Can You Raise a Giga with a Maewing in ARK: Survival Evolved?
Fast answer first. Then use the tabs or video for more detail.
- Watch the video explanation below for a faster overview.
- Game mechanics may change with updates or patches.
- Use this block to get the short answer without scrolling the whole page.
- Read the FAQ section if the article has one.
- Use the table of contents to jump straight to the detailed section you need.
- Watch the video first, then skim the article for specifics.
The short and direct answer is no, you cannot directly raise a baby Giganotosaurus with a Maewing in ARK: Survival Evolved. While the Maewing is an excellent creature for nursing many baby creatures, its capabilities specifically exclude certain powerful entities, and the Giganotosaurus is unfortunately one of them. Maewings cannot carry or feed baby Giganotosaurus, Managarmr, Bloodstalkers, or any water creatures, regardless of their growth stage. This limitation is a significant hurdle for players hoping to use the Maewing’s nurturing abilities on these specific creatures.
Understanding the Limitations
The Maewing’s primary function is to act as a mobile feeding and transportation platform for baby dinos. However, the developers deliberately coded the game to prevent certain creatures, like the Giganotosaurus, from benefiting from this. This restriction is likely in place due to the sheer power and game impact of creatures like the Giga. The idea is that breeding and raising such potent creatures should remain a challenging task, requiring significant player investment and time. The ease that the Maewing brings would severely devalue the difficulty in raising these creatures.
The Challenge of Raising a Giganotosaurus
Raising a Giga in ARK is a marathon, not a sprint. Here are the key challenges you will face:
Baby Phase
The baby phase of a Giganotosaurus lasts around 28 hours on official servers. This means you’ll need to be present for almost the entire time to ensure your baby is fed. During this phase, baby gigas cannot eat from feeding troughs. They rely solely on direct feeding from the player’s inventory.
Food Consumption
A baby Giga has a voracious appetite. On official servers, it consumes around 250 pieces of raw meat per hour. That translates to roughly one raw meat every 15 seconds. This demand requires a constant influx of meat and vigilance on the player’s part to prevent starvation. It is recommended to use cooked meat or cooked fish meat to keep the food value of the meat in the baby higher, and use preserving salts.
Trough Feeding
Baby dinos can only eat from a trough after they reach the Juvenile stage, which occurs at about 10% of their maximum weight, NOT hitpoints as some articles incorrectly state. For a Giganotosaurus, this means a significant amount of direct hand-feeding is required before you can rely on troughs.
Growth Time
The total time it takes for a Giganotosaurus to grow from birth to adulthood is a lengthy 280 hours. This extended growth period requires a dedicated effort for proper nurturing.
Alternative Strategies for Raising Gigas
Since Maewings are off the table, here are tried-and-true strategies for raising Gigas:
Meat Management
The key is to prepare a massive amount of raw meat, cooked meat, and fish meat. Using preserving salt to keep the meat fresh is crucial. Consider setting up multiple feeding troughs, or use Tek troughs as they have a larger inventory. You may also want to freeze some of your raw meat to prolong its life and prevent decay. It is important to note that these should be in close proximity so that your player or tribe members can quickly add meat to the baby’s inventory.
Teamwork
Raising a Giga is a task that is much easier with a team. By working together, you can ensure that the baby Giga is constantly fed.
Imprinting
While you are raising your Giga, aim to imprint it. This gives extra stat boosts and makes your Giga even more powerful.
Constant Monitoring
Regularly check on the baby to make sure it is eating and growing well. Be prepared for the intense food requirements, and always have plenty on hand.
Pre-Planning
Before the Giga hatches, be sure to have everything set up to keep your baby alive. A large amount of meat, troughs, and storage is required.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. Why Can’t Maewings Feed Baby Gigas?
The developers intentionally excluded Giganotosaurus (and other specific creatures) from the Maewing’s nursing abilities to maintain a balance in the game. Raising these high-tier creatures was intended to be a difficult and time-consuming process, requiring more investment than a single creature can provide.
2. How Long Does a Giga Baby Take to Mature?
The total maturation time is approximately 280 hours from birth to adulthood. The baby phase itself is about 28 hours long.
3. What Do Baby Gigas Eat?
Baby gigas exclusively consume raw meat during their baby stage. Once they reach the juvenile stage, they can eat from feeding troughs. Cooked meat and fish meat also help keep the food value higher, as uncooked meat will spoil much faster.
4. Can Baby Gigas Eat from Troughs?
No, baby gigas cannot eat from feeding troughs until they reach the juvenile stage which is when their weight has reached 10% of their maximum weight. This requires direct feeding with raw meat in their inventory.
5. How Much Meat Does a Baby Giga Eat Per Hour?
On official servers, a baby Giganotosaurus eats approximately 250 pieces of raw meat per hour. That comes down to approximately one piece every 15 seconds.
6. What is the Best Way to Manage Meat Spoilage When Raising a Giga?
Use preserving salts or freeze your meat to significantly slow the spoiling process. Cooked meat and cooked fishmeat last longer than raw meat. Also utilizing a Tek trough can be used to help.
7. What Level Giga Should I Tame?
It is generally recommended to tame the highest-level Giga possible. Low-level gigas often don’t have the base stats to be viable for late-game content. Breed high level gigas together for even better stats.
8. How Many Tranquilizer Darts Do I Need to Tame a Giga?
You will need between 80 to 150 Tranquilizer Darts to knock out a Giga, but this number may vary depending on the giga’s level.
9. What is the Best Taming Food for a Giga?
Raw prime meat or kibble (if available) are the best taming foods for Giganotosaurus.
10. Can Tamed Gigas Rage?
Yes, tamed Giganotosaurus can go into a rage if they take too much damage or drop to a critically low health. In this state, they turn on everything, even their tamers.
11. How Much Stronger Are Wild Gigas Than Tamed Ones?
Wild Gigas are significantly stronger than tamed ones. It’s been widely noted that they have approximately 3x more damage than their tamed counterparts.
12. Can Gigas Break Metal?
While Gigas can destroy stone and everything less, they cannot directly destroy metal structures. They can, however, destroy a stone or wood foundation allowing them to bring the metal wall down.
13. How Fast Does a Giga Lose Torpor?
Gigas lose torpor at a high rate. The torpor can drop in about 2 minutes, so make sure you can pump narcotics in quickly and often.
14. Should I Upgrade Stamina On My Giga?
It is generally better to upgrade melee and health. A little stamina can help, but it should not be a primary focus.
15. Can I Use Cannonballs to Knock Out a Giga?
No, cannonballs will not knock out a Giganotosaurus for taming purposes.