The Ankylosaurus is the first creature that turns metal gathering from a slog into a non-event.
It is not exciting to look at. That is the point. The Ankylo exists to do one job better than anything else until much later in the game.
Why you want it
Metal. An Ankylo pulls far more metal per node than a pick, and it never stops to nibble. A few minutes on a mountain with one of these replaces an hour of hand mining.
Armor. Its shell gives a heavy damage reduction, so it shrugs off hits that would gut a raptor. It is a survival tool as much as a gatherer.
Knockback. The tail swing staggers attackers, which keeps you safe while you are loading up. Small things simply bounce off.
Weight efficiency. For its size it carries a surprising amount, and metal weighs far less in its inventory than in yours.
The numbers
| Stat | Value |
|---|---|
| Group | Dinosaurs |
| Diet | Herbivore |
| Temperament | Docile |
| Preferred Kibble | Regular (Medium Egg) |
| Preferred Food | Crops |
| Saddle | Level 36 |
| Drag Weight | 160 |
| Egg | Ankylo Egg |
Docile is the key word. An Ankylo will not come hunting for you. The danger is not the tame itself, it is everything else nearby while the tame is down.
Where to find them
Ankylos spawn on rocky hills, mountain slopes and around metal-rich zones. They like the same terrain you do when you are hunting metal, which is convenient.
They are slow and calm. You will usually see one before it sees you, which makes the approach forgiving compared with any carnivore.
How to knock it out
Build a small trap. A behemoth gate with a ramp, or a ring of pillars, is enough. The Ankylo is docile, so it will not charge in — but it will wander, and an unconscious body left in the open gets eaten by anything passing by.
Use tranquiliser arrows. The shell reduces incoming damage, which also lowers torpor gained per hit. Bring more arrows than you think you need rather than fewer.
Shoot from outside the trap. Once it is enclosed, walk the ramp and put it down at range. There is no reason to be inside with it.
Clear the area first. The real risk is a raptor or carnivore showing up while your Ankylo is asleep. Tame in a quiet spot or wall it off completely.
What to feed it
| Food | Type |
|---|---|
| Regular Kibble | Preferred, made from a Medium Egg |
| Crops | Fallback |
| Any vegetable | Fallback |
Regular Kibble is the right call on a creature you will keep for hundreds of hours, because taming effectiveness carries into every level it gains. If you do not have a Medium Egg yet, crops still work and the only real cost is time.
A Medium Egg comes from mid-size creatures — the kind you meet well before level 36. By the time you want an Ankylo, you can usually make the kibble.
The saddle gate
The Ankylosaurus saddle unlocks at level 36.
Do not drop your best kibble on one before then. An Ankylo you cannot ride is still a great pack mule on a lead, but the saddle is what turns it into a mobile mine.
After the tame
Ride it straight to a metal node. It gathers automatically and fills its own inventory, so the job becomes “point and hold.”
Keep it out of fights it cannot win. The shell is good, not invincible, and an Ankylo is a gatherer first. Let the Rex handle the biting.
Common mistakes
- Taming in the open. A docile tame still gets eaten while unconscious.
- Forgetting the shell. Damage reduction also slows torpor gain, so under-bring tranq arrows and you stall.
- Taming before level 36. You cannot ride it.
- Using it as a fighter. It gathers; it does not brawl.
Related guides
- Best tames guide — where the Ankylo sits among early tames.
- Best resources tier list — why metal matters so much.
- Taming guide — how knockout taming and effectiveness work.