Chibi-Shadowmane

A season pass reward

Linked to Genesis: Part 2, the Chibi-Shadowmane is a miniature pet that our records hold for both ARK: Survival Evolved and ARK: Survival Ascended. A survivor gets it by buying the Genesis Season Pass and finding all of the Genesis 2 Chronicles explorer notes, according to the ARK Wiki. Even so, its rarity is shown as "Common".

Extra levels for the survivor

The description sums up its main appeal: "Earn XP from Alpha creature kills when equipped, to increase its level and earn additional max-levels for your Survivor!" The pet can level up five times, each time from kills of qualifying creatures made while it is equipped. Each of those levels permanently adds 1 to the maximum level of whichever survivor has it equipped at that moment, for up to 5 extra levels in total.

The wiki's general list of creatures that count includes the Alpha T-Rex, the Alpha Megalodon, the Alpha Raptor and the Enraged Corrupted Rex. Some count in one game only: in ASE (Steam only) the Alpha Water Wyvern and the Abyssal Alpha T-Rex, and in ASA, among others, the Alpha Ossidon, the Astral Rock Drake and the Enraged Lightning Rex.

Equipping and keeping it

In ASE the chibi goes into the off-hand slot; ASA gives it a dedicated Chibi slot. Apart from the level bonus it is cosmetic: once equipped it moves along with the survivor, rests in their lap while they ride and sits close by when they sleep. It counts as an ordinary item rather than a skin, which means it drops with the rest of the inventory on death and is gone if those items are never recovered. It weighs 0 and stacks to 1. The wiki gives 327.10 as the version that added it.