Welcome to the ultimate ARK: Survival Evolved raising calculator! Whether you're a seasoned survivor or a new explorer, raising baby dinosaurs to their full potential is a critical part of the game. This tool helps you plan your breeding schedule, understand maturation times, and ensure you hit that precious 100% imprint bonus.
Input your dino's base maturation time and your server's settings to get precise raising details.
Enter your details above and click 'Calculate' to see your raising plan!
Understanding ARK's Raising Mechanics
Raising a powerful creature in ARK is a journey that involves careful planning, resource management, and sometimes, sleepless nights. Achieving 100% imprinting provides significant bonuses to your creature's stats, making it a formidable ally in battle or a highly efficient gatherer.
Maturation Speed
The BabyMatureSpeedMultiplier server setting directly impacts how quickly your baby dino grows into an adult. A higher multiplier means faster maturation, reducing the overall time commitment. This is crucial for busy players or those managing large breeding projects.
Imprint Cuddle Interval
The BabyCuddleIntervalMultiplier dictates how frequently your creature will demand an imprint action (cuddle, walk, or food). A lower multiplier means more frequent imprints, which can be challenging to manage but often necessary on high-maturation servers to achieve 100% imprinting.
Imprint Amount
The BabyImprintAmountMultiplier determines the percentage of imprinting you receive from each successful interaction. A higher multiplier means you'll gain more imprint percentage per cuddle, potentially requiring fewer total imprints to reach 100%. This is often adjusted on servers to balance the difficulty of imprinting.
Base Dino Stats
Every creature in ARK has unique base stats, including its natural maturation time at 1x server speed. This is the foundational number our calculator uses. It's important to look up the specific base maturation time for the creature you are raising, as it varies wildly from a few minutes for a Dodo to several days for a Giganotosaurus.
How to Use the ARK Raising Calculator
This calculator simplifies the complex formulas behind ARK's breeding system. Follow these steps to get your personalized raising plan:
- Dino Base Maturation Time (hours): Find this value for your specific creature on an ARK wiki (e.g., Dododex, ARK Gamepedia). This is the time it would take to mature on a server with all multipliers set to 1x.
- Server Maturation Speed Multiplier: Enter the
BabyMatureSpeedMultiplierfrom your server's configuration (usually in GameUserSettings.ini). - Server Cuddle Interval Multiplier: Input your server's
BabyCuddleIntervalMultiplier. Remember, smaller numbers mean more frequent imprints. - Server Imprint Amount Multiplier: Provide the
BabyImprintAmountMultiplier. This affects how much imprint percentage you get per interaction. - Click "Calculate" to see your results!
The results will show you the actual maturation time, the interval between imprints, how much imprint percentage each cuddle gives, and the total number of imprints needed to reach 100%.
Tips for Efficient Dino Raising
- Utilize Nannies and Maewings: If available (e.g., through S+ or official servers), Nannies can automatically imprint and feed babies, significantly reducing the manual effort. Maewings are excellent for feeding multiple babies simultaneously.
- Plan Your Schedule: Use the calculated imprint interval to set alarms or plan your play sessions. Missing an imprint can mean failing to reach 100%.
- Stock Up on Food: Babies consume a lot of food. Ensure you have an abundant supply of the correct food type (e.g., meat, berries, kibble, specific milk/wyvern milk).
- Monitor Temperatures: Extreme temperatures can harm or kill baby creatures. Use air conditioners or dimetrodons to maintain a stable environment, especially for creatures sensitive to heat or cold.
- Cryopods Are Your Friend: If you need to pause raising or move a baby, cryopods can temporarily halt maturation and imprinting timers. Be aware of the cryo sickness mechanic!
Common Dino Base Maturation Times (Examples)
To help you get started, here are a few common creature base maturation times:
- Dodo: 0.5 hours
- Raptor: 2 hours
- Argentavis: 12 hours
- Rex: 48 hours
- Spino: 72 hours
- Wyvern/Rock Drake: 96 hours
- Giganotosaurus: 240 hours (10 days)
- Titanosaur: 480 hours (20 days)
Happy raising, survivor!