutations. When two creatures breed, the offspring has a 70% chance to inherit the higher stat from either parent. This means if one parent has a high oxygen stat and the other has a low one, thereÔÇÖs a good chance the baby will inherit the higher stat. Mutations can also occur, which can increase a stat by 2 points and sometimes change the creatureÔÇÖs color. Mutations are rare, with only a 2.5% chance per stat per baby, so breeding for mutations requires patience and a lot of attempts.

To start breeding for high oxygen efficiency, you need to find creatures with naturally high oxygen stats. This can be done by taming multiple creatures of the same species and checking their stats after taming. Focus on taming creatures with high oxygen stats, as these will serve as the foundation for your breeding line. Once you have a few high-oxygen creatures, you can begin the breeding process.

The first step is to pair your high-oxygen creatures together. Place them close to each other and enable mating. Make sure they are well-fed and in a safe environment. Once they mate, they will produce an egg or a live baby, depending on the species. Hatch the egg or raise the baby, and check its stats. If the baby has inherited the high oxygen stat, you can use it in the next generation of breeding. If not, you may need to try again with the same parents or find new ones with better stats.

As you continue breeding, you may encounter mutations. If a mutation occurs in the oxygen stat, it will increase by 2 points. This is a significant boost, so itÔÇÖs worth keeping any mutated offspring for future breeding. However, be aware that mutations can also occur in other stats, so you may need to breed multiple generations to get the desired mutation in oxygen.

One important tip is to keep track of your breeding lines. Use a spreadsheet or a notebook to record the stats of each creature and their offspring. This will help you identify which creatures have the best stats and which ones are worth breeding further. ItÔÇÖs also important to manage your mutations carefully. Each creature can have up to 20 mutations on each side (maternal and paternal), so you need to plan your breeding to avoid hitting the mutation cap.

Resource management is crucial for successful breeding. You will need a steady supply of food to keep your creatures healthy and to raise the babies. For carnivores, this means a lot of meat, and for herbivores, it means a lot of berries or crops. You will also need a safe and secure base to house your breeding creatures and their offspring. Make sure your base is well-defended, especially if you are playing on a PvP server, as other players may try to raid your base and steal your creatures.

Tribe and solo considerations also play a role in breeding. If you are in a tribe, you can divide the workload among tribe members, making it easier to manage multiple breeding lines and raise babies. If you are playing solo, you will need to be more efficient with your time and resources. Consider using timers or alarms to remind you when to feed your babies or check on your breeding creatures.

Advanced techniques for breeding include stacking mutations and using clean males. Stacking mutations involves breeding mutated creatures together to combine multiple mutations into a single creature. This can result in a creature with extremely high stats, but it requires careful planning and a lot of time. Clean males are creatures with no mutations that are used to breed with mutated females. This helps to keep the mutation count on the maternal side low, allowing you to continue breeding for more mutations.

In conclusion, breeding for high oxygen efficiency in ARK: Survival Evolved is a complex but rewarding process. It requires a deep understanding of the gameÔÇÖs breeding mechanics, careful planning, and a lot of patience. By following the steps outlined above, you can create creatures with exceptionally high oxygen stats, making them ideal for underwater exploration and other aquatic activities. Remember to keep track of your breeding lines, manage your resources carefully, and be prepared for the long haul. With time and effort, you can achieve your breeding goals and create powerful, specialized creatures in ARK: Survival Evolved.