ARK Taming Effectiveness Predictor
See how taming effectiveness (TE) degrades with each food item fed and predict final bonus levels before you commit to a tame. Dododex tells you how much food you need — this tells you what you lose by feeding it.
Tame Setup
TE reduction per food item varies by species
Max bonus levels = 75 at 100% TE
Default official rate (1.0x).
Final TE
62.5%
Poor
Bonus Levels
+46
of +75 max
Final Level
197
wild 150 + bonus + 1
Food Needed
~25
items (1.0x speed)
TE Degradation — Step by Step
| Food Fed | TE% | Bonus Levels | Final Level | Quality |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 100.0% | +75 | 226 | Excellent |
| 3 | 95.5% | +71 | 222 | Excellent |
| 6 | 91.0% | +68 | 219 | Excellent |
| 9 | 86.5% | +64 | 215 | Good |
| 12 | 82.0% | +61 | 212 | Good |
| 15 | 77.5% | +58 | 209 | Good |
| 18 | 73.0% | +54 | 205 | Poor |
| 21 | 68.5% | +51 | 202 | Poor |
| 24 | 64.0% | +48 | 199 | Poor |
| 25 | 62.5% | +46 | 197 | Poor |
Table shows TE at each food milestone from the start of the tame to completion. Steps are sized to show the full arc in ~12 rows.
Switch to Kibble Mid-Tame?
Switching to Kibble after the first few items preserves your current TE and drains it at a much slower rate for the rest of the tame. Here's how many bonus levels you gain vs. continuing with Raw Meat.
| Switch after item # | TE at switch | Bonus (kibble finish) | Bonus (no switch) | Gain |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 91.0% | +65 | +46 | +19 |
| 12 | 82.0% | +59 | +46 | +13 |
| 18 | 73.0% | +53 | +46 | +7 |
Kibble finish assumes you switch immediately at that point and complete the remaining tame with Preferred Kibble. Actual results depend on remaining tame progress. Early switches yield the largest gain.
How Taming Effectiveness Works
The Formulas
BonusLevels = floor(WildLevel × TE / 2)FinalLevel = WildLevel + BonusLevels + 1- TE starts at 100% and decreases by a fixed percentage per food item fed.
- The +1 is a free base level every tamed creature receives regardless of TE.
Maximizing Effectiveness
- Kibble reduces TE the least per item — use it for max bonus levels on high-value tames.
- Narcotics do not affect TE. Keep the creature unconscious without worry.
- Higher server taming speed means fewer items fed total, which means less TE lost.
- A level 150 tamed near 100% TE yields up to +74 bonus levels (final level 225).
Note on accuracy: TE reduction values used here are approximate community-documented rates for vanilla ARK: Survival Evolved/Ascended and vary between creature species, game versions, and mods. Always cross-reference with the ARK Wiki for exact per-creature data before a high-stakes tame.
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