Chibi-Gacha Claus

A chibi pet from Winter Wonderland

The Chibi-Gacha Claus is a chibi pet in ARK: Survival Evolved and ARK: Survival Ascended. It was introduced in ASE during ARK: Winter Wonderland 5, and the ARK Wiki says it has turned up in every event after that one. Its description explains what equipping it does: "Earn XP from Alpha creature kills when equipped, to increase its level and earn additional max-levels for your Survivor!"

Equipping and leveling it

ASE puts a chibi in the off-hand slot, while ASA has a dedicated chibi slot. The pet then shows up at the survivor's front-left and follows where they move and which way they face. On a mount it rides in the survivor's lap, and it sits close by while they are in bed.

Killing certain predators with the pet equipped levels it up, at most five times. Each level permanently adds 1 to the maximum level of whichever survivor has it equipped when it levels, for up to 5 extra levels. The wiki's list of creatures that count includes the Alpha Raptor, Alpha T-Rex, Alpha Megalodon, Alpha Carnotaurus and Enraged Corrupted Rex. ASE on Steam adds others such as the Alpha Tridacna and Abyssal Alpha T-Rex, and ASA adds the Astral T-Rex, Alpha Ossidon and Enraged Lightning Rex, among more.

Losing it, and other requirements

Chibi pets are mostly cosmetic, but they count as ordinary items rather than unlockable skins: they drop with the rest of the survivor's inventory on death and are lost if the death cache is never recovered. The wiki also notes that equipping this chibi requires owning Extinction.

It weighs 0 and stacks to 1. Our records list two loot sources that can contain it, Fishing Items (Valentine's) and Fishing Meat (Valentine's). The wiki dates it to version 320.18.