Argentavis

Argentavis

Dossier

These values may differ with what you see in-game or written elsewhere. But that is what the dossier says.

Common Name

Argentavis

Group

Birds

Species

Argentavis atrocollum

Time Period

Late Miocene

Diet

Carrion-Feeder

Temperament

Short-Tempered

Release Versions

June 2, 2015

729.0
December 16, 2015

501.0
December 6, 2016

1.0
May 24, 2018

599.0
November 30, 2018

Spawn Command

admincheat summon Argent_Character_BP_C
or
admincheat SpawnDino "Blueprint'/Game/PrimalEarth/Dinos/Argentavis/Argent_Character_BP.Argent_Character_BP'" 500 0 0 35

Domestication

Tameable

Rideable

Breedable

Yes

Yes

Yes

Torpor Immune

No

Taming Method

Knockout

Preferred Kibble

Kibble (Stego Egg)

Preferred Food

Raw Mutton

Equipment

Argentavis Saddle (Level 62)

Rider Weaponry

No

Humans Can Carry

No

Data

XP For Kill

14 XP

Drops

• Hide
• Raw Meat
• Raw Prime Meat
• Argentavis Talon

Special Loot Chance

100%

Feces Size

Medium

Drag Weight

150

Radiation Immune

No

Carryable By

Megalosaurus

Immobilized By

• Chain Bola
• Bear Trap
• Large Bear Trap
• Plant Species Y Trap

Can Damage

Thatch
Greenhouse
Wood
Lumber
Glass

Reproduction

Egg

Argentavis Egg

Incubation Range

12 - 13.5 °C / 54 - 56 °F

Incubation Time

2h 56m

Baby Time

5h 26m

Juvenile Time

21h 47m

Adolescent Time

1d 3h 13m

Total Maturation Time

2d 6h 27m 58s

Breeding Interval

18h - 2d

Habitat

Colorvision Prota- / Deuteranopia Tritanopia

Common             Rare
  Untameable   Cave

The Argentavis (Ar-jen-tah-vis), also referred to as the Argy or the Argent, is a species of bird in ARK: Survival Evolved.

Basic Info

Dossier

This dossier section is intended to be an exact copy of what the survivor Helena, the author of the dossiers has written. There may be some discrepancies between this text and the in-game creatures.

	“	Wild Lording over the skies across the Island, Argentavis atrocollum has few aerial rivals. It is a small consolation for the Island's other avian creatures, then, that Argentavis seems to have little interest in anything alive. Quite apart from what I would have guessed, Argentavis does not have the stooped neck typical of modern buzzards and vultures. I don't know if it adapted this stronger neck to deal with the predators on the Island, or if its lineage derives from before the stooped neck became common in carrion-eating birds. Whichever it meant to be, it has enabled Argentavis to carry smaller creatures with its beak. Domesticated Argentavis is actually slower than the Island's far more common Pteranodon, but it possesses significantly more stamina and can sustain flight for approximately three times as long. Its weighty stature, in comparison to the Pteranodon, allows it to utilize its talons to support the weight of an additional passenger. Considering its saddle doubles as a mobile crafting station, it makes Argentavis an excellent creature for traveling and hauling cargo over long distances.	„
		~ Helena

Behavior

The Argentavis is a highly aggressive predator and will attack anything that approaches it. It is a highly territorial creature, willing to chase players long distances if they get too close. As scavengers, they are also attracted by dead bodies from a surprising distance away.

Appearance

A keen-eyed and vulture-like bird of prey, the humongous Argentavis is the largest bird on the Island by far, edging out the Pelagornis and dwarfing the Kairuku. Like other predatory birds, such as the Terror Bird, it relies on its sharp beak and enormous feet to catch and dispatch prey.

Color Scheme and Regions

This section displays the Argentavis's natural colors and regions. For demonstration, the regions below are colored red over an albino Argentavis. The colored squares shown underneath each region's description are the colors that the Argentavis will randomly spawn with to provide an overall range of its natural color scheme. Hover your cursor over a color to display its name and ID.

Server admins can use this region information in the Console Command "cheat SetTargetDinoColor <ColorRegion> <ColorID>".
For example, "cheat SetTargetDinoColor 0 6" would color the Argentavis's "body" magenta.

Region 0: Body	Region 1 is not used for this Creature.	Region 2: Wing Tips
Region 3: Legs	Region 4: Head Feathers	Region 5: Underside

Region 0: BodyRegion 2: Wing TipsRegion 3: LegsRegion 4: Head FeathersRegion 5: Underside

Drops

Harvest

• Raw Meat
• Raw Prime Meat
• Hide

Primitive+

• Fresh Poultry
• Feathers

Guaranteed Special Loot

• Argentavis Talon

The Argentavis also drops minor items like a white beacon. The Argentavis Talon can be found in the inventory.

Base Stats and Growth

Note that creatures will have different stats in Survival of the Fittest

Basic Stats

Attribute	Amount at Level 1	Increase per point		Taming Bonus
		Wild	Domesticated1	Add	Mult
Health	365	+73	+6.076%	0.07
Stamina	400	+20	+7.5%
Oxygen	150	+15	+10%
Food	2000	+200	+10%
Weight	400	+8	+5.5%
Melee Damage	25 / 122	+1.25 / +0.6	+2.55%	7%	17.6%
Movement Speed	100%	N/A3	+0%
Torpidity	600	+36	N/A4	0.5

¹Percentages are based on the value of the stat the moment the creature was tamed (after taming effectiveness)
²The absolute Base Damage is shown here instead of the percentage.
³Wild creatures do not level up movement speed
⁴Torpidity increases every level on wild creatures, but can not be increased once they are tamed.

• For a comparison of the stats of all creatures, see Base Creature Statistics.
• For an explanation of exactly how the levelup calculation works, see Creature Stats Calculation.

Movement Speed

Movement Type	Base Speed	Sprinting		Stamina Used
		Wild	Domesticated
Walking	260	N/A	N/A	6
Swimming	300	N/A	N/A	N/A
Flying	600	727.5001	1350	0.275

• These are the base speeds of the creature at 100% Movement Speed
• For a comparison of the speeds of all creatures, see Base Creature Speeds

Attack Values

Melee		Stamina Cost	Attack Range			Description
			Base	Minimum	Activation	Using the (PC), (PS4), (Xbox One), the Argent claws at the target.
		0	500	60	300
Attack Type		Damage	Projectile Values			Torpor Values		Status Effect: Stamina			Status Effect: Torpidity
			Life	Impulse	Radius	Base	Mult	Duration	Damage Mult	Amount	Duration	Damage Mult	Amount
Melee		20

GrabClaws		Stamina Cost	Attack Range			Description
			Base	Minimum	Activation	Using the (PC), (PS4), (Xbox One) while in the air, the Argent can pick up another creature in its claws. Despite a coded melee damage value, this attack does no damage.
		120	500	0	0
Attack Type		Damage	Projectile Values			Torpor Values		Status Effect: Stamina			Status Effect: Torpidity
			Life	Impulse	Radius	Base	Mult	Duration	Damage Mult	Amount	Duration	Damage Mult	Amount
Melee		12

GrabBeak		Stamina Cost	Attack Range			Description
			Base	Minimum	Activation	Using C (PC), (PS4), (Xbox One) while in the air, the Argent can pick up another creature in its beak. Despite a coded melee damage value, this attack does no damage.
		120	500	0	0
Attack Type		Damage	Projectile Values			Torpor Values		Status Effect: Stamina			Status Effect: Torpidity
			Life	Impulse	Radius	Base	Mult	Duration	Damage Mult	Amount	Duration	Damage Mult	Amount
Melee		12

Wild Stats Level-up

Type in values of a wild creature to see on which stats it's emphasized. Green values on a high-level creature are very good for breeding. If you have already tamed your creature you can try to recover the breeding-stats with an external tool.

Argentavis

The stat-calculator does not work in the mobile-view, see here for alternatives: Apps

Note that after the creature is tamed it gets bonuses on some stats depending on the taming effectiveness. This makes it hard to retrieve the levels on a tamed creature, so this tool is only for wild ones, but gives a first impression, how well the stats are distributed.

Taming

For general infos about domesticating a wild creature see Taming. 

The Argentavis is tamed violently, i.e. it must be knocked out and fed with food it likes.

KO Strategy

• It's important to note that the Argentavis has a 3x headshot modifier. Since torpor scales with damage dealt, you can significantly reduce the amount of munitions required to knock one unconscious by ignoring all other parts of the body and opting instead to only go for headshots. Just be mindful of how bloody it is, or you could accidentally kill it with the extra damage.

The Argentavis isn't as fast as the Pteranodon but will still flee when Torpor is getting high and not resume attacking the Player, so be prepared for a chase. It's relatively easy to keep them in range of a Crossbow or Longneck Rifle but On the other hand, the Argentavis will attack you if you let it get close enough: additionally, their natural spawning ranges (primarily mountains) are usually overrun with dangerous predators, so be aware of your surroundings and be prepared in case the hunt goes sour.

Shoot and Dodge

The best strategy is simple and effective: first, get your target Argentavis to fly at the ground level by attacking it with either a Crossbow and Tranquilizer Arrows or a Longneck Rifle and Tranquilizer Darts. When it comes in for the attack, simply shoot it in the head* (see below) and then sidestep to avoid its huge talons. The bird will circle back around and repeat the process. When its torpor grows too high, the Argentavis will turn and try to fly away; be quick to shoot it down before it gets out of range.

Traps

An alternate strategy is to take advantage of the Argentavis' natural aggression. Because it will go on the attack once provoked and will follow the player a remarkable distance, the Argentavis can easily be lured into a variety of traps and taming pens. Low level survivors especially should consider building a simple trap out of Wood or Stone materials to keep the Argentavis immobile and get it away from other predators that would otherwise kill it once knocked unconscious. Note, that you can provoke an Argentavis into chasing you by simply getting close enough, which will help isolate a chosen target from the flock without its other members interference.

Island Pillar

At around coordinates 44,66 on The Island, one can find a natural pillar on which virtually no creatures spawn. If you have already tamed a Pteranodon, it can be flown northwest towards Frozen Tooth where Argentavis spawn very frequently. Swoop in on a lone Argentavis and peck at it once to get it start chasing you. Maintain a close distance to the Argentavis, letting it land an attack every once in a while to keep aggro, and lure it to the pillar. Dismount on the pillar and use tranquilizer arrows or darts to bring it down. Bringing at least two Longneck Rifles pre-loaded with darts is recommended, as once the Argentavis builds up enough torpor it'll attempt to flee, and the reload time on the rifle might buy it enough time to fly too far away for it to fall onto the safe pillar once unconscious.

Taming Food

Level 1					Time
Kibble (Stego Egg)	3	0	0	0	0:10:48
Raw Mutton	6	0	0	0	0:13:31
Cooked Lamb Chop	11	0	0	0	0:24:44
Raw Prime Meat	7	0	0	0	0:15:46
Cooked Prime Meat	14	0	0	0	0:31:28
Raw Prime Fish Meat	18	0	0	0	0:20:16
Raw Meat	21	30	6	3	0:47:16
Cooked Prime Fish Meat	35	16	4	2	0:40:28
Cooked Meat	42	30	6	3	0:47:16
Raw Fish Meat	53	57	12	6	0:59:38
Cooked Fish Meat	105	56	11	6	0:59:04
KO: × 60; × 25; × 7; × 4; × 3; × 2
Torpidity-depletion: 0.3 / s, Time until all torpidity is depleted: 00:33:20

Level 30					Time
Kibble (Stego Egg)	7	0	0	0	0:25:12
Raw Mutton	14	0	0	0	0:31:31
Cooked Lamb Chop	25	5	1	1	0:56:12
Raw Prime Meat	17	0	0	0	0:38:16
Cooked Prime Meat	34	72	15	8	1:16:25
Raw Prime Fish Meat	42	0	0	0	0:47:16
Raw Meat	50	192	40	20	1:52:31
Cooked Prime Fish Meat	84	141	29	15	1:37:06
Cooked Meat	100	192	40	20	1:52:31
Raw Fish Meat	125	285	59	30	2:20:38
Cooked Fish Meat	250	285	59	30	2:20:38
KO: × 165; × 68; × 19; × 11; × 8; × 4
Torpidity-depletion: 0.5 / s, Time until all torpidity is depleted: 00:54:58

Level 60					Time
Kibble (Stego Egg)	10	0	0	0	0:35:59
Raw Mutton	22	0	0	0	0:49:31
Cooked Lamb Chop	40	83	18	9	1:29:55
Raw Prime Meat	27	0	0	0	1:00:46
Cooked Prime Meat	54	213	45	23	2:01:22
Raw Prime Fish Meat	67	23	5	3	1:15:23
Raw Meat	80	455	96	48	3:00:01
Cooked Prime Fish Meat	134	352	74	37	2:34:54
Cooked Meat	160	455	96	48	3:00:01
Raw Fish Meat	200	641	134	67	3:45:01
Cooked Fish Meat	400	641	134	67	3:45:01
KO: × 273; × 112; × 31; × 18; × 13; × 7
Torpidity-depletion: 0.66 / s, Time until all torpidity is depleted: 01:09:49

Level 90					Time
Kibble (Stego Egg)	14	0	0	0	0:50:23
Raw Mutton	30	0	0	0	1:07:31
Cooked Lamb Chop	55	206	44	22	2:03:37
Raw Prime Meat	37	13	3	2	1:23:16
Cooked Prime Meat	74	411	88	44	2:46:20
Raw Prime Fish Meat	92	110	24	12	1:43:31
Raw Meat	110	800	171	86	4:07:31
Cooked Prime Fish Meat	184	633	135	68	3:32:41
Cooked Meat	220	800	171	86	4:07:31
Raw Fish Meat	275	1096	234	117	5:09:23
Cooked Fish Meat	550	1096	234	117	5:09:23
KO: × 381; × 156; × 43; × 25; × 18; × 9
Torpidity-depletion: 0.79 / s, Time until all torpidity is depleted: 01:20:35

Level 120					Time
Kibble (Stego Egg)	18	0	0	0	1:04:46
Raw Mutton	38	0	0	0	1:25:31
Cooked Lamb Chop	70	366	80	40	2:37:20
Raw Prime Meat	47	90	20	10	1:45:46
Cooked Prime Meat	94	655	142	71	3:31:17
Raw Prime Fish Meat	117	229	50	25	2:11:38
Raw Meat	140	1210	262	131	5:15:01
Cooked Prime Fish Meat	234	972	211	106	4:30:29
Cooked Meat	280	1210	262	131	5:15:01
Raw Fish Meat	350	1632	354	177	6:33:46
Cooked Fish Meat	700	1632	354	177	6:33:46
KO: × 489; × 200; × 55; × 32; × 23; × 12
Torpidity-depletion: 0.92 / s, Time until all torpidity is depleted: 01:29:03

Level 150					Time
Kibble (Stego Egg)	22	0	0	0	1:19:10
Raw Mutton	46	44	10	5	1:43:31
Cooked Lamb Chop	84	544	120	60	3:08:48
Raw Prime Meat	57	189	42	21	2:08:16
Cooked Prime Meat	114	939	207	104	4:16:14
Raw Prime Fish Meat	142	374	82	41	2:39:46
Raw Meat	170	1678	369	185	6:22:31
Cooked Prime Fish Meat	284	1361	299	150	5:28:17
Cooked Meat	340	1678	369	185	6:22:31
Raw Fish Meat	425	2238	492	246	7:58:08
Cooked Fish Meat	850	2238	492	246	7:58:08
KO: × 597; × 244; × 67; × 38; × 27; × 14
Torpidity-depletion: 1.04 / s, Time until all torpidity is depleted: 01:36:01

Note that the values are for optimal cases, always bring extra supplies!
For a level-dependent count of resources needed, try an external taming calculator.

Ingredients for Kibble (Stego Egg): 1 ×  Stego Egg or Tek Stego Egg , 1 ×  Citronal , 1 ×  Prime Meat Jerky , 2 ×  Mejoberry , 3 ×  Fiber , 1 ×  Water

Combat

This section describes how to fight against the Argentavis.

General

The Argentavis can be somewhat of a challenge to hit with any ranged weapons until the first shot has landed. Once it becomes aggressive, it will charge until severely injured or its torpor becomes too high.

Strategy

The methods of killing an Argentavis depends on whether you're looking to engage it from the ground or from the air. Ranged weapons like the Longneck Rifle, Assault Rifle, and even the Sniper Rifle are suggested if you plan on attacking it from the ground. Once attacked, the Argentavis will become aggressive and fly straight towards the player, head first. This behavior, compounded with their head-shot modifier, makes them fairly easy to kill or knock out assuming you can get a clear shot. If you are attacking the Argentavis from the air, perhaps using a tamed Argentavis of your own, be careful of drawing too large of a crowd. Argentavis tends to spawn in large groups, and attacking one will make all of them aggressive. Watch your back and don't let them trap you in a swarm.

Weaponry

Ranged weapons are a must. Be careful when using a weapon equipped with a Scope, as they obstruct your field of vision, making you vulnerable to attack by other predators endemic to the Argentavis' native mountain ranges.

Dangers

The Argentavis can be dangerous to players with low-damage weapons; however, if the player uses proper strategy, the Argentavis shouldn't be a problem. The Argentavis can be very dangerous in groups of two or more as it can be hard to fight two at once, let alone more. Don't let them rile you up! Focus on hitting them with melee weapons as they swoop around you, and make sure you concentrate. Be aware of other animals in the area, like Sabertooths and other fast carnivores.

Weakness

The Argentavis takes 300% damage from headshots. Since an aggressive Argentavis will always charge head first anyway, make sure to aim there to deal extra damage. They are fairly slow despite their appearance; it is even possible to outrun them on foot.

Utility

Roles

• War Mount: With a high damage output and excellent maneuverability, the Argentavis is an essential for warlike tribes. The Rapid Regeneration buff helps staying alive. (Level up Melee Damage, Health, and Stamina)
• Transport: Great for long distance transport, especially with its weight reductions (see below). (Level up Weight and Stamina)
• Short Distance Transport: It can be used to transport heavy goods within a base because it has a high mobility and can get almost everywhere (Fits through every 2x1 gap) and has a decent weight capacity.
• Flying Mount/Scout: Though it may be slower than the Pteranodon, few land-based creatures can cover as much ground as the Argentavis can. (Level up Health and Stamina)
• Player Killer: Capable of grabbing players both off of their mounts and off the ground. Once captured they can either be dropped from great heights or dispatched with their talons. (Level up Stamina and Health)
• Taming Mount: The Argentavis is capable of picking up most animals and carrying them to a designated taming spot safely. (Level up Weight and Stamina)
• Portable Hook-post: The Argentavis can be hooked onto using the Grappling Hook, making them useful for a number of tasks, such as taming from midair. Simply fly above the area you wish to tame a creature (like a Quetzal), dismount (make sure to equip a parachute or an Archaeopteryx!) and hook onto the Argentavis. Make sure it's set to follow you- it will move a little bit as you're falling, but when you hook on, it will stop; otherwise, it will try to land. (Level up Stamina and Health).
• Egg Stealer: Wyverns or Griffins are the best and secure options, but Argentavis can be a good option for beginners players without the high resources and advanced mounts. But can be difficult due to it being very slow.
• Flying Smithy: If a Saddle is equipped an Argentavis can be used as a Smithy to craft (not repair) equipment. (Added in TLC Patch #2)
• Alpha Slayer: With a skilled pilot and a properly trained Argy, it may be the best mount for slaying Alphas, particularly Alpha Raptors. Be mindful of stamina, have some patience, and it'll all be worth it. Activate the Rapid Regeneration buff by killing nearby creatures to keep your health up. This works for Spinos, Sarcos, and Rexes as well. However, it requires a lot of flying skill, as one wrong move may mean the death of you and your Argy. (Level up Melee Damage, Health, and Stamina)

Weight Reduction

The Argentavis reduces the weight of the following resources by the listed amount while they are in its inventory:

Resource	Reduction by
Black Pearl	50%
Crystal	50%
Metal	50%
Metal Ingot	50%
Obsidian	50%
Organic Polymer	50%
Polymer	50%
Stone	50%

Collectibles

Resource	Efficiency
Raw Prime Meat	★★★★☆
Raw Meat	★★★★☆
Keratin	★★★☆☆
Chitin	★★★☆☆
Hide	★★★☆☆
Pelt	★★★☆☆
Organic Polymer	★☆☆☆☆

Flight

Flying an Argentavis uses similar controls to movement on ground level with a few exceptions. Quirks :

1. Will only move forward upon command. With no forward command issued they will eventually stall to a halt and hover in mid-air. Even while not moving Argentavis lose a small bit of stamina just to stay aloft.
2. Feeding Stimberry or Stimulant to a Argentavis in-flight can allow you to fly for longer periods, but the stamina gain is minor at best and very inefficient unless used in large enough quantities. A custom consumable recipe made from stimberries can be far more effective for this purpose.
3. Landing is accomplished by pressing the jump-key (space, , ), causing the mount to move to the ground and land, where your Argentavis folds its wings. Now you can unmount by pressing use (e, , ) as with any other mount or walk on the ground. To start off again, press the jump-key (space, , ).

Note: Tamed and unmounted Argentavis do not lose stamina while flying. You can use this quirk to carry large amounts of weight quickly with an Argentavis set to follow.

Carrying

An Argentavis is capable of carrying smaller creatures. This is done by using the alt-fire button (rmb, , ) while flying or hovering over the creature. The Argentavis will swing its legs forward in an animation similar to its attack. If the grab was successful, you will be able to see the creature being pulled behind the Argentavis, as well as its name and level. This is very useful for separating a small, high-level animal such as a Raptor from its pack so that you can tame it elsewhere. The Argentavis can also attack creatures it is carrying by using the default attack button, or release them by pressing alt-fire again. The creature being carried usually can not attack the Argentavis while it is being carried, but can land a hit when it is picked up or dropped. If the carried creature is held too close to the Argentavis, though, it can attack.

The Argentavis is also capable of carrying a small creature in its beak. [TLC 2]

An Argentavis is currently able to carry 4 creatures at any one time; one in its claws, one in its beak, a survivor in the saddle and a creature being carried by the survivor.

Currently on official, and most unofficial, PVE servers, wild animals may not be picked up to prevent griefing.

Carry-able Creatures

The Argentavis is capable of carrying the following creatures in its claws:

• Achatina
• Ankylosaurus
• Araneo
• Archaeopteryx
• Arthropluera
• Baryonyx
• Beelzebufo
• Bulbdog
• Castoroides
• Compy
• Daeodon
• Dilophosaur
• Dimetrodon
• Diplocaulus
• Direwolf
• Dodo
• Doedicurus
• Dung Beetle
• Enforcer
• Equus
• Gallimimus
• Gigantopithecus
• Glowtail
• Human
• Hyaenodon
• Iguanodon
• Jerboa
• Kairuku
• Kaprosuchus
• Lystrosaurus
• Megalania
• Megaloceros
• Mesopithecus
• Moschops
• Nameless
• Otter
• Oviraptor
• Ovis
• Pachy
• Parasaur
• Pegomastax
• Phiomia
• Procoptodon
• Pulmonoscorpius
• Raptor
• Ravager
• Sabertooth
• Shinehorn
• Terror Bird
• Thorny Dragon
• Thylacoleo
• Titanoboa
• Titanomyrma Drone
• Trilobite
• Troodon
• Unicorn
• Yeti
• Zomdodo

Additionally the Argentavis is capable of carrying the following creatures in its beak:

• Achatina
• Archaeopteryx
• Compy
• Dilophosaur
• Dodo
• Glowtail
• Jerboa
• Kairuku
• Lystrosaurus
• Mesopithecus
• Otter
• Pegomastax
• Shinehorn
• Titanomyrma Drone
• Trilobite
• Zomdodo

Notes/Trivia

For information pertaining specifically to the real-world Argentavis, see the relevant Wikipedia article

• The Argentavis can fit in any size of Dinosaur Gate.
• In gameplay, Argentavis is essentially a stronger but slower version of the Pteranodon.
• Although listed as a Carrion Feeder, the Argentavis does not seem to eat spoiled meat. It does, however, swoop in on any dead animals nearby.
• The scientific name Argentavis atrocollum roughly translates into "Savage-necked Argentine bird".
• Although the game says the Argentavis' saddle works like a smithy, it cannot repair items.
• In Rockwell’s Explorer Notes, he mentions his Argentavis named “Archimedes”. This is a reference to the Greek mathematician.

Changelog

Version	Change
v175.0	Argentavis can no longer regain stamina mid-flight. Previously, players could simply stop flying forward and wait a while for the stamina to refill.
	Argentavis can pick up players and dinos. The Pteranodon was the only flying creature that possessed this ability before.

Gallery

• 

  A Player flying an Argent.

• 

  Argent flying high in the sky.

• 

  Concept Art.

• 

  A flying Argent.

• 

  Argentavis on perch

• 

  TLC Patch 2 model update.