Rock Elemental
The original Golem, notably found on Scorched Earth, where it sits among the desert rock until something wanders too close.
- Found /
- Scorched Earth (notably)
- Method /
- Cannon headshots
Target: the headThe wedge of rock with the eye and mouth. Every Cannon Ball goes here.
Body: damage onlyHits here add no useful torpor and can kill the tame.
Dossier 002Colossus petram
How to tame the Rock Elemental, Ice Golem, Chalk Golem and X-Rock Elemental in ARK: Survival Ascended
The mountain that fights back.
An ancient mass of stone, capable of lying dormant for centuries. Disturb it, and the landscape itself becomes your enemy.
How do you tame a Rock Elemental in ARK: Survival Ascended?
Steer it into a Cannon's firing line with a metal funnel, then knock it out with Cannon Ball headshots. Body shots only do damage and can kill it. Once it drops, feed it Extraordinary Kibble or Sulfur and guard it. Tranq darts are ineffective. The Ice Golem, Chalk Golem and X-Rock Elemental tame exactly the same way.
- Method /
- Cannon headshots
- Required /
- Cannon, Cannon Balls, positioning structure
- Preferred food /
- Extraordinary Kibble
- Alternative /
- Sulfur
- Tranq darts /
- Ineffective
- Variants /
- Rock, Ice, Chalk, X-Rock: same method
- Author /
- SRC
- Last verified /
02 — From the archive
The specimen
Survivors walk past them every day. At rest a Golem is a heap of boulders, with nothing to suggest it is alive until you step onto its ground.
- 01
Camouflage
Dormant, it is a rock formation. Wild Golems hold still until someone comes close, so the first sign is usually the ground standing up.
- 02
Territory
Solitary and extremely territorial. It ignores other wild creatures, even ones that hit it, but anyone who walks onto its patch is a target.
- 03
Rock throw
It hurls boulders at range, with enough force to damage stone structures. Distance alone doesn't make you safe.
- 04
Siege engine
Wild, it shrugs off most weapons and fire is wasted on it. Tamed, that toughness points at enemy stone bases.
- Species /
- Colossus petram
- Diet /
- Minerals
- Temperament /
- Extremely territorial
- Damage taken, wild /
- ×0.1 of normal
- Fire /
- Ineffective
- Saddle /
- Rock Golem Saddle, Lv 70
Plate 03.R — Rock ElementalPlate 03.I — Ice GolemPlate 03.C — Chalk GolemPlate 03.X — X-Rock ElementalIn-game capture · SRC
03 — Four variants. One fundamental taming method.
Same stone heart.
Same stone heart.
Different ground.
Ice Golem
Frozen stone from Valguero's Snow Desert. Tamable in ASA since Valguero Ascended launched on 7 October 2025.
- Found /
- Valguero · Snow Desert
- Method /
- Cannon headshots
Chalk Golem
Pale limestone from Valguero's White Cliffs, added in the same October 2025 Valguero release as the Ice Golem.
- Found /
- Valguero · The White Cliffs
- Method /
- Cannon headshots
X-Rock Elemental
The mountain with a molten heart.
Deep within the volcanic regions of Genesis, an even more formidable Rock Elemental lurks. Dark stone and glowing fissures set it apart, but the rules of engagement are familiar: bring a Cannon, and aim for the head.
Wild X-creatures resist more damage and hit harder than standard ones, and the volcano's own hostile wildlife can make preparing and positioning a setup harder.
- Found /
- Genesis: Part 1 · Volcanic biome
- Method /
- Cannon headshots
Ice and Chalk Golems are identical to the Rock Elemental except in appearance. Plates: original ARK: Survival Ascended screenshots by SRC, colour-graded.
Plate 03.X — X-Rock Elemental · Genesis: Part 1
The mountain with a molten heart
Hotter, harder, more dangerous. The method doesn't change.
The method
04 — How to tame
Bring a cannon.
Bring a cannon.
Aim for the head.
Four variants. One fundamental taming method. Rock, Ice, Chalk and X-Rock Elementals all use Cannon headshots to build torpor.
-
Phase 01 — Prepare
Prepare the Cannon and ammunition
Three things go in the bag: the Cannon, a surplus of Cannon Balls, and metal walls for the funnel. Misses happen, and stopping to craft more mid-fight lets its torpor drain.
Kit 01CannonThe knockout weapon. Nothing else builds torpor on a Golem the same way.
- Kit 02Cannon Balls
Bring plenty. Every miss and every body shot is one you can't get back.
Kit 03Metal wallsMetal, not stone: a Golem's attacks can damage stone structures.
Item artwork © Studio Wildcard, via the ARK wiki. -
Phase 02 — Position
Build a metal positioning funnel
Metal walls that narrow into a throat, with the Cannon looking straight down it. The Golem walks in after you, wedges at the narrow end, and its head arrives where the barrel is already pointing.
- AWalls: wide mouth, narrow throat
- BCannon: beyond the throat, on the centre line
- CLine of fire: straight to where the head will be
X-Rock / X-Rock Elementals inhabit the dangerous volcanic regions of Genesis. Their increased combat resistance and the confined terrain of some cave encounters can make positioning more difficult. Scout the area and confirm you have sufficient space for your Cannon setup before engaging. Not every cave will take a funnel.
Fig. 02 — One workable layout. Adapt it to your terrain; any trap that gives a clean, repeatable line to the head does the same job. -
Phase 03 — Lure
Lure it into the firing line
Get close enough to wake it, then run the funnel yourself. It follows you in and stops at the throat, facing the Cannon, not side-on. A funnel guides it; it doesn't freeze it, so expect it to keep turning, swinging and throwing rock.
Fig. 03 — Wake it, lead it, and let the funnel point its head at the barrel. -
Phase 04 — Aim · The one that matters
Aim Cannon Balls at its head
The head is the wedge of rock set forward between the shoulders, with the eye and the jaw. Take the shot yourself: move the sight, fire, and watch what each hit does to the two bars.
Head Move or tap to aim · click or press Fire
TorporHealthReady
Take the shot.
Put the reticle where you think a Cannon Ball should land, then fire.
Illustrative demonstration. It shows the rule, not ARK's hit detection or real numbers: head hits build torpor, anything else only costs health.
-
Phase 05 — Knockout
Repeat headshots until it drops
One good hit isn't a knockout. Re-aim after every shot and keep them landing on the head; torpor drains whenever you stop, so this is the wrong moment to go crafting.
TorporFig. 05 — Headshot after headshot until the bar fills. The count here is illustrative; the real number depends on the Golem. -
Phase 06 — Feed
Feed it, then protect it
Put the food in its inventory and stay with it. An unconscious Golem is exposed to wild creatures and other survivors until the tame finishes.
PreferredExtraordinary KibbleThe food it wants. By far the faster tame.
AlternativeSulfurWorks if you have no kibble, but it takes far longer.
Item artwork © Studio Wildcard, via the ARK wiki.
05 — Watch the 43-second guide
Watch the 43-second guide
The YouTube Short of the full method is live. The transcript covers every step. Its scope is the Rock, Ice and Chalk Golems; X-Rock footage hasn't been recorded yet.
Transcript covers Rock, Ice & Chalk
- 0:00
Rock Elemental, Ice Golem, Chalk Golem: one tame for all three, and tranq darts won't do it.
- 0:06
You need a Cannon, a big stack of Cannon Balls, and metal walls to build a funnel.
- 0:15
Wake the Golem, then lead it into the funnel so it ends up facing your Cannon.
- 0:24
Aim for the head. That's the wedge of rock sticking out at the front. Body shots only hurt it.
- 0:36
Keep re-aiming and keep hitting the head until it goes down.
- 0:46
Feed it Extraordinary Kibble, or Sulfur if that's what you have, and guard it until the tame's done.
Five ways to lose a Golem.
Shooting the bodyBody hits chip away its health without adding useful torpor. Land enough of them and you've killed the tame you came for.
Parking the Cannon too closeUp close you lose a clean angle on the head and put yourself and the Cannon inside its reach. Give the shot some distance.
Trusting the funnel to hold itA funnel positions the Golem. It doesn't immobilise it. It still turns, swings and throws rock, so keep re-aiming between shots.
Running out of Cannon BallsStop to craft more and its torpor starts draining. Bring a surplus so the knockout happens in one go.
Leaving it unguardedOnce it's down, it's vulnerable. Wild creatures and other survivors can finish it off while the tame bar fills. Stay with it.
Questions
Do tranq darts work on a Rock Elemental?
Not in practice. A wild Golem takes only a tenth of normal damage, and darts aren't a workable way to knock it out. Cannon headshots are the dependable method.
Can you tame the X-Rock Elemental in ARK: Survival Ascended?
Yes. X-Rock Elementals are tameable in Genesis: Part 1. Like standard Rock Elementals, they require Cannon headshots to knock them unconscious. Extraordinary Kibble is preferred, with Sulfur as an alternative.
Do Ice and Chalk Golems use a different taming method?
No. Both are the Rock Elemental in a different stone, identical apart from appearance. Same Cannon, same headshots, same food.
Are Cannon Balls required?
For this method, yes. A Cannon firing Cannon Balls at the head is the standard way to knock a Golem out. This guide doesn't give a fixed ball count because the number depends on the Golem and your accuracy, so bring plenty.
What food works for taming?
Extraordinary Kibble is the preferred food. Sulfur is the alternative if you don't have kibble.
Where are the four variants found?
The Ice Golem lives in Valguero's Snow Desert and the Chalk Golem in Valguero's White Cliffs. The X-Rock Elemental lives in the volcanic biome of Genesis: Part 1, including volcanic cave areas. The standard Rock Elemental is notably found on Scorched Earth.
Do I need a traditional trap?
Not a full cage. What you need is control over where it stands so its head faces the Cannon. A metal funnel or channel does that, and so does any trap that gives you a clean, repeatable line to the head.
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.
08 — Continue exploring02 dossiers on file