Five Taming Trap Builds in ARK: Survival Ascended, Compared

First, decide whether you need a trap or a funnel

Raconin is explicit about this in his Rock Elemental video: the build "does not completely trap or hold the rock elemental in place." It is not a traditional trap. It exists only to make the creature stand where the cannon can hit it. That distinction is the most useful idea in this guide, because the other four builds do trap their target, and they trap it for different reasons.

• A funnel guides a creature to a firing position. It never holds it. You still need to hit the target accurately, and the target is still free to leave.
• A trap holds the creature so that you can take your time knocking it out or feeding it.
• A cage is a trap you also stand inside for the entire tame, which is what the Desmodus needs.

The five builds at a glance

The piece counts below come from the materials lists Raconin reads out in each video. They are piece counts, not resource costs, and several designs let you choose stone or metal.

One discrepancy worth knowing about: for the Rock Elemental, Raconin lists six metal walls and then builds with double doorways at the sides and rear. Watch the build section of that video before you gather materials, so you do not stockpile the wrong piece.

1. Rock Elemental funnel: guide the target, then shoot

The structure narrows toward the back. You run through the middle toward the cannon and the creature follows, ending up in front of the double doorways where its head is in line with the cannon. The back section is deliberately long: Raconin recommends six foundations between the creature and the cannon, because the Rock Elemental's thrown rocks can destroy a cannon that sits too close. The wiki confirms the threat: Rock Throw launches a large rock for 300 damage every 2.25 seconds and can damage even stone structures. The wiki lists its structure-damage targets as thatch, greenhouse, wood, adobe and stone and says it deals no extra damage to metal, which fits the video's choice of metal for the funnel.

The wiki also says you must hit the Rock Elemental in the head, because body shots do little torpor. That is why the video places the cannon centrally and has you aim for the head. Full details are in our Rock Elemental taming guide.

Use this pattern when the creature cannot be held but can be positioned, and your weapon needs a clear shot.

2. Spino pit trap: a one-way ramp into a hole

This is the classic ARK pit. A five-by-five ring of stone foundations with the middle left open, stone doorway pieces around the outside except for one full side, and a ramp of roof pieces sloping down from that open side. You run up the ramp and out the far side, the creature follows, reaches the top and falls into the open middle. It cannot get back out.

The reason this build uses a pit rather than just walls is in the wiki's description of the Spinosaurus: it is an excellent climber and can "step over 2 walls high." A short wall will not hold it. A hole it has to fall into does the job with far fewer pieces than an enclosed cage. Build the ring as high above the ground as you can, as Raconin advises. See the Spino guide.

Use this pattern when the target will chase you up a ramp and does not fly. Expect several attempts, as the video warns: sometimes the creature stalls on the ramp.

3. Desmodus cage: you are inside it too

This is the largest build of the five, and it is built differently. Ten foundations form the base (a three-by-four footprint with an open middle), a dino gate and matching gate go on one short side, then pillars form a continuous wall and ceiling so the whole thing is closed. Raconin stresses that the pillars must connect all the way down to the ground so that you can remove the foundations afterwards. That detail is the one most builders get wrong.

The wiki says the Desmodus can only be tamed non-violently, with Blood Packs, and that letting it repeatedly grab and drop a high-health creature raises taming effectiveness. A cage matters because you will be inside it with the creature for the whole process, and nothing outside should be able to interfere. Our Desmodus guide covers the process step by step.

Use this pattern when the creature must stay with you for a long, repeated interaction and cannot be allowed to leave or be interrupted.

4. Rex bear-trap pocket: five pieces

Three metal billboards in a U-shape, a large bear trap in the middle, then the fourth billboard on the open side after the Rex steps on the trap. It is the cheapest build on this page and the one that depends most on timing. The wiki's bear-trap page (written for the older game, so verify in Ascended) says the trap triggers when a medium or large dinosaur steps on it and that wild creatures can break free quite easily. Have the last billboard in your hands before you lure the Rex in.

Raconin keeps the build minimal because the taming itself is a straightforward knockout. For the full procedure and for what makes a Rex worth taming, see the Rex guide.

Use this pattern when the target is a medium or large creature that will step on a bear trap, and you want the lowest possible build cost.

5. Karkinos cannon trap: roof corners as a one-way door

This build is a small platform with a double-door frame at the end. You walk over two triangle roofs that have been turned into inward-pointing roof corners, the Karkinos follows, and it gets stuck inside. A ladder lets you climb to a cannon on top, aimed as far down as it will go.

The cannon is not optional. The wiki says the Karkinos cannot be knocked out with the traditional arrows or darts, and that hitting its limbs deals damage instead of torpor, so you aim for the main body. Raconin tells you to hit the head. Either way, avoid the claws. See the Karkinos guide.

Use this pattern when your target can only be knocked out with a cannon and you need it held still for a precise shot.

Which should you build?

Which other creatures do these patterns suit?

This section is our reasoning from the five designs, not something shown in the videos. Treat it as a starting point and test on something low-risk first.

• Cannon-only creatures. The wiki says the cannon deals far more torpor per shot than the catapult turret against the Titanosaur, Astrocetus, Rock Elemental and Karkinos. The Rock Elemental funnel and the Karkinos trap are therefore good starting points for others on that list, with the height and strength adjusted to the creature.
• Large climbers and runners. The Spino pit's logic (a drop, not a wall) suits any creature that can climb or step over low walls.
• Creatures that need you present. Anything tamed through repeated interaction wants a cage like the Desmodus one.
• Medium and large ground dinos. Anything the bear trap will catch can use the Rex pocket, provided you can close it quickly.

Common structural mistakes

• Pillars that do not reach the ground. In the Desmodus cage, this makes it impossible to remove the foundations as intended.
• Building the cannon too close. The Rock Elemental funnel needs the rear distance, and the wiki's rock-damage figures show why.
• Walls that are too low. A creature that can step over two walls will ignore a short enclosure.
• Not testing the entrance with a tame. Roof-corner entrances (Karkinos) and ramps (Spino) are sensitive to exact placement. Walk through the build first.
• Trying to move a spent bear trap. The wiki says a sprung large bear trap cannot be picked up, only demolished. Bring a spare.
• Skipping the materials check. Gather everything on the table above before you lure anything.

Save the one you use most

If you build the same trap more than once, save it with the Template Hammer, then place and auto-build it each time. Our Template Hammer guide shows the process.

Further viewing: another trap from the channel

Raconin has another trap video on his channel, “Why Everyone's Using This New Giga Trap Meta”. It is not one of the five designs compared above and we have not covered it here, so treat it as further viewing. Click to load it, or watch it on his channel.

Gameplay video4:37▶

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