Prehistoric Beasts Mod Guide (Part 1)

Prehistoric Beasts is a creature mod for ARK: Survival Ascended that adds real prehistoric animals with their own abilities, taming methods and biome variants. This guide covers Part 1, the original pack: ten base creatures, from a beach mount for new players to an apex hunter that tracks alphas. Each one also comes in variants for the official maps, so the same animal fits The Island, Scorched Earth, Aberration, Extinction, Genesis Part 1 and Lost Colony. The later packs, Part II, Part III, Part IV and Part V, are separate mods with their own creatures.

The creatures at a glance

Tsintaosaurus

A gentle hadrosaur meant as a first mount. It spawns where new players start, harvests berries and crops well, and is no fighter. Its roar puts it on alert: when an enemy player, an alpha or a strong predator comes close, it gets a speed boost so you can get away. Tame it by walking up and feeding it. Basic Kibble works best, then Mejoberries, then other berries.

Neimongosaurus

A small, curious therizinosaur relative that comes in groups and turns brave in numbers. Tamed, it is a camp helper: with its saddle bags it crafts jerky and slows spoiling, and near a Therizinosaur it improves that creature's harvest. It is a knockout tame that eats Giant Bee Honey. The hard part is getting one alone.

Dearc

A small pterosaur that glides like a Griffin, lands on water, clings to walls like a Tapejara and regains stamina in the air. From height it can dive-bomb the ground for heavy damage and a stun, but a hard landing can hurt it. It is a passive tame: craft a wooden flute and play to it.

Pyroraptor

A small, agile raptor that jumps high, falls slowly and climbs through caves easily. Its claws also harvest Fiber. When an adult Pyroraptor dies it may come back as a Phoenix Pyroraptor, a stronger fire version that keeps you warm, cooks meat and resists flames. To tame one, knock it out and feed it Flame Feathers, which you get by killing other Pyroraptors.

Postosuchus

An aggressive crocodile relative that hunts in packs of up to six. The pack leader's roar speeds up and strengthens the pack. Its foul breath keeps many small pests away, including insects, leeches, Purlovia and raptors, so it is a good cave mount. It cannot be knocked out or fed: find a Postosuchus nest and steal an egg. Any Postosuchus can make a nest.

Nasutoceratops

A heavy ceratopsian built to take hits. It builds up a charge while running and hits the first target much harder, stomps, impales targets to drain their stamina, and its roar weakens large enemies. It also breaks trees and rocks as it runs. It resists knockout, so bring plenty of tranquilizers, then feed it Sego Lilies or Longrass, the only foods it eats.

Siamosaurus

A spinosaur of the coast that fights in water and on land. It ignores the stings of Cnidaria and Electrophorus and collects Silica Pearls, Black Pearls, Angler Gel and Bio Toxin, carrying Black Pearls at reduced weight. Feeding it Angler Gel makes it stronger and faster up to a berserk state, followed by a tired phase. Tame it passively with Bio Toxin or Angler Gel, and watch out: it can turn on you for a moment. Alpha Siamosaurus can drop an egg of the rare, larger Gustave Siamosaurus.

Inostrancevia

A gorgonopsid built to hunt alphas. While ridden it sniffs for danger, warns you about creatures such as Reapers and Rock Drakes, and gets stronger near an alpha. Its howl changes with the time of day, and its sniff can start an Apex Hunt: track down a strong target and kill it for loot and the Inostrancevia saddle, which wild ones do not drop. Fed certain items, it takes on traits of other predators. It is a sacrifice tame: drop a creature near it and let it make the kill, and repeat until the tame is done. By day it takes young babies, the younger the better; at night it wants unbred adults. Every offering must be under 550 drag weight, and higher levels count for more.

Neovenator

A carnosaur as strong as a Rex but faster and more agile. It grabs and chews smaller prey, shredding armor, and gets a damage buff after a kill. Taming works like an Equus: slow it with chain bolas, jump on, and feed it Coagulated Kibble from your hotbar while it runs wild. Its saddle requires the Rex Tek Saddle engram first.

Yangchuanosaurus

A loud theropod of cold regions with three roars: one scares creatures up to Rex size away, one heals players and tames around it, and one clears most negative effects. Females are rarer, larger and more dangerous. Taming takes patience: damage it until it uses its heal roar, then shoot it with a rifle during the heal. Only those shots add torpor. Once it is asleep, feed it kibble; it prefers Extraordinary Kibble.

Variants and alphas

Every base creature comes in map versions: Scorched for Scorched Earth, Aberrant for Aberration and Lost for Lost Colony, X- and R- versions in the Genesis style, plus Eerie, Tek and Skeletal versions of some. Alpha variants spawn as rare, stronger wild creatures. They are not tameable, but they are a good source of saddle blueprints and chibis. Skeletal versions drop skins and chibis. See the full creature list for all 49 entries and their spawn commands.

Getting started

• Day one: passive-tame a Tsintaosaurus on the beach for a safe mount and berries.
• Early tribe: add a Neimongosaurus for jerky and slower spoiling, and a Dearc for scouting.
• Mid game: a Nasutoceratops tanks for the base, and a Postosuchus pack clears caves.
• Late game: tame a Neovenator for combat, a Yangchuanosaurus to keep the army healed, and an Inostrancevia to hunt alphas.

Saddles, eggs, trophies and the mod's special foods (Tasty Treat, Sego Lily, Flame Feather) are listed under items, and the drops of each creature under loot drops.

Further reading: the mod team's own Prehistoric Beasts guide on Steam covers every part of the mod, with the ini options of each creature.