How do you tame a Thorny Dragon in ARK: Survival Ascended?

The Thorny Dragon is a knockout tame. Knock it unconscious using Tranq Arrows, Tranq Darts, or Shocking Tranq Darts, then feed it Regular Kibble for the best taming effectiveness. Use a taming calculator to determine the exact food and narcotic quantities needed for your target level.

What does a Thorny Dragon eat in ARK: Survival Ascended?

The best food for taming a Thorny Dragon is Regular Kibble. It also accepts Raw Mutton, Raw Prime Meat, Cooked Lamb Chop.

Where can you find Thorny Dragon in ARK: Survival Ascended?

Check the interactive spawn map on the Thorny Dragon spawn location page for exact spawn zones across all ARK maps. Spawn density and locations vary by map.

How long does it take to raise a baby Thorny Dragon?

A baby Thorny Dragon takes 2 days to reach full maturity. Eggs must be incubated between 22°C and 28°C. Use a breeding calculator for imprint timing and food requirements.

Thorny Dragon Taming, Breeding & Spawns

Thorny Dragon

MISC

Thorny Dragon

Spawn Command

Information

Level

Preset

Official servers currently have boosted rates! You don't need to change settings in our calculator.

Base Settings

Variant

Taming Speed

Spawn Locations

12 mapsFull Map →

Found across 12 maps in forests, swamps, and mountain regions. Green zones have the highest spawn density. Each species has a population cap per area, so wiping out other creatures nearby can trigger new Thorny Dragon spawns.

Official

Mod Maps

Map Legend

High spawn density

Medium spawn density

Low spawn density

Cave spawn

Click any cell for exact spawn chance and nearby spawn groups. Zoom in for detail.

Explore full interactive mapAstraeos →

Thorny Dragon Taming Calculator

Open Calculator→

KnockoutTime: 25m 35s|Effectiveness: 99.6% (+74 Lvl)|Base Torpor: 450Lv.150

Food	Qty	Time	Effectiveness
Regular KibbleBest	8	25:35	74 Lvl (224)
Raw Mutton	20	37:30	73 Lvl (223)
Raw Prime Meat	25	46:53	72 Lvl (222)
Cooked Lamb Chop	40	1:14:56	68 Lvl (218)
Raw Meat	80	2:30:00	54 Lvl (204)
+6 more in calculator→

Required Narcotics (Regular Kibble ×8)

Narcotics0

Narcoberries0

Bio Toxin0

Ascerbic Mushrooms0

Breeding

Open Calculator →

TypeEgg Layer

Incubation Temp22°C – 28°C

Maturation Time2d

Quick Info

Saddle

Thorny Dragon SaddleLv.40

Carried By

Immobilized By

XP Calculator

Full Calculator→

Kill XP

Wild Kill (1.25×)

Creature Level

Kill Count

Per Kill477 XP

6 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.

Server XP

Wild Kill

Tamed Kill

Alpha Kill

Cave Kill

Boss Kill

Saddle Crafting XP

Thorny Dragon SaddleBase: 70 XP · Lv.40

280 XP

Base × 1× quality × 4 × 1× server

Drops & Harvest Resources

You can gather Keratin, Raw Meat, Hide from a Thorny Dragon corpse. The corpse has 230 harvest health, allowing multiple hits before it's fully depleted.

Different tools yield different quantities - check the table below to pick the right tool for the resource you need. Generally, a Pick favors meat while a Hatchet favors hide and secondary materials.

Harvest Body HP

Melee Damage

Weapon Damage

Harvest Multiplier

Resource	Pick	Hatchet
Keratin	40%~9~8 hits	70%~17~6 hits
Raw Meat	60%~11~8 hits	40%~7~6 hits
Hide	40%~9~8 hits	50%~12~6 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

Weight Reduction

Wood-50%

Fiber-50%

Stone-50%

Thatch-50%

Damage Resistances

The Thorny Dragon has 17 damage type modifiers that affect incoming damage. It shrugs off 10 damage types but is weak to 6, with its worst vulnerability at +120%. Focus damage there for maximum efficiency. See the full breakdown in the table below. Values under 100% indicate resistance, above 100% indicate weakness.

Melee TorpPoison

20%-80%

ProjectileWithImpactFX QuadTorp

20%-80%

ProjectileWithImpactFX DoubleTorp

20%-80%

ProjectileWithImpactFX TripleTorp

20%-80%

Dino AttacksStandard dino melee hits

50%-50%

Plant Species XPlant turret projectiles

50%-50%

Base Stats

Full Stats →

Stat	Base (Lv.1)	Wild +/Lv	Tamed +/Lv
Health	260.0	+52.00	+4.00%
Stamina	350.0	+35.00	+2.00%
Torpidity	450.0	+27.00	+0.00%
Oxygen	150.0	+15.00	+2.00%
Food	1200.0	+120.00	+2.00%
Weight	300.0	+6.00	+0.80%
Melee Damage Multiplier	100.0%	+5.00%	+10.00%
Speed Multiplier	100.0%	+0.00%	+1.00%

Hitbox Multipliers

Damage dealt to the Thorny Dragon varies across 1 hitbox zone. The Head is the most vulnerable spot at 2.5x damage - aim there for maximum DPS.

Headd_jaw_jnt

2.50x

Can Damage

The Thorny Dragon can damage: Thatch, Wood. It can break through Thatch and Wood, so upgrade to Stone at minimum for protection.

Thatch

Wood

Stone

Metal

Tek

Tools & Guides

Taming CalculatorFood, narcotics, and time for any level

Breeding CalculatorMaturation, imprint timers, raising costs

BuildingsCommunity traps, pens, enclosures

AbilitiesAttacks, harvest specs, unique skills

Tips & TricksCommunity strategies and advice

Spawn LocationInteractive maps with spawn zones

Spawn CommandAdmin commands, all variants

Thorny Dragon Tips & Tricks

Check out what other players have learned about the Thorny Dragon - and contribute your own tips. Common topics include trap designs, preferred knockout weapons, and narcotic management strategies.

Welcome to the full Thorny Dragon guide for ARK: Survival Ascended. Here you can quickly review its stats, taming requirements, breeding info, and resource gathering potential, then dive into our detailed calculators and maps for more depth.

The Thorny Dragon starts with 260 base Health, 100% base Melee Damage, 300 base Weight. These base values scale with each wild and tamed level-up, so check the taming calculator to see exactly what stats you can expect at different levels.

To tame the Thorny Dragon, knock it out using Tranq Arrows or Darts and feed it Regular Kibble. Head to the taming calculator for precise requirements at any level.

Breeding Thorny Dragons produces fertilized eggs that need incubation between 22°C and 28°C. Full maturation takes 2 days. Use the breeding calculator for imprint timers and food requirements.

Once tamed, the Thorny Dragon can harvest Keratin, Raw Meat, Hide. Visit the information tab for the full harvest table with quantities and efficiency data.

The Thorny Dragon, a tamable, carnivore creature in ARK: Survival Ascended, is a notable presence across multiple maps. It falls within the Misc classification.

Stamina sits at 350 base, providing respectable staying power. With 100% base Melee Damage, the Thorny Dragon has solid damage output. Starting at 260 Health, it's not particularly tanky. It carries 300 base Weight - generous inventory space.

Taming the Thorny Dragon requires rendering it unconscious first - use Tranq Arrows, Darts, or Shocking Tranq Darts to apply torpor. Feed it Regular Kibble for the fastest tame and highest effectiveness bonus.

After taming, the Thorny Dragon earns its keep through resource gathering, making tedious farming runs much faster. It reproduces by laying eggs, which must be incubated between 22°C and 28°C. A wild Thorny Dragon is worth 6 base experience when killed. It can be cloned at a Cloning Chamber for 0.48 Element plus 0.01 Element per level.

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