Chibi-Manta

A chibi from the summer event

The ARK Wiki places the Chibi-Manta in the ARK: Summer Bash 2020 event of ARK: Survival Evolved, gives 312.9 as the patch that added it, and says it has been available in every event since. Our database lists it in ARK: Survival Ascended too, and ties it to The Island and Aberration. Its description: "Earn XP from Alpha creature kills when equipped, to increase its level and earn additional max-levels for your Survivor!"

Earning extra survivor levels

A chibi-pet is mostly for looks, but it can also lift your level cap. With the Chibi-Manta equipped, killing specific predators gives the pet experience, and it can level up five times. Each of its level-ups permanently adds 1 to the maximum level of the survivor wearing it when that happens, for at most 5 extra levels. The ARK Wiki's list of qualifying kills runs from alphas such as the Alpha Leedsichthys, Alpha Deathworm and Alpha Karkinos to the Enraged Corrupted Rex. ASE on Steam adds creatures such as the Alpha Dakosaurus, while ASA adds the Alpha Palaeoctopus and several Astral creatures, the Astral Direwolf among them.

Wearing and keeping it

ASE puts the pet in the off-hand slot, while ASA has a dedicated chibi slot. When you ride, the manta settles in your lap; when you lie in a bed, it sits nearby. In a Tek Sleeping Pod it still follows your position but faces upward at your right. Keep in mind that it is treated as an item, not an unlockable skin: it falls with your inventory on death and disappears if the death cache is never retrieved.

Loot and weight

Our records list 3 crate types that can contain it: the two Valentine's fishing crates, Fishing Items (Valentine's) and Fishing Meat (Valentine's), plus the Raptor Claus Gift. It weighs 0, has a stack size of 1 and a crafting XP value of 12.