ArkDossier BY SRC PAGE: GIGANOTOSAURUS SECTION: THE GIGA WATCH 0:55 ↗

How to tame the new TLC Giga in ARK: Survival Ascended

Required itemApex Offering ×1
A roaring Giganotosaurus, printed in violet and magenta
The EnrageIts rage is the lock. Outlast it and the 50% torpor cap lifts.
+1000 per biteEvery bite it lands on you adds torpor to itself.
Wounded FuryBelow 75% health: up to +50% damage and +30% resistance.
Dossier 001Taming · Patch v97

The Giganotosaurus can no longer be knocked out with tranqs. In ARK: Survival Ascended it is tamed through the Apex Challenge, and most people get stuck halfway.

It knocks itself out.

Carry an Apex Offering up to a wild Giga and let it hit you. Torpor stops at 50% until you survive its Enrage. Then push to 100% and feed it.

The short answer · Patch v97 · Verified 11 Nov 2026

How do you tame the new Giga in ARK: Survival Ascended?

Craft an Apex Offering and carry it up to a wild Giganotosaurus to start the Apex Challenge. Let it bite you: every bite it lands adds +1000 torpor to itself. Torpor locks at 50% until you trigger its Enrage and survive it. Then keep going to 100% and feed it Exceptional Kibble. Tranq darts no longer work.

Method /
Apex Challenge
Required /
1 × Apex Offering
Torpor source /
Its own bites, +1000 each
Torpor cap /
50% until Enrage ends
Tranqs /
No longer work
Best food /
Exceptional Kibble
Platforms /
PC, PS5, Xbox
Author /
SRC
02 — The method, in order

Seven steps

  1. Craft an Apex Offering

    Craft a friendship necklace... sorry, an Apex Offering (made from Alpha trophies).

  2. Start the Apex Challenge

    Approach a wild Giga and start the Apex Challenge.

  3. Tank its hits

    Tank hits from the Giga to start the taming process and raise its torpor.

  4. Survive to 50% torpor

    Survive until the Giga reaches 50% torpor. It will get stuck there. That's not a bug.

    Where most tames fail
  5. Trigger the rage phase

    Trigger the rage phase and survive it. This removes the 50% torpor cap.

  6. Push to 100%

    Keep going until torpor hits 100% and the Giga is knocked out.

  7. Feed it

    Feed it to finish the tame (Exceptional Kibble works best).

Exhibit 06 — Live simulation

The torpor: why it sticks at 50%

One full Apex Challenge, start to knockout. Watch what the torpor does, drag the chart to scrub, or jump to a stage.

STAGE 01 / 06

Challenge started

Torpor over one challengeDrag to scrub ↔
100% — Knockout 50% — Cap, locked until Enrage ends Enrage

Bite count is illustrative. The real number depends on the Giga's level; each bite is +1000 torpor.

What you need before you go

The Apex Offering

Any Alpha TributeAny Alpha TributeAny Alpha Tribute
Apex Offering: a necklace of bones, claws and feathers around a sabertooth skull
Recipe /
3 × any Alpha Tribute
Crafted in /
Your inventory
Engram /
Level 96 · 5 points
Use /
Carry it near a wild Giga

Alpha Tributes are the trophies dropped by Alpha creatures, such as the Alpha Raptor Claw, Alpha Carnotaurus Arm and Alpha Tyrannosaur Tooth. Recipe numbers are from the wikily.gg item database; the patch notes only say "crafted using Alpha trophies".

Quick answers

Questions

It's intentional. Torpor is capped at 50% during the Apex Challenge. Trigger the Giga's Enrage and survive until it ends, and the cap is removed.

No. Since patch v97 the Giganotosaurus is no longer tamed through a standard knockout. Its torpor only rises from the hits it lands on you during an Apex Challenge.

Alpha trophies. Item databases list the recipe as 3 of any Alpha Tribute, crafted in your inventory, with the engram unlocking at level 96.

No. After the challenge, Narcotics only stop its torpor from draining. They don't add any.

Exceptional Kibble is the best food. Raw Mutton and Raw Prime Meat also work.

Yes. The TLC shipped in the same v97 update for ARK: Survival Ascended on PC, PS5 and Xbox.

SRC is the author of ArkDossier: a long-time competitive fighting game player and first-person shooter competitor, an ARK survivor, and a father and husband based in Australia. He placed top 20 in Street Fighter V at Battle Arena Melbourne 8 in 2016. Away from games he is a passionate weightlifter and works as a creative director and tech head.