Quick answer: To tame a Megatherium in ARK Survival Ascended you knock it out with tranquilizers and feed it Superior Kibble (its favorite) or, without kibble, Giant Bee Honey or Raw Mutton. A level 150 one needs 16 Superior Kibble and about 48 minutes at official 1x rates; on Tharyon, with 8x taming, 2 kibble and roughly 6 minutes are enough.
Updated October 2026 for ARK: Survival Ascended (ASA).
The Megatherium is a giant sloth with a big health pool and huge claws. It is the insect specialist: it deals extra damage to arthropods and becomes much stronger after killing one. That makes it key against the Broodmother and for farming chitin in bulk.
Megatherium quick facts in ARK Survival Ascended
| Diet | Omnivore (mostly plants) |
|---|---|
| Temperament | Neutral; turns aggressive around insects |
| Taming method | Knockout (knock it out, then feed it) |
| Preferred kibble | Superior Kibble |
| Best food | Giant Bee Honey and Raw Mutton |
| How to immobilize it | Chain Bola, Large Bear Trap and Net Projectile |
| How to knock it out | Tranquilizer Darts or Tranq Arrows from a bow or crossbow; the head takes 1.5x damage |
| Saddle | Megatherium Saddle (level 52) |
| Maps (ASA) | The Island, The Center, Scorched Earth, Ragnarok, Extinction, Valguero, Genesis: Part 1, Lost Island |
How to tame a Megatherium step by step
- Prepare Superior Kibble, Giant Bee Honey or Raw Mutton, plus Narcotics.
- Build a stone pen or pillar trap away from cliffs: its hits can knock you off edges.
- Aggro it, lead it into the trap and shoot it in the head with darts or tranq arrows.
- Add only the food you want it to eat and keep an eye on its torpor.
- Do not leave it knocked out near insects or creatures that could attack it.
Megatherium taming food and taming calculator
These numbers come from ARK’s taming formula for a level 150 Megatherium. The 1x column is the official rate and the 8x column is Tharyon’s rate. They are estimates: hitting the sleeping creature or a game patch can change them slightly.
| Food | Amount 1x | Time 1x | Amount 8x (Tharyon) | Time 8x (Tharyon) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Superior Kibble | 16 | 48 min | 2 | 6 min |
| Giant Bee Honey | 21 | 59 min | 3 | 8 min |
| Raw Mutton | 33 | 58 min | 5 | 9 min |
| Raw Prime Meat | 41 | 1 h 12 min | 6 | 11 min |
| Cooked Lamb Chop | 61 | 1 h 47 min | 8 | 14 min |
Megatherium taming time by level with Superior Kibble
| Level | Amount 1x | Time 1x | Narcotics 1x | Amount 8x | Time 8x |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 | 6 | 18 min | 0 | 1 | 3 min |
| 60 | 8 | 24 min | 0 | 1 | 3 min |
| 100 | 12 | 36 min | 0 | 2 | 6 min |
| 150 | 16 | 48 min | 0 | 2 | 6 min |
A level 150 Megatherium has about 9940 torpor. With the amounts in the table you usually do not need narcotics on Tharyon, but bring a few in case it takes longer than expected.
Where to find the Megatherium in ARK Ascended
It appears on almost every map, usually in forests and cold or inland areas. On Fjordur it lives in Midgard and Jotunheim. It is a giant brown-furred sloth that moves slowly and will not attack unless provoked.
Official ARK Survival Ascended maps where it spawns: The Island, The Center, Scorched Earth, Ragnarok, Extinction, Valguero, Genesis: Part 1, Lost Island.
Megatherium abilities and uses
- Deals 50% more damage to insects.
- Killing an insect or arthropod gives it a 120-second buff with much higher damage and much lower damage taken.
- With the buff active it harvests large amounts of chitin from a single bug.
- High health and damage: a solid combat mount.
Megatherium variants
The R-Megatherium from Genesis: Part 2 can also be tamed and reaches level 500 on official servers.
Megatherium breeding
Gestation takes 7 h 56 min and the baby needs 3 d 20 h to reach adulthood at official rates. On Tharyon (25x hatching and 35x maturation) that drops to about 19 min and 2 h 39 min.
Tips and mistakes to avoid
- While buffed it may attack anything nearby: keep it away from your insect mounts.
- It is too big for many caves: carry it in a Cryopod.
- If a wild one is buffed, fight it from range.
Tame your Megatherium faster on Tharyon
On Tharyon taming runs at 8x: a level 150 Megatherium is ready in about 6 min instead of 48 min.
- ARK Survival Ascended with crossplay: PC, PS5 and Xbox.
- 8x taming, 2.5x XP and harvesting, 35x maturation and 25x hatching.
- 11 PvE maps: The Island, The Center, Scorched Earth, Aberration, Extinction, Ragnarok, Valguero, Lost Island, Genesis 1, Astraeos and Forglar.
- Automatic events (a supply crate every 60 minutes and an event creature every 70), quests and an in-game shop.
To join, hop into our Discord and use the /link command. See every rate in the rates section.
Megatherium taming FAQ
What does the Megatherium eat for taming?
Superior Kibble first. After that, Giant Bee Honey, Raw Mutton, Raw Prime Meat and Cooked Lamb Chop.
How long does it take to tame a Megatherium?
A level 150 one takes about 48 minutes with Superior Kibble at 1x. On Tharyon (8x) it takes about 6 minutes.
Is the Megatherium good against the Broodmother?
Yes. It deals extra damage to insects and gets buffed by killing the small spiders, so it is very useful in that fight.
What level unlocks the Megatherium Saddle?
At level 52.
Why is my Megatherium not taming?
It is almost always one of these: it is not hungry yet (it only eats when its food bar drops, so the first bite can take a while), the food in its inventory is not one it accepts, it woke up because torpor ran out, or something is attacking it. Check that the taming bar goes up every time it eats.
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