ARK Survival Evolved: How To Tame Compy (Step-by-Step Guide)

Taming a Compsognathus (Compy) in ARK: Survival Evolved requires knocking the creature out with low-damage torpor tools and feeding it exclusively high-quality meats like Raw Prime Meat, Raw Mutton, or Extraordinary Kibble. Because of their exceptionally small health pools and lightning-fast torpor depletion rates, players must carefully balance their physical damage output and constantly administer Narcotics to prevent the creature from waking up. This guide provides the precise mechanical thresholds and strategies needed to successfully secure this valuable, pack-boosting shoulder pet.

Pre-Operation Planning & Gear Requirements for Compy Taming

Before hunting for a Compy, you must understand its unique biological mechanics. In the wild, a lone Compsognathus is passive and curious, often following survivors without attacking. However, when two or more Compies gather, they receive a "Pack Buff" (indicated by a glowing red aura and a number above their heads), which increases their damage output and makes them highly aggressive.

You cannot tame a Compy using standard Raw Meat or Cooked Meat. This is one of the most common mistakes survivors make. They will ignore standard meat in their inventory and eventually wake up, wasting your resources and time. You must prepare high-tier proteins or kibble beforehand. Additionally, their high torpor decay means you cannot leave their side once they are unconscious.

Essential Taming Gear & Inventory Checklist

• Knockout Weapons: A primitive Wooden Club, a Slingshot with Stone ammunition, or a low-damage Bow equipped with Tranquilizer Arrows. High-quality Crossbows or Longneck Rifles should be avoided, as they will easily kill a Compy.
• Taming Foods: Raw Prime Meat, Raw Mutton, Raw Prime Fish Meat, Cooked Lamb Chops, or Extraordinary Kibble.
• Torpor Maintenance: At least 50 Narcotics or 150 Narcoberries per Compy.
• Preservation Tools: A Preserving Bin, Refrigerator, or a taming mount (like a nearby Raptor or Rex) to store Raw Prime Meat and prevent it from spoiling before the knockout.
• Structural Protection: 4 Wood or Stone Double Doorframes and 1 Wood/Stone Ceiling to create a makeshift taming pen, or 4 Wooden Spike Walls to keep wild predators away.
• Estimated Duration: 5 to 15 minutes of active taming time once the creature is knocked out.

Step-by-Step Compsognathus Capture and Taming Process

Step 1: Locating and Isolating the Target Compy

Compies are widely distributed across the Island, frequently spawning on beaches, throughout inland jungles, and around the edges of the Redwood Forests. Once you locate a group, assess their levels. If you find a high-level target (such as level 130 to 150), you must isolate it from its pack mates.

To safely isolate your target, use a ranged weapon like a Spear or Pike to kill the low-level Compies in the pack. Be careful not to swing wildly, as Compies have tiny hitboxes and you could accidentally strike your target. Once only the target Compy remains, it will lose its pack aggression and return to a passive, curious state, making it easy to trap.

Step 2: Trapping and Securing the Target

While you can attempt to knock out a Compy as it runs around, their small size and erratic movement make them difficult to hit. Creating a temporary taming box prevents them from fleeing when their torpor levels get high.

Place three Wooden Double Doorframes in a U-shape on the ground. Lure the curious Compy inside by standing in the center of the structure. Once the Compy enters, quickly place the fourth Doorframe behind it to seal the enclosure. You can now easily shoot or strike the creature through the open frames without any risk of it escaping.

Warning: Never use a Bola on a Compy. Unlike larger raptors or dilophosaurs, the Compy's hitbox is too small for a standard Bola to bind, resulting in wasted resources and potential accidental damage to the dinosaur.

Step 3: Executing a Safe Knockout

A wild level 150 Compy has roughly 90 to 110 Health and only 130 to 150 Torpor. A standard primitive Crossbow with a Tranq Arrow deals 35 physical damage and delivers over 100 torpor over 4 seconds. If you shoot a Compy in the head with a high-damage weapon, the physical damage will instantly kill it before the torpor can take effect.

Use a low-tier Wooden Club to strike the Compy through the doorframes, spacing your swings by 2 to 3 seconds to allow the torpor to register. If using a Bow with Tranq Arrows, pull the bowstring only halfway back to minimize physical damage. Aim exclusively for the body, not the head, to avoid the headshot damage multiplier.

Step 4: Immediate Torpor Stabilization

The moment the Compy falls unconscious, immediately open its inventory. The Compy's torpor drains at an alarmingly fast rate—frequently depleting completely in under 45 seconds for high-level individuals.

Before placing any food in its inventory, force-feed the Compy 10 to 15 Narcotics or 30 to 40 Narcoberries to stabilize its unconscious state.

Pro-Tip: Narcoberries are superior to Narcotics when taming fast-draining creatures like the Compy. Narcotics increase torpor by 40 over 8 seconds, whereas Narcoberries increase torpor by 8 over 3 seconds. Feeding a stack of 100 Narcoberries queues up a long, continuous climb in torpor, preventing the bar from dropping for several minutes and buying you time to gather fresh prime meat.

Step 5: Feeding and Protecting the Compy

Once the torpor bar is stabilized and climbing, place your chosen taming food into the Compy’s inventory. If you are using Raw Prime Meat, only transfer 2 to 3 pieces at a time. Raw Prime Meat spoils in just 9 minutes in a dinosaur's inventory; transferring too much at once will result in the meat spoiling before the Compy can eat it, resetting its taming progress.

Place Wooden Spike Walls around your temporary taming pen. Small carnivores like Dilophosaurs, Ichthyornis, or Pegomastax will actively target unconscious Compies, and even a single hit from an outside source will ruin your taming effectiveness, stripping away the bonus levels.

Technical Specifications & Taming Efficiencies

The table below details the performance, quantity, and taming metrics for a Level 150 Compsognathus on standard 1x official settings.

Compy Taming Failures & Field Fixes

Scenario 1: The Compy Dies Instantly During the Knockout Attempt

• Root Cause: The physical damage of your weapon exceeded the Compy's maximum health pool. This typically happens when using high-quality mastercraft/ascendant weapons, Crossbows, or hitting headshots.
• Actionable Fix: Use a primitive Wooden Club or a basic Slingshot. If you must use a Bow, do not draw it back fully, and shoot the Compy in the tail or legs rather than the head to avoid damage multipliers.

Scenario 2: The Compy Wakes Up Mid-Tame While Food is in Its Inventory

• Root Cause: The torpor depletion rate of the Compy is faster than the rate of digestion, and the player failed to monitor and queue up manual torpor items.
• Actionable Fix: Do not let the Compy's torpor drop below 50%. If it wakes up, you must restart the knockout process, which will significantly reduce its maximum taming effectiveness. Keep a stack of at least 100 Narcoberries in your hotbar and force-feed them continuously to keep the torpor bar actively rising.

Scenario 3: The Compy Refuses to Eat the Raw Meat Placed in Its Inventory

• Root Cause: Compies are programmed to ignore standard Raw Meat, Cooked Meat, and lower-tier Kibble (such as Basic or Simple Kibble) during the taming process.
• Actionable Fix: Remove the standard meat and replace it immediately with Raw Prime Meat, Raw Mutton, or Extraordinary Kibble. If you do not have these resources nearby, keep the Compy unconscious with Narcotics while you hunt local large creatures (such as a Brontosaurus, Stegosaurus, or Rex) to harvest the necessary Raw Prime Meat.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I tame a Compy with standard Raw Meat in ARK?

No. Compies will not consume standard Raw Meat or standard Cooked Meat during the taming process. They require Raw Prime Meat, Raw Prime Fish Meat, Raw Mutton, Cooked Lamb Chops, Cooked Prime Meat, or Extraordinary Kibble to initiate and complete taming.

What is the benefit of having a tamed Compy pack?

Tamed Compies gain a dynamic "Pack Buff" when grouped together, up to a maximum of +8. This buff significantly boosts their damage resistance and physical attack power, turning a group of these small shoulder pets into a highly lethal defensive swarm.

Can Compies wear armor or clothing items?

Yes. Compies can be equipped with various headpieces, such as Flak Helmets, Chitin Helmets, or custom skins, when placed on your shoulder. This equipment provides them with significant armor protection, making them highly resilient to damage during combat.

Why does the Compy's taming progress keep resetting?

This occurs if the Compy takes even a single point of damage from wild predators, environmental hazards, or your own accidental attacks after being knocked out. It can also happen if the Raw Prime Meat in its inventory spoils before it can eat, causing its hunger bar to drop without taming food available.

Master the Wilds of ARK: Survival Evolved

Securing a pack of Compsognathus is an excellent way to boost your early-game defense and add utility to your survival kit. Arm yourself with the right survival strategies, gather your resources, and build your ultimate dinosaur army today.