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

Breeding for high crafting speed efficiency in ARK: Survival Evolved involves a deep understanding of the game's breeding mechanics, stat inheritance, and mutation systems. Crafting speed is a stat that affects how quickly a creature can craft items in its inventory, such as a Therizinosaurus crafting fiber into cloth or a Castoroides crafting wood into organic polymer. To breed for high crafting speed, you need to focus on selectively breeding creatures with high base crafting speed stats and potentially introducing mutations to further enhance this stat.

First, let's break down the mechanics involved. Crafting speed is one of the seven stats a creature can have, alongside health, stamina, oxygen, food, weight, and melee damage. When breeding, the offspring has a 70% chance to inherit the higher stat from either parent. This means if one parent has a crafting speed stat of 30 and the other has 20, the baby has a 70% chance to inherit the 30 stat. The remaining 30% chance is split between inheriting the lower stat or a random value between the two. To maximize crafting speed, you need to start with parents that have high crafting speed stats. This often involves taming multiple creatures of the same species and checking their stats after taming to identify the best candidates.

Step-by-step, the process begins with taming several high-level creatures of the species you want to breed. For crafting speed, Therizinosaurus and Castoroides are popular choices due to their natural crafting abilities. After taming, use a tool like the Spyglass or the creature's inventory stat screen to check their crafting speed stat. Select the creatures with the highest crafting speed as your breeding pair. Place them 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 use a mating boost item like a Pheromone Dart to initiate breeding.

Once the breeding process starts, the female will lay an egg (for egg-laying species) or become pregnant (for mammals). For egg-laying species, you need to incubate the egg by maintaining the correct temperature, either through air conditioners, standing torches, or other temperature control methods. For mammals, you simply wait for the gestation period to complete. After the baby is born or hatched, it will require constant care, including feeding and protection from predators. Use a feeding trough to automate the feeding process, but be prepared to hand-feed the baby during its early stages.

Imprinting is a crucial part of the breeding process. By interacting with the baby during its growth stages, you can increase its stats and loyalty. Imprinting bonuses apply to all stats, including crafting speed, so it's essential to maximize imprinting. To do this, pay attention to the baby's imprinting requests, which can include cuddling, walking, or feeding specific foods. Completing these requests within the allotted time will give you the best imprinting percentage.

Mutations can further enhance your breeding line. Mutations have a small chance to occur during breeding and can increase a stat by two levels or change the creature's color. To maximize the chance of a crafting speed mutation, breed your highest crafting speed creatures repeatedly. Keep in mind that each creature has a mutation counter, and once it reaches 20 mutations on either the maternal or paternal side, the chance of further mutations decreases significantly. To avoid this, you can breed mutated creatures with non-mutated ones to reset the mutation counter on one side.

Resource requirements for breeding are substantial. You will need a steady supply of food for both the parents and the babies, as well as materials for building a secure breeding area. For egg-laying species, you may also need resources for temperature control, such as air conditioners or standing torches. Additionally, imprinting requests often require specific resources, so it's a good idea to stockpile items like rare flowers, rare mushrooms, and kibble.

Tribe and solo considerations are important. In a tribe, breeding can be a collaborative effort, with different members handling different aspects of the process, such as taming, feeding, and imprinting. This can make the process more efficient and less time-consuming. Solo players will need to manage all aspects of breeding themselves, so it's essential to plan ahead and ensure you have the necessary resources and time to dedicate to the process.

Common mistakes to avoid include neglecting imprinting, which can significantly reduce the effectiveness of your bred creatures. Another mistake is not checking the stats of tamed creatures before breeding, which can result in wasted time and resources. Additionally, failing to secure your breeding area can lead to predators attacking your babies or parents, so always ensure your breeding area is well-protected.

Advanced techniques include using external tools like breeding calculators to track stat inheritance and mutation chances. These tools can help you plan your breeding lines more effectively and ensure you are making progress toward your goals. Another advanced technique is stacking mutations by breeding mutated creatures with non-mutated ones to reset the mutation counter and continue introducing new mutations.

In summary, breeding for high crafting speed efficiency in ARK: Survival Evolved requires careful planning, resource management, and attention to detail. By understanding the mechanics of stat inheritance, imprinting, and mutations, and by following the step-by-step strategies outlined above, you can create powerful creatures with exceptional crafting speed. Whether you are playing solo or as part of a tribe, the key to success is preparation, patience, and a thorough understanding of the breeding system.