The best dinosaurs for farming resources in Ark: Survival Evolved

Ark: Survival Evolved has a lot of different creatures you can use to do the various tasks in the game, including farming. Whether gathering berries or destroying rocks, you’ll need to farm efficiently and smartly to stay ahead of your needs. Sometimes these creatures are easy to find, and you’ll need to travel to different places and maps even to find them. Ark: Survival Evolved has a solution for everything, and below, we’ll detail which creatures can harvest the essential resources in the game without trouble, starting with the most diverse collectors and working our way down.

Tek Stryder

Able to gather a ton of berries, Element, Stone, Metal, and Fiber, the Tek Stryder is a jack of all trades. Available only on the Genesis 2 map, you’ll have to find a Tek Stryder that has the distinct harvesting head and complete enough missions to tame it. Linking your Tek Stryder to a Dedicated Storage box is also incredibly efficient in harvesting resources.

Magmasaur

If you don’t have access to the Genesis maps, the Magmasaur is a great option for farming Metal. The best place to find Metal is on Abberation, most of which is contained in the glowing blue stones. Watch out for the toxic spores, though.

Related: All Magmasaur egg locations in Ark: Survival Evolved

Therizinosaur

This long-fingered chicken-like creature will destroy your dreams in PvP and build them up in PvE. The Theri can gather a ton of Wood, Thatch, and Fiber for your base. They can also gather a bunch of Rare Mushrooms needed for food in Ark. On top of that, they’ll also be able to smack most dangers in the face when you’re farming.

Dire Bear

The Aberrant version and the normal version of the Dire Bear are both capable of gathering all the Organic Polymer you’ll ever need. Heading over to the Abberation map and looking for the white Organic Polymer plants, you’ll grab tons in the very popular Bee Cave on the Crystal Isles map. They also harvest Giant Bee Honey, believe it or not.

Doedicurus

A Doedicurus is another great Stone farmer and the original means of farming Stone. If you’re starting out, they’re simple and easy to tame and can be found on every map.

Ankylosaurus

Able to gather any hard resources, such as Flint, Stone, Metal, and Crystal. The Ankylo is the original beast of burden for harvesting and the simpler option for taming from the get-go.

Gacha

Gachas can and will produce a variety of resources for you to use. For example, they’re the best producers of Black Pearls, which you’ll need to craft any and all Tek Tier structures.

Angler Fish

The Angler Fish can farm all the Silica Pearls you’ll ever need. Head down into the tunnels in Viking Bay on the Ragnarok map or the floating bubbles on Crystal Isles for the maximum return.

Mantis

The Mantis has high offensive abilities because it can wield tools. Anything you can harvest with a Hatchet, Sword, or Pick can be harvested by a Mantis. It’s the best harvester of Mutagel, which can be crafted into Mutagen.

Shadowmane

This lion-fish-like creature is capable of gathering tons upon tons of Chitin. So taking it into the Artifact Cave in the volcano island on the Center, or frankly, any Artifact Cave, will yield a ton of Chitin. The reason it’s slightly better than the Megatherium is because of its ability to quickly traverse the terrain and stealth if you’re in a tough spot.

With a few of these tames in your stable, you’ll have plenty of options for farming up the resources you need. Make sure you get out there and see everything Ark: Survival Evolved has to offer.