Do You Starve While Offline in Ark? A Comprehensive Guide
The short answer is: No, your player character does not starve while offline in Ark: Survival Evolved. When you log out of the game, your character’s food and water consumption freezes. This means you won’t return to a dehydrated or emaciated survivor. However, the same can’t be said for your beloved tamed creatures, who might be in dire straits if left unattended. This article will dive deep into the mechanics of hunger, starvation, and how to manage these elements, especially when you’re not actively playing.
The Basics of Hunger and Thirst in Ark
In Ark, hunger and thirst are fundamental survival mechanics. Your character’s food and water levels are constantly being depleted, especially when engaging in strenuous activities like sprinting, fighting, and harvesting resources. These mechanics are designed to encourage players to actively manage their character’s needs by foraging, hunting, and crafting food and water.
How Does Hunger Work?
Your character’s hunger will slowly decrease over time. Actions that consume stamina or restore health also deplete food. The more active you are, the faster your hunger will increase. Factors like your character’s thermal insulation also play a role. If you are cold or injured, your character will become hungry at an accelerated rate. Fortunately, this mechanic is paused once you log off the server.
How Does Thirst Work?
Like hunger, your character’s thirst will naturally decrease over time and with strenuous activities. You’ll need a constant supply of water. Similar to hunger, the effects of thirst on your character are also paused when you log off.
Dinos and Starvation: A Different Story
While your character’s needs are paused when you’re offline, your tamed dinosaurs operate on a different set of rules. This is where things can get tricky.
Tamed Dinosaurs Need Constant Attention
Unlike your character, tamed dinosaurs continue to consume food and water even when you are offline. This means they can and will starve if their food supply runs out while you are logged off. The rate at which they consume food and water varies by species; some dinosaurs have larger appetites and can deplete their food stores more quickly than others.
The Case of Gigas: A Special Exception
The Giganotosaurus (Giga) appears to be an exception to the general rule of dinosaur hunger. These massive creatures seem to burn through their food reserves at an incredibly fast rate. Some players have reported watching their Gigas starve to death in a matter of hours, not days. This is a critical factor to be aware of if you plan to tame and keep a Giga.
Starvation Time
Generally, most dinosaurs can last well over a week without food before starving to death. However, as we’ve seen with Gigas, this timeframe is not universal. It’s crucial to check on your dinosaurs regularly, especially before logging off for extended periods.
How to Manage Food and Starvation
Managing your and your dinos’ hunger requires strategic thinking and proactive measures. Here are some tips to help keep you and your dinos well-fed:
Preventing Your Own Starvation
- Eat Frequently: Cooked meat, berries, and other food items are your go-to for refilling your hunger meter.
- Limit Strenuous Activity: Avoid excessive sprinting and high-intensity activities that drain stamina.
- Dress Appropriately: Proper clothing and gear can regulate your thermal insulation, reducing the rate at which hunger depletes.
- Stay Healthy: Treat any injuries and avoid becoming cold, as these accelerate hunger.
Preventing Dino Starvation
- Provide Enough Food: Always leave a sufficient supply of food in your dinos’ inventories before logging off.
- Use Troughs: Place food troughs in your base to ensure your dinos have constant access to food.
- Choose Food Wisely: For carnivores, use cooked meat or prime meat, while herbivores thrive on berries.
- Consider Cryopods: For extended absences, cryopods can be a great way to preserve your dinosaurs, as creatures in cryopods do not consume food. Note: There have been reported rare instances of cryopods popping inside fridges during power cycles, which the developers are currently working on.
- Regular Checks: Make it a habit to check your dinos food levels before logging off.
Starve Taming
Starve taming is a method of knocking out a creature and waiting for its food to reach a certain low level, usually near zero, and then feeding it enough to tame it, in one single dose. This can be the fastest method to tame a creature as it will take the same food amount while eating at its maximum.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. How long does it generally take for a dino to starve in Ark?
Generally, most dinos can take well over a week to starve if left unattended and without any food. However, some, like the Giganotosaurus, can starve much faster, possibly within hours.
2. What activities make you hungry faster in Ark?
Actions that consume stamina or regain health will cause your hunger to deplete at a faster rate. Cold or injuries also accelerate hunger.
3. How can I reduce hunger in Ark?
Avoid unnecessary sprinting and high stamina using actions. Eating food items like cooked meat and berries will replenish your hunger. Maintaining appropriate thermal insulation will reduce the rate of hunger depletion.
4. Can you speed up dino starvation?
Yes, lowering their torpor can speed up starvation. Feeding them stimberries will help lower torpor.
5. Do dinos starve in Cryopods?
No, dinosaurs do not starve in cryopods. Cryopods suspend a dinosaur’s food consumption, allowing you to preserve them even if you’re not playing for extended periods.
6. What is starve taming?
Starve taming is a method where you knock a creature out and wait for its food to reach a low point before feeding it, ensuring the highest taming efficiency.
7. Is force-feeding a good idea for taming?
Force-feeding is only useful for keeping torpor up with narcoberries or narcotics. Force-feeding other foods won’t speed up taming and lowers taming effectiveness.
8. How do I turn off my hunger in Ark?
Your character’s hunger and thirst freeze when you log off the server. There is no way to turn off hunger in-game when playing.
9. How can I avoid offline raids in Ark?
The article does not include offline raid methods, as they are beyond the topic of starvation, but mentions that you can search Youtube for “Ark LoverFellas PvP Server” to learn more.
10. What is the best way to feed dinos?
Using food troughs filled with appropriate food, such as cooked meat for carnivores and berries for herbivores is the most effective way to feed dinosaurs.
11. How long is 24 hours in Ark?
One day (24 hours) in Ark is equivalent to 48 minutes in real time.
12. What is the fastest way to eat in Ark?
You can eat faster by pointing the mouse at the food and rapidly tapping the ‘E’ key.
13. What is the best first dino to tame?
The Triceratops (Trike) is a popular choice for the first tame because they provide a good balance between defense and resource gathering capability.
14. Can you put baby dinos in cryopods?
Yes, placing baby dinos in cryopods will pause their imprint timer and food consumption. However, their care request will change when they are un-cryopodded.
15. Can you put a Titan in a Cryopod?
No, Titans cannot be placed in Cryopods. They are not intended to be permanent tames.
Conclusion
While your player character won’t starve while you’re offline, managing the food needs of your tamed dinosaurs remains a critical task in Ark: Survival Evolved. By understanding the mechanics of hunger, implementing effective feeding strategies, and using cryopods wisely, you can ensure the well-being of your dinos even when you’re not actively playing. Always remember to plan ahead, especially before logging off for extended periods, to ensure that you return to a healthy base and happy dinosaurs.