The Xiphactinus is the ocean tame that punishes the obvious choice. It is a standard knockout tame, so players reach for a crossbow. At level 150 that crossbow can kill it instead of taming it.
The fix is not skill. It is picking the right tool before you go out.
The tranq math that decides the tame
A level 150 Xiphactinus holds about 10,934 torpor. How you fill that number changes the outcome more than anything else in the fight.
| Weapon | Shots to knock out | Kill risk |
|---|---|---|
| Shocking Tranq Dart (Longneck) | 25 | none |
| Electric Prod | 32 hits | none |
| Tranq Spear Bolt (Harpoon) | 44 | low |
| Tranq Dart (Longneck) | 50 | none |
| Tranq Arrow (Crossbow) | 75 | high |
| Tranq Arrow (Bow) | 138 | higher |
The kill-risk column is graded, not measured: there is no public table behind these figures, so treat them as a ranking — the crossbow and the bow are the two that end fish, and the darts are the two that do not.
The pattern is simple. Weak darts mean more shots, and more shots mean more damage on a 2,340 HP body. Shocking darts cut the shot count to 25 and leave no risk.
A crossbow feels cheaper until you lose the fish. Bring the Longneck.
Build the trap first
A Xiphactinus swims fast enough to outrun you and bites hard enough to matter. Chasing it with a crossbow is how tames fail.
- Lay a 2x3 foundation base. That footprint is the minimum it cannot turn around in.
- Use stone doorways, two walls high. The fish is tall; a one-wall doorway blocks it out.
- Roof it with ceilings. Without a lid it jumps out.
- Put one gate on a short end. Leave the long sides solid.
- Aggro and lead it in. Close the gate behind it, then exit through the doorway gaps.
- Aim for the head. Torpor lands fastest there, and headshots are also how you avoid chipping its health.
If it comes out bloody, feed it Raw Fish Meat to heal before you knock it out. Health lost before the knockout costs you taming effectiveness.
Food tiers for a level 150
| Food | Amount | Time | Effectiveness | Bonus levels |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Superior Kibble | about 6 | about 15 min | near full | — |
| Raw Mutton | 12 | 18m 1s | 98.5% | +73 |
| Raw Prime Meat | 15 | 22m 31s | 97.7% | +73 |
| Cooked Lamb Chop | 21 | 31m 28s | 95.4% | +71 |
| Raw Prime Fish Meat | 36 | 27m | 87.7% | +65 |
| Raw Meat | 43 | 1h 4m | 83.2% | +62 |
| Raw Fish Meat | 107 | 1h 20m | 44.4% | +33 |
The last row is the important one. Raw Fish Meat is the thing you have on you after killing fish, and it is the worst option on the list. It roughly halves the level gain of a level 150 tame.
About six Superior Kibble and a handful of narcotics beat a full inventory of fish.
These figures come from a community taming calculator rather than the wiki, so read them as estimates; the wiki only confirms Superior Kibble as the preferred food.
Base stats
| Stat | Base value | Per wild level |
|---|---|---|
| Health | 450 | +90 |
| Stamina | 420 | +42 |
| Food | 2,000 | +200 |
| Weight | 300 | +6 |
| Melee damage | 100% | +5% |
| Torpor | 1,100 | +66 |
Health of 450 is low for an ocean predator. That is exactly why the crossbow route kills so many of them.
What it does after taming
Grab and Release (RMB) picks up prey small enough to carry. Press again to drop it, or use the bite to thrash it. Against something too heavy to lift, the grab becomes a bleeding bite instead.
Bleeding Lunge (RMB) is the gap closer. Land Hop (Space) lets it move on land, which most ocean tames cannot do.
It damages Thatch and Wood structures, so it doubles as a raiding fish. A Quetzal or Karkinos can airlift it to a new location.
It is also common — spawning on The Island, The Center, Ragnarok, Valguero, Genesis: Part 1 and Astraeos, in open ocean and cave mouths, around the same cliffs where Dunkleosteus and Ammonites gather. Finding one is not the hard part.
Mistakes that cost the tame
Crossbow by default. Covered above, and it is the top cause of failure.
Taming in open water. No trap means it swims off, and you burn darts chasing it.
Feeding fish meat. You save a kibble run and lose 40 bonus levels.
Forgetting the saddle. The Xiphactinus Saddle is a separate engram from the tame.
For the other new ocean predator, see how to tame a Helicoprion. The Ichthyosaurus is the cheap early swimmer if you are not ready for a fighter. For gear before the run, see how to get silica pearls.