Xiphactinus
Water · 18 maps
Overview
The Xiphactinus is a water-dwelling carnivore commonly found in oceanic and cave biomes. It excels at underwater combat and can damage Thatch and Wood structures. Players tame it for its utility in aquatic defense and resource gathering in deep water zones.
It can be airlifted by Quetzal or Karkinos for fast deployment.
Spawn Locations
18 mapsXiphactinus spawns in ocean and cave biomes. It is very common and appears across 18 ARK maps. Look for it near underwater cliffs and cave entrances where fish schools gather.
Each shape is a real spawn volume. Click for exact chance and zone info.
Tame the Xiphactinus using knockout methods. Use a Bow, Crossbow, or Longneck Rifle with Tranq Arrow or Tranquilizer Dart to sedate it. Superior Kibble is the best food. Raw Mutton also works well.
About 11 Superior Kibble and 76 Narcotics are needed. The tame takes around 28 minutes. Use the calculator below for your settings.
| Food | Qty | Time | Effectiveness |
|---|---|---|---|
 Superior KibbleBest | 11 | 28:08 | 74 Lvl (224) |
 Raw Mutton | 23 | 34:31 | 70 Lvl (220) |
 Raw Prime Meat | 29 | 43:31 | 68 Lvl (218) |
 Cooked Lamb Chop | 42 | 1:02:56 | 62 Lvl (212) |
 Raw Meat | 85 | 2:07:31 | 41 Lvl (191) |
| +6 more in calculator→ | |||
Drops & Harvest Resources
Killing a Xiphactinus yields Raw Fish Meat and Raw Prime Fish Meat. The Dino (Fish Harvest) tool gives the most Raw Fish Meat, while the Sickle maximizes Raw Prime Fish Meat yield.
| Resource |  Pick |  Sickle | Harvest Weapon |
|---|---|---|---|
| 93%~25~17 hits | 93%~25~11 hits | 93%~25~18 hits | |
| 0%~0~17 hits | 13%~3~11 hits | 4%~1~18 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.
Damage Resistances
Xiphactinus has a +400% weakness to spike walls, making it highly vulnerable when used in base defense. It also takes +120% damage from Instant HurtDinos and +55% from Melee DmgMetal RaidDino. Avoid placing it near spike walls.
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 | 450.0 | +90.00 | +4.00% |
 Stamina | 420.0 | +42.00 | +2.00% |
 Torpidity | 1100.0 | +66.00 | +0.00% |
 Food | 2000.0 | +200.00 | +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
The Xiphactinus has increased damage multipliers on specific hit zones. The Gill_L and Gill_R each take 1.5× damage. Target these areas for faster knockouts.
Can Damage
Can break Thatch and Wood. Build at least in Stone.
Thatch
Wood
Stone
Metal
Tek| Attack | Base | Thatch | Wood | Stone | Metal | Tek |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BiteCarnivore Medium Piercing | 23 | 126.5 | 69.0 | — | — | — |
| GrabCarnivore ChompGrab IgnoreAllies | 5 | 27.5 | 15.0 | — | — | — |
| Consume TargetCarnivore Medium HealOnHitCorpse | 100 | 550.0 | 300.0 | — | — | — |
| ThashingCarnivore Medium | 5 | 27.5 | 15.0 | — | — | — |
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
Xiphactinus Tips & Tricks
The Xiphactinus takes +400% damage from spike walls, making it unsuitable for base defense perimeters.
It can be carried by flyers like Quetzal for rapid underwater deployment.
Use it in deep ocean zones where its swimming speed and bite range give tactical advantage.
Its Grab attack pulls targets within 12 meters, useful for controlling enemy movement.
This page details the Xiphactinus's stats, taming, breeding, harvest data, and combat behavior. Use the taming calculator, breeding calculator, and spawn map for precise planning.