How to Tame Argentavis in ARK
An essential flying mount with great weight capacity and the ability to carry creatures. Its saddle acts as a mobile smithy.
Quick Facts
- Diet
- Carnivore
- Temperament
- Aggressive
- Tame Method
- Knockout
- Rideable
- Yes
Argentavis Taming Details
Argentavis is a knockout tame. Its most effective taming food is Kibble (preferred) or Raw Mutton.
Alternative foods: Cooked Lamb Chop, Raw Prime Meat, Cooked Prime Meat, Raw Meat.
Harvest yield: a tamed or killed Argentavis drops Raw Meat, Raw Prime Meat, Hide, Chitin.
Taming Steps
1. Prepare your gear
Bring Tranq Arrows or Tranq Darts, a Crossbow or Longneck Rifle, Narcotics or Narcoberries, and bug repellent.
2. Locate the creature
Find a wild Argentavis on supported maps. Check the spawn map and bring a fast mount or a flyer for transport.
3. Knock it out
Argentavis is a knockout tame. Use a Crossbow, Longneck Rifle with Tranq Darts, or Shocking Tranq Darts. Aim for the head for bonus torpor and keep distance to avoid aggro damage.
4. Feed the right food
Place Kibble (preferred) or Raw Mutton in its inventory (alternatives: Cooked Lamb Chop, Raw Prime Meat, Cooked Prime Meat, Raw Meat). Higher-tier food gives faster taming and higher level bonuses.
5. Maintain torpor
Watch the torpor bar. Feed Narcoberries or Narcotics to prevent it from waking up before the tame completes.
6. Claim & saddle
Once tamed, equip a saddle (unlocks via the engram tab) to ride your Argentavis.
Argentavis base stats
Level 1 wild values, with the gain each point adds in the wild and after taming.
| Stat | Base | Per wild level | Per tamed level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Health | 365 | +20.0% | +30.4% |
| Stamina | 400 | +5.0% | +7.5% |
| Oxygen | 150 | +10.0% | +10.0% |
| Food | 2000 | +10.0% | +10.0% |
| Weight | 400 | +2.0% | +5.5% |
| Melee damage | 1 | +5.0% | +15.0% |
| Movement speed | 1 | +0.0% | +1.0% |
| Torpidity | 600 | +6.0% | +0.0% |
Taming & saddle figures
Breeding & movement
Where it spawns & other details
Argentavis spawns on The Island, Scorched Earth, Ragnarok, Valguero, The Center, Astraeos, Genesis Part 1, Lost Colony, Extinction.
Argentavis variants
- Argentustus
- Eerie Argentavis
- VR Argentavis (Genesis: Part 2)
- X-Argentavis (Genesis: Part 1)
- Argentavis Ghost
- Astral Argentavis (Astraeos)
Related tools & resources
Argentavis — Background & Lore
The Argentavis is ARK's great utility bird. It lifts creatures and players, carries heavy loads, and its saddle doubles as a mobile smithy, so you can repair and craft in the field. For many tribes it is the first big flyer and the one they keep using.
Where to find it
It nests on mountain tops and cliffs on almost every map: The Island, The Center, Ragnarok, Valguero, Astraeos, Lost Colony, Scorched Earth and Genesis Part 1 in ASA, plus Crystal Isles, Lost Island, Fjordur and Genesis Part 2 in ASE.
Taming
A knockout tame. It is aggressive, so engage from cover, knock it out and feed it meat. 
Raw Mutton and 
Raw Prime Meat are the fastest raw foods. Check the taming calculator for amounts. Its saddle unlocks at level 62.
Breeding
- Egg: hatches in about 2 hours 56 minutes.
- Temperature: it needs a cool range, 12 to 13.5 °C in ASE.
- Growth: a baby matures in about 2.3 days at 1x.
Uses
- Transport: moves Ankylosaurs and
Doedicurus to resource sites and carries the ore home. - Field crafting: repairs and crafts with the saddle's smithy.
- Carcasses: harvests meat, hide and chitin from carcasses.
Tips
Raise its weight stat when you level it. An Argentavis carrying an 
Ankylosaurus is the classic metal-run combo.