If you’re looking for a flyer in ARK that can not only get you around the map quickly but can also hold its own in a fight, the Tropeognathus might just be one of the best options. But with it being one of the more complex flyers in ARK, learning how to use the Tropeognathus can be complicated for some.
The Tropeognathus can fly vertically, strafe, launch grenades, and so much more. But with all these awesome features, there are tons of controls to master.
ARK: Survival Ascended Note: This guide is for ARK: Survival Evolved. The Tropeognathus isn’t currently a natural spawn on official Survival Ascended maps. Crystal Isles and Fjordur, its relevant ASA maps, are still listed for a later release.
ARK Tropeognathus Controls
These controls are specifically for PC and are based on the default keybindings when the game is first installed. If you’ve changed any of your controls, you’ll need to have a look at your keybindings to see what you have changed.
- Fly vertically up: X
- Fly vertically down: C
- Strafe left: A
- Strafe right: D
- Activate or deactivate jet: CTRL
- Drafting: Hold Space Bar when the drafting icon appears
- Knockback: Double-tap Space
- Jet Boost: Shift while the jet is activated
- Fire Grenades: Right-click while the jet is active
- Bite: Left-click
- Evasive maneuver: Press C while the jet is active
The grenade launcher uses the Tropeognathus’ grab/secondary attack rather than its normal bite attack. Standard Grenades must be placed in the Tropeognathus’ inventory, and the jet needs to be active before you can fire them.
PlayStation and Xbox Controls
| Action | PlayStation | Xbox |
|---|---|---|
| Take off / land | X | A |
| Activate jet | R3 | Right Stick |
| Jet boost | L3 | Left Stick |
| Fire grenade launcher | L2 | LT |
| Bite | R2 | RT |
| Knockback | Double-tap X | Double-tap A |
| Jet maneuver | R3 while airborne | Right Stick while airborne |
The console jet controls can be a little fiddly, but the default controller mapping uses the right stick for the Tropeognathus’ jet and maneuvering controls. Community-tested PS4 controls also confirm L2 for the grenade launcher and R2 for the bite.
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What Can You Do With the Tropeo?
Now you know how to use the Tropeognathus, what can you do with it? Well, from my experience, the question is, what can’t you do with it?
It’s a super-fast, strong creature that not only has a jet engine but also a saddle-mounted grenade launcher.
Not only can you use it to fly quickly around the map at super speed, but you can use the Tropeognathus as a mobile grinder too. With the saddle equipped, grindable items placed within its inventory can be broken down, returning 25% of their crafting resources.
To use the jet engine of the Tropeognathus, you need to ensure that it has enough Gasoline. If you don’t have enough, you can easily make some Gasoline. If you plan to raid, make sure to keep some standard Grenades in its inventory too.
The Tropeognathus can also use its grenades to damage structures up to Stone quality, which makes it a great flyer to take with you on raids. Thanks to the jet engine, if you need to flee quickly, you can. The grenade launcher can’t damage Metal structures.
As well as it being great for raiding, I have personally found it very useful for farming metal. Using the jet engine to get from metal nodes to base at super speed is very handy.
Breed a weight Tropeo and go out farming metal with a Mining Drill. The speed you can get to and from your base outweighs the fact that other creatures have better weight capacity, in my experience.
I have also found they have become my go-to flyer for getting to drops before anyone else. With the extra speed boost you get from holding Shift, I seem to be able to cover most maps in almost no time, and you can simply grind all the trash you don’t want from the drops without needing to head back to your base.
How to Tame the Tropeognathus
Taming the Tropeognathus is fairly simple and just requires some Chain Bolas and taming food. You can use dinosaur gates to make a trap to keep the Tropeognathus in place.
You’ll need to fire a Chain Bola from a Ballista Turret to restrain the Tropeognathus before you can feed it. A normal Bola can immobilize one, but it won’t allow you to progress the tame.
Chain Bola the Tropeognathus to the ground and surround it with dinosaur gateways with gates, leaving just a small gap between them, enough for you to access but not enough for the Tropeognathus to escape. You will also want to put a couple of ceilings on the top too, so the Tropeognathus can’t fly out of the trap.
Now that you have the Tropeognathus trapped, you want to feed it Exceptional Kibble, which is its preferred taming food.
It’s a passive tame, so once it has been restrained with the Chain Bola, feed it and then back away. You may need to restrain the Tropeognathus again between feeds before it is fully tamed.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Do You Fire Grenades From a Tropeognathus?
Can Tropeognathus Grenades Damage Metal?
Is the Tropeognathus in ARK: Survival Ascended?
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