7 rarest creatures in ARK Survival Evolved: From the Unicorn to Alpha Rex

❘ Updated: 2023-11-02T09:00:00

Typical Gamer / Studio Wildcard

Looking to track down the rarest creatures in ARK: Survival Evolved? Here’s everything you need to know to find these monsters out in the wild.

ARK: Survival Evolved is full of weird and wonderful rare creatures for players to battle, tame, or most likely run away from. The game draws from the current animal kingdom, extinct creatures like dinosaurs and the Megalodon, and even from ancient mythology.

Yet some creatures in the game are much rarer than others and can prove quite elusive, even to experienced players. Spawn rates for the rarest creatures in ARK: Survival Evolved are finite, but below, we’ll tell you exactly how many there are per map, and in what circumstances you’re likely to encounter them.

The Orvis isn’t the most exciting creature in ARK, but they can still be rather rare.

Rarest creatures in ARK: Survival Evolved

Before we reveal the rarest creatures in ARK: Survival Evolved we’d like to give a quick honorable mention to the Ovis. This is a very rare sheep that can be encountered once or twice per map.

However, no disrespect to the wooly Ovis, but we wanted our list to primarily focus on the most gargantuan, awe-inspiring, and dangerous creatures in the game. So, without further ado, here are the seven rarest creatures in ARK: Survival Evolved.

Titanosaurus (Rarity: 2-3 per map)

Titanosaurus is a huge dinosaur and among the rarest in the game.

The Titanosaurus is the largest dinosaur in ARK and only around two or maybe three of them will spawn on a single map. Once they do, they’re pretty easy to spot due to their size, but once they’re dead, that’s it for the duration of that game.

These giants can be tamed, but be careful, once they are they’ll simply forget to eat and will eventually starve to death. This is why many players choose to leave these majestic beasts in peace or watch them as they explore the map.

Giganotosaurus (Rarity: 1-2 per map)

Giganotosaurus was a real dinosaur and was bigger than T-Rex.

The Gigantosaurus is the biggest and most powerful theropod in the game. What makes it even more impressive is the creature is based on a real dinosaur from the Cretaceous period. The beast is also heavily featured in the latest Jurassic World movie.

One will typically spawn at some point during your playthrough, although some lucky (or unlucky) players have reported seeing two. They are highly aggressive and will attack everything they encounter – including you. However, they can be tamed and used to support your survival journey.

Unicorn (Rarity: 1 per map)

The Unicorn is a highly elusive mythical creature.

As the Unicorn doesn’t have the size of some of the other creatures on this list, it’s often overlooked by ARK players. However, those lucky enough to spot one can tame it to create the best steed in the game.

You’ll need to catch it first though, as Unicorns are incredibly skittish. They’re not hostile, but be careful, there’s only ever one per map, so they’re an incredibly rare creature in ARK Survival Evolved.

Tusoteuthis (Rarity: 1 per map)

Tusoteuthis is based on a real giant squid which is now extinct.

Based on the real-life (but extinct) giant squid of the same name, the Tusoteuthis stalks the depths of ARK’s oceans. There’s only ever one per map, and those who avoid the deep water will be unlikely to ever meet it, but Tusoteuthis is there, waiting for its next meal.

It will attack the player on sight and can make for a challenging boss fight. Or it can be tamed over time. You’ll need to get into the water, feed it, and get out before it eats you instead.

Alpha Rex (Rarity: 1 per map)

The Alpha Rex is essentially a more powerful and rarer version of the T-Rex.

While not as large as the Giganotosaurus, the Alpha Rex is much bigger and more powerful than the regular Rex. Defeating one provides a lot of experience points, but be sure you’re ready for a tough battle.

The creature can also catch those who try to run away, so it’s often either victory or death when you come up against one of these enormous beasts. The Alpha Rex is also unable to be tamed, at least by legitimate methods.

Liopleurodon (Rarity: 1 per map for 30 minutes)

Liopleurodons can be ridden and tamed by the player.

The Liopleurodon is a non-hostile rare creature in ARK: Survival Evolved. You’ll only ever see one per playthrough and if you attack it, the dinosaur will swim away – never to appear again.

However, instead of scaring it away, try passively taming it. While Liopleurodon won’t stick around for long, it will act as your dinosaur buddy for 30 minutes of in-game time before disappearing.

During this time you can ride the creature around the water and enjoy having your own personal pet sea monster.

Phoenix (Rarity: 1 per map, only during a heatwave)

The Phoenix is the rarest creature in ARK: Survival Evolved.

The Phoenix is by far the rarest creature in all of ARK: Survival Evolved. Not only does just one spawn per map, but it will also need to be a heatwave for the mythical beast to appear. It will only ever appear on the Scorched Earth map, however, it will re-spawn if the heatwave continues.

There’s no guarantee of finding it, so our advice is to get to high ground and look around, the Phoenix is easy to spot from a distance and will be zooming around the skies in impressive displays.

The Phoenix can be tamed if struck with a flaming weapon, or you can hunt the creature and defeat it in battle. When tamed, you can use the Phoenix to engulf your enemies in a fiery death from above.

So that’s it, the seven rarest creatures in ARK: Survival Evolved.

For more gaming guides and lists, check out more gaming content below: