Dino Overhaul X 2 (DOX2) Mod Guide

Dino Overhaul X 2, usually shortened to DOX2, is a full rebalance of ARK: Survival Ascended by equillizer04 (CurseForge ID 951374). It does not lean on flashy effects or power creep. Instead it changes how you tame, fight and grow your creatures: taming is earned through hunting and feeding, combat adds temporary states and traits, and the late game revolves around boss fights, bounties and corruption. Our database holds 516 creature entries and 531 items from the mod, including 110 saddles, 207 fertilized eggs and 169 engrams.

Before you start

• Platforms and maps: DOX2 runs on Xbox, PlayStation and PC and supports all official maps.
• No knockout taming: the core idea is that you do not knock creatures out and wait. You hand-feed, build up Hunting XP and earn the creature's respect, so every feed counts.
• Light on visuals: the author designed the mod for depth rather than effects, to keep performance up.
• Solo or server: it is meant for single player as well as community servers. Details of an official DOX2 server are on the mod's Discord.
• The official guide: the CurseForge page links a DOX2 Comprehensive Guide in spreadsheet form. Read it for exact numbers that this page leaves out.

The progression ladder

DOX2 uses quality steps instead of new species tiers. A creature climbs from one step to the next:

Our database groups the mod's creatures like this:

• Reworked vanilla creatures: well over a hundred base creatures, covering land, sea and air.
• Alpha versions: about 140 Alpha creatures across the roster.
• Aberrant and Corrupted forms: 48 Aberrant creatures and 16 Corrupted ones.
• Legacy creatures: a set of Legacy Alpha creatures such as the Legacy Alpha DodoRex and the Legacy Alpha Broodmother Lysrix.
• Primordial bosses: Primordial Rex, Primordial Kong, Primordial Bear, Primordial Doedicurus, Primordial Megapithecus, Primordial Manticore and Primordial Rhyniognatha, each with an Uber Primordial version (for example Uber Primordial Rex).
• Titans: Titan Desmodus, Titan DodoRex and Titan Broodmother Lysrix. The database also lists a Corruption Necrosis Vein.
• Golden Dodo: a special loot creature (see below).

Combat, traits and Paragon

Battle states

• Bleeding: when a creature drops below 50% health, a bleed can send it into shock.
• Last Stand: herbivores that are close to death get a 50% damage boost.
• Pack perks: creatures that hunt together get bonuses.
• Paragon levels: your kill count turns into real power. Each Paragon level adds 1.5 to 3%, and the levels stack one by one.

Traits

Traits can be passive or active, and they stack multiplicatively. The CurseForge page gives two examples: a runner trait makes a creature 25% faster, and a tank trait cuts the damage it takes by 15%. A creature earns up to three traits on its own through combat. With Genetic Strings from Alpha prey you can push it to six. Corrupted strings are the gamble: they swing a trait bonus by 25% either way.

Our database lists trait items in Balanced, Brawler, Runner, Tough and Juggernaut versions, several with a letter code in front, plus three legendary ones: Legendary Trait - Alpha, Legendary Trait - Gamma and Legendary Trait - Omega.

Genetic Strings

The strings come in grades: Genetic String, Superior Genetic String, Greater Genetic String, Mega Genetic String, Prime Genetic String and Corrupt Genetic String, plus species strings such as the Wyvern, Manticore, Dragon and Rockdrake Genetic Strings. You can convert between grades. All of these recipes unlock at level 1:

• DOX Mega Genetic String to Superior: one Mega string becomes a Superior one.
• DOX Prime Genetic String to Superior: one Prime and three Genetic Strings.
• DOX C&S to Greater String: two Corrupt and five Superior strings.

The DOX Trait Extraction Dart (2 Superior Genetic String, 5 DOX Fragmented Artifact, one Tranquilizer Dart and one Greater Genetic String) and the DOX Adv Trait Extraction Dart use these strings as well.

Threats, bosses and events

• Seekers: they go after high-level players and keep chasing them. They are also one of the sources of Enhanced Armor.
• Golden Dodos: they tempt you with loot but vanish after 8 to 12 seconds, so decide fast.
• Grudges: if you die, a grudge binds the boss to hunt you for 45 minutes.
• Bounties: from mid game on, a bounty comes up every 1 to 1.5 hours and pays out a large amount of loot.
• Corruption: corrupted enemies deal 1.5 to 3 times the damage but give better rewards.
• Primordial bosses: they fight in phases and get back 25% of their health between them.

Summoning

The DOX Summoning Shrine costs 50 Crystal, 75 Element and 5 DOX Fragmented Artifact. Each Primordial Essence is used at the Shrine to summon an Uber Primordial. There are seven: Bear, Doed, Kong, Manticore, Pithecus, Rex and Rhynio (for example DOX Primordial Rex Essence).

The DOX Titan Pulse items unlock at level 99. The Brood Queen, Desmodus and DodoRex Pulses each take one of all seven Primordial Essences. The DOX Titan Underlord Pulse takes three Soul Cores instead: Soul Core Titan Brood Queen, Soul Core Titan Desmodus and Soul Core Titan Dodorex.

Items and stations

Structures

The CurseForge page describes the Advanced Crafting Station as the late-game bench that uses fragmented artifacts, and says Corruption Shards give you passive resource mining. Using a DOX Fragmented Artifact gives you a random fragmented artifact, and ten of them craft into a DOX Fragmented Artifact Cluster.

Corruption crystals

The crystal family has three grades: DOX Corruption Crystal (CC), Shard (CCS) and Dust (CCD). A CC takes 25 shards, 5 Corrupt Genetic String and 10 fragmented artifacts. The DOX CC to CCS and DOX CCS to CCD recipes convert down the grades. The DOX Warlord Crystal (WC) and DOX Tyrion Crystal (TC) are bigger crafts made from strings, artifacts and Element or Element Shards. The DOX Corruption Crystal to Element recipe uses one CC and one DOX Warlord Crystal Shard (WCS).

Armor

Enhanced Armor drops from Seekers, Golden Dodos and Megas. Each piece rolls a stat grade from Common up to Legendary, and you can mix pieces for set bonuses: Chitin for toughness, Flak for speed and Tek for raw power. Our database has Enhanced Cloth, Hide, Fur, Desert Cloth, Ghillie, Chitin, Flak, Riot and Tek pieces. Next to them sits the Enhanced Glider Suit (level 62).

Potions and other items

• Basic potions: the DOX Damage Increase, Damage Reduction, Stamina Regeneration and Torpidity Recovery Potions each cost a Rare Mushroom or Rare Flower, one Crystal and one Genetic String.
• Advanced potions: the DOX Sterile Potion, DOX Paragon Potion, DOX Trait Cleansing Potion, DOX Prevent Champion Spawn Potion and DOX XP Potion all call for strings or crystals.
• Hunting XP orbs: a DOX Hunting XP Storage Orb - Empty costs 5 Crystal and 2 Genetic String. The large version takes 5 Corruption Crystal Shards and a Mega Genetic String.
• Utility crafts: the Hyaenodon Meatpack (level 19), Bug Repellant (level 16), and Unassembled Mek (level 91) and Unassembled Enforcer kits.
• Saddles: 110, including platform saddles for the Bronto, Quetz, Paracer, Plesiosaur, Mosasaur, Titanosaur, Dreadnoughtus and Gigadesmodus, and Tek saddles for the Rex, Megalodon, Mosasaur, Rock Drake and Tapejara.

Breeding

Late-game breeding has rules. The CurseForge page sets the limits at five females at most and 25 m apart, and says that breeding within them unlocks sterile perks. Check the official guide for exactly how the distance is measured. Our database also has a DOX Sterile Potion, made from a Mega Genetic String, a DOX Paragon Orb and two Warlord Crystal Shards.

Tips

• Do not fight the taming system: hand-feed, keep your Hunting XP up, and choose your feeds with care.
• Hunt Alpha prey for Genetic Strings. They are your route to six traits.
• Keep a stock of DOX Fragmented Artifacts. The Advanced Crafting Station, the Summoning Shrine and the Mining Forge all need them.
• Save every Primordial Essence: the titan pulses need one of each.
• When a Golden Dodo appears, act at once. You have seconds, not minutes.
• After a boss kills you, stay clear for 45 minutes or come back ready for it.
• The mod gets weekly updates based on player feedback, so check the changelog and the official guide when something here differs in game.

Every creature, item and loot drop of the mod is listed on its mod page, with spawn commands.