How to Tame Desmodus in ARK
Desmodus is a creature found in ARK: Survival Ascended.
Quick Facts
- Diet
- Carnivore
- Temperament
- Aggressive
- Tame Method
- Knockout
- Rideable
- No
Desmodus Taming Details
Desmodus 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.
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 Desmodus on supported maps. Check the spawn map and bring a fast mount or a flyer for transport.
3. Knock it out
Desmodus 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, Desmodus will follow your commands. It cannot be ridden.
Desmodus 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 | 325 | +17.0% | +27.0% |
| Stamina | 500 | +5.0% | +6.0% |
| Oxygen | 150 | +10.0% | +10.0% |
| Food | 1600 | +10.0% | +10.0% |
| Weight | 350 | +2.0% | +4.0% |
| Melee damage | 1 | +5.0% | +10.0% |
| Movement speed | 1 | +0.0% | +1.0% |
| Torpidity | 450 | +6.0% | +0.0% |
Taming & saddle figures
Breeding & movement
Where it spawns & other details
Desmodus spawns on Astraeos, Lost Colony.
Related tools & resources
Desmodus — Background & Lore
The Desmodus is a large blood-drinking bat that hangs from cave ceilings and drops on anyone who comes close. Tamed, it is a night and cave flyer that harvests 
Blood Packs and turns them into 
Sanguine Elixir for faster taming and imprinting.
Where to find it
- ASA: Astraeos and Lost Colony.
- ASE: Fjordur.
It has its own spawn zones, mostly latched to the ceilings of caves.
Taming
- Method: a passive, non-violent tame using Blood Packs, which are slow to collect.
- Effectiveness: it starts low. Grabbing and dropping a high-health creature such as a
Moschops raises it, and a 
Tek Phase Pistol in healing mode can bring it to 100%. - Order: tame a few low-level ones first so you can harvest Blood Packs for the higher-level tames.
Breeding
A live-birth creature. Gestation takes about 7.9 hours, and a baby takes about 3 days to mature at 1x. Babies eat Blood Packs or 
Raw Meat.
Uses
- Blood Packs: grabbing a creature in flight drains its health and yields Blood Packs while healing the Desmodus.
- Sanguine Elixir: 200 Blood Packs make an elixir that boosts taming or imprinting by 30%. It needs the saddle.
- Stealth: night vision, invisibility at night and a screech that reveals enemies help with caves, artifacts and egg theft.
Tips
The 
Desmodus Saddle unlocks at level 74.