10 Best Mounts For Travel In Ark: Survival Ascended

The many prehistoric creatures you can tame in ARK: Survival Ascended can become mounts suited for travel across the massive open-world map. This unique sandbox is full of creatures that have different traits designed for exploration over specific environments. Ranging from huge beasts roaming the seas to agile mounts dashing through dense jungles, you have many options to choose from.

Many dinosaurs and other creatures you encounter can not be tamed as mounts until you collect their preferred food. Carnivores and herbivores all have meals they want over others, so first, take the time to learn about the creatures in ARK: Survival Ascended. Study the beasts you wish to turn into a mount and observe their behavior, so you can predict what ingredients you’ll need.

Taming any creature requires Narcoberries, which can craft Tranq Arrows to knock out an animal and turn it into a mount.

10 Frog (Also Known as Beelzebufo)

Jump and Swim

Also known as the Beelzebufo, the Frog might be one of the first mounts you try to tame in ARK: Survival Ascended. This small amphibian may not have a lot of health, but it makes up for this with an incredible jump that goes over a great distance. Holding down the jump button lets you charge the Frog’s leap before launching both you and the creature forward quickly.

Frogs also have the ability to swim, which makes them an excellent choice to travel across lakes and oceans. The only problem with the Beelzebufo is its low Weight stat, which prevents it from carrying a lot of items at a time. The Frog also jumps horizontally and does not get much height when trying to escape danger.

9 Gallimimus (A Solid Land Mount)

Sacrifice Defense for Speed

The fastest land mount in ARK: Survival Ascended is the Gallimimus, which can travel across the ground at breakneck speeds. This dinosaur has a decent enough Weight to transport a lot of your gear during the early and mid-game parts of your adventure. However, this beast has a couple of clear weaknesses that make it trickier to use compared to other mounts.

The Gallimimus has a terrible amount of health, to the point where only a couple of hits from hostile creatures could take it down. The astounding speed of this beast will be enough to get away from most foes, but a lucky attack against it could spell your doom. Try to be careful as you use this mount, especially if you encounter any powerful Alpha Creatures in ARK: Survival Ascended.

8 Pteranodon (An Impressive Flying Mount)

Take to the Skies

The Pteranodon is one of the first flying mounts you can use in ARK: Survival Ascended. While flying mounts typically have low Weight limits for items, the ability to soar through the sky makes traveling across the world much easier. According to a video made by YouTube creator Sethum, Pteranodons can be harder to tame than other dinosaurs unless you have the right tools.

This reptile has a hidden ability that allows it to barrel roll in the air, which can be used to fly through narrow spaces or dodge enemy attacks. Doing this boosts the Pteranodon’s speed by 15% and also increases the power of its strikes. Take advantage of this trait to win aerial battles against other hostile creatures in ARK: Survival Ascended or flee from dangerous situations as soon as possible.

7 Basilosaurus (A Creature With a Unique Skill)

Immunity to Electricity

There are many creatures native to the seas of ARK: Survival Ascended, but one of the most distinct is the Basilosaurus. This huge eel-like creature can be hard to tame and may not seem special enough to be worth the effort at first. The Basilosaurus’ unique ability to resist electricity makes this creature a desirable travel mount for anyone looking to brave the many dangers of the ocean.

Electric eels and jellyfish are two of the most annoying threats in ocean biomes across ARK: Survival Ascended‘s world. The large health and Weight of the Basilosaurus allow you to carry a great number of items across the sea without worrying about these interruptions.

6 Procoptodon (A Good Pick for Land Travel)

Leap Across the World

Similar to the Frog, the Procoptodon is a useful travel mount for journeys on land due to its strong jump. This creature has a vertical leap that can be charged to make its jump seem like it is a flying mount. This dinosaur makes up for the Frog’s weaknesses, with better defenses and Weight limits to make it more versatile and reliable as a mount.

The Procoptodon is fairly slow compared to other mounts when walking, so the huge leap is how you will be traveling most of the time with this creature.

One thing you have to be careful of while riding the Procoptodon is the fall damage it can take if you accidentally jump over a cliff. The huge leap could cause you to miscalculate the distance you travel and wind up hurtling to certain death. A trick to avoid this damage is to dismount at the last second so that the Procoptodon resets the height of its fall right before hitting the ground.

5 Manta (A Fast Ocean Option)

Cut Through the Sea Like a Knife

Small creatures called Mantas are found in the oceans of ARK: Survival Ascended and are the fastest sea-faring mounts you can tame. While their Weight and health are decent, the speed at which these rays travel will get you from point A to point B in an instant. Since Mantas are passive animals, you should be able to trap one easily as you swim through different bodies of water.

Chests found at sea may contain important items you need to get to the mainland fast. Mantas are perfect for quick sea adventures where you are constantly going back and forth from your base in ARK: Survival Ascended. The high Stamina of this animal gives it the ability to travel great distances without slowing down until you arrive at your destination.

4 Iguanodon (Mount With a Useful Travel Ability)

Run Without Stopping

The best land mount in ARK: Survival Ascended is the Iguanodon due to the creature’s distinct relationship with the Stamina stat. According to YouTube creator DrDigital, Iguanodons have the ability to go on all fours to run faster and not consume Stamina while moving. This allows you to travel indefinitely and sprint through environments without having to stop for your mount to recover.

This alternate mode may be slower than some mounts, but the consistent pace can outdo many other creatures you ride in ARK: Survival Ascended. The larger size of an Iguanodon gives the animal a better Weight score to carry more items. Long trips for farming important resources are best made with this reliable mount at your side.

3 Argentavis (A Helpful Flying Mount)

Carry Many Materials in the Air

One of the coolest flying dinosaurs in ARK: Survival Ascended is the Argentavis, an enormous bird whose size creates many advantages. This creature has the highest Weight of any flying mount and has a large amount of health and Stamina, too. With the talons natural to a giant eagle, this beast is perfectly capable of defending you and your items from dangers in the ground or air.

While slightly slower than the Pteranodon, certain materials actually become lighter when you place them on the Argentavis. For example, if you have 20 Stones that come out to 10 Weight total, the value changes to 5 Weight when you place them on this mount. This creature can act as an aerial semi-truck as it moves a ton of items at once between different locations and your base.

2 Plesiosaur (A Mount Worth Taming)

Build on a Dinosaur’s Back

The ancient Plesiosaur is the best mount of the ocean in ARK: Survival Ascended because you can build structures on its back. Decent speed pairs with a large health pool to give this Loch Ness monster many strong traits. Plesiosaurs are one of the biggest mounts in the game and can support nearly any base design if you want a mobile fortress floating on the high seas.

As seen in a video by YouTube creator Spartacus, Plesiosaurs are hard to tame but are one of the best ocean dinosaurs to befriend. Boasting both the ability to fight off various enemies and carry an immense amount of cargo, this creature can practically do it all. The only thing a Plesiosaur can’t do is fly, but you could recruit other mounts to fly to and from the base built on this dinosaur’s back.

1 Rhyniognatha (Known for Its Versatility)

Bug Is Best

The best mount in ARK: Survival Ascended is Rhyniognatha, a giant insect-like creature who travels by air, sea, and land in equal measure. Not only does this beast have excellent stats across the board, but it also has the ability to travel through any terrain. Excellent attacks from the Rhyniognatha allow you to defend yourself easily from any threats while riding this bug through the sky or along ocean waters.

This insect moves surprisingly quickly for its size and can hover in place in the air with the press of a button. This gives you a chance to scout locations and possible threats without having to think about maneuvering your mount. The only thing the Rhyniognatha can’t do is support an entire base like the Plesiosaur, but its jack-of-all-trades approach to travel still makes it arguably the best mount in ARK: Survival Ascended.

Source: Sethum/YouTube, DrDigital/YouTube, Spartacus/YouTube