Ankylosaurus ARK Guide - Now That's Metal

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Emily is a gaming aficionado who has written for The Gamer, Gamerant, GamerBolt, and Valnet, but she has found a home here at Ready Game Survive. She adores writing about Ark: Survival Evolved among other great survival titles, and outside of traditional survival, she loves Legend of Zelda, League of Legends and Fable.

What is an Ankylosaurus in ARK?

Base Health: 700
Base Stamina: 175
Base Oxygen: 150
Base Weight: 150
Base Melee Damage: 100
Base Torpidity: 420

The Ankylosaurus is a thick-skinned creature that is the best metal-gatherer in the game. They are neither prey nor predator as they stick in small family units, minding their own business, yet not afraid to take on a Rex if said Rex is dumb enough to pick on them.

In real life, the Ankylosaurus was much less likely to take on a T-Rex, but it was heavily armored. Its feet were turtle-like, and it could swing its plated tail around to fight off most treats.

What to Know Before Your First Ankylosaurus Encounter?

Tameable: Yes
Rideable: Yes
Breedable: Yes
Temperament: Docile

The Ankylosaurus will not attack you unless you attack it first. But if you do attack it, be prepared for a fight. If you’re on foot, in melee range, you will most likely die. Don’t think running into the water will save you either because it’s even faster in water.

So, unless you want to tame one of these creatures, I recommend leaving it alone. It isn’t squishy, so it’s not ideal for gathering meat and hide. However, if you’re short on Keratin, it gives plenty.

Where to Find an Ankylosaurus in ARK: Survival Evolved Maps

The Anky is one of the few creatures that spawn on every map. They typically roam the mountains and plains, but they are common enough that you will likely run into one before you need one.

The Island

On The Island, the Anky spawns in the snow mountains, the volcano, and surrounding areas. If you stick to the north, then you will find one eventually. Don’t count on any Ankys sounds of the redwood.

The Center

Dinos are easy to find on The Center if you know where to look because they are spread out. Ankylosaurus spawn in the Floating Island, as well as the entirety of the Snowy Grasslands. They also show up quite commonly in the jungle.

Scorched Earth

Ankys can spawn anywhere on Scorched Earth, but for best results, I recommend searching the west and southern mountains. This map is brutal, so it’s best to tame a flyer before venturing out far.

Ragnarok

Ragnarok is a fan-favorite map due to its size and biome diversity. The Ankylosaurus can spawn in many places here, but the best places to look are the northwest and southwest regions. The northern tropic islands to the southwest are my favorite spawn.

Extinction

It won’t be difficult to find an Ankylosaurus on Extinction, but getting one home is another story. The only place they don’t spawn is in the Forbidden Zone and a few areas to the south.

Valguero

Valguero is my favorite map, so I’ve tamed my fair share of Ankys here. The best place to find them is the White Cliffs and the Tundra, though they spawn on High Mountain. If you want a challenge, circle the Abyss on land, and you’ll find an Anky and more.

Genesis: Part 1

The East Arctic is the best place to find Ankylosaurus on Genesis: Part 1. But they roam all over the arctic. This means that an Anky won’t be an early game tame unless you prepare well to survive the cold.

Crystal Isles

Ankys have a lot of spawn points on the Crystal Isles, but by far, the best place to find them is Tundra Falls and Copper Peaks. Anywhere else is either less congested Anky-wise, or too small of an area to do a good search.

Genesis: Part 2

Ankylosaurus spawn in all regions except the southwest region of the map. Isolation Peak is a hot spot, but it’s much safer to travel Eden, especially around the edges, where you can find plenty of Ankys.

Lost Island

Ankys do spawn in the desert region of Lost Island, the snowy mountains, and Zaunaloa, but I prefer Bin Da. It’s safer, and the area is gorgeous, plus they spawn in great numbers. This is also the best Griffin spawn on Lost Island, which is a plus for me.

How to Tame an Ankylosaurus

Taming an Anky is easy, but you must come prepared. I don’t recommend taming one over level 30 or so unless you have tranq arrows or tranq darts. You can use a slingshot, but it will be a pain. You should also bring Kibble, though you can do it with Mejoberries. Bring Narcotics or Narcoberries no matter what (you never know).

Note: Always bring at least 20% extra supplies.

Knockout

Estimated arrows for max level – 50
Estimated darts for max level – 20

To knock out the Anky, stand at long range and shoot it with your tranq ammo. Feel free to trap it first, but it’s not necessary. If you do build a trap, the Anky will have enough damage to destroy it so it may be a waste of time early game.

After you start shooting it, you have limited time to knock it out. The Anky will begin to chase you, but it is slower than you. So shoot, take a step back, and then shoot again. Keep kiting it until it is knocked out.

Feed (and Keep Torpor Up)

Estimated kibble for max level – 18
Estimated Mejoberries for max level – 220

Once the Anky is knocked out, you can start feeding it. You will need no more than 20 Regular Kibble to tame a max-level Anky. If you use kibble, you won’t need any narcotics, and it will take less than 30 minutes.

If you aren’t ready for a kibble tame, set aside three hours, then bring at least 300 Mejoberries and 180 Narcotics (or 800 Narcoberries.) Remember that this is with normal rates, so check your server settings before you begin.

Making Regular Kibble

Kibble

There’s a reason many opt for the berry method early on. Making kibble is no joke. After you gather these ingredients, you need to use a cooking pot (or industrial cooker) to make the kibble.

Cooked Meat Jerky – 1

Cooked Meat – 1
Oil – 1
Sparkpowder – 3

To make Cooked Meat Jerky, you must put Cooked Meat, Oil, and Sparkpowder in a Preserving Bin. It takes over 30 minutes for one jerky, so it’s a good idea to have a stockpile ready in your Preserving Bin.

Medium Egg – 1

Ankylo Egg
Baryonyx Egg
Carbonemys Egg
Carno Egg
Dimetrodon Egg
Diplo Egg
Ichthyornis Egg
Iguanodon Egg
Kaprosuchus Egg
Kentro Egg
Pachyrhino Egg
Pelagornis Egg
Pulmonoscorpius Egg
Sarco Egg
Stego Egg
Tek Stego Egg
Terror Bird Egg
Thorny Dragon Egg (Scorched Earth)
Troodon Egg
Velonasaur Egg (Extinction)

This is my least favorite part because it takes time and preparation. I often forget to get eggs going early on. You can find the eggs in the wild, but a better bet is to tame something like a Troodon female to lay eggs for you.

Fiber – 5

Fiber

Just gather some fiber; you can get five in one handful. The Therizinosaurus is the best Fiber gatherer, but most players won’t have trouble keeping Fiber.

Longrass – 2

Longrass is a crop that you can plant with Longrass Seeds. This requires planting a garden, which is an entire mini-game to me. I love gardening, so this is fun for me. You can find Longrass Seeds in warmer mountains.

Savoroot – 2

Savaroot is a crop that you can plant with Savaroot seeds. You can find these seeds in warm mountains. However, some maps have all vegetables available in old villages (like the fan-made Fjordur.)

Water – 1

To put water in the cooking pot, you must put it in a container first. So fill a waterskin, canteen, or jar up with water at the river and then put it in the cooking pot. Make sure you add more than one if you’re making more than one kibble.

What to Do With an Ankylosaurus

The Anky saddle unlocks at level 36, so you must be level 36 to ride the Anky. You can tame one before then, but you can’t fully utilize it until you can ride it.

Heavy Metal

Ankys are the best metal gatherers in the game. They gather so much metal that you won’t need to take a trip very often if you find a good spawn. They also have an 85% weight reduction on metal so you can carry a lot more.

All-Around Gatherer

There isn’t much that the Anky can’t gather. They’re terrific at gathering Rare Flowers, Crystals, Mushrooms, and Flint. they are good at gathering Oil, Cactus Sap, Berries, Obsidian, Sulfur, and Elemental Shards.

Everything else they gather, they are average at. They can’t gather Fiber, but that’s about it. So if I could have one gatherer, I would choose the jack-of-all-trades Ankylosaurus.

Tanky Anky

The Anky is a decent tank. So you can have a high-level one protect your base against medium-level enemies by putting him on neutral. That’s why Ankys also make good taming buddies because they can tank while you knock out.

Swimming Transport

Ankys are good swimmers. They may not be as fast as water dinos, but they’re one of the fastest land dino swimmers. Because they can also carry a lot, they make good water transport dinos over short distances. They can also mine underwater well, making them perfect for oil gathering.

Yardwork

If you want to clear your yard, the Anky is your best bet. Unlike other dinos, they can knock over anything. So whether it’s trees, rocks, or berries, the Anky can clear it in no time.

Breeding Ankylosaurus

Egg Time – 2h 37m
Baby Time – 4h 52m
Juvenile Time – 19h 29m
Adolescent Time – 1d 21m
Total Maturation Time – 2d 43m

These numbers are for an Anky with normal settings. They can breed about every two days, so you can always either have an egg incubating or a baby growing up. Because they are hardy creatures and eat berries, they are relatively easy to keep alive. No repeats of my first round trying to raise Otters. That was a nightmare.

FAQs

Question: Are There Ankylosaurus Variants in ARK?

Answer: Yes. The Aberrant Anky spawns on Aberration, and the X-Anky spawns on Genesis: Part 1. Neither is much different than the standard Anky.

Question: Do I Need an Ankylosaurus in ARK?

Answer: No. You don’t need one. But if you want to gather metal, there is no other method that comes close to the Ankylosaurus. The second best is probably the Mantis with a metal pick (I love that guy.)

Question: Could an Anky Beat a Rex?

Answer: In the wild, probably not alone. But if you have an imprinted max-level Anky against a low-level Rex then for sure. In real life, there’s no chance that an Anky would defeat a Rex.

The Anky Will Always be Relevant

The Ankylosaurus is one of the best creatures in ARK: Survival Evolved. It is the ultimate gatherer, a decent fighter due to its tank capabilities, and the babies are super cute (the chibi is even cuter.)

My accounts of the Anky are plentiful. I’ve had it as my primary mount a handful of times whenever I lucked out on Raptors. They aren’t exceedingly fast but they are one of the most well-rounded utility creatures in the game.

Ankylosaurus ARK Guide – Now That’s Metal