What is the best way to breed for higher melee damage in creatures in ARK: Survival Evolved?
Breeding for higher melee damage in ARK: Survival Evolved involves a combination of understanding the game's breeding mechanics, careful planning, and patience. The process revolves around stat inheritance, mutations, and imprinting to create creatures with superior melee damage. HereÔÇÖs a detailed guide to help you achieve this.
First, you need to understand the basics of stat inheritance. 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 melee damage stat and the other has a low one, the baby has a good chance of inheriting the higher stat. To start, you should tame multiple creatures of the same species and check their stats. Look for individuals with naturally high melee damage. These will serve as the foundation for your breeding line.
Once you have identified creatures with high melee damage, you need to breed them to create offspring with even better stats. This is where mutations come into play. Mutations can randomly increase a stat by 2 points and also change the creature's color. However, mutations are rare, with only a 2.5% chance per stat per baby. To maximize your chances, you should breed as many creatures as possible. Keep in mind that each creature can only have 20 mutations on the maternal and paternal sides combined. After 20 mutations, further mutations become much harder to achieve.
To manage mutations effectively, you should keep track of your breeding lines. Use spreadsheets or notes to record the stats and mutation counts of each creature. This helps you avoid inbreeding and ensures you are making progress toward your goal. When a mutation occurs, check if it affects the melee damage stat. If it does, incorporate that creature into your breeding line. If not, you can either discard it or use it for other purposes.
Imprinting is another crucial aspect of breeding. When a baby 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 improves its loyalty to you. To maximize imprinting, you need to be present when the baby requests care, such as food or cuddles. Imprinting bonuses are percentage-based, so the higher the base stat, the more significant the boost. This makes it essential to start with creatures that already have high melee damage.
Resource management is vital for successful breeding. You will need a steady supply of food, such as meat or berries, to keep the parents and babies fed. For carnivores, a feeding trough filled with raw meat or cooked meat is ideal. For herbivores, a trough with berries or crops will suffice. You also need a safe and controlled environment for breeding. Build a secure base with enough space for the creatures and their offspring. Include air conditioners or dimetrodons to regulate temperature for eggs, and have plenty of preserving bins or fridges to store food.
Common mistakes to avoid include neglecting to check stat inheritance, over-mutating a single line, and failing to imprint properly. Always verify the stats of the offspring before deciding to keep them. Over-mutating can lead to diminishing returns, so itÔÇÖs better to focus on quality rather than quantity. Imprinting requires consistent attention, so plan your schedule accordingly.
Advanced techniques involve stacking mutations and using clean males. A clean male is a creature with no mutations that can be bred with mutated females to pass on the mutations without increasing the mutation count on the male side. This allows you to continue stacking mutations beyond the 20 limit. Another technique is to use multiple breeding pairs to increase the chances of getting the desired mutations.
Tribe considerations are important if you are part of a group. Coordinate with your tribe members to share the workload of breeding and imprinting. Assign roles, such as one person managing the breeding pairs and another handling the imprinting. Solo players will need to manage everything themselves, so time management is crucial.
In summary, breeding for higher melee damage in ARK: Survival Evolved requires a deep understanding of stat inheritance, mutations, and imprinting. Start by taming creatures with high melee damage, breed them to combine the best stats, and use mutations to further enhance the melee damage. Manage your resources carefully, avoid common mistakes, and consider advanced techniques to optimize your breeding line. Whether you are playing solo or in a tribe, patience and planning are key to creating powerful creatures with superior melee damage.
First, you need to understand the basics of stat inheritance. 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 melee damage stat and the other has a low one, the baby has a good chance of inheriting the higher stat. To start, you should tame multiple creatures of the same species and check their stats. Look for individuals with naturally high melee damage. These will serve as the foundation for your breeding line.
Once you have identified creatures with high melee damage, you need to breed them to create offspring with even better stats. This is where mutations come into play. Mutations can randomly increase a stat by 2 points and also change the creature's color. However, mutations are rare, with only a 2.5% chance per stat per baby. To maximize your chances, you should breed as many creatures as possible. Keep in mind that each creature can only have 20 mutations on the maternal and paternal sides combined. After 20 mutations, further mutations become much harder to achieve.
To manage mutations effectively, you should keep track of your breeding lines. Use spreadsheets or notes to record the stats and mutation counts of each creature. This helps you avoid inbreeding and ensures you are making progress toward your goal. When a mutation occurs, check if it affects the melee damage stat. If it does, incorporate that creature into your breeding line. If not, you can either discard it or use it for other purposes.
Imprinting is another crucial aspect of breeding. When a baby 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 improves its loyalty to you. To maximize imprinting, you need to be present when the baby requests care, such as food or cuddles. Imprinting bonuses are percentage-based, so the higher the base stat, the more significant the boost. This makes it essential to start with creatures that already have high melee damage.
Resource management is vital for successful breeding. You will need a steady supply of food, such as meat or berries, to keep the parents and babies fed. For carnivores, a feeding trough filled with raw meat or cooked meat is ideal. For herbivores, a trough with berries or crops will suffice. You also need a safe and controlled environment for breeding. Build a secure base with enough space for the creatures and their offspring. Include air conditioners or dimetrodons to regulate temperature for eggs, and have plenty of preserving bins or fridges to store food.
Common mistakes to avoid include neglecting to check stat inheritance, over-mutating a single line, and failing to imprint properly. Always verify the stats of the offspring before deciding to keep them. Over-mutating can lead to diminishing returns, so itÔÇÖs better to focus on quality rather than quantity. Imprinting requires consistent attention, so plan your schedule accordingly.
Advanced techniques involve stacking mutations and using clean males. A clean male is a creature with no mutations that can be bred with mutated females to pass on the mutations without increasing the mutation count on the male side. This allows you to continue stacking mutations beyond the 20 limit. Another technique is to use multiple breeding pairs to increase the chances of getting the desired mutations.
Tribe considerations are important if you are part of a group. Coordinate with your tribe members to share the workload of breeding and imprinting. Assign roles, such as one person managing the breeding pairs and another handling the imprinting. Solo players will need to manage everything themselves, so time management is crucial.
In summary, breeding for higher melee damage in ARK: Survival Evolved requires a deep understanding of stat inheritance, mutations, and imprinting. Start by taming creatures with high melee damage, breed them to combine the best stats, and use mutations to further enhance the melee damage. Manage your resources carefully, avoid common mistakes, and consider advanced techniques to optimize your breeding line. Whether you are playing solo or in a tribe, patience and planning are key to creating powerful creatures with superior melee damage.