As any seasoned ARK survivor knows, speed is often the difference between life and death on the island. Whether escaping titanoboa ambushes in the southern swamps or outpacing leedsichthys attacks in the deep north waters, having a fast aquatic mount can save you from the jaws of defeat.
Of all the seafaring chauffeurs in ARK, the Ichthyosaurus (Ichthy) stands tall as the fastest creature for sustainable travel over longer distances. With tremendous baseline speed stats and exceptional stamina recovery, the Ichthy can ferry survivors faster than a motorboat. I‘ve logged over 5,000 hours in ARK, and this dolphin-like dinosaur remains my go-to for scouting, resource gathering, and more in the oceans on every map.
But it‘s not the only quick water-dweller out there. Let‘s dive deeper into the speeds and stats of various aquatic options to see how they compare.
More Than Just Speed: Key Water Mount Attributes
While top speed is crucial, there are a few other stats to consider when choosing an ideal water companion:
- Stamina: Long distance travel requires solid stamina to keep up pace.
- Health: More HP allows you to shrug off ambushes from mantas, sharks, and other threats.
- Weight: Carrying capacity ensures you can transport resources back home.
- Damage: Useful for gathering oil/pearls or fending off underwater enemies if needed.
Here‘s how some of the top contenders stack up across these key attributes:
| Creature | Speed | Stamina | Health | Weight | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ichthy | A+ | A | D | C | D |
| Manta | A++ | C | D | C | C |
| Basilo | B+ | B+ | A | B+ | A |
| Tuso | B+ | A | B+ | C | A++ |
| Mosa | B | B+ | A+ | A++ | A+ |
From this high-level comparison, we can already see the Ichthy‘s speed and stamina as its main assets. But next we‘ll analyze each of these creatures and some others more closely.
Ichthy: The Endurance Swimmer
As I hinted at earlier, the Ichthyosaurus is hands-down my pick as the premier speedster for most water-based tasks.
Top Speed: With up to 211% movement speed possible at max level, it outraces virtually every other aquatic creature over longer distances. I clocked mine at over 3000 speed stat recently!
Stamina: An enormous oxygen stat pool means it can maintain sprint speeds for ages without stopping to recover stamina.
Carrying Capacity: Decent weight limit allows transporting resources, although not as much as a Mosa of course.
The Ichthy has been my trusty companion on underwater supply runs, shipwreck scavenging, deep sea oil harvesting, and virtually every other oceanic endeavor. Slap a good saddle on one with 200%+ speed and it can outrun almost anything in the depths. I‘ve escaped more than a few hungry Tusos that way!
Taming and Saddles
Ichthys are quite easy to tame with standard knockout methods. Find them swarming near island shorelines in groups of 4+, or pursue single ones frolicking about at sea. Just be ready to sprint after them!
For saddles, the regular Ichthy Saddle unlocks at level 18. But don‘t sleep on the Tek Ichthy Saddle either – it adds a useless but fun dash attack!
Manta: Bursts of Speed
If you need short bursts of extreme velocity in the water, look no further than the Manta ray. Drawbacks include tricky handling and lack of stamina…but WOW can they move!
Acceleration: Firing up that speed burst will have you rocketing at nearly triple the velocity of an Ichthy! It‘s exhilarating and ideal for quick getaways.
Turning Challenges: Unfortunately, Mantas do NOT handle well at top speeds. Expect to crash into rocks, whales, and anything else in your path!
Stamina Drain: Their speed burst absolutely TORCHES stamina as well, allowing only a few seconds of use before requiring recovery.
I still keep a high speed Manta around for my "get the heck out of here" moments. Escaping swarms of angry Trilobites in the shallows, losing a tailing Tuso, or outracing level 150 Alpha Megs…this thing barely gives them a glimpse before vanishing up ahead. Just be judicious with the boost and watch your turns!
Tuso: Peak Aquatic Predator
The Tusoteuthis aka "Tuso" trades raw speed for nearly unmatched damage and control in the oceans. If you need more battle capabilities, it brings the full aquatic predator package.
Strengths: With grabbing tentacles to ensnare prey, powerful jaws that inflict torpor, and hefty HP/damage values, Tuso is the perfect underwater apex carnivore.
Speed: Respectable movement speed in the 210% range, but not crazy high base stats here. Enough to chase down most creatures if needed.
Stamina: It recovers stamina rapidly while draining enemies in its grasp, allowing extended combat encounters.
If you want to hunt alpha predators like Mantas and Mosas or wage war against fellow water tribes, Tuso is unmatched. It even stands a chance against the dreaded Cnidaria swarms with its solid HP pool and quick escapes. I use mine to gather angler gel and pearls in the dangerous depths while fending off aggro.
Just watch for those shocky eels when grabbing prey – they can dismount you quickly!
Basilo: Balanced Stats
A reliable all-around beast of burden in the water is the Basilosaurus. It lacks any major strengths or weaknesses, making it an adaptable addition to your marine roster.
Let‘s break it down:
Decent Speed: With around 190% movement speed fully leveled, it‘s not winning any races but can keep up.
Good Stamina: Enough to swim far without a rest, but trails the Ichthy‘s endless endurance.
Impressive Health: Large HP pool means it can tank hits while gathering oil or soaking turrets.
Strong Damage: Packs a decent punch for defense and harvesting.
Resistance: Its blubber makes it nearly impervious to damage over time effects. No jellyfish worries here!
Basilo won‘t wow you with outrageous speed bursts, but it CAN reliably carry you across vast oceans while packing supplies and fending off threats. It‘s my ole reliable buddy for large-scale deep sea oil harvesting.
Mosa: Armored Assault
Last but not least in our creature speed roundup is the massive Mosasaurus. These armored titans are more juggernauts than race cars, but maintain reasonable speed for their size.
Carrying Capacity: Ridiculous weight stats allow PAX Mosa missions across the seas.
Resistance: Hardened shielding causes most turret shots to ricochet off harmlessly.
Fierce Damage: Grab powerful jaws and tail attacks pulverize enemies, even versus Alpha creatures.
Moderate Speed: Bulky size limits mobility, but still quick enough for combat and travel.
When embarking on serious oceanic conquests against other tribes, you NEED a high level Mosa squadron leading the charge. Load everybody aboard and set sail for domination!
Beyond those top picks, there are a few more aquatic options with speed worth mentioning:
- Liopleurodon: Decent sprinter with its damage and control abilities.
- Plesiosaur: Solid all around mount, nice stamina for distance.
- Dunkleosteus: Sturdy armored fish that can outpace predators.
- Angler: Not FAST exactly, but that speed burst helps find rare crystals!
While they don‘t compete for pure speed, honorable mentions go to the Dolphin and Managarmr. Amphibious flexibility provides unique gameplay opportunities.
And let‘s not forget about cnidaria for short bursts. Just try not to slam into anything and stick there helplessly!
Now that we‘ve covered top creatures, let‘s discuss where water speed offers the biggest survival impact in ARK‘s aquatic environments.
Escape Dangers
Many lethal dinosaurs and prehistoric animals inhabit the oceans and coastlines. Having speed and agility to flee threats can make all the difference for a survivor.
Ichthy Outrunning Alpha Meg: Even overpowered megalodons struggle to catch an evasive ichthy. Stay nimble and avoid those deadly jaws closing around your mount!
Manta Jets Dodging Tusos: A fast manta can jet away as the deadly squid gives chase. Break line of sight and get away before your stamina empties!
Basilo Tanking Hits: With solid HP and armor, a basilo allows escaping swarms of terror birds or sarcos on land after gathering oil.
Gather Resources
Several critical resources require braving risky underwater zones. Speed and strategy keeps players safe.
Oil Runs: Silica pearls also abound on the ocean floor near oil deposits. Use a speedy basilo or mosa to dip in and out harvesting oil veins.
Deep Sea Loot Crates: Valuable crates often spawn in extremely dangerous sea cavern pits. Carefully swoop through with an ichthy or manta to swipe contents.
Shipwrecks: Sunken loot caches tempt daring swimmers. But megalodon packs patrol many caches. Maneuver carefully!
Underwater Travel
Waterways provide rapid transport between coastal base locations by cutting directly across land routes.
Cross-Country: Traversing long distances over land with ground mounts or flyers takes ages compared to directly sailing across seas and channels.
Evading Danger: Many lethal swamp creatures like titanoboas lurk along ground paths. Sticking to the waters allows avoiding them completely.
Cave Expeditions: Deep inner caverns with glow pets and mining require bringing aquatic creatures along to progress further in.
Want to push your creatures beyond vanilla speeds into true oceanic dominance? Let‘s dig into advanced tactics that competitive survivors employ.
Mutations
Breeding dinos with high speed pedigree and stacking mutations rapidly increases offspring stats exponentially.
How It Works: Pass a random mutation onto the baby dino and imprint/level up for big gains. Repeat the process until mutation limit is reached!
Ichthy Examples: I achieved a 402% speed ichthy this way – nearly double the base stats! It left beta tribes in the dust during invasions.
Strategic Leveling
Choosing what stats to level up as you progress makes a big impact.
Method: Level speed first for young/scouting water mounts. Health and melee come later for battle creatures. Stamina is crucial for certain critters like the manta.
Results: My pure speed ichthys kept pace with many mid-level megatribes‘ aquatic forces. Great for hit and run!
Environment Leverage
Smart pathing and terrain usage also helps your aquatic forces outmaneuver opponents. Some examples:
Sharp Turns: Use islands, overhangs and caves to break line of sight and quickly change direction – especially useful against tusos.
Coral Maze: Weaving through dense kelp beds and coral clusters helps loses pursuers. Just watch your turns at high speeds!
Ocean Trench: The pitch blackness, damaging heat, and tough creatures makes the trench formidable. But grabbing artifacts quickly before threats appear is possible with an agile mount.
Putting these tips all together, I once traversed from Viking Bay to The Great Trench and back in just over 5 minutes during a critical supply run. My super-charged 467% speed Spino couldn‘t pull that off!
I hope this guide gives fellow ARK survivors more insight into the fastest water creatures, and how to leverage speed for survival and domination of the island‘s seas. Whether escaping lethal dinosaurs, gathering precious resources, or outracing enemy tribes – a fast, durable aquatic force is essential.
Stay nimble out there guys, and may the Speed Force be with you! What other high velocity water builds have you tried in your conquests? Let me know in the comments section.
