Astrodelphis Starwing Saddle

Flying an Astrodelphis

The Astrodelphis Starwing Saddle lets you ride an Astrodelphis in ARK: Survival Evolved. Its in-game text: "Equip an Astrodelphis with this to pilot it and fire plasma projectiles. Adapts to match creature's strength level. Using requires learning this Engram." Genesis: Part 2 introduced it, and the ARK Wiki also lists it for Fjordur, Genesis: Part 1 and Lost Island.

Thrusters, lasers and plasma

Thrusters on the saddle let the creature fly in several modes, and laser cannons hit whatever is in front of it instantly. Holding the Fire key charges a homing plasma projectile that deals a lot of damage. The wiki says the controls work almost like those of the Tropeognathus Saddle, with two differences: this saddle uses Element where that one uses Gasoline, and its Grenade behaves more like an explosive bomb than a bullet. It is the second saddle with jet engines, after the Tropeognathus Saddle.

The engram and its cost

The engram requires level 135 and 60 engram points; the wiki calls it the engram or tekgram with the highest survivor level requirement. That 135 dates from the Aquatica release, while the preaquatica beta branch still asks for 120. Despite what the description says, the wiki notes that the saddle works without the engram, though Starfighter mode does need it. Crafting takes 10 seconds in a Tek Replicator or an Exo-Mek and gives 86 XP:

• 2500 Metal Ingot or Scrap Metal Ingot
• 500 Polymer, Organic Polymer, or Corrupted Nodule
• 370 Crystal or Primal Crystal
• 140 Black Pearl
• 55 Element or Red Element

Its 55 Element matches every other Tek Saddle except the Rock Drake, Astrocetus and Rex Tek Saddles, according to the wiki.

Armor, weight and loot

Our records give it an armor rating of 30, 120 durability and a weight of 20, and it does not stack. The wiki adds that client update v329.51 lowered the highest armor a crafted saddle can reach to 75.2, down from 684.3, which also lowered the armor of higher-quality saddles crafted earlier. For a survivor who has not ascended, supply crates on Genesis: Part 2 are the only source according to the wiki, and no other Tek Saddle can come from loot. Our records count 13 loot crates, among them Genesis White and the Hard versions of missions such as Ferox Cull, Circuit Chase and Bulbdog Fetch.