Dunkleosteus
Farmer · 17 maps
Overview
The Dunkleosteus is a large carnivorous fish tamed for its exceptional resource gathering and weight reduction abilities. It reduces the weight of several key resources, making it ideal for underwater mining and transport. Players typically tame it to harvest valuable materials like Oil and Metal efficiently while reducing inventory load. Its weight reduction applies to Crystal, Obsidian, and Black Pearl, enhancing its value in deep-sea operations.
Spawn Locations
17 mapsDunkleosteus spawns in oceanic and dark cave zones across 17 ARK maps. It is very rare, with the highest concentrations found in deep underwater caves and abyssal trenches. Use the spawn map to locate green zones for optimal search areas.
Each shape is a real spawn volume. Click for exact chance and zone info.
Tame a Dunkleosteus using the knockout method. Superior Kibble is the best food, providing the fastest taming effectiveness. Raw Mutton also works well if kibble is unavailable. Use Tranq Arrows from a Bow or Crossbow, or a Longneck Rifle with Tranquilizer Darts to sedate it. The process takes about 40 minutes and requires no Narcotics. Use the calculator below for your settings.
| Food | Qty | Time | Effectiveness |
|---|---|---|---|
 Superior KibbleBest | 7 | 40:14 | 73 Lvl (223) |
 Raw Mutton | 14 | 31:31 | 70 Lvl (220) |
 Raw Prime Meat | 18 | 40:31 | 68 Lvl (218) |
 Cooked Lamb Chop | 26 | 58:27 | 61 Lvl (211) |
 Raw Meat | 52 | 1:57:01 | 40 Lvl (190) |
| +6 more in calculator→ | |||
Drops & Harvest Resources
Killing a Dunkleosteus yields Raw Fish Meat, Chitin, and Raw Prime Fish Meat. The Mining Drill extracts the most Raw Fish Meat from the corpse.
| Resource |  Pick |  Sickle | Harvest Weapon |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100%~38~24 hits | 100%~38~15 hits | 60%~35~25 hits | |
| 100%~38~24 hits | 100%~38~15 hits | 75%~115~25 hits | |
| 0%~0~24 hits | 13%~5~15 hits | 4%~2~25 hits |
Estimates based on game-extracted data (weights, quantities, harvest multipliers, damage type chains). Each harvest event independently rolls each resource - higher weight = higher drop chance. Actual yields vary with RNG.
Gathering Abilities
While ridden, the Dunkleosteus gathers a wide range of resources through its attack, including Blue Gem, Cementing Paste, Condensed Gas, Crystal, Electronics, Element Dust, Element Ore, Flint, Fragmented Green Gem, Green Gem, Metal, Obsidian, Oil, Organic Polymer, Rare Mushroom, and Sand. It excels at harvesting multiple high-tier resources in one location, especially in deep ocean biomes.
Weight Reduction
The Dunkleosteus reduces weight by -50% for Oil, Metal, Stone, Crystal, and Black Pearl, and by -75% for Obsidian. Pair it with a carrier like Quetzal to maintain these reductions during aerial transport.
Damage Resistances
Dunkleosteus takes +400% more damage from spike walls, making it highly vulnerable in defensive setups. It is also weak to explosions and melee attacks from metal weapons. Conversely, it is fully immune to damage from Mining Drill harvesting and has strong resistance to engine-based and ranged turret attacks. Focus on spike wall traps for effective defense.
Kill XP
Wild Kill (1.25×)12 base × 15.9 level × 4 × 1.25× wild kill × 1× server
Server Settings(Game.ini)
Official servers use non-1× defaults; the values above already reflect official rates.
| Stat | Base (Lv.1) | Wild +/Lv | Tamed +/Lv |
|---|---|---|---|
 Health | 710.0 | +142.00 | +4.00% |
 Stamina | 200.0 | +20.00 | +2.00% |
 Torpidity | 1150.0 | +69.00 | +0.00% |
 Food | 2000.0 | +200.00 | +2.00% |
 Weight | 910.0 | +18.20 | +0.80% |
 Melee Damage Multiplier | 100.0% | +5.00% | +10.00% |
 Speed Multiplier | 100.0% | +0.00% | +1.00% |
Hitbox Multipliers
The head is the most vulnerable hitbox zone, taking 1.5× damage. Target the head for faster knockouts during taming or combat.
Can Damage
Can break Thatch, Stone, and Wood structures. Build at least in Metal to resist its attacks.
Thatch
Wood
Stone
Metal
Tek| Attack | Base | Thatch | Wood | Stone | Metal | Tek |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Attack 1DmgStone ExtraHarvest AndMetal | 60 | 75.0 | 75.0 | 11.3 | — | — |
Numbers reflect base melee at level 1, 100% TE, no imprint. The damage calculator lets you scale by melee %, server multipliers, and pick a specific structure for exact hit counts.
Tools & Guides
Dunkleosteus Tips & Tricks
The Dunkleosteus harvests nine times the normal amount of Blue Gem and Oil per attack. It reduces the weight of Obsidian by -75%, the highest reduction among all resources. Its attack gathers from categories including gems, metal, oil, and polymer, making it one of the most versatile underwater gatherers. It is highly vulnerable to spike walls, so avoid placing it near such defenses when used in combat.
This page details the Dunkleosteus's stats, taming, breeding, harvesting, and combat capabilities. Refer to the taming calculator, breeding calculator, and spawn map for precise planning and deployment.
