Mod:ARK: The Sunken World/Acrophyseter

The Acrophyseter (ak-ro-fi-set-er), is a species of aquatic mammal in ARK: The Sunken World.

Behaviour
The Acrophyseter travels in large familial groups, consisting of adults, adolescents, juveniles and babies. Adults will ignore the survivor unless provoked, though babies may approach the survivor. They are commonly seen hunting smaller prey items like.

Appearance
The Acrophyseter is a prehistoric cetacean, or whale, that resembles the modern orca in size and body shape. However, it is actually part of the same family as sperm whales. Like other whales, it moves in an undulating motion. It also has a bioluminescent pattern consisting of lots of small glowing circles running along its flank and fins.

Combat
This section outlines how to fight an Acrophyseter.

General
Acrophyseter is a decently intimidating threat throughout the early game, as taking on a pod can be a hard task. If you can isolate one from a pod, you will have a far easier time taking one down.

Strategy
Using anything that can deal enough damage to quickly tear through the Acrophyseter's health, such as large creatures like, or ranged weapons, will be the quickest way to take down an Acrophyseter safely. Try not to provoke the pod when you aren't well equipped enough to fight them.

Weaponry
Tackling an Acrophyseter with ranged weaponry like a or  is the safest option if you wish to kill one. Utilising your own pod of higher level Acrophyseter, or any larger ocean creature, will also make short work of them.

Dangers
Running into a powerful pack of Acrophyseter can be incredibly dangeorus for an early to mid game survivor. The buff that the alpha recieves from its pack makes it deal a large amount of damage. There is also the risk that a prolonged commotion will attract larger, more unsavoury predators.

Weakeness
Babies are the easiest to target, as they cannot defend themselves and only require time if you don't have a high damage mount. Make sure you come up for air if that's the case.

Taming
For general info about domesticating a wild creature see Taming.

Preferred Food
Adult Acrophyseter uses the exact same taming times and food amounts as the, however it prefers fish alternatives to regular meat.

Taming Strategy
Both adults and babies are able to be passive tamed, however the methods of taming them are different. The young Acrophyseter are tamed in a similar mannner to, needing some pets and affection from humans to build trust. However, this can be done while they are still within their pods, making it significantly easier. Adults are tamed in a similar manner to other passive tames. It is recommended to clear the area of any threats before attempting to tame an Acrophyseter of any age, as being hit will reset their taming progress.

Controls


- This key triggers a basic bite attack with moderate damage.



- This key sends out a pulse of sonar that detects enemies, functioning in the same way as the's detection abilities.


 * - This triggers a powerful headbutt which will cause a slowing stun for 10 seconds. This can only be done by the alpha of the pod.
 * - The Acrophyseter roars, calling for help. This will temporarily ally any nearby wild Acrophyseter, similarly to how can ally wild.

Roles

 * Oceanic Transport: The Acrophyseter excels in providing fast and safe transport across the surface regions, being able to hold its own against similarly sized threats, and flee from larger ones. (Level Health, Stamina and Speed)
 * Surface Water Brawler: The Acrophyseter is a good early to mid game brawling mount, especially with a pack to back up it. (Level Health and Melee Damage, with a bit of Stamina if needed)
 * Security/Scout: The Acrophyseter's ability to send out a pulse that detects potential nearby threats makes it very useful for security purposes or scouting for danger. However, this ability isn't passive like a parasaur, and requires a rider for it to function. (Level Health, Stamina and Speed)

Notes/Trivia
For information pertaining specifically to the real world Acrophyseter, see the relevant Wikipedia article.


 * Acrophyseter's scientific name, Acrophyseter agenis, translates to "rude acute sperm whale".
 * The signature square head, the most common depiction of Acrophyseter, is based on the species A. robustus. The Acrophyseter in The Sunken World is based more on A. deinodon, which has a more orca like head.
 * Acrophyseter was the first new custom creature released in the Ice Caps update.