How to tame the new TLC Giga in ARK: Survival Ascended
Required itemApex Offering ×1
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.
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
Seven steps
Craft an Apex Offering
Craft a friendship necklace... sorry, an Apex Offering (made from Alpha trophies).
Start the Apex Challenge
Approach a wild Giga and start the Apex Challenge.
Tank its hits
Tank hits from the Giga to start the taming process and raise its torpor.
Survive to 50% torpor
Survive until the Giga reaches 50% torpor. It will get stuck there. That's not a bug.
Where most tames failTrigger the rage phase
Trigger the rage phase and survive it. This removes the 50% torpor cap.
Push to 100%
Keep going until torpor hits 100% and the Giga is knocked out.
Feed it
Feed it to finish the tame (Exceptional Kibble works best).
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.
Challenge started
Bite count is illustrative. The real number depends on the Giga's level; each bite is +1000 torpor.
The Apex Offering
- 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".
Questions
Why is my Giga stuck at 50% torpor?
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.
Can you still knock out a Giga with tranq darts?
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.
What do you need to craft an Apex Offering?
Alpha trophies. Item databases list the recipe as 3 of any Alpha Tribute, crafted in your inventory, with the engram unlocking at level 96.
Do Narcotics raise the Giga's torpor?
No. After the challenge, Narcotics only stop its torpor from draining. They don't add any.
What does the new Giga eat?
Exceptional Kibble is the best food. Raw Mutton and Raw Prime Meat also work.
Does this work on console?
Yes. The TLC shipped in the same v97 update for ARK: Survival Ascended on PC, PS5 and Xbox.
What is ArkDossier?
ArkDossier is a collection of taming guides dedicated to creatures I find particularly interesting in ARK: Survival Ascended.
Each dossier brings together useful information, practical taming strategies and visual walkthroughs to make understanding a creature and its mechanics a little easier.
It's not an encyclopedia, and I have no plans to cover every creature. Just the ones I feel like exploring.
Why make ArkDossier?
I've been playing ARK for over a decade and wanted to create something dedicated to the creatures I've always found interesting.
I also enjoy designing and building digital experiences, so ArkDossier gives me an excuse to combine a few things I genuinely enjoy.
There's no grand plan to document the entire game. It's simply something I wanted to make, and hopefully other survivors find it useful along the way.
Who is SRC?
I'm SRC, the creator of ArkDossier. A lifelong gamer with roots in competitive fighting games and first-person shooters. In 2016, I entered my first tournament, Battle Arena Melbourne 8, a Capcom Pro Tour event, and placed in the top 25 for Street Fighter V. I followed that up with another strong showing at OzHadou in Sydney.
I've been surviving in ARK for about a decade from ASE to ASA, with a lifelong fascination for prehistoric life, palaeontology and paleoart. Beyond gaming, I'm a Creative Director and technology enthusiast with a passion for design, building things and pushing creative boundaries. ArkDossier is another outlet for that creativity, combining the things I enjoy into something worth sharing.
Outside of gaming and tech, I'm a dedicated father of four, husband and weightlifter based in Australia.