The Rex is the creature everyone pictures when they think of Ark, and the first one that feels like a real reward.
It is also the first tame where the preparation matters more than the fight.
Why you want it
Damage. At 62 base damage it hits far harder than anything available before it, which makes it the first creature that comfortably handles the threats that used to end your runs.
Health. 1100 health means it survives long enough for the fight to become a decision rather than a gamble.
Utility. It is the mount for boss runs, cave clears and the first real combat tames, and it carries enough to matter.
The numbers
| Stat | Value |
|---|---|
| Health | 1100 |
| Damage | 62 |
| Weight | 500 |
| Group | Dinosaurs |
| Diet | Carnivore |
| Temperament | Aggressive |
| Saddle | Level 74 |
Aggressive is the operative word. A Rex will come to you. You are not taming something that sits still, you are taming something that charges.
Where to find them
Rexes spawn on open ground — plains, foothills and the flatter stretches of the temperate maps.
Open ground is the problem. There is nothing to break line of sight, and a charging carnivore in open ground is a fight you lose on speed.
How to knock it out
Build a trap first. The standard Rex trap is a simple enclosure with a ramp or a door frame that the creature can walk up but not easily back down. Rexes follow you in and get stuck against the far wall.
This is not optional. Taming a Rex in the open means fighting a 1100-health aggressive carnivore while trying to shoot it, and that is how players lose their good gear.
Tranquiliser arrows, in quantity. 1100 health with a high torpor pool is not a slingshot job. Bring a fabricated crossbow, a large supply, and a plan for what happens when it runs out.
Use the trap, not your aim. Once it is stuck, you can shoot from outside. That is the entire point of building it.
Bring a mount. Something fast enough to outrun a charge, because the walk between the trap and the Rex is the most dangerous part of the attempt.
What to feed it
| Food | Type |
|---|---|
| Exceptional Kibble | Preferred, made from any Extra Large Egg |
| Raw Mutton | Fallback |
| Raw Prime Meat | Fallback |
Exceptional Kibble is the expensive option and the right one for a Rex, because taming effectiveness matters a lot on a creature you will keep for a long time.
It needs an Extra Large Egg — a big egg tier, but not the largest in the game, since Extraordinary Kibble is made from a Special Egg one tier higher — which usually means you already have a breeding pair before you can craft it. Kibble made from a Pulmonoscorpius egg also works, and while that is a cave expedition, it is a far cheaper one; it tames more slowly and gives lower effectiveness. If you have neither, raw mutton still works and the difference is mostly time and final level.
The saddle gate
The Rex saddle unlocks at level 74.
Spend the kibble after you hit 74, not before. A Rex you cannot ride is 500 weight of problem sitting in your pen.
After the tame
Give it space. An aggressive 1100-health carnivore will kill your other tames if they share a pen, and it will do it quickly.
Then use it for what it is for: the fights you could not win before. The first boss attempt with a Rex is a different experience from the first one without.
Two bites
Sixty-two base damage against a hundred health points is the whole danger in one line: a Rex that reaches you twice is a dead survivor. That is why the trap is not optional, and why the approach is the part that kills people — the walk from your mount to the enclosure, with an aggressive carnivore in between. Bring the mount, keep it next to you, and never try to fight a Rex on foot.
Common mistakes
- Taming in the open. Build the trap.
- Taming before level 74. You will not be able to ride it.
- Underestimating the torpor requirement. This is not a creature you finish with what you brought.
- Bringing it home through hostile ground. A fresh aggressive tame in a new area is a very easy way to lose it.
Related guides
- Best tames guide — what to ride once you have a Rex.
- Boss guide — what the Rex is actually for.
- Taming guide — how knockout taming works and what effectiveness means.