Argentavis ark guide

Argentavis ARK Guide – Best Bird in ARK: Survival Evolved

The Argentavis is one of the most incredible flyers in ARK: Survival Evolved. While other flyers, like Griffins, were added later in the game, Argentavis has been there since launch in 2015. Some creatures are perfect for specific stages of ARK: Survival Evolved.

But the Argentavis can be helpful before you can make a saddle and valuable long after you have access to “better” flyers. The bird has only one weakness, and even that weakness becomes irrelevant 90% of the time. So, what is Argentavis, how to tame it and get the most out of it? Continue reading our Argentavis ARK guide to find out.

What is an Argentavis in ARK?

  • Base Health: 365
  • Base Stamina: 400
  • Base Oxygen: 150
  • Base Weight: 400
  • Base Melee Damage: 25
  • Base Movement Speed: 100%
  • Base Torpidity: 600

The Argentavis is a large bird creature in ARK that can be highly beneficial to tame. Although it is slower than the Pteranodon, it can carry more and has much better base stamina. It’s also a better attacker and has more health.

So, the only thing the Pteranadon does better than the Argentavis is fly fast. This is relevant because most players tame a Pteranadon before taming an Argentavis.

If I find a Pteranadon first, I will tame it because the saddle unlocks at level 38 instead of level 62 like the Argentavis saddle. But as soon as I am level 62, I hunt for an Argie.

What to Know Before Your First Argie Encounter

  • Tameable: Yes
  • Rideable: Yes
  • Breedable: Yes
  • Temperament: Territorial

The Argentavis is quite an aggressive creature. This condor-like bird will attack both corpses and live beings from a reasonable distance away. Although they can sneak up on you, it’s relatively easy to stay out of aggro range if you spot them.

The trouble is that once they spot you, it’s game over unless you are extremely fast and dextrous, or you can pack a punch while taking a hit. Argentavis are strong in the wild and can take down low-level players in seconds.

Where to Find Argentavis in ARK: Survival Evolved Maps

The Argentavis is a bird that soars over every map in ARK: Survival Evolved. You can typically find these creatures on mountaintops or near the base of the mountains. However, they have slightly different types of spawn regions on each map.

The Island

argentavis The Island

On the Island, Argentavis call the snowy mountains to the northwest side of the map home. They spawn over the entire mountain range, though not in great numbers.

Check The Red Peak, Far’s Peak, and Frozen Tooth if you want to find a densely populated area. Dead Island also hosts a few Argies. As you can see, Argies primarily love mountainous regions.

The Center

The Center Ark

If you want to search in the Snowy Grasslands for Argentavis, you will find several. But the land there is vast, making it a long and challenging trek.

The Argentavis on The Center typically prefer to gather on the Floating Island, where they can be found in great numbers.

Scorched Earth

Scorched Earth

Although you may find a few strays, the only good place to search for Argentavis on Scorched Earth is in the mountains.

All of the mountains can host Argentavis, so you’ll have to scour the nearest mountain for the best results.

Ragnarok

Ragnarok Ark Survival Evolved

Searching for Argentavis on Ragnarok can be such a hassle. They have a few spawn points that seem to be in the name, with a few Argie spawning there each day.

I have found the most luck on the small snowy mountain to the northwest. Anywhere else is just luck.

Extinction

Extinction Ark Survival Evolved

Argentavis can spawn anywhere in the Wastelands. There isn’t a great chance of finding them anywhere else.

This isn’t a surprise to most players on Extinction because that’s how this map works.

Valguero

Valguero Ark

The Argentavis love the Snowy Mountains and the Snow Desert on Valquero. You may also find a few on High Mountain and The Tundra, but you will find more than you bargained for in the snow up north. Just don’t forget to don some fur.

Genesis: Part 1

Sorry, Genesis: Part 1 fans, the Argentavis solely live in the volcanic region of this map. If you find them anywhere else, it’s unnatural or modded.

I’m not sure why they live there instead of the snowy mountains, but that’s how it is.

Genesis: Part 2

Skyreach Mountains and Bloodhorne Summit are my two favorite spots for Argentavis on Genesis: Part 2. They also live on Isolation Peak, the area near Crown Ridge, and just south of Eden Trench. However, these spawn points are often out of the way unless you have an excellent flyer already.

Crystal Isles

Crystal Isles Ark

Argentavis feel pretty at home on the Crystal Isles. Eldritch Isle, Apotheosis, Northland, Tundra Falls, Copper Peaks – these are all some of the Argentavis’ favorite places to spawn.

The only places they don’t seem to love are the forests, the shoals, the desert, and the Great Valley.

Lost Island

Lost Island Ark

Rare on Zaunaloa, common on Corsair Peaks. That sums up 90% of the Argentavis on Lost Island. But that last 10% may be more manageable for you to access.

You can find more anywhere on the map that has visible plateaus. You can see the topography marked on the map.

How to Tame an Argentavis

The Argentavis must be knockout tamed unless you play with mods that alter taming methods. It prefers Superior Kibble or Raw Mutton. I believe that the Argie is of medium difficulty to tame.

Find A Good Spot

How to Tame Argentavis

No matter what method you use to knock the Argie out, you should find a good spot where you won’t accidentally fall off of the mountainside or get trapped in a corner. You should have a clear vision of the bird at all times and a safe exit if things get tough.

Method 1: Build a Trap

The easiest way to take down an Argie is to build a trap for it. There are a few ways to do this. Take the spot where you haven’t been aggroed yet and build a trap with four gateways and two gates.

Put four gateways parallel with each other and a gate on either end. Close one gate and leave the other open. The spaces between the gateways should be just large enough for you to fit through, but no bigger.

After you have built the trap, stand outside of the open gate and shoot the Argie. It will dive to claw you. When it does, run into the trap, through the open gate, and wait. When it gets inside, close the door as fast as you can and run out one of the gaps you left.

If the Argie isn’t attacking you when you shoot it, run just close enough so that it locks onto you and lures it into the trap manually. This is more effective but also more dangerous. Ensure you have good stamina before attempting it.

Method 2: Kite the Argie

If you are quick on your feet and don’t want to build a trap, then you can just knock out the Argie from where you stand. If you are a high level and have good damage, you can shoot it with tranq weapons, dodging it when it comes to attack you.

After it does a claw attack, dodge, and it will fly up a bit, allowing you to shoot it. Repeat this process until the Argie is knocked out. If you have a basic crossbow, this will take far too long to accomplish, so I do not recommend it unless you have a rifle or upgraded crossbow.

Knockout the Argie

argentavis taming

When it comes to knocking an Argie out, I always take either crossbow with tranq arrows or a longneck rifle with tranq darts. Anything else is relatively useless against these aggressive flyers. A max-level Argie will take around 40 tranq arrows with a crossbow or 30 tranq darts with a longneck rifle.

Feed It

A max level Argie (with default server settings) will take about 11 superior kibble and 25 minutes to tame. However, raw mutton is also a good choice that may be easier to get. You will need about twice as much mutton and time as you would if you were using superior kibble.

What Does a Tamed Argentavis Do?

A tamed Argie can do wonders for your quality of life. Their strongest trait is that they are well-rounded. They are slower than almost any other flyer, but that’s their only weakness.

argentavis uses ark

Battle

  • Claw Attack – 20 base damage
  • Beak Attack – 12 base damage

Argies are great battle mounts because they can fly around their targets, attack, and then back away. If you level their damage and stamina, they can do this for a long while and put out a lot of damage. If you tend to get hit every once in a while, consider maxing health.

You can even take on Rexes and Alphas with an Argie because, after some training, you can kill anything without getting hit.

Carrying Dinos

The Argentavis can carry other dinos and players with its claws. In PvP, you can grab another player with the claws and drop them from way up high, killing anyone that isn’t wearing a parachute.

Alternatively, you can carry your dinos with the Argie. If you pick up something like an Anky or Doedicurous that is on wandering, you can hold the dino up to rocks or metal, and it will harvest them.

For wild dinos, you can carry them to a safe spot, away from carnivores, so that you can tame the dino safely.

Transporting Goods

The Argentavis has a great weight. I like to have one Argentavis that I max weight on so that it can transport my entire base for the first half of the game. This is my favorite use for the Argie as it has a 50% weight reduction on things like metal, stone, and crystal.

Mobile Smithy

If you put a saddle on the Argie, then you can use it as a smithy to craft items. It can’t repair items, but you can use the saddle as a smithy bench. The weight and inventory space the Argie has is extremely useful.

Gathering Meat

The Argie isn’t as good as a chainsaw or a wolf at gathering meat, but it does do a decent job. You can swoop down and chomp on carcasses and fly away with ease. You won’t miss the extra bit that a land mount will grant you because getting home is so much easier on an Argie.

Breeding Argentavis

Breeding Argentavis

  • Incubation Time: 2h 56m
  • Time As A Baby: 5h 26m
  • Time As A Juvenile: 21h 47m
  • Time As An Adolescent: 1d 3h 13m
  • Total Time To Become An Adult: 2d 6h 27m

The Argentavis is easy to breed if you have a place to hatch eggs. It can breed every couple of days and will take only a few hours longer than the interval to have the baby grow from a baby to an adult. So, in short, you can always have a baby on the way or growing up.

FAQs

Question: Can You Use A Bola On an Argentavis?

Answer: You can use a chain bola on the Argentavis. This isn’t the preferred method for most players because it could break out long before you knock it out, complicating matters.

Question: Can You Tame An Argie with Raw Meat?

Answer: It is possible to use Raw Meat to tame an Argie. It will take a while, and you’ll need narcotics on hand, but it can be done if you are in a pinch. If the bird is already trapped, then that’s even better.

Question: Do Argentavis Exist?

Answer: Like most other ARK creatures, the Argentavis is inspired by a real-life creature that once flew over the earth. Argentavis went extinct ten thousand years ago, according to Cornell.

The Advantage of the Argentavis in ARK: Survival Evolved.

The Argentavis is one of the best creatures to have in ARK: Survival Evolved. It can do almost any tasks that you have ready for it. Whether you want to move your base, harass other players, or take down a Rex, the Argie is there for you.

While it may not travel as fast as other flyers, it makes up for it with great stamina, so it doesn’t have to land every fifteen seconds. The Argie is one dino that I am always excited to tame because, after level 62, it becomes one of the most valuable creatures that doesn’t become irrelevant in the late game.

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