Chibi-Astrocetus

The Chibi-Astrocetus at a glance

The Chibi-Astrocetus is a miniature pet in ARK: Survival Evolved and ARK: Survival Ascended. The ARK Wiki dates it to ARK: Summer Bash 2020 (patch 312.9) and says it has been part of every event since. Its in-game text sums up the point of it: "Earn XP from Alpha creature kills when equipped, to increase its level and earn additional max-levels for your Survivor!"

Raising your level cap

Chibi-Pets are cosmetic first, but each one can level up five times. It gains experience when the survivor wearing it kills certain predators, and every level it reaches adds 1 to that survivor's maximum level for good, up to 5 extra levels in total. Creatures that count include the Alpha Raptor, Alpha Megalodon, Alpha Leedsichthys, Alpha T-Rex and Enraged Corrupted Rex. The wiki marks some as ASE-only on Steam, such as the Alpha Tridacna and Alpha Water Wyvern, and others as ASA-only, such as the Astral T-Rex and Astral Direwolf.

Equipping and losing it

In ASE it goes into the off-hand slot; ASA has its own Chibi slot. Once equipped, the pet walks at the survivor's front left and follows their movements, rides in their lap on a mount and sits nearby in bed. Unlike an unlocked skin it counts as a normal item: it drops with the rest of your inventory when you die and is gone if you do not recover your death cache.

Where it turns up

Our records list 3 loot sources that can contain it: Fishing Items (Valentine's), Fishing Meat (Valentine's) and the Raptor Claus Gift. It weighs 0 and stacks to 1.