Megatherium
DMG · 22 maps
Overview
The Megatherium is a large omnivore with a damage role. It excels at gathering Chitin and other resources while providing significant melee damage boosts when energized. Its primary use is rapid node farming in dangerous areas where its self-buff can be maintained through insect kills.
It can be carried by Quetzal or Tusoteuthis for fast deployment to remote resource zones.
Spawn Locations
22 mapsMegatherium spawns in city, desert, redwood, and snow biomes. It is rare and appears across 22 ARK maps. The green zones on the spawn map indicate highest spawn density.
Each shape is a real spawn volume. Click for exact chance and zone info.
Tame the Megatherium using knockout methods. Use a Chain Bola or trap it in a Bear Trap or Large Bear Trap to immobilize it. Sedate it with Tranq Arrows from a Bow or Crossbow, or use a Longneck Rifle with Tranquilizer Darts. Feed it Superior Kibble for fastest results; Giant Bee Honey also works well.
Taming takes about 48 minutes and requires approximately 16 Superior Kibble and 12 Narcotics at level 224. Use the calculator below for your settings.
| Food | Qty | Time | Effectiveness |
|---|---|---|---|
 Superior KibbleBest | 8 | 24:01 | 74 Lvl (224) |
 Giant Bee Honey | 11 | 30:59 | 74 Lvl (224) |
 Raw Mutton | 17 | 29:56 | 73 Lvl (223) |
 Raw Meat | 62 | 1:49:09 | 62 Lvl (212) |
    | 154 | 1:48:27 | 33 Lvl (183) |
| +10 more in calculator→ | |||
Drops & Harvest Resources
Killing a Megatherium yields Hide, Raw Meat, and Pelt. The Hatchet yields the most Hide and Pelt, while the Pick maximizes Raw Meat harvest.
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 Megatherium gathers Chitin, Fiber, Mushrooms, Rare Mushrooms, Berries, Cactus Sap, Clay, Crop Seeds, Mejoberry, Narcoberry, Plant Species X Seed, Plant Species Y Seed, Rare Flower, and Sand. Its Claw, Slam, Bite, and Water Bite attacks all yield up to 6× Chitin, Fiber, Mushroom, and Rare Mushroom.
When the Insect Slayer (Energized) buff is active, Chitin yield increases by 60% and melee damage against insects is boosted by 50%. This buff activates on killing an insect and lasts 120 seconds.
Damage Resistances
The Megatherium has a +120% weakness to Instant HurtDinos, making it take significantly more damage from fast melee attacks. It also has a +100% weakness to spike walls, making them highly effective. It is fully resistant to Mining Drill Harvest damage. Level Health and Melee Damage to maximize effectiveness in combat.
Kill XP
Wild Kill (1.25×)4 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 | 740.0 | +148.00 | +4.00% |
 Stamina | 400.0 | +40.00 | +2.00% |
 Torpidity | 1000.0 | +60.00 | +0.00% |
 Oxygen | 270.0 | +27.00 | +2.00% |
 Food | 3000.0 | +300.00 | +2.00% |
 Weight | 725.0 | +14.50 | +0.90% |
 Melee Damage Multiplier | 100.0% | +5.00% | +10.00% |
 Speed Multiplier | 100.0% | +0.00% | +1.00% |
Hitbox Multipliers
The Megatherium has a head hitbox that takes 1.5× damage. Target the head for faster knockout or increased damage output when attacking.
Can Damage
Can break Thatch and Wood. Build at least in Stone.
Thatch
Wood
Stone
Metal
Tek| Attack | Base | Thatch | Wood | Stone | Metal | Tek |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SlamOmnivore Harvest NoRock | 49 | 269.5 | 147.0 | — | — | — |
| ClawOmnivore Harvest NoRock | 32 | 176.0 | 96.0 | — | — | — |
| BiteOmnivore Harvest NoRock | 32 | 176.0 | 96.0 | — | — | — |
| Water BiteOmnivore Harvest NoRock | 32 | 176.0 | 96.0 | — | — | — |
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
Megatherium Tips & Tricks
The Insect Slayer (Energized) buff activates after killing an insect, granting +160% Chitin harvest, +150% melee damage, and +50% damage to insects for 120 seconds.
The Seated Buff applies to the rider when mating, though its effects are passive and not stat-altering.
While energized, the Megatherium takes only 25% damage from all sources and moves twice as fast when unsubmerged.
It can be airlifted by Quetzal or Tusoteuthis to reach distant insect swarms and maintain its buff chain.
This page details the Megatherium's taming, breeding, harvesting, combat stats, and utility mechanics. Refer to the taming calculator, breeding calculator, and spawn map for further planning.
