In Ark: Survival Evolved there are numerous prehistoric, mystical, and mythological creatures. But which dinos are actually the best and who is the strongest? MeinMMO author Dariusz Müller presents you with his opinion on the 10 strongest dinos.
What criteria was used to decide? To determine the best dinos or creatures in ARK: Survival Evolved, a specific purpose must be established. In ARK, you can talk about the best farm animals or discuss the best fighters. We could also categorize them into flying creatures, underwater beings, and rideable animals.
For the 10 best dinosaurs, we chose the strongest creatures. Their strength was evaluated regardless of the creature’s habitat and farming abilities. We specifically looked at the suitability of the creature to either fend off numerous attackers or to engage in boss fights.
One particular criterion was the abilities of a creature that give it a unique advantage in combat. Accordingly, it is not just about the raw damage a dino deals with its attacks but also about its abilities and suitability to survive special situations, as well as the maneuverability of the animal.
The list represents a personal ranking by the author, who drew on his experience in the survival game to find the best dinos in the game. On MeinMMO, he introduces you to what he considers to be the 10 strongest creatures. The focus was on creatures whose taming is worthwhile at each restart, depending on the mode.
Most of his playtime was spent on PvE servers, where he faced the bosses of the various maps. Some of his most loyal dinosaur companions will be seen in this list.
Rank 10: the Stegosaurus
What distinguishes the Stegosaurus: The Stegosaurus was long considered a dino not suited for combat. It is still very slow and not particularly agile. However, the Stego received a strong buff. It now has three different armor types that you can choose from.
- Hardened Plate: Provides a damage reduction buff (reduces damage by half)
- Heavy Plate: Causes a slowing effect through the attack with the base tail whip
- Sharpened Plate: The attack with the tail whip has the effect of penetrating the opponent’s armor.
Particularly the hardened plates are ideal in combination with a good saddle to absorb extremely high damage. This makes it possible to approach a hostile base or similar closely.
Subsequently, weapons such as the rocket launcher or the sharpened plates of the Stegos can be used to destroy turrets, armor, or other items. This makes the Stego a strong dino when focusing on PvP.
However, even in PvE, you should not underestimate the Stegosaurus. Especially from the perspective of the survivor engaged in a fight with a Stego, the dinosaur performs very strongly.
The dinosaur can not only knock you off your mount or inflict high damage when it hits you with its spiky tail. The creature you are riding will also suffer massive stamina losses and thus be able to defend itself significantly worse.
Rank 9: the Megatherium
What distinguishes the Megatherium? The Megatherium is technically not a dinosaur, but a genus of the extinct family Megatheriidae, yet it has earned its place in our top 10. If the giant sloths are good enough for a Paris museum, they are also good enough for our list.
The Megatherium has a skill in ARK called “Insect Killer,” making it a temporary powerhouse of damage. Insect Killer means that after killing an insect, the Megatherium deals 250% increased damage to any target for 120 seconds.
Additionally, the Megatherium has the passive ability to deal 150% more damage to insects in general. If the Insect Killer ability is active while fighting insects, damage even increases to up to 375% of the base value.
Since there are plenty of insects like the nasty Arthropleura, Araneos, or the nasty Mantis in many caves, dungeons, and other dangerous areas, the Megatherium is one of the best creatures in ARK.
Even the boss fight against the Broodmother—a very large spider—is not a problem with the furry companion.
Rank 8: the Basilisk
What distinguishes the Basilisk? The Basilisk is a mystical creature and a giant snake. Since in ARK the boundaries between real prehistoric beings and mythical creatures blur, the Basilisk should not be missing from a list of the strongest creatures in ARK.
The Basilisk is not only strong when it ambushes unsuspecting survivors in the wild after digging into the ground; it is also a very strong guardian for your base on a PvP server.
The Basilisk shoots venom that inflicts significant damage and can also harm you while you are on a creature. Since it can also dig into the ground while tamed due to your command and subsequently remains invisible to enemy survivors, it presents an unpleasant surprise for anyone who approaches your base unwanted.
Rank 7: the Wyvern
What distinguishes the Wyvern? The Wyvern, similar to the Basilisk, is not a real creature and therefore not a true dinosaur. However, in the blurred reality of the survival game, it still belongs on a list of the best dinosaurs.
For years, the Wyvern has been one of the strongest flying creatures in ARK. However, it is important to note that there is a significant difference depending on which Wyvern type you own.
The Poison Wyvern is generally considered weaker, whereas the Lightning Wyvern is feared. The difference lies in the effect of the breath attack.
In addition to the main attack of the Wyvern—the breath attack—it shines mainly with its speed. Even though the Wyvern is not particularly agile, there are hardly any flying creatures that can keep up with it over long distances.
Rank 6: the Basilosaurus
What distinguishes the Basilosaurus? The Basilosaurus is certainly not a typical contender for a spot on a list of the strongest animals for many ARK players. A wild Basilosaurus usually swims near the coast and allows itself to be surrounded by mantas.
However, if you want to explore the underwater world of ARK, the Basilosaurus is perhaps the best choice. It is strong enough to handle most dangers and has a partner bonus when paired with another Basilosaurus, granting it additional damage.
Particularly strong in the underwater world, the Basilosaurus is not affected by the shocks of the Electrophorus (eel) or the attacks of the Cnidaria (jellyfish).
The nasty attacks usually throw you off your mounted underwater creature, such as the Megalodon (shark), making you an easy target. With the Basilosaurus, you can either swim on without a problem or easily fight off attackers in these situations.
Rank 5: the Tyrannosaurus rex
What distinguishes the Tyrannosaurus rex? The Tyrannosaurus rex is not only perhaps the most well-known dinosaur of all time, but it has also been the first choice in many boss fights in ARK for years.
The T-rex takes a lot of damage and is a mix of tank and damage dealer. Its bite inflicts high damage compared to many other animals, and due to its size, it has a large reach.
The major disadvantages of the T-rex are its attacks’ lack of speed and its immobility. The T-rex has a large turning radius, cannot turn on the spot, and could not even grab a Dodo with its small arms.
Despite this, the Tyrannosaurus rex is indispensable in many ARK players’ boss fights, earning it a spot on our list.
Rank 4: the Spinosaurus
The Spinosaurus stands out among large carnivores due to its agility and the speed of its attacks. It can rear up on its two hind legs and subsequently strike very quickly with its front limbs.
While standing on its hind legs, the Spinosaurus can turn on the spot, making it very agile. It is also an excellent swimmer and receives a boost when it comes into contact with water. This boost grants increased health, increased damage, and increased movement speed. This makes the Spino an extremely versatile fighter.
Since the Spino has both a decent reach as well as damage output and speed, it is a very strong dinosaur when mounted. However, when you let the Spino fight without a rider, it sometimes behaves somewhat ineptly. It also has less health than the rex, but benefits from its high damage per second.
Rank 3: the Velonasaur
What distinguishes the Velonasaur? Also in the case of the Velonasaur, we find that it is not a real prehistoric being, even though it looks like a normal dinosaur.
The Velonasaur is a very strong ranged fighter, as it shoots harmful quills with a high rate of fire. It acts as a mobile minigun and deals significant damage to survivors on mounts.
The Velonasaur can be used as an automated turret for base defense, but it is also suitable as an anti-air measure or war machine.
With a well-thought-out positioning of the Velonasaur and a good mix of damage and stamina, the walking minigun also easily takes down much larger dinosaurs.
Rank 2: the Reaper
What distinguishes the Reaper? The Reaper is in all respects one of the strongest creatures in ARK. Like other representatives on this list, it does not rely on a real model but fits visually very well into the environment of the T-rex and Spino.
Due to its natural armor, the Reaper suffers reduced damage. The armor protects the Reaper until it is affected by light. In addition to the armor, the Reaper possesses numerous abilities.
The Reaper can jump extremely high and far without receiving significant fall damage. Additionally, similar to the Basilisk, it can dig into the ground and thus remove itself from the sight of potential opponents to launch an ambush.
In addition to its powerful bite, the Reaper also has a strong spin attack and the ability to launch poisonous projectiles that deal damage.
Rank 1: the Giganotosaurus
What distinguishes the Giganotosaurus? The Giganotosaurus is still the strongest dinosaur in ARK to this day.
One of the main advantages of the Giga during a fight is its size. However, this does not seem to be depicted realistically. In ARK, the Giganotosaurus is significantly larger than other carnivores like the Spinosaurus and the T-rex, giving it a strong range advantage.
In reality, the size differences were probably not that significant. However, due to regional and temporal differences, it would not be possible for Spinosaurus, Tyrannosaurus rex, and Giganotosaurus to encounter each other.
What gives the Giganotosaurus its superiority? The Giganotosaurus is superior due to its incredibly powerful bite. In addition to a high damage value, the Giga can damage stone walls with this attack, meaning you can only protect yourself from the brutal carnivore with metal or TEK structures.
Furthermore, the bite of the Giga inflicts enormous bleeding damage, which means that even a fight against a wild Giga of a low level can quickly become fatal. Anyone who has fought against a Giga, even if it was “only” wild and not tamed or bred, knows the extent of the bleeding damage and how devastating it can be.
ARK: Survival Evolved has a very large selection of various creatures. Many of them did not make it into this selection of the 10 best dinosaurs but still possess considerable strength.
Many of the small or medium-sized predators did not make it into the top 10, but they should not be underestimated. Especially creatures with bleeding damage like the Allosaurus, Ravager, or the Tyhlacoleo are dangerous hunters—especially when they attack in packs.
Which creature do you think is missing from our list of the 10 best dinosaurs, and who do you consider the strongest?
