5. Dire Wolf
The Direwolf is one of the best early game, cave mounts. I say this for several reasons, including their pack buff and size. Caves on the Ark have a lot of tight passages that larger dinos cannot fit in, and until you can use cryo-pods there is no way to get them through these tight spaces. The Direwolf is a very small mount that has the bite force to back you up in some of the hazardous conditions you will encounter in the depths of the Ark.
Why the Direwolf is great:
- Size: The Direwolf is the perfect size for squeezing through the smaller cave openings in Ark: Survival Evolved, but large enough to not be shredded by the inhabitants of the caves.
- Pack Buff: Direwolves gain a special buff when working together. So, bringing several wolves to the caves with you will allow your team to make short work of your enemies and retrieve the loot or artifact with ease.
Direwolf details here.
How to get Dirwolves here.
4. Baryonyx
The cave networks of the Ark typically have several varying biomes, from water to snow, to lava. Water can be a significant deterrent especially in some cases where it is very deep or makes up some large portion of the chambers of the cave. TheBaryonyx, much like the spinosaurus is adapt to the aquatic conditions, and they do not require oxygen to survive. This can be hugely beneficial to a survivor exploring aquatic caves.
Why the Baryonyx is great:
- Water Buff: In the water, the Baryonyx is approximately 20% stronger than when it is on land. This is great for dealing with threats in the aquatic portions of caves.
- Size: The Baryonyx is considered a mid-sized carnivore; however, it is skinny and not overly tall, making it perfect for fitting through the tight spaces in the island cave networks.
Baryonyx Details here.
How to get Baryonyx here.
3. Sabertooth
The sabertooth is a relatively easy tame that a lot of survivors overlook, however they are one of the best chitin harvesters in the game, meaning they are adept at killing bugs. The cave networks of the arks are typically infested with hard-shelled creepy crawlies and bats, which a decent saber tooth will quickly shred and move along through the cave. Their affinity to chitin is beneficial to the survivor because you get the chitin to make into cementing paste, plus you get the artifact or loot that sought when you entered the caves.
Why the Sabertooth is great:
- Size: The sabertooth is a little bit smaller than the Direwold, however, it doesn’t lose out on any of the attack power of the wolf, making them perfect cavers.
- Chitin: Many survivors have a constant need for cementing paste, which is made from chitin and keratin, making these a 2 birds with one stone type of scenario.
- Speed: For their size, they are extremely lightweight, and should something go wrong they are more than capable of helping you escape most creatures on the island.
Sabertooth Details here.
How to get a Sabertooth here.
2. Thylacoleo
The Thylacoleo is the largest cat species on the Ark to date. They can climb vertical surfaces, and hate one of the strongest bite forces, for their size group, on the Island. However, their size is not so large that they cannot fit into the Island’s cave system, except for 1 or 2 spots. Their strong jaws or sharp claws will make short work of whatever threat you find in the caves of the Ark.
Why the Thylacoleo is great:
- Size: They are considered a mid-sized dinosaur, which allows them to do considerable damage while remaining small enough to fit in small areas.
- Climbing: The Thylacoleo is an expert climber, there is pretty much no surface that they cannot climb. This is great for caving because some of the loot crates are in very hard to reach locations.
- Jump: There are a select few mounts that can jump, and the Thylacoleo is one of them, this can be extremely helpful in navigating some of the caves that have gaps that you have to find a way across.
Thylacoleo Details here.
How to get a Thylacoleo here.
1.Megatherium
The caves of the Ark are absolutely chock full of creepy crawlies of all kinds, from spiders to giant man-eating centipedes. Fortunately, there is one creature on the Island that loves to smash bugs. The Megatherium is a monster when it comes to bug hunting. They get a buff whenever they kill a bug, which will make them nearly unstoppable in the cave networks. Their size originally made it impossible to get them through cave entrances, however, with the advent of the cryo-pods, you can walk into the cave and then deploy them once you get past the entrance, making them possibly the best cave mount in Ark: Survival Evolved!
What makes Megatherium Great:
- Size: Though larger than the other creatures on the list, this can be a significant bonus to the player, as the giant centipedes cannot hit you with their armor melting spit.
- Bug Buff: The bug buff significantly boosts the mele ability of the Megatherium making them stronger with each kill.
Megatherium Details here.
How to get a Megatherium here.
