How to Tame Quetzal in ARK
The largest flying creature. Ideal for transporting heavy loads and building mobile aerial bases with its platform saddle.
Quick Facts
- Diet
- Carnivore
- Temperament
- Neutral
- Tame Method
- Knockout
- Rideable
- Yes
Quetzal Taming Details
Quetzal 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 Quetzal drops Raw Meat, Raw Prime Meat, Hide.
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 Quetzal on supported maps. Check the spawn map and bring a fast mount or a flyer for transport.
3. Knock it out
Quetzal 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 Quetzal.
Quetzal 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 | 1200 | +20.0% | +10.8% |
| Stamina | 800 | +5.0% | +5.0% |
| Oxygen | 150 | +10.0% | +10.0% |
| Food | 1200 | +10.0% | +10.0% |
| Weight | 800 | +2.0% | +5.0% |
| Melee damage | 1 | +4.0% | +10.0% |
| Movement speed | 1 | +0.0% | +1.0% |
| Torpidity | 1850 | +6.0% | +0.0% |
Taming & saddle figures
Breeding & movement
Where it spawns & other details
Quetzal spawns on The Island, Ragnarok, Valguero, The Center, Astraeos, Extinction.
Quetzal variants
- Eerie Quetzal
- Malfunctioned Tek Quetzal (Genesis: Part 1)
- R-Quetzal (Genesis: Part 2)
- Skeletal Quetzal
- Tek Quetzal (Genesis: Part 1)
Related tools & resources
Quetzal — Background & Lore
The Quetzal is the largest flyer in ARK. It carries more weight than any other bird, lifts large creatures, and can wear a platform saddle that turns it into a flying base.
Where to find it
It glides high above The Island, The Center, Ragnarok, Valguero and Extinction in both games, Astraeos in ASA, and Crystal Isles, Fjordur, Lost Island and Genesis Part 2 in ASE.
Taming
A knockout tame, done in the air. Fly alongside it and shoot it down with tranquilizers, but make sure it lands somewhere you can reach. Its platform saddle unlocks at level 97. See the taming calculator.
Breeding
- Egg: hatches in about 16 hours 40 minutes.
- Temperature: very cold, 5 to 6 °C, so it needs a cooled room.
- Growth: a baby matures in about 5.5 days at 1x.
Uses
- Transport: heavy loads and large creatures.
- Platform: a flying base for turrets and storage.
Tips
It is slow and an easy target. Escort it when it carries anything valuable.