How to tame a Rex in Ark: Survival Evolved

The mighty Rex in Ark: Survival Evolved is a creature people recognize on sight. With its large head, roar, and tiny little nubbins for arms, the Rex is a creature people know and fear. This giant creature is the staple of the game, and thanks to its large Health pool, decent Melee, and ability to perform as an all-rounder, it’s a vital tame. This guide explains how best to tame the Rex in Ark: Survival Evolved while keeping you and your tames alive.

What the Rex does and contributes to in Ark: Survival Evolved

The Rex is the poster child of most dinosaur games, but in Ark: Survival Evolved, it remains one of the most popular tames. The Rex is highly aggressive and enjoys freely roaming about to ruin your day, attacking your tames and you indiscriminately. Fortunately, it does let out a roar before striking, allowing you enough time to panic before you lose your beach hut.

The Rex is a bulky creature; at the same level as the Spino, it will have nearly double the Health pool and a large Stamina pool. They do have a much slower attacking speed, but the other parts of their kit make up for it. A well-bred Rex can fight nearly every boss in the game with minimal issue, provided they have a decent armor saddle. They’re among the few creatures to gain access to a Tek saddle, which can be used offensively in raids.

Like most large predators, you’ll not find the Rex wandering naturally on the Aberration map.

Related: Best land-based dinosaurs for PvP in Ark: Survival Evolved

What items are needed to tame a Rex in Ark: Survival Evolved

Rexes require a bit of planning to tame and a couple of items. You can opt to tame them in several different ways, but to do so; you’ll need to make sure you have at least the following items:

• Exceptional Kibble x17 for a level 150 Rex on a 1x Taming Speed server, 17x Pulmonoscorpius Kibble if playing on Mobile, or Raw Mutton.
• Longneck Rifle, Crossbow, or Tek Bow.
• Shocking Tranquilizing Darts, Tranquilizing Arrows, or Element Shards.
• Narcotics or Narcoberries.

Taking the high ground is your best bet to tame the Rex. While a Rex is pretty slow, and you can outrun it with just a few levels into Movement Speed, if you make a mistake and get caught somewhere, you will risk losing your kit. You can also use a tame that you can shoot off of, like a Stego or a Trike, to tank the damage while you shoot the Rex. If you’re very worried, it’s advisable to place Large Bear Traps on the ground to keep them from moving.