Can a Maewing Feed a Baby Wyvern in Ark: Survival Evolved?
The short answer is: Yes, a Maewing can absolutely feed a baby Wyvern in Ark: Survival Evolved, but with critical conditions and limitations. While a Maewing cannot completely replace the need for Wyvern Milk in the early stages, it significantly streamlines the feeding process. Let’s dive into the nuances of how these two creatures interact when it comes to raising a baby Wyvern.
The Role of the Maewing in Raising Baby Wyverns
The Maewing is a remarkable creature with unique abilities that make it invaluable for raising baby dinos. Its primary advantage lies in its nursing ability. When a Maewing has the appropriate food in its inventory and is set to “nursing,” it will automatically feed nearby babies. This is incredibly helpful as it removes the need to constantly hand-feed babies, which can be a time-consuming and tedious task. However, when it comes to Wyverns, there are specific guidelines.
A baby Wyvern will only consume Wyvern Milk until it reaches its adult stage. It will not eat meat or other standard food items in its baby, juvenile, or adolescent phases. This means a Maewing cannot directly feed a Wyvern using its typical omnivorous diet like prime meat or kibble.
How a Maewing Facilitates Wyvern Milk Feeding
So, how does the Maewing fit into the picture? The Maewing’s primary function here is to act as an automated feeder. You need to load Wyvern Milk into the Maewing’s inventory, enable nursing, and the Maewing will then distribute this vital milk to the baby Wyvern within its radius. This is a game-changer as it offers several benefits:
- Increased Efficiency: Instead of manually force-feeding milk to each baby Wyvern, the Maewing does it automatically, allowing you to focus on other tasks.
- Food Bonus: If you’ve leveled the Maewing’s nursing effectiveness, it provides a food bonus to each milk serving, extending the feeding duration. For instance, a 1200 food milk can potentially provide 1800 food when eaten through a Maewing with a 50% nursing effectiveness increase. This means each unit of Wyvern Milk lasts longer.
- Reduced Spoilage: By ensuring milk is consumed faster, you minimize the potential for spoilage. Since Wyvern milk cannot be stored in a refrigerator, this is crucial.
- Multiple Wyvern Support: A single Maewing can support multiple baby Wyverns within range, making it easier to manage larger clutches.
Limitations
It’s essential to understand the limitations:
- Requires Wyvern Milk: The Maewing cannot replace Wyvern Milk for the baby Wyvern’s primary food source. You still need to acquire milk by either knocking out female Wyverns or killing Alpha Wyverns.
- No Imprinting: While the Maewing can efficiently distribute the food, it does not assist with imprinting. To get imprinting bonuses, you still need to perform the requested actions, such as walks or cuddles, yourself.
- Juvenile Stage and Troughs: Once your Wyvern reaches the juvenile stage (around 10% maturation), it will begin to prioritize food from troughs if available. Therefore, you’ll need to manage both the Maewing and a nearby feeding trough with Wyvern Milk to ensure the Wyvern is always fed.
Crystal Wyverns
The same principles apply to Crystal Wyverns. The Maewing can feed them using Primal Crystal, but you first have to load that into the Maewing’s inventory. The Maewing acts as an automated feeder, not a substitute for the creature’s required food.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. How do I get Wyvern Milk for a baby Wyvern?
Wyvern Milk is obtained by either knocking out a female Wyvern or killing an Alpha Wyvern. The milk will be present in their inventory. Remember that milk spoils quickly and cannot be stored in refrigerators. Use preserving salts to extend the spoil timer.
2. What other food does a baby Wyvern need besides Wyvern Milk?
A baby Wyvern only needs Wyvern Milk until it becomes an adult. It will not consume meat or any other food during its baby, juvenile, or adolescent stages.
3. Can I force-feed a baby Wyvern milk?
Yes, you can force-feed a baby Wyvern milk. However, if the food level is high enough, it will eat automatically from the Maewing or your inventory. Force-feeding is sometimes needed to maximize the use of the milk before it spoils.
4. How long does Wyvern Milk last?
Wyvern Milk spoils relatively quickly. Using preserving salts will significantly extend its spoil time. A preserving bin also helps. Milk can no longer be stored in a refrigerator.
5. How often do I need to feed a baby Wyvern?
You need to feed a baby Wyvern once its food bar is empty. This typically happens every few hours, depending on the Wyvern’s stats and hunger drain rate.
6. Can a Maewing feed multiple baby Wyverns at once?
Yes, a Maewing can feed multiple baby Wyverns within its range, provided they all require the same food (e.g., Wyvern Milk for normal Wyverns or Primal Crystal for Crystal Wyverns).
7. What does a Maewing eat?
Maewings are omnivores and will eat almost any food, with a preference for prime meat, mutton, or basic kibble.
8. Will Wyverns eat milk from a feeding trough?
Yes, juvenile and older Wyverns will eat from a feeding trough containing Wyvern Milk, but a Maewing simplifies the process during the initial phases.
9. Does a Maewing imprint baby dinos?
No, Maewings do not imprint your baby dinos. They only feed them. To imprint, you still need to perform the tasks the baby requests, such as taking it for a walk or cuddling it.
10. What is the best way to preserve Wyvern milk?
The best way to preserve Wyvern Milk is by placing it in a preserving bin along with preserving salts. This will double its spoil time.
11. How much food does one Wyvern Milk provide?
One Wyvern Milk provides 1200 food points to a baby Wyvern. However, a Maewing with high nursing effectiveness can increase the food value per milk consumed.
12. Can you raise Wyverns without using Wyvern Milk?
No, you need Wyvern Milk for baby Wyverns until they become adults, with the exception of Crystal Wyverns needing Primal Crystal. You can however use a Snow Owl to heal the wyvern as it will slowly lose health when it runs out of food.
13. How do I tame a baby Wyvern?
You cannot directly tame a baby Wyvern. You must steal a Wyvern Egg from a Wyvern Nest, hatch the egg, and then raise the baby. The process involves feeding it Wyvern Milk and completing imprinting tasks.
14. Why is my baby Wyvern losing health?
A baby Wyvern loses health if its hunger bar is empty. Make sure it has a constant supply of Wyvern Milk, either from a Maewing or a trough.
15. Can tamed Wyverns produce milk?
Tamed female Wyverns will occasionally have milk in their inventory, but they do not actively produce it regularly. Tamed Wyverns will not actively produce more milk like wild wyverns do, thus relying on taking it from wild or alpha wyverns.
Conclusion
While a Maewing cannot eliminate the need for Wyvern Milk when raising baby Wyverns, it is an invaluable ally. It automates the feeding process, provides a potential food bonus, and helps manage multiple babies simultaneously. Using a Maewing effectively will significantly reduce the time and effort required to raise these formidable creatures. Just remember to gather that Wyvern Milk! Understanding these interactions will make your journey in Ark: Survival Evolved smoother and more successful.