Everything we know about the Megaraptor in ARK Survival Ascended

Termed as “The Lone Stalker,” the Megaraptor in ARK Survival Ascended is the latest dinosaur in development. If everything goes according to plan, this shadowy stalker will arrive alongside Valguero later this year. It’s still a work in progress, but it looks very promising, especially given the long list of “Actions” and “Passives.”

Keep in mind that Megaraptor doesn’t rely on strength. Rather, it waits in the shadows, lurking, watching in isolation. Without warning, it strikes with precision and without mercy. This is very different compared to other dinosaurs such as the Tyrannodominator.

Here’s what you can expect from the Megaraptor in ARK Survival Ascended.

Possible features of the Megaraptor in ARK Survival Ascended

The Megaraptor in ARK Survival Ascended is versatile and adaptable; it can be found in every biome. During the daytime, Megaraptor hunts by approaching its prey in Ambush Mode. Once close enough, it will pounce on its prey with Jumpscare Lunge, which will cause it to develop a Yutyrannus-style Fear Status (if it manages to survive the initial attack, that is).

To add salt to the wound, the Megaraptor in ARK Survival Ascended changes its behavior at night, preferring to stalk and haunt its prey before killing them. It toys with and taunts its prey by roaring from the shadows to cause fear and terror, inducing a Hallucination Effect. Running is futile, as also it’s an excellent tracker.

Attacking the Megaraptor in ARK Survival Ascended doesn’t do much as it can dodge and parry strikes/shots as it charges toward you. Perhaps the only thing that can scare it away is fire. Any source of fire will ensure this apex hunter keeps its distance, or at least, out of your sight, but hidden nearby.

Given these challenges (much like finding Astraeos Artifacts), the best way to deal with them is to tackle the problem head-on and find them before they find you. If you manage to tame a Megaraptor in ARK Survival Ascended, you’ll be rewarded with a fierce companion who will be able to make short work of foes using stealth. Here’s how to take the Megaraptor in ARK Survival Ascended:

• Find and kill a wild Megaraptor in ARK Survival Ascended.
• Harvest the Megaraptor Claws from the corpse and use them to craft the Megaraptor Blades.
• Approach the Megaraptor in ARK Survival Ascended that you want to tame, holding the blades in your hands. Having them equipped will prevent the creature from lunging at you, making it get into a duel stance instead, and it will be ready to fight.
• Use the secondary attack of the blades to parry the beast’s strikes. This will rapidly drain its stamina.
• Once the Megaraptor in ARK Survival Ascended gets tired from the fight, feed it with Battle Tartare or Shadow Steak Satue and repeat the process until it’s tamed (Feeding Megaraptor with Raw Mutton or Prime Meat is almost ineffective, while Raw Meat will be refused).

Once trained, you’ll get access to two sets of abilities: Actions (Actives) and Passives. There are six Actions and five Passives, bringing the total to 11. Here is the list:

Actions

• Click: A three-swipe combo that builds up speed and damage similarly to TEK claws. The speed and damage buildup are shown in a gauge.
• Hold: Consume the gauge as you perform the Wounding Gnash, a high-damage double swipe & bite attack. This attack deals a Wounded status effect to a target. For 5 minutes, the target will take increased damage from attacks and leave behind a blood trail that is highlighted when riding a Megaraptor. As long as Megaraptor follows this trail, it will receive a movement speed buff. A moderate cooldown prevents players from spamming this ability.
• Hunting Pounce: A reticle will appear, allowing Megaraptor to aim. Once aimed at a target, Megaraptor will pounce on it, clinging to large creatures (like Deinonychus does) and pinning down small creatures and fliers (like Thylacoleo does). This attack dismounts players.
• Crouch: Megaraptor starts crawling on all fours, entering Ambush Mode. Megaraptor looks semi-transparent to players as long as it’s distant enough, while being invisible to turrets and hostile creatures. Pouncing on a creature while in Ambush Mode will trigger the Jumpscare Lunge, dealing all the status effects described in Wild to the target. The Jumpscare Lunge will instantly deactivate Ambush Mode, preventing it for a few seconds, and it won’t be usable again for a time. Even though you can rapidly get back in Ambush Mode, you won’t be able to spam the Jumpscare Lunge.
• Jump: Can jump, and when facing a wall, Megaraptor will perform a parkour-like sprint to climb the obstacle.
• Directional Dodge: Megaraptor can dodge in any direction based on your inputs (forward, backward, sideways, or diagonally), granting it Invincibility Frames (like Fjordhawk). A short cooldown prevents players from spamming this ability.

Passives

• Agility: Megaraptor can rapidly walk and crawl in all directions and 360° rotate where it stands. Megaraptor can also sprint sideways by helping itself with its forelimbs. Though less efficient than a sprint forward, this movement comes in pretty handy in combat.
• Darkness Buff: When it’s nighttime or while spelunking in deep caves, Ambush Mode is constantly active. Pressing (bound key) will make Megaraptor let out a Creepy Roar, dealing the same effects as the Jumpscare Lunge. While this roar can’t be spammed, it will have a shorter cooldown than a Jumpscare Lunge.
• Big Game: When fighting large creatures and bosses/titans, Megaraptor gains the ability to heal itself by hitting the target, gaining an amount of health points equal to 50% of the damage points dealt with each blow.
• Overkill: A gauge fills up the more creatures a Megaraptor kills. Once the gauge is filled, Megaraptor will enter a psychotic rage where the rider cannot control its movements, during which it runs savagely on all fours, in search of the closest target, be it an ally or an enemy. While it won’t be able to perform special attacks, its Damage, Movement Speed, Rate of Fire, and Damage Resistance are all increased tremendously while raging. This is a high-risk mechanic that may pay off greatly if timed correctly.
• Fear of Fire: Megaraptor’s fear of fire is overwhelming even after the taming process. If it gets too close to a source of fire, this creature will be filled with Fear.

Keep in mind that some of these features/aspects may be modified once the Megaraptor is introduced offiically. It’s appearance may also differ from the concept art that was shared as the final version of it could look different in certain ways. Nevertheless, the Megaraptor in ARK Survival Ascended will still be a fierce creature that will stalk the night, and any prey it can find.

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