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‘ARK: Survival Evolved’ Guide: Tapejara Taming And Use

By Scott Grill
Published on: 11:14 PST, Sep 14, 2016

ARK: Survival Evolved added more flyers with the 247.0 patch for PC and the upcoming Xbox One 741.0 update. The Tapejara is potentially the most unique and useful tamable bird added in quite a while to the prehistoric open-world survival game and this guide will help get you started.

Where to Find the Tapejara

The Tapejara was designed to latch on to the side of Redwood Trees, as well as cliffs. Unsurprisingly then, the flying creature can be found primarily in and around the Redwood Forest on The Island. It appears to be a rare spawn on The Center right now, occasionally spawning at Redwood Island and the southern shore of South Jungle Island.

Do not expect to find the Tapejara on the Scorched Earth DLC map. There is some confusion from Studio Wildcard on if it is included, but it does not appear to spawn anywhere on the map.

Size wise, the Tapejara sits between the Pteranodon and the Quetzal. It is easily spotted in the wild due to its size and distinctive head fin. However, it behaves similar to the Pteranodon and will attempt to fly away when attacked.

Taming

[Image via Studio Wildcard]

The Tapejara also tames similar to the Pteranodon since it behaves similarly. The best method is to wait for one to land on the ground or get close to the ground and hit with the Bola. This will stun it for 30 seconds, giving ARK Survivors plenty of time to hit it with a Tranq Arrows or Tranq Darts and knock it out. Just be careful with Tranq Arrows from Crossbows as they could end up killing the beast.

Grappling hooks work too, but Bolas are ultimately cheaper to make and easy to use.

Allosaurus (guide) Kibble is the preferred food for the Tapejara followed by Raw Prime Meat, Raw Prime Fish Meat, and Raw Meat. Making Allosaurus Kibble requires the egg, one Savoroot, one Cooked Meat, two Mejoberries, three Fiber, and one Waterskin.

The Tapejara has a relatively Torpor drain that won’t tear through a Survivor’s collection of Narcotics.

Refer to the taming calculators at DodoDex, Survive Ark, or Crumplecorn for the exact amount of food and narcotics needed for the level of Tapejara you are attempting to tame.

Usage

[Image via Studio Wildcard]

The Tapejara is the most versatile flyer added to ARK: Survival Evolved yet. It behaves essentially like a helicopter and can hover in place, up and down, or side to side. It can even fly backwards. Pressing X will cause the Tapejara to fly straight up while pressing C will send it down (for PC and Xbox One, controls to be determined).

Additionally, the saddle ARK Survivors unlock at level 50 seats three people. The driver sits in the middle with two other players able to sit in the front or the back and have free aim.

This works into the Tapejara’s other ability, being able to latch on to the side of cliffs and Redwood Trees when pressing the spacebar on PC or “A” button on Xbox One. Attaching the bird to a part of the environment like this actually frees up the driver to fire a weapon and can be used to attack other players in PVP or position yourself safely out of reach of dangerous creatures you are attempting to kill or tame like a Rex, Allosaurus, or Giga.

Note that the Tapejara cannot attach itself to the side of player-built structures or small trees that can be harvested. Only permanent objects like Redwood Trees and cliffs.

Leveling

The Tapejara can be used as both a Warbird and as a transport since it can carry three players. Primary focus should be to make sure it has the Weight necessary to carry three Survivors and their gear. The base Stamina and Melee Damage should be fairly well set already, so make Movement Speed and Health secondary stats to level up.

Dossier

[Image via Studio Wildcard]

Wild: “Tapejara Imperator is a marvel to watch in the wild. It has astonishing agility compared to the Island’s other flyers thanks in large part to the rudder-like fin that extends from its snout to the back of its skull.”
Domesticated: “Warlike tribes appear to consider Tapejara the equivalent of a versatile rotor aircraft, capable of rapid positional changes and aggressive agility. When domesticated the Tapejara is typically outfitted with a unique dual-rider saddle, enabling a passenger to wield handheld weaponry while the pilot takes the reins. And when the Tapejara is latched onto a surface, both the passenger and pilot are able to make full use of their weapons together. Evidently what this skittering creature lacks in distance-stamina, constitution, and weight carrying capacity, it makes up for in maneuverability and combat versatility.”
Known Information: “Initially, I’d thought the fin was simply composed of keratin, but closer inspection has led me to believe that it is actually some kind of sensory organ. Not only does it decrease Tapejara’s turning radius even at high speeds, but it apparently provides Tapejara with extra information to help it fly through the air with unparalleled grace. I’ve even seen Tapejara hover and strafe side-to-side in the air without moving forward at all. It’s quite remarkable. The creature also makes effective use of razor-sharp claws to latch onto surfaces such as the trunks of tall trees, holding its position indefinitely.”

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