How To Tame A Parasaur In ARK: Survival Evolved & Ascended
Taming a Parasaur in ARK: Survival Evolved and ARK: Survival Ascended requires dropping a low-level herbivore unconscious using blunt trauma or tranquilizers, then feeding it basic crops or Mejoberries while managing its taming progress. As one of the earliest utility mounts available, mastering this process provides survivors with an essential early-game scout, pack mule, and living radar system.
Essential Preparation and Equipment Checklist
Surviving the early game on ARK's shores demands a reliable mount for weight management, defense against small predators, and terrain scanning. The Parasaur serves as the quintessential beginner mount, but attempting to tame one without the proper gear results in wasted time or a dead animal. Before engaging a Parasaur, gather the necessary resources to ensure a quick and successful knockout.
- Essential Gear and Tools: Slingshot (minimum 15 to 30 stones) or a Bow with Tranquilizer Arrows (minimum 5 to 10 arrows), Club (for early melee takedowns), and a Bola to immobilize the creature during combat.
- Taming Food Requirements: Mejoberries (preferable for faster taming) or any other regular berries. For faster results and higher taming effectiveness, use crops such as Amarberry, or exceptional kibble if available, though berries suffice for early-game levels.
- Prerequisite Knowledge and Standards: Parasaurs possess a fleeing mechanic. When damaged, they run away rapidly, making direct open-field shooting difficult without crowd control items like Bolas.
- Estimated Budget and Duration Benchmarks: Taming a level 1 to 30 Parasaur takes between 5 and 15 minutes, consuming roughly 20 to 60 Mejoberries depending on server rates.
Step-by-Step Taming Workflow
Executing a clean knockdown prevents the Parasaur from fleeing into hostile jungles filled with Raptors or aggressive alpha predators. Follow this sequential workflow to safely render the creature unconscious and secure your new mount.
Step 1: Locate and Isolate a Low-Level Parasaur
Scan the beaches and lowlands for a Parasaur, prioritizing levels 10 through 30 for your first tame to minimize resource consumption and taming time. Avoid targets wandering near high-threat areas like swamp borders or dense forests where predators can disrupt the taming process. Clear any surrounding Dilos, insects, or small threats before initiating contact.
Warning: Never attempt to tame a Parasaur while standing near active Spinosaurus or Carnotaurus spawn zones, as they will aggressively target both you and your unconscious tame.
Step 2: Immobilize the Target Using a Bola
Equip a Bola from your hotbar and approach the Parasaur until you are within effective throwing range. Wait for the creature to turn or face away slightly, then right-click and release to throw the Bola directly at its legs.
Pro-Tip: A successful Bola hit locks the Parasaur in place for 25 seconds, completely neutralizing its ability to flee and giving you a stationary target for your tranquilizers.
Step 3: Apply Blunt Force or Tranquilizer Projectiles
With the Parasaur immobilized, immediately equip your Slingshot, Club, or Tranquilizer Bow. Aim exclusively for the head to maximize torpor buildup, as body shots deal significantly less torpor relative to damage. Count your shots and monitor the creature's health bar relative to its torpor bar; if health drops too low before it falls unconscious, back off and let it regenerate.
Step 4: Secure the Perimeter and Manage Torpor
Once the Parasaur collapses, quickly access its inventory to verify that it is unconscious. Clear the immediate area of gathering nodes and hostile wildlife that might attack the vulnerable dinosaur. Keep a stack of Narcoberries or Narcothetics handy in your inventory or the dinosaur's inventory to force-feed it if its torpor begins to drain before taming completes.
Step 5: Feed and Protect Until Taming Completion
Transfer Mejoberries or your preferred taming food directly into the Parasaur's inventory. The creature will consume one berry at a time whenever its food meter drops sufficiently. Protect the unconscious beast from scavengers like Compsognathus or Ichthyornis until the taming bar reaches 100 percent, at which point you can name your new mount.
Stylish Parasaur Saddle (alpha X Play) - Gallery - Ark Survival ...
Parasaur Technical Specifications and Taming Matrix
Reviewing the baseline parameters of the Parasaur helps in selecting the optimal feeding strategy and understanding its utility scaling in survival servers.
| Parameter | Metric / Requirement | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Knockout Method | Bola + Slingshot / Tranq Arrows | Headshots multiply torpor application |
| Preferred Food | Mejoberries / Crops | Crops provide superior taming effectiveness |
| Torpor Depletion Rate | Slow to Moderate | Requires occasional Narcoberries for high levels |
| Primary Utility | Enemy/Danger Ping & Weight | Excellent early-game pack mule and radar |
| Saddle Requirement | Level 9 (Engram Points: 9) | Crafted in inventory using Hide, Wood, and Fiber |
Troubleshooting Common Taming Failures
Even seasoned survivors encounter unexpected complications when managing early-game tames. Apply these field fixes to salvage compromised taming operations.
- Root Cause: The Parasaur kills itself by taking too much weapon damage before losing enough consciousness.
- Actionable Fix: Upgrade from a Slingshot to Tranquilizer Arrows fired from a standard bow, or space out your club strikes to allow the creature's health to regenerate between hits.
- Root Cause: Wild carnivores attack and kill the unconscious Parasaur during the taming window.
- Actionable Fix: Build a temporary spike wall perimeter around the downed animal immediately after it falls, or clear a wide radius of all aggressive spawn points before starting the knockdown.
- Root Cause: The taming effectiveness drops drastically due to the creature taking damage while unconscious.
- Actionable Fix: Never strike the unconscious dinosaur with tools or weapons. Defend the perimeter proactively so external damage sources never connect with its hitbox.
- Root Cause: The Parasaur wakes up prematurely because its torpor drained completely.
- Actionable Fix: Always keep Narcoberries in the animal's inventory and remote-use them on it to instantly spike its unconsciousness value upward.
Frequently Asked Questions
What level do I need to be to tame a Parasaur?
You can technically tame a Parasaur at Level 1 using a basic wooden club or slingshot. However, unlocking the Parasaur Saddle requires reaching Level 9 and spending engagement points to craft it.
What is the best food to feed a Parasaur?
Mejoberries are the standard and most accessible food source for early-game taming. If you possess crops like Rockarrot or Longrass, they provide faster taming progression and maintain higher taming effectiveness.
Can a Parasaur detect enemy players and hidden bases?
Yes, the Parasaur features an active and passive turret mode known as the Turret/Warning Ping. When activated, it alerts you to the presence of nearby hostile players, enemy tames, and underground rat holes.
How do I stop a Parasaur from running away?
Parasaurs possess an innate flight response when attacked. You must use a Bola to immobilize them instantly or corner them against an obstruction before dealing damage to prevent them from sprinting away.
Do Parasaurs gather berries automatically?
Yes, when set to wandering or when ridden by a survivor, Parasaurs excel at harvesting large quantities of berries and fiber from bushes, making them efficient early-game gathering assistants.
Master the art of early-game survival and streamline your progression by securing a reliable Parasaur today. Download ARK: Survival Ascended and put these taming strategies into practice on your server now.
