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A Megalosaurus ARK guide will do you well if you see a sleeping dino in the wild. When I first spotted one of these guys curled up in a cave, I mistook it for a Purlovia that had glitched out to the surface. Although both of the dinos are strong, the Purlovia is nothing compared to the Megalosaurus as far as combat goes. This nocturnal creature is one of the strongest dinos in the game – and so often underrated.
It does have one tremendous weakness, though. Because it is nocturnal, it’s weaker during the day. This can come as a surprise whenever your damage gets halved during a battle at dawn. But once you get accustomed to the change, it’s not too tricky to work around. In short, getting a Megalosaurus is always worth it.
What is a Megalosaurus in ARK: Survival Evolved?
- Base Health:Â 1025
- Base Stamina:Â 300
- Base Oxygen:Â 150
- Base Weight:Â 300
- Base Melee Damage:Â 75
- Base Torpidity:Â 775
A Megalosaurus is a theropod creature that is active during the night and sleeps during the day. Other theropods include the T-Rex, Carnotaurus, Allosaurus, and the Deinonychus. The main difference between the Megalosaurus and the other theropods is the small size of the former and the fact that it is nocturnal. As you can see, the base stats for this creature is insane.Â
In my opinion, the Megalosaurus is the easiest tame for the damage output it has. For example, a Rock Elemental puts out a lot of damage, but you also need cannonballs to take it down. Then there are Wyverns and Magamsaurs, who have eggs to steal. Finally, the hardest tames in the game, the Giga and temporary Titan tames. So yeah, these are the only competition for nighttime damage output.Â
What to Know Before You Encounter a Megalosaurus
- Tameable:Â Yes
- Rideable:Â Yes
- Breedable:Â Yes
- Temperament:Â Aggressive at Night
Megalosauri will remain dormant during the day as long as they aren’t threatened. At night, they become quite aggressive and will attack on sight. If you carefully approach a Megalosaurus during the day, it will not attack. But if you attack it, then it will attack you back. That said, it is much weaker and slower during the day. This strength at night will be much more advantageous than a problem after you tame one. So count yourself lucky for encountering such a strong, tameable foe.
Where to Find a Megalosaurus On Each ARK Map
The Megalosaurus is generally found in caves, but there are a few exceptions. On the maps where there are aberration caves, there are likely two types of Megalosaurus, which we will discuss the locations.
The Island
Megalosaurus spawn in many of the caves on The Island. The best locations to tame one would be the central cave and the upper south cave. The area underneath the Grand Hills is also a great option.
The Center
The Jungle South cave has Megalosaurus near the entrance, making it easy to get a tamed Megalosaurus out – something that can be quite a struggle. Other caves may have them, but this is where I have found the most luck.
Scorched Earth
I haven’t personally seen Megalosaurus on the map, but they do spawn. Many have found them in the Grave of the Giants, so that may be the best place to start looking for them on this barren map.
Ragnarok
There are plenty of Megalosaurus spawns on Ragnarok due to the many caves on the map. The cave surrounding the castle is your best bet to find Megalosaurus. The cave is large and has many entrances. However, you can also find them in Viking Bay – just chilling.
Extinction
I’m sure there are other spawns for Megalosaurus on Extinction, but the Trench is always my favorite place to look. There may be some in the Forbidden zones, but I don’t believe they’re tameable.
Crystal Isles
Eldritch Isle is where you will find the Aberrant Megalosaurus on Crystal Isles. But if you’re looking for regular Megalos, then you should take a look near Crook’s Canyon, as I have seen some there.
Lost Island
On the Lost Island, some of the Megalosaurus have made their way into the snowy mountains outside of the caves. There may also be some nearer the volcano. However, the Megalosauri in the caves are often untameable on Lost Island.
How to Tame a Megalosaurus
It’s important to know that a Megalosaurus will wake up every night, even if it has been knocked out. So do your best not to knock it out close to dusk, or else you may lose your progress. Unless your taming speed is adjusted, the likelihood of taming a Megalosaurus without struggling is low. The methods you normally use may need to be adjusted.
Basic Knock Out Tips for the Megalosaurus
The only safe weapon to use against the Megalosaurus you want to tame is a longneck rifle with tranquilizer darts. You need something that does a lot of torpor damage but next to no regular damage. It’s best to tame the Megalosaurus during the day because not only is it weaker, but it will generate sleep deprivation, which will eventually increase the torpor it gains. This method, paired with tranq darts, will make quick work of knocking the Megalosaurus out. Just make sure not to let it fall asleep; only let it get knocked out.
In the end, it should take around 50 darts or less for a max-level Megalosaurus, so ensure you have at least that many to cover your bases. You may be able to get by with less, but it’s never worth it due to the high risk of losing the tame.
Traps and Tripwires
If you are careful, you can use narcotic tripwires to almost knock out a Megalosaurus, which is perfect for the second time you knock it out as you can surround it. However, make sure you get the last couple of hits with a dart because if it is knocked out with tripwires, then you can’t tame it.
If you have the resources, you can place a bear trap inside a trap made of pillars and a dinosaur gate. All you have to do is ensure that the Megalo can’t fit through the pillars and then close the gate on the trapped Megalosaurus.
Feeding the Megalo
The Megalosaurus does like Superior Kibble, and it takes about half as much kibble as prime meat to tame it. However, the Megalosaurus receives almost twice as much food from the kibble as other creatures, making it much slower. It is usually faster to feed the Megalosaurus prime meat instead of kibble, which is a win anyway as it is so much easier to get.
The best method for taming the Megalosaurus is to not feed it until it is starving. Then you can give it all of its food at once, making the taming process much faster. Just be careful because any food left in its inventory when it wakes up will be lost.
Using a Megalosaurus
The Megalosaurus is a unique creature in all aspects. It is small yet packs a powerful punch that rivals Rexes and Reapers. That said, you shouldn’t throw caution to the wind with this guy, as he does have his weaknesses. Instead, use him as intended.
Mounted Combat
The Megalosaurus is very weak when tamed but not ridden. However, when it is ridden, it’s one of the strongest dinos in the game – especially at night. The gnaw attack does not scale with melee, however, so keep this in mind when leveling. The base damage will be 80 and will not rise. It is still worth it, considering this is stronger than all other dinos aside from the Wyvern, Rock Elemental, Magamsaur, Giga, and Titan creatures.
Carry Other Creatures
The Megalosaurus can tote other creatures much like the Kaprosuchus. It can bite other creatures and carry them around. The attack does 1 damage when ridden so that it won’t kill the creature in question. Creatures that the Megalosaurus can carry include just about anything around the same size as it or smaller. This is a good PvP tactic but beware that it will make you a target because this is quite BM.Â
Hatching and Raising Megalosauri
The Megalosaurus lays eggs, so you are probably familiar with the breeding process. However, you should never hatch a Megalosaurus during the day. Let the egg incubate until it’s almost ready.
Then, wait until dusk to throw the egg back out. The Megalosaurus has lower stats during the day, so it will be more likely to die as baby dino stats are already low.
It can also be helpful to set the baby’s status to “Stay Awake.” This prevents it from falling asleep the old-fashioned way, and it will fall unconscious due to exhaustion. This way, it will consume food faster than an awake creature but slower than an asleep creature.
Aberrant Megalosaurus
An Aberrant Megalosaurus is a dino that is found in the Aberration caves. It is available on Crystal Isles and on the Aberration map. If you find one, tame it, and you definitely won’t be sorry.
Day vs Night
The major difference between the regular Megalosaurus and the Aberrant Megalosaurus is that the Aberrant version doesn’t sleep during the day. So it doesn’t have the extra boost or the sleep deprivation effect. This includes babies, so you don’t have to worry about your babies dying during the day.
It is also helpful to take into regular caves because you won’t have to worry about it turning daytime without you realizing it. The Aberrant Megalosaurus is unaffected by the night and day change.Â
Aberration Mount
The regular Megaosaurus will die if it is in the Aberration area for too long as it will take radiation damage. The Aberrant Megalosaurus can be in the Aberration area forever without taking damage.
It is my favorite Aberrant mount because of its size and strength. Take that, Rock Drake – the fan-favorite. I get it, the Rock Drake glide is super fun, but the Aberrant Megalosaurus is hard to beat.
Rock Drake Egg Thief
Rock Drakes lay eggs in the Aberration area. You can’t tame them traditionally. So, an Aberrant Megalosaurus is a good choice for grabbing eggs and going. They are fast and efficient. Plus, it’s easy to maneuver through places the Rock Drake can’t. The drakes are notorious for getting stuck.
Reaper/Rock Drake Killer
Because the Aberrant Megalosaurus doesn’t have any debuffs, it can battle at any time. When you meet a Reaper or a Rock Drake, know that your damage output will be higher if your Megalosaurus is max level.
Lower Health – Higher Damage
Aberrant Creatures have 4% less health and deal 6% more damage than their vanilla cousins. So, the Aberrant Megalosaurus will do more damage than the regular Megalosaurus, making quick combat easier.
Megalosaurus Day Vs Night Stats
| Attack | Day | Night |
| Bite | 37.5 damage (consumes 45 stamina) | 94 damage (consumes 5 stamina) |
| Grab | 5 damage by AI (consumes 50 stamina and drag weight must be less than 90) | 13 damage by AI (consumes 30 stamina and drag weight must be less than 150) |
| Shake | 120 damage (consumes 10 stamina) | 240 damage (consumes 5 stamina) |
FAQs
Question: Is An Aberrant Megalosaurus Better Than A Megalosaurus?
Answer:Â The Aberrant Megalosaurus does more damage but it also has slightly less health. The fact that it doesn’t get sleep deprivation make it all-around easier to keep around.
Question: Is a Megalosaurus Useless During the Day?
Answer:Â A Megalosaurus isn’t useless during the day, but I wouldn’t take it out on an adventure. It can take down the small guys but don’t expect it to take on anything strong during the day.
Question: What is a Megaloceros?
Answer: A Megaloceros and a Megalosaurus are often confused for one another, and with good reason. Their names are so similar. But a Meglocerus is a deer-like creature that is extremely different from a Megalosaurus.
When You Don’t Need a Megalosaurus
If you prefer larger dinos such as the Allosaurus or Rex cousins of the Megalosaurus, then the Megalosaurus will do you well. However, if you like those dinos because they are large and intimidating, then you may feel that is missing from this dino. But if you want something that is closer to your size and easy to control, yet just as strong as the others, then you won’t find a better match.