Best Flying Mounts in ARK: Survival Ascended

In the vast, perilous world of ARK: Survival Ascended, commanding the skies can mean the difference between survival and extinction. Flying mounts offer unparalleled mobility, allowing players to scout resources, evade ground threats, and launch devastating aerial assaults. This guide dives deep into the most effective aerial companions, evaluating their strengths, taming methods, and ideal uses across different game stages. Whether you’re a newcomer gliding over The Island or a veteran conquering Aberration, selecting the right flyer elevates your gameplay.

Why Flying Mounts Dominate ARK’s Landscape

Flying creatures revolutionize traversal in ARK: Survival Ascended. Unlike ground-based tames burdened by terrain, flyers bypass obstacles, rivers, and aggressive herds. They excel in resource gathering, base scouting, and combat, with stamina management being key to sustained flight. Early-game options prioritize speed and ease of access, while late-game behemoths bring utility like weight capacity and special abilities. Balancing stats like health, melee damage, and oxygen is crucial for PvP skirmishes or long expeditions.

Community discussions on official forums highlight flyers’ versatility, noting how they reduce travel time by up to 80% on expansive maps. Taming them requires preparation—tranquilizers, narcotics, and safe perches—but the payoff is immense.

Entry-Level Flyers: Quick and Accessible Tames

For beginners establishing a foothold, starter flyers provide essential mobility without high risks. These creatures spawn commonly on beaches and lowlands, making them perfect for initial scouting.

Pteranodon: The Speedy Scout

The Pteranodon reigns as the quintessential beginner flyer. Its blistering speed and low-level spawns make it a staple for early exploration. With a base speed of 45 and excellent stamina drain, it covers vast distances swiftly. Tame one using a slingshot and bolas for knockouts, feeding Mejoberries or fish meat post-torpor.

• Pros: Exceptional forward speed, easy to tame (levels 1-20), lightweight for scouting.
• Cons: Poor weight (50 base), low health (200-250), vulnerable to wind currents.
• Best Use: Resource runs, taming high-level dinos from afar.

Level stamina and speed for optimal performance; imprinting boosts efficiency further.

Ichthyornis: Compact Combat Aid

Small but fierce, the Ichthyornis packs a punch with its egg-stealing ability and rapid dives. Found near shores, it’s tamable with meat and basic tranquilizers. Base stats include decent melee (20-30) for pecking foes.

• Pros: Steals eggs mid-flight, agile turns, low resource needs.
• Cons: Tiny carry weight (40), fragile frame.
• Best Use: Egg farming, distracting enemies in PvP.

Pair with a Pteranodon for combo raids.

Mid-Game Powerhouses: Balanced Aerial Titans

As your tribe grows, mid-tier flyers offer durability and utility, bridging to endgame supremacy. These require caves or moderate risks but reward with combat prowess.

Argentavis: The Heavy Lifter

Image a massive condor capable of carrying smaller dinos—the Argentavis embodies this. Spawning in mountains, tame with crossbows and kibble. Boasts 250 base weight and 700 health, ideal for transport.

• Pros: Massive carry capacity, corpse looting mid-air, strong stamina regen.
• Cons: Slow speed (20 base), large hitbox.
• Best Use: Hauling metal nodes, base raids.

Breed for mutations in weight and health; it’s a tribe essential.

Quetzal: Sky Freight Carrier

The Quetzal is a floating platform, tameable via platform saddle strategies. Rare spawns demand kiting with Argentavis support. Stats shine in weight (600+) and health (1,000).

• Pros: Buildable platform saddle, extreme hauling.
• Cons: Glacial speed, hard tame.
• Best Use: Mobile forges, industrial ops.

Endgame Flyers: Ultimate Sky Lords

These apex predators demand boss-level prep but grant godlike control. Found in harsh biomes, they’re PvP kings.

Wyvern: Fire-Breathing Destroyer

Wyverns from Scorched Earth rule with breath attacks. Tame stolen eggs hatched in incubators. Fire variant melts foes; lightning stuns.

• Pros: AoE damage, high speed (40+), flight stamina.
• Cons: Egg-only tame, map-specific.
• Best Use: Base wipes, boss fights.

Imbuing variants add poison or frost for versatility.

Rhyniognatha: The All-Terrain Queen

Crowned the best overall, Rhyniognatha flies, swims, and glides on land. Tame via boss event or wild spawns. Stats: 1,200 health, 800 weight, transport ability.

• Pros: Triphibious, resin crafting, grapples tames.
• Cons: Late-game unlock, complex tame.
• Best Use: Everything—exploration to PvP.

Forums rave about its hover and speed bursts.

Taming Strategies and Breed Optimization

Success hinges on prep. Stock narcotics (x10 per tame), use high-quality kibble, and employ traps for safety. For flyers like Tapejara, multi-rider saddles enable team tames.

Breeding focuses on mutations: Pump health/melee for PvP, weight/stamina for utility. Imprinting at 100% via cryopod cycling yields elites.

Flyer Tier List for PvP and PvE

Common Pitfalls and Pro Tips

• Avoid overleveling speed alone—balance with melee.
• Use cryosleepers for fleet management.
• Mods like Structures Plus enhance platforms.

FAQ

What is the fastest flying mount?

Pteranodon leads in raw speed, but Tapejara excels in maneuvers.

Can you build on flying mounts?

Yes, Quetzal and Rhyniognatha support structures.

Best flyer for beginners?

Pteranodon—abundant and simple.

How to tame a Quetzal solo?

Net gun traps and Argent kiting.

Is Rhyniognatha worth the grind?

Absolutely; it’s the meta-defining tame.