The Concavenator is a desert theropod in ARK: Survival Ascended that “swims” through sand at high speed and ambushes prey with aerial lunges. It joined the base game on August 27, 2026, having started life as the ninth creature from the Additions Ascended mod. Taming it does not involve tranquilizers at all. Instead, you knock it out of the ground, jump on its back, and complete a short directional mini-game.
Quick answer: Hit a submerged Concavenator with an explosive (Rocket Launcher, Tek Rifle, grenade, or C4) to force it up, mount it while it is stunned, then double-tap the on-screen WASD arrows in the shown order before the timer runs out. Repeat the ride if it throws you until the tame completes.
Where Concavenator spawns
Concavenator lives in sandy dunes and patrols in packs of two to three. It aggroes quickly and is very fast, so a single one is manageable while a group is dangerous. The standard variant appears across several maps, with two additional variants tied to specific environments.
| Variant | Maps |
|---|---|
| Concavenator | Scorched Earth, Aberration, Ragnarok, Extinction, Genesis: Part 1, Astraeos |
| Aberrant Concavenator | Aberration |
| X-Concavenator | Genesis: Part 1 (volcanic biome) |
On Scorched Earth, they roam the sandy borders that ring the map. On Astraeos, look on the southern section of the southernmost continent. Wherever the terrain turns to open dunes, that is where they hunt.
What to bring before you tame
The tame is a rodeo, not a knockout, so pack for surviving explosive splash damage and pack aggro rather than for narcotics.
- An explosive to force it up: a Tek Rifle is the safest option, while a Rocket Launcher, grenades, or C4 also work.
- Decent armor, especially if you use rockets, so the splash does not kill you.
- Enough firepower to pull and handle a pack, since 2–3 usually spawn together.
Tip: C4 and heavy explosives can outright kill lower-health Concavenators. If yours keep dying, switch to the Tek Rifle, which stuns reliably without the damage risk.
How to tame Concavenator
| Arrow | Key |
|---|---|
| Up | W |
| Left | A |
| Down | S |
| Right | D |
You know it worked when the standard tame completion message appears and the creature turns to your tribe. From there it behaves like any other tamed dino.
Concavenator Saddle
You cannot ride the Concavenator without its saddle. The Conca Saddle unlocks at level 67 and is crafted in a Smithy. Its small glass window is functional, not cosmetic, because it protects the rider from Sandstorm effects.
| Resource | Amount |
|---|---|
| Hide | 210 |
| Fiber | 120 |
| Metal Ingot | 15 |
| Crystal | 30 |
All Concavenator abilities and controls
Once saddled, the Concavenator is a mobility and crowd-control mount. Its attacks change depending on whether it is on the surface or striking from underground.
| Input | Attack | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| LMB | Bite | Standard bite on the target. |
| RMB | Dust/Sand Cloud | Sweeps the tail to spread a cloud lasting 20 seconds that cuts target movement speed by 90%. |
| RMB (underground) | Tail Uppercut | Lunges out of the ground and knocks the target into the air. |
| LMB (jumping from underground) | Tail Smash | Smashes an airborne target to the ground and stops it from moving for 10 seconds. |
Air Tricks boost
Whenever the Concavenator dives underground, you can press the directional inputs in the correct order to fill a boost bar, the same mechanic used during taming. A full bar lasts 25 seconds and raises Damage Resistance and Damage Dealt by up to 10%, reduces Stamina Consumption by 50%, and drains 1% of the target’s stamina per hit.
Pack Leader buff
The highest-level Concavenator in a pack becomes the alpha and gains a Pack Leader buff that adds 50% Melee Damage and 25% Damage Resistance. There is roughly one alpha for every three Concavenators in a group.
Spawn commands
If you would rather skip the hunt, you can summon each variant directly from the console.
cheat summon Concavenator_Character_BP_C
cheat summon Concavenator_Character_BP_Aberrant_C
cheat summon Volcano_Concavenator_Character_BP_CWith the saddle unlocked and the arrow mini-game figured out, the Concavenator turns into one of the most reliable ways to cross open desert. It sprints through the dunes, ambushes from below, and its sand cloud locks enemies down long enough to finish them or slip away.
