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The Definitive Dino DPS Guide


PuffyPony

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Hey guys!

So, one of the big things that I noticed missing from the Wiki was exactly how quickly different tames attack, and what the overall resultant DPS is. I therefore spent the past hour-and-a-half (I had nothing better to do) doing some testing, and I have results to share!

Method: I placed a Training Dummy and summoned a level 1 creature for every mountable tame. I proceeded to "cheat infinitestats" to ensure that Stamina was not a limitation for special attacks that drain large amounts of it (i.e. Rock Elemental's boulder throw), and spammed each attack. I continued this process until I achieved a stable DPS number from the Training Dummy (for example, if attacking initially gave me a DPS of 180 but subsequently gave me 192 four times in a row, I went with 192). I divided this DPS number by the individual hit number (dDPH, or dummy damage per hit) to achieve an overall RPS (rounds per second). I then multiplied this number by the base damage for each creature.

Limitations: Because of the nature of my tests, I did not experiment with any creature that could not be mounted. Additionally, for simplicity when calculating DPS, I assumed 100% Melee Damage on the mount. In actuality, relatively few tames start at 100% Melee Damage. To calculate your creature's DPS, just divide its Melee Damage by 100 then multiply by the theoretical DPS. I also want to place a large emphasis on theoretical. These tests were done in an environment where I could continuously and successfully land attacks at maximum RPS. In actual ARK combat, you aren't necessarily going to do so, so consider these numbers as maximum possible values. Additionally, these numbers should be considered as valid for ridden creatures only. Unridden tames likely deal Damage at different RPS and consequently different DPS, so these numbers should not factor into your decision for boss fights unless you intend to ride your tames. Finally, some attacks (i.e. Megalosaurus's Gnaw attack on Grabbed creatures) could not be tested for one reason or another. I'll discuss these in the individual creature note.

Fair warning, I'm bullet pointing these, so this will be a long thread. I'm listing them alphabetically, so if you're interested in a specific tame, it's a little easier to find (or, you know, just Ctrl + F). I'll also include some overall comments and interesting findings at the end of the thread. If anyone sees data (particularly Damage) that appears out-of-date, please let me know and I'll update it.

||EDIT|| Shout out to @Palenor for creating a Google Doc with all the numbers in it! It lacks commentary but gets straight to the point, so if you just want the numbers, check it out :)

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1l8J1yeFnnxXx9a744hXFN8wNdWmV9JjsC12JhRliwFg/edit?usp=sharing

  • Allo. Primary1.4 RPS / 35 DPH / 49 DPS. Alpha Primary1.4 RPS / 52.5 DPH / 73.5 DPS. Alpha Secondary1.0 RPS / 37.5 DPH / 37.5 DPS. Because of the 50% Damage buff as an Alpha, I automatically included this in the calculations for the Alpha Secondary, but I did not include the Bleed Damage for obvious reasons.
  • Ankylo. Primary0.6 RPS / 50 DPH / 30 DPS. Secondary1.4 RPS / 30 DPH / 42 DPS.
  • Angler. Primary1.0 RPS / 30 DPH / 30 DPS.
  • Araneo. Primary: 2.0 RPS / 10 DPH / 20 DPS. The Araneo also possesses a Secondary Attack, but this Attack deals 0 Damage on hitting the Training Dummy and therefore does not generate a measurable RPS.
  • Argentavis. Primary1.2 RPS / 25 DPH / 25 DPS. When landed, the Argentavis attacks at the same RPS and DPS as when flying.
  • Arthropleura. Primary0.8 RPS / 18 DPH / 14.4 DPS. Secondary0.8 RPS / 30 DPH / 24 DPS.
  • Baryonyx. Primary1.2 RPS / 35 DPH / 42 DPS. Secondary: 0.6 RPS / 25 DPH / 15 DPS
  • Basilosaurus. Primary1.4 RPS / 47 DPH / 65.8 DPS.
  • BeelzebufoPrimary: 1.6 RPS / 12 DPH / 19.2 DPS. Secondary1.6 RPS / 20 DPH / 32 DPS.
  • Bronto. Primary: 0.6 RPS / 60 DPH / 36 DPS. The Bronto also has a Secondary Attack that functions identically to the Primary Attack.
  • Carbonemys. Primary1.0 RPS / 13 DPH / 13 DPS.
  • Carno. Primary: 1.2 RPS / 35 DPH / 42 DPS. Secondary1.4 RPS / 35 DPH / 49 DPS.
  • Castaroides. Primary1.2 RPS / 28 DPH / 33.6 DPS.
  • Chalico. Primary1.2 RPS / 36 DPH / 43.2 DPS. Secondary0.4 RPS / 100 DPH / 40 DPS. Tertiary1.2 RPS / 36 DPH / 43.2 DPS. The Chalico Secondary Attack has the potential to deal greater DPS if the boulder hits a target multiple times; however, this occurrence is unlikely and therefore not calculated.
  • Daeodon. Primary1.2 RPS / 29 DPH / 34.8 DPS.
  • Diplocaulus. Primary1.0 RPS / 10 DPH / 10 DPS. When fighting Trilobites, the Diplocaulus receives a 3300% Damage buff, so its Primary Attack rises to 1.0 RPS / 330 DPH / 330 DPS.
  • Direbear. Primary1.2 RPS / 50 DPH / 60 DPS. Secondary1.2 RPS / 65 DPH / 78 DPS.
  • Direwolf. Primary1.6 RPS / 33 DPH / 52.8 DPS. When benefiting from a +4 Pack Bonus and an Alpha Boost, the Direwolf Primary Attack becomes 1.6 RPS / 79 DPH / 126.4 DPS.
  • Doedicurus. Primary0.6 RPS / 32 DPH / 19.2 DPS. 
  • Dunkleosteus. Primary0.8 RPS / 60 DPH / 48 DPS. 
  • Equus. Primary1.2 RPS / 9 DPH / 10.8 DPS. Secondary1.6 RPS / 11 DPH / 17.6 DPS. Oddly, the Equus Secondary Attack appears to deal massively increased Damage to the Training Dummy.
  • Gallimimus. Primary1.4 RPS / 8 DPH / 11.2 DPS.
  • Giganotosaurus. Primary1.0 RPS / 400 DPH / 400 DPS.
  • Giganto. Primary1.4 RPS / 40 DPH / 56 DPS. The Giganto also has a Secondary Attack, but using this attack ejects the rider, rendering effective RPS immeasurable.
  • Griffin. Primary1.4 RPS / 27 DPH / 37.8 DPS. Because of the mechanics behind the Griffin Secondary and Tertiary attacks (Ground Slam and Flying Swipe), RPS cannot be determined for these attacks. When landed, the Griffin Primary Attack drops to 1.2 RPS / 27 DPH / 32.4 DPS.
  • Human. Primary3.0 RPS / 8 DPH / 24 DPS. These measurements do not consider the use of weapons.
  • Ichthy. For some reason, the Ichthy has significant difficulty consistently hitting the Training Dummy, so a reliable RPS could not be calculated.
  • Iguanodon. Primary1.4 RPS / 25 DPH / 35 DPS.
  • Kaprosuchus. Primary1.2 RPS / 25 DPH / 30 DPS. Because of the significant bounce to the Kapro Secondary Attack, a reliable RPS number could not be calculated.
  • Liopleurodon. Primary1.0 RPS / 40 DPH / 40 DPS.
  • Mammoth. Primary1.0 RPS / 42 DPH / 42 DPS. Secondary0.8 RPS / 60 DPH / 48 DPS.
  • Manta. Primary1.0 RPS / 28 DPH / 28 DPS.
  • Mantis. Primary1.4 RPS / 34 DPH / 47.6 DPS. Secondary0.8 RPS / 120 DPH / 96 DPS. The Mantis Secondary Attack is calculated oddly, as it is separated into 80 + 40 Damage. The 80 Damage scales with Melee, but the 40 remains static for all Melee Damage. Additionally, these measurements do not consider the use of weapons.
  • Megalania. Primary1.0 RPS / 16 DPH / 16 DPS. The Megalania uses a different attack while running. I do not have RPS/DPS for this attack, but it appears to be significantly weaker.
  • Megaloceros. Primary1.2 RPS / 30 DPH / 36 DPS.
  • Megalodon. Primary0.8 RPS / 40 DPH / 32 DPS.
  • Megalosaurus. Primary (Day)0.6 RPS / 37.5 DPH / 22.5 DPS. Primary (Night)1.4 RPS / 75 DPH / 105 DPS. The Megalosaurus can also perform a Gnawing attack on Grabbed creatures; however, a measurable RPS for this attack could not be obtained.
  • Megatherium. Primary1.2 RPS / 32 DPH / 38.4 DPS. Primary (Enraged)1.2 RPS / 80 DPH / 96 DPS. Primary (vs Bugs): 1.2 / 48 / 57.6Primary (Enraged vs Bugs)1.2 / 120 / 144. Secondary0.8 RPS / 49 DPH / 39.2 DPS. Secondary (Enraged)0.8 RPS / 122.5 DPH / 98 DPS. Secondary (vs Bugs): 0.8 /73.5 / 58.8Secondary (Enraged vs Bugs)0.8 / 183.75 / 147. 
  • Morellatops. Primary1 RPS / 32 DPH / 32 DPS. Secondary0.8 RPS / 32 DPH / 25.6 DPS.
  • Mosasaurus. Primary1 RPS / 100 DPH / 100 DPS.
  • Ovis. Primary1 RPS / 5 DPH / 5 DPS.
  • Pachy. Primary1.2 RPS / 10 DPH / 12 DPS. The Pachy also has a Secondary Attack; however, this attack appears not to damage the Training Dummy and therefore gives no measurable RPS.
  • Pachyrhino. Primary1.4 RPS / 28 DPH / 39.2 DPS.
  • Paracer. Primary1 RPS / 45 DPH / 45 DPS.
  • Parasaur. Primary1.2 RPS / 12 DPH / 14.4 DPS.
  • Pelagornis. Primary1.4 RPS / 16 DPH / 22.4 DPS. While landed or swimming, the Pelagornis Primary Attack drops to 1.2 RPS / 16 DPH / 19.2 DPS. Pelagornis also deal 10x Damage to fish, boosting the swimming Primary Attack to 1.2 RPS / 160 DPH / 192 DPS.
  • Phiomia. Primary1 RPS / 10 DPH / 10 DPS.
  • Plesiosaur. Primary1.4 RPS / 75 DPH / 105 DPS.
  • Procoptodon. Primary1.4 RPS / 20 DPH / 28 DPS.
  • Pteranodon. Primary1.2 RPS / 18 DPH / 21.6 DPS. While landed, the Pteranodon Primary Attack is boosted to 1.4 RPS / 18 DPH / 25.2 DPS. I did not collect data for the Pteranodon aileron roll.
  • Pulmonoscorpius. Primary1.8 RPS / 15 DPH / 27 DPS.
  • Quetzal. Primary1 RPS / 32 DPH / 32 DPS. When landed, the Quetzal attacks at the same RPS and DPS as while flying.
  • Raptor. Primary: 2.2 RPS / 15 DPH / 33 DPS.
  • Rex. Primary: 1.2 RPS / 62 DPH / 74.4 DPS.
  • Rock Elemental. Primary: 0.8 RPS / 120 DPH / 96 DPS. Secondary0.4 RPS / 300 DPH / 120 DPSTertiary: 0.4 RPS / 80 DPH / 32 DPS.
  • Sabertooth. Primary: 1.2 RPS / 29 DPH / 34.8 DPS
  • Sarco. Primary: 0.8 RPS / 35 DPH / 28 DPS
  • Spino. Primary: 1.4 RPS / 50 DPH / 70 DPS
  • Stego. Primary: 0.6 RPS / 41 DPH / 24.6 DPS
  • Tapejara. Primary: 1.2 RPS / 18 DPH / 21.6 DPS. While landed, the Tapejara attacks with the same RPS and DPS as while flying.
  • Terror Bird. Primary: 1.8 RPS / 18 DPH / 32.4 DPS
  • Therizino. Primary: 1.2 RPS / 52 DPH / 62.4 DPS. Tertiary: 1.2 RPS / 52 DPH / 62.4 DPS. The Therizino also has a Secondary Attack, but because of its extremely low Damage, I did not calculate RPS or DPS for it.
  • Thorny Dragon. Primary: 1.4 RPS / 40 DPH / 56 DPS
  • Thylacoleo. Primary: 1.2 RPS / 40 DPH / 48 DPS
  • Titan. Primary: 0.6 RPS / 1000 DPH / 600 DPS. The Titan also has a Secondary Attack with the same RPS and DPS as the Primary.
  • Trike. Primary: 1.4 RPS / 32 DPH / 44.8 DPS
  • Tuso. Primary: 2.4 RPS / 65 DPH / 156 DPS. The Tuso Primary Attack has an RPS of 0.8, but hits three times per attack. The Tuso also can Crush enemies it has Grabbed, but I did not calculate RPS or DPS for this attack.
  • Woolly Rhino. Primary: 1.2 RPS / 40 DPH / 48 DPS
  • Wyvern. Primary: 1.4 RPS / 80 DPH / 96 DPS. The Fire Wyvern and Lightning Wyvern are incapable of damaging the Training Dummy with their Secondary Attack, so I could not calculate RPS for these attacks. The Poison Wyvern Secondary does deal Damage, but the Training Dummy will not display a dDPS number, so I could not calculate RPS for this attack; however, it does hit extremely rapidly on the Training Dummy and can stack with other Poison Wyvern Secondaries.
  • Yutyrannus. Primary: 0.8 RPS / 55 DPH / 44 DPS

 

General Findings and ThoughtsBarring error from human variability (my finger does get a tad tired), all creature RPS appears to be in multiples of 0.2. Additionally, for the vast majority of creatures, overall DPS at 100% Melee appears to range between 25 and 40, meaning relatively few creatures hold the potential to deal significant DPS, even in ideal settings. Unsurprisingly, we find creatures like the Titan, Giga, and Rex at the top, though a few other unexpected creatures, such as the Mantis , Direwolf, and Megatherium, manage to sneak into the higher tiers of DPS. There is also a trend of many older creatures (particularly the original creatures from ARK's pre-alpha release) dealing much less DPS than newer creatures. Nevertheless, these numbers are a little esoteric as they ignore the broader utility of many of these creatures, so they alone aren't particularly useful in determining which creatures are the best fighters in ARK.

Surprising Findings: The most surprising finding that I noticed was the tendency for some flyers to actually deal different DPS when landed than when flying. Even more unusually, there wasn't a consistent trend of dealing less DPS, as the Pteranodon consistently dealt more DPS while landed than flying with its Primary Attack while the Pelagornis and Griffin dealt less. A few other creatures performed surprisingly poor in DPS, most significantly the Rock Elemental, whose agonizingly low RPS leads to a (relatively) low DPS despite its enormous DPH. Even so, it's still overall one of the better DPS creatures. The Bronto, Stego, and Doedicurus suffer this same problem, though their lower DPH numbers lead to truly less-than-ideal DPS. On the other hand, we find some shocking contenders for the top DPS monsters as well. The Plesiosaur, for example, appears to out-perform the Mosasaur, and the Thorny Dragon and Mantis also both substantially out-perform many other widely used fighters (this doesn't even consider that the Mantis can further boost its DPH with Swords, Pikes, and other tools). The Direwolf, too, reaps significant rewards from the Pack Boost and Alpha Bonus. A few niche creatures (Diplocaulus, Megatherium, and Pelagornis) also deal inconceivably high DPS, but because of their fairly limited scopes, I'm not as blown away by their performance as some other tames.

Anyway, that's all I have :) Any insights you have are welcome

||EDIT|| Currently, there appears to be some discrepancy with the Therizino and its RPS, as some people are citing 1.4 RPS rather than 1.2. In the interest of clarification, I re-tested both the Rex and the Therizino and got the same results as I previously found. I also uninstalled all mods (S+ and Platforms+, which shouldn't have affected anything anyway), and also tested with a macro set to 5, then 10, then 30 ticks per second. The resultant 1.2 RPS for the Therizino remains unchanged at this time.

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6 minutes ago, Jostabeere said:

I tested that with Theri and Rex for someone who said Theri does more damage. I can see that your numbers are wrong.

Test again. I was also under the impression that the Theri had a higher DPS than the Rex, but having literally just tested it (I checked each multiple times), I can't really find a way for ridden Theri to out-DPS a ridden Rex. As I said, however, this may not be the case for unridden tames. Also, if you're on Xbox, you're at risk for over-sampling the trigger when attacking. The Stego in particular appears to suffer from this issue, but the Rex also seemed to have some problem with it.

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3 minutes ago, PuffyPony said:

Test again. I was also under the impression that the Theri had a higher DPS than the Rex, but having literally just tested it (I checked each multiple times), I can't really find a way for ridden Theri to out-DPS a ridden Rex. As I said, however, this may not be the case for unridden tames. Also, if you're on Xbox, you're at risk for over-sampling the trigger when attacking. The Stego in particular appears to suffer from this issue, but the Rex also seemed to have some problem with it.

You misunderstood me.

I have to find my post since I forgot te formula, but I have proven that the Theri has a smaller DPS than a Rex. I tested it with 1, 10, 20, 30 and so on levels in damage. The Rex always outdamaged the Theri despite it having a 1.19 RoF and the Theri having a 1.4 RoF. He states that both have a RPS of 1.2, and that's wrong.

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Just now, Jostabeere said:

You misunderstood me.

I have to find my post since I forgot te formula, but I have proven that the Theri has a smaller DPS than a Rex. I tested it with 1, 10, 20, 30 and so on levels in damage. The Rex always outdamaged the Theri despite it having a 1.19 RoF and the Theri having a 1.4 RoF. He states that both have a RPS of 1.2, and that's wrong.

Ah, yes I misunderstood.  I also just tested both again. The Theri hits the Training Dummy consistently at a DPS of 951 and DPH of 792, for an overall RPS of 1.2. This gives the calculate 62.4 DPS for a 100% Melee Theri. The Rex hits the Training Dummy consistently at a DPS of 1134 and DPH of 945, again giving an RPS of 1.2, or 74.4 DPS for a 100% Melee Rex. Even if I use a macro, I can't make the Theri go above 1.2 RPS with either its Primary or Tertiary Attack.

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2 minutes ago, PuffyPony said:

Ah, yes I misunderstood.  I also just tested both again. The Theri hits the Training Dummy consistently at a DPS of 951 and DPH of 792, for an overall RPS of 1.2. This gives the calculate 62.4 DPS for a 100% Melee Theri. The Rex hits the Training Dummy consistently at a DPS of 1134 and DPH of 945, again giving an RPS of 1.2, or 74.4 DPS for a 100% Melee Rex. Even if I use a macro, I can't make the Theri go above 1.2 RPS with either its Primary or Tertiary Attack.

 

I'll check that. If they changed it, to the same RoF, then he's correct. But I don't like the formula he's using.

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1 minute ago, Jostabeere said:

 

I'll check that. If they changed it, to the same RoF, then he's correct. But I don't like the formula he's using.

I was under the impression that the Theri did indeed match the Rex, but it appears that the Rex, at least when ridden, can beat it now. I tested both by hand and just now with a macro, and I got the same result, so my assumption is that the Rex got a buff, or people have been testing it unridden, somehow

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16 minutes ago, PuffyPony said:

I was under the impression that the Theri did indeed match the Rex, but it appears that the Rex, at least when ridden, can beat it now. I tested both by hand and just now with a macro, and I got the same result, so my assumption is that the Rex got a buff, or people have been testing it unridden, somehow

If I use a macro for maximal attack speed the value I get for Rex is ~1.2 but Theri is ~1.4.

DPA lvl 1 Rex: 1253, DPS: 1504. RoF is 1.2

DPA lvl 1 Theri: 1051, DPS: 1471. RoF is 1.399.

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Just now, Jostabeere said:

If I use a macro for maximal attack speed the value I get for Rex is ~1.2 but Theri is ~1.4.

DPA lvl 1 Rex: 1253, DPS: 1504. RoF is 1.2

DPA lvl 1 Theri: 1051, DPS: 1471. RoF is 1.399.

What's interesting is that we have different DPH. At level 1, these should be the same, as should the consequent DPS for the Rex (since we agree that the RPS for it is 1.2). Either way, even fiddling with my macro to go to 30 ticks/second, I can't get the Therizino to reach that RPS with either attack.

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Just now, PuffyPony said:

What's interesting is that we have different DPH. At level 1, these should be the same, as should the consequent DPS for the Rex (since we agree that the RPS for it is 1.2). Either way, even fiddling with my macro to go to 30 ticks/second, I can't get the Therizino to reach that RPS with either attack.

I don't know why, my tamed Rex and Theri both have 175% damage. I remember it being less. But they definitely have a different HPS (hit per second) speed. It is clearly seen even without the dummy.

I'm too lazy to check all the dinos, but atleast the Theri is wrong.

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Just now, Jostabeere said:

I don't know why, my tamed Rex and Theri both have 175% damage. I remember it being less. But they definitely have a different HPS (hit per second) speed. It is clearly seen even without the dummy.

I'm too lazy to check all the dinos, but atleast the Theri is wrong.

Perhaps your Theri is wrong ;) Are you playing with any mods? A level 1 Rex and Theri shouldn't have 175% Melee, so clearly you've got stats boosted (unless they're not level 1... but that shouldn't matter for RPS).

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Just now, PuffyPony said:

Perhaps your Theri is wrong ;) Are you playing with any mods? A level 1 Rex and Theri shouldn't have 175% Melee, so clearly you've got stats boosted (unless they're not level 1... but that shouldn't matter for RPS).

I don't have any mods that would affect them in any way. Only ones I use is a spyglass mod. Dino damage is at 1.0

But it shouldn't matter for the math. The wiki states they get a 17.6% bonus upon taming. And it's irrelevant if they both have 117.6% or 175% for the attacks per second.

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13 minutes ago, Jostabeere said:

I don't have any mods that would affect them in any way. Only ones I use is a spyglass mod. Dino damage is at 1.0

But it shouldn't matter for the math. The wiki states they get a 17.6% bonus upon taming. And it's irrelevant if they both have 117.6% or 175% for the attacks per second.

Right, which is why I find it unusual that we'd get different numbers. As I recall from another thread some time ago, the OP found that the Rex and Theri had RPS of 1.0 and 1.2, respectively. I find 1.2 and 1.2, and you're citing 1.2 and 1.4. Clearly there's been changes

12 minutes ago, Thorium said:

Therry DPS has to be wrong. Maybe there is something wrong with the dummy.

You can literaly put a rex and a terry side by side and you can visualy see the therry to attack faster. More damage numbers come up in the same time.

As I said to Jostabeere, I've just tried it multiple times with and without a macro on a nearly completely Vanilla server (only S+ mods on there, so unless S+ does something to the Theri attack speed, I don't see why we'd be getting different numbers). That said, the frequency at which numbers appear is a little bit of a misleading metric, I found, because there were several occasions where I thought a creature would have a lower or higher RPS than it really did based on eyeballing the numbers, even after testing a creature with the exact same RPS

||edit|| Just for the sake of "what the heck," I uninstalled both S+ and Platforms+ and tested again with and without the macro, and I'm still getting a solid 1.2 RPS for the Therizino. Now, I have noticed that a lot of the time, when you start hitting the Training Dummy, it'll freak a little bit and give you a higher DPS that you're actually doing initially. It hasn't happened with the Theri for me, but it has for a lot of the other creatures, which is why I emphasized that I'm using the most stable number (the number that most consistently reappears, though for the Rex and the Therizino, I've only had the single value). It may be that your Therizino is experiencing this; I'd advise trying it but discounting the first one or two DPS numbers that appear.

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1 hour ago, LilNastyGurl said:

One way you could theoretically do unmountable is to get into the DevKit and check the attack animations of all of the dinos and see their attack animation times.

Unfortunately the dev kit breaks my computer, otherwise I might do so ;( Honestly I could just use OBS to film them attacking a Diplo stuck in a gate or something and slo-mo the capture to get an estimate. I may try that out

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