Megaraptor – your Worst Nightmare

[RobertoTurati]

If the pictures look shrunken, click on them for better resolution.

Greetings, survivors! Let me introduce you to…
Megaraptor – the Murderous Nightmare!

While ARK already provides a large variety of theropod carnivores, none of them are megaraptorids. In my opinion, this might be an opportunity to include a beast capable of giving players a good scare, like the ones we probably all had back in the day - and while we were all naked beach Bobs. 

Now, what if ARK featured a horror-themed dinosaur referencing both the night feeder from Genndy Tartakosvki’s Primal and Lobo/Death from Puss in Boots 2? And what if you could craft a sort of primitive Blades of Chaos from said dinosaur? This submission proposes just that. Its main goal is to enrich and deepen the hunting and fighting experience, with a theropod that can do much more than repeating the same bite or claw attack over and over again. Megaraptor doesn’t aim to solve any of ARK’s issues, nor is it supposed to fulfill any particular quality of life needs of players. It simply aims to offer something cool and fun to use, capable of exciting the playerbase and bringing a breath of fresh air in the survival experience.

Megaraptor will come with never-before-seen mechanics and a unique experience for survivors that no other creature can give you. All this with a one-of-a-kind design.

Before starting, here’s a brief summary of the submission, so as to give you all a general framework of Megaraptor and make sure your upvote is earned. What does this creature offer? 

The full, detailed submission begins here: I kindly invite you all to read the text thoroughly, before deciding whether to upvote this creature or not.

A Q&A section awaits you at the end of the submission to solve any doubt.
You’re going to like it!
Wild

Being a rather versatile and adaptable creature, Megaraptor can be found in every biome. Despite that, it’s a rare spawn. In the wild, while it might look like any other large theropod at a first glance, this terrifying predator has a unique hunting style. In the daytime, Megaraptor hunts by approaching its prey in Ambush Mode, blending in the shadows of the environment. Being incapable of actually turning invisible, it will get easier and easier for the prey to spot it as it gets closer.

However, if you can see Megaraptor, then it’s already too late! Once Megaraptor is close enough, it will pounce on its prey, performing a Jumpscare Lunge. Even if the prey manages to survive the attack, it will suffer from a Yutyrannus-style Fear Status that will cause it an intense psychological episode. This works on any creature, no matter the size (except for Titanosaurus and bosses/titans). Even survivors aren’t safe from this effect: they’ll experience SHOCK, a unique Hallucination Effect haunting their screen with visions of ghostly claws, teeth, and devilish eyes for 10 minutes (though it might as well last 5 minutes or less). To make things even worse, Megaraptor seems to change its behavior during the night, preferring to stalk and haunt its prey before killing them, roaring from the shadows to terrify both creatures and players with the same Hallucination Effect. In case you survive the ambush despite all this, don’t think you’re safe, for Megaraptor is also an excellent tracker. It will follow your trail and stalk you in the dark, waiting for its next chance to attack. You’d better keep your ears open for any rustling bush!

And that’s not all: attacking a Megaraptor is nearly futile, because it will dodge and parry its way through strikes and shots as it approaches you. Nevertheless, survivors have a trick up their sleeve against Megaraptors, as these creatures are remarkably scared of fire, and will stay away from any sources of it. Torches, campfires, and flamethrowers will make this dinosaur run back into the dark. Also, staying next to a source of fire will heal SHOCK’s effect faster: it will pass in 5 minutes, rather than 10 (or half the minutes it would end up lasting, anyway).

So how do you kill this monster, if it’s so formidable? You have to strike first! If you happen to spot a Megaraptor from afar and feel well-equipped enough to face it, throw everything you have at it before it gets a chance to pounce on you: if you can do that, it will be a regular fight. 

NB: only wild Megaraptors can parry projectiles.

Taming Process

Taming a Megaraptor is surely a test of skill. Here’s a step-by-step guide:

1. Find and kill a wild Megaraptor.

2. Harvest the Megaraptor Claws from the corpse and use them to craft the Megaraptor Blades.

3. Approach the Megaraptor you want to tame, holding the blades in your hands. Having them equipped will prevent the creature from lunging at you, making it get in a duel stance instead, and it will be ready to fight.

4. Use the secondary attack of the blades to parry the beast’s strikes. This will rapidly drain its stamina.

5. Once Megaraptor gets tired from the fight, feed it with Battle Tartare or Shadow Steak Saute and repeat the process until it’s tamed. Feeding Megaraptor with Raw Mutton or Prime Meat is almost ineffective, while Raw Meat will be refused.

Congratulations! You’ve successfully tamed a Megaraptor!
This stealthy killer has many tricks up its sleeve that will give survivors an edge in trying to survive the ARK.

Actions

• Claw Swipes (, , ) :

  • Click: A three-swipe combo that builds up speed and damage similarly to TEK claws. The speed and damage buildup is shown in a gauge.

  • Hold: Consume the gauge as you perform the Wounding Gnash, a high-damage double swipe & bite attack. This attack deals a Wounded status effect to a target. For 5 minutes, the target will take increased damage from attacks and leave behind a blood trail that is highlighted when riding a Megaraptor. As long as Megaraptor follows this trail, it will receive a movement speed buff. A moderate cooldown prevents players from spamming this ability.

• Hunting Pounce (Hold, , ) :A reticle will appear, allowing Megaraptor to aim. Once aimed at a target, Megaraptor will pounce on it, clinging to large creatures (like Deinonychus does) and pinning down small creatures and fliers (like Thylacoleo does). This attack dismounts players.

• Crouch (C, , ) : Megaraptor starts crawling on all fours, entering Ambush Mode. Megaraptor looks semi-transparent to players as long as it’s distant enough, while being invisible to turrets and hostile creatures. Pouncing on a creature while in Ambush Mode will trigger the Jumpscare Lunge, dealing all the status effects described in Wild to the target. The Jumpscare Lunge will instantly deactivate Ambush Mode, preventing it for a few seconds, and it won’t be usable again for a time. Even though you can rapidly get back in Ambush Mode, you won’t be able to spam the Jumpscare Lunge.

• Jump (Space, , ) :

  • Press: Jump.

  • Hold: When facing a wall, Megaraptor will perform a parkour-like sprint to climb the obstacle.

• Directional Dodge (Double Click W A S D) : Megaraptor can dodge in any direction based on your inputs (forward, backward, sideways, or diagonally), granting it Invincibility Frames (like Fjordhawk). A short cooldown prevents players from spamming this ability.

Passive Abilities

• Agility: Megaraptor can rapidly walk and crawl in all directions and 360° rotate where it stands. Megaraptor can also sprint sideways by helping itself with its forelimbs. Though less efficient than a sprint forward, this movement comes in pretty handy in combat.
   

• Darkness Buff: When it’s nighttime or while spelunking in deep caves, Ambush Mode is constantly active. Pressing C,,will make Megaraptor let out a Creepy Roar, dealing the same effects as the Jumpscare Lunge. While this roar can’t be spammed, it will have a shorter cooldown than a Jumpscare Lunge.
   

• Big Game: When fighting large creatures and bosses/titans, Megaraptor gains the ability to heal itself by hitting the target, gaining an amount of health points equal to 50% of the damage points dealt with each blow.
   

• Overkill: A gauge fills up the more creatures a Megaraptor kills. Once the gauge is filled, Megaraptor will enter a psychotic rage where the rider cannot control its movements, during which it runs savagely on all fours, in search of the closest target, be it an ally or an enemy. While it won’t be able to perform special attacks, its Damage, Movement Speed, Rate of Fire, and Damage Resistance are all increased tremendously while raging. This is a high-risk mechanic that may pay off greatly if timed correctly.
   

• ⚠ Fear of Fire ⚠: Megaraptor’s fear of fire is overwhelming even after the taming process. If it gets too close to a source of fire, this creature will be filled with Fear.

Megaraptor Blades

Megaraptor’s Potential in ASA

Now that we’ve all seen what ARK Survival Ascended looks like and the new mechanics it introduced, I can tell without a doubt that Megaraptor will fit right in. The night is now really scary and anxiogenic, making the presence of this formidable ambush predator all the more terrifying. Furthermore, with the new path-finding system, Megaraptor will be a much more persistent stalker, and it will take more than a mere torch to escape it. Also, with the movement speed level-up gone, survivors will have no hope to outrun it. Such an opportunity to achieve the full potential of Megaraptor’s concept just can’t be missed!

If you liked Megaraptor, please upvote this submission and share it with your friends.
I’ll be listening to any feedback or advice you’d like to give me. Thanks for reading.
Megaraptor for the win!

Credits:
Created by Roberto Turati
Designed by TheFictionalLawyer & DILONG

Art by RiskyBiscuits, Lapis Lazuli (art references), TheFictionalLawyer & TheSilentReaper

With the participation of DynastyOfDragons, Jimmy, & TheSilentReaper

Dossier by Mihael & Roberto Turati

Possible Questions and Clarification:

Don’t we have enough theropods? - ARK has many carnivorous theropods, which has always made it difficult for creature submitters to come up with a new one and candidate it. But in my opinion, this creature is completely qualified to be a worthy addition to the game, since it delivers a richer hunter-v-prey experience for players, as well as a deep combat system that will surely make it a creature not only versatile, but also fun to use, which I think should matter more than anything else in a game.

Why add another raptor? - Because this is no “raptor”, in spite of its name. Megaraptoridae was a family of predatory theropods more closely related to Tyrannosauroidea than it was to Dromaeosauridae (source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megaraptora). Not only that, but Megaraptoridae is one of the few families in the Carnosauria infraorder that haven’t been featured in the game yet, while being really peculiar and unique, with their appearance strongly indicating that they were deadly predators.

Wouldn’t this heavily combat-oriented asset make Megaraptor overpowered? - Not really, since it still remains a medium-tier creature hardly stronger than Carnotaurus. Still, Megaraptor has great potential thanks to its several obtainable buffs and a more varied moveset than the now boring “bite spam”. Besides, if you want to get the most out of Megaraptor, you’ll need to get strategic with its Ambush Mode and Jumpscare Lunge, which is useful for approaching bases and scaring away the largest dinos, including Giganotosaurus. If exploited properly, this creature will be your best tame for fighting armies and bosses, but this comes at a price: Megaraptor’s fear of fire may turn the tide in combat all of a sudden, and its Overkill frenzy can be way more counterproductive than useful, if not played wisely.

Wouldn’t Megaraptor overshadow Deinonychus? - Absolutely not. In fact, although Megaraptor shares many similarities with Deinonychus while feeling overall like a superior tame (except for climbing), it’s worth mentioning that Deinonychus will hold its place in the survival experience. First of all, it’s an early tame, unlike Megaraptor. Second of all, Deinonychus’ Bleeding is still vital in boss fights, making it a mandatory tame. Finally, while Megaraptor is an especially good option to fight large enemies, it’s less efficient than Deinonychus against medium-sized creatures and far riskier when slaying large numbers of lesser foes.

Wouldn’t Megaraptor just become an annoyance like Pegomastax and Ichthyornis after a while? - It’s a very rare creature. Even though it gives its all in early-mid game and even if you’re flying across the map, you’ll have to fear it might show up the moment you need to land or venture the wilds. It’s a considerable threat to you and your mounts, but if you learn the best strategies to scare it away with fire, then you can live with it. In late game, while you’ll probably be too advanced to be Megaraptor’s prey, you’ll surely be able to enjoy it as a hunter and a fighter.

How useful will Megaraptor actually be against bosses? - Megaraptor is a good choice to slay the Broodmother spawning naturally in Valguero, but beware of her spiderlings: kill too many and you’ll trigger Megaraptor’s Overkill frenzy. As for Valguero’s true bosses - Megapithecus, Dragon, and Manticore - Megaraptors are ideal thanks to their Big Game buff and the absence of enemy minions getting in your way. The only issue will be losing control over the Megaraptors because of the Dragon and the Manticore’s fire-based attacks. This dinosaur won’t be the ultimate boss killer, but still a balanced solution, with its pros and cons. It’s up to you to choose how to use Megaraptor outside Valguero, not to mention the fact that everything depends on how Wildcard would design the official Megaraptor should it win the submission. For now, Megaraptor has several features helpful against bosses and giant creatures: accelerating blows, the ability to cling to large beasts, the Wounded status effect it deals to enemies, making them take more damage, and the Big Game buff, which allows it to resist much longer in a fight.

(Megaraptor fan art by Drawolf)

(Promotional chibi by Risky Biscuits)

Edited March 14 by RobertoTurati
Explained how to kill a wild Megaraptor at the end of the “Wild” paragraph.

[darkangel65675]

How would movement work for controler?

 

 

[MrRhino]

i hope this wins i love this idea of making ark scary again 

besides the random kapro

[RobertoTurati]

18 minutes ago, darkangel65675 said:

How would movement work for controler?

 

 

In theory, better than for keyboard. Or at least like COD Black Ops 6.

[DILONG]

I remember having similar ideas for this guy, most of my ideas actually came directly from Primal’s Nightfeeder. It fears fire and is weak to it but everywhere else it is a ravenous unstoppable killing machine. My idea for taming was to use a campfire and torch to keep it at bay while you feed it Shadow Steak Sautée or Battle Tartare, watching it’s movement cues kinda like Ark Additions Deinotherium and either feeding or using the torch to wave it away. Ability wise it had various blood based abilities like a hot blooded effect that made it immune to freeze effects or a blood clot/thinner effect where it could either slow down healing or increase bleeding damage with a unique attack. Best of luck to you on this fella:)

[RobertoTurati]

40 minutes ago, DILONG said:

I remember having similar ideas for this guy, most of my ideas actually came directly from Primal’s Nightfeeder. It fears fire and is weak to it but everywhere else it is a ravenous unstoppable killing machine. My idea for taming was to use a campfire and torch to keep it at bay while you feed it Shadow Steak Sautée or Battle Tartare, watching it’s movement cues kinda like Ark Additions Deinotherium and either feeding or using the torch to wave it away. Ability wise it had various blood based abilities like a hot blooded effect that made it immune to freeze effects or a blood clot/thinner effect where it could either slow down healing or increase bleeding damage with a unique attack. Best of luck to you on this fella:)

Thanks a lot, DILONG! 

[TSReaper]

Glad i got to work on this, one of my favorite dinosaurs

[RobertoTurati]

1 minute ago, TSReaper said:

Glad i got to work on this, one of my favorite dinosaurs

It was a long wait, but not in vain

[OverRannus]

Is any of the art not working for anyone else? Because only some are. It happening to my submissions too.

[RobertoTurati]

1 minute ago, OverRannus said:

Is any of the art not working for anyone else? Because only some are. It happening to my submissions too.

I've heard some people can't see them. How do I fix that?

[DILONG]

3 hours ago, OverRannus said:

Is any of the art not working for anyone else? Because only some are. It happening to my submissions too.

I had some difficulty uploading art and sometimes images can disappear when scrolling through different submissions but they’re still uploaded there, might just be something you can fix via refreshing. 

[OverRannus]

1 minute ago, DILONG said:

I had some difficulty uploading art and sometimes images can disappear when scrolling through different submissions but they’re still uploaded there, might just be something you can fix via refreshing. 

I have tried that. It didn’t work. I tried deleting them and pulling them back up. But they come back as too big.

[DILONG]

3 hours ago, OverRannus said:

I have tried that. It didn’t work. I tried deleting them and pulling them back up. But they come back as too big.

If they’re too big it’s fine, as long as the images are uploaded.

[OverRannus]

26 minutes ago, DILONG said:

If they’re too big it’s fine, as long as the images are uploaded.

They were too big to upload was the problem. It’s only giving me 400kb to work with. But I figured it out. I just copied and pasted the images over from the document I had.

[OverRannus]

36 minutes ago, RobertoTurati said:

I've heard some people can't see them. How do I fix that?

I just figured this out myself. If you have the images on a document or some other site where you can copy and paste them to this site. Just copy and paste them from the other site to this site.

Good Luck!!

Edited February 1 by OverRannus

[GhostCreep]

Great Ideas and Megaraptor is an awesome choice. The sickle chains are a nice touch really like the idea of making weapons from creatures.

I added the “Electrorana Giant Climbing Cave Frog” for the Unknown Aberrant Cave biome. Check it out if you get the chance would love any input.

[Xelz]

I love this! 

[noyou]

This sounds like it would get really annoying after the 10th time. And by the 30th jumpscare i'm installing a mod to deactivate this dinosaur because it's so irritating

[TyranntX]

Please no, we have enough carnivores. and we are getting SO MANY MORE in the near future. FOUR of them Made By Garuga.

Edited February 11 by TyranntX

[Elmasgr4nde]

I hope you win! One thing, Megaraptoridae are related to Tyrannosaurids, not Carcharodontosaurids

[RobertoTurati]

1 hour ago, Elmasgr4nde said:

I hope you win! One thing, Megaraptoridae are related to Tyrannosaurids, not Carcharodontosaurids

Thanks, gonna update that statement after looking up their taxonomy once more. This was written two years ago after all.

[allanJ]

Criatura incrível 👏 🤩 

 

[Matheustheark]

Espero que ganhe pra colocar medo na arka

[IndumanoGames]

Megaraptora - O Guardião das Sombras de ARK

Introdução

O Megaraptora é um predador ágil e furtivo do Cretáceo, conhecido por suas garras longas e instintos estratégicos. Em ARK: Survival Evolved , ele se destacaria como um caçador territorial e criador de ninhos, trazendo mecânicas inovadoras para sobrevivência e combate.

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Dossiê do Megaraptora

Descrição

• Nome Científico: Megaraptora
• Época: Cretáceo
• Tamanho: 6-8 metros de comprimento
• Comportamento: Predador solitário, mas pode formar pequenos grupos em torno de ninhos

Características no Jogo

• Classificação: Carnívoro
• Temperamento: Agressivo e territorial
• Bioma de Spawn: Florestas densas, regiões montanhosas e cavernas

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Comportamento Selvagem

O Megaraptora não é um predador qualquer. Ele era de forma tática e furtiva, tornando-o um dos carnívoros mais difíceis de prever.

• Emboscador Noturno: Durante o dia, ele se mantém mais discreto, escondido em vegetação densa ou em cavernas. Mas à noite, ele se torna extremamente agressivo, atacando jogadores e criaturas menores com precisão letal.
• Caçador Estratégico: Diferente de outros carnívoros que correm diretamente para atacar, o Megaraptora persegue suas presas à distância , esperando o momento certo para atacar. Se um jogador estiver com pouca vida, ele o rastreará por longas distâncias antes de dar o bote.
• Defensor de Ninhos: Se um jogador ou criatura se aproximar de um ninho de Megaraptora, ele se tornará extremamente agressivo, convocando outros Megaraptores próximos para ajudá-lo.
• Furtividade Natural: Se um Megaraptora perceber que não pode vencer uma luta, ele se esconde na vegetação , tornando-se quase invisível até ter outra oportunidade de atacar.

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Habilidades Especiais

1. Guardião dos Ninhos (Habilidade Passiva)

O Megaraptora pode construir pequenos ninhos em locais estratégicos. Esses ninhos servem como pontos de respawn temporários para jogadores aliados ou como áreas onde os ovos podem ser batidos mais rapidamente. Além disso, se um inimigo se aproximar do ninho, o Megaraptora entra em estado de fúria, aumentando sua velocidade e dano por 30 segundos.

2. Caçador Sombrio (Habilidade Ativa – Cooldown de 30s)

O Megaraptora pode marcar um inimigo e iniciar uma perseguição implacável. Enquanto o alvo estiver marcado:

• A estamina do Megaraptora é reduzida pela metade ao correr atrás dele.
• O alvo sofre um efeito psicológico que faz sua tela tremer e escurecer nas bordas, dificultando a visibilidade.
• Caso o Megaraptora consiga atacar o alvo após marcá-lo, o dano do primeiro golpe é dobrado.

Isso simula o terror de ser caçado por um predador implacável!

3. Garras Cortantes (Ataque Especial)

Um ataque carregado que causa sangramento contínuo, resultando na velocidade e na regeneração da vida da vítima.

4. Camuflagem Natural (Habilidade Passiva – Apenas à noite ou em locais escuros)

Em ambientes sombrios, o Megaraptora ganha um efeito de camuflagem parcial, dificultando sua detecção por inimigos.

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Domesticação

• Método: Para domar um Megaraptora, o jogador deve encontrar um de seus ninhos e alimentar os filhotes sem serem detectados pelo adulto. Se bem-sucedido, o Megaraptora considerará o jogador como aliado e permitirá a domesticação.
• Sela Disponível: Nível 60
• Utilidade:
  • Criar ninhos para respawn e incubação de ovos
  • Excelente caçador e perseguidor
  • Capacidade de emboscadas PvP

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Conclusão

O Megaraptora traria uma jogabilidade única para ARK, combinando furtividade, perseguição psicológica e controle de território por meio de ninhos. Seu comportamento de inteligência e inteligência de emboscador o tornariam um dos predadores mais desafios do jogo, garantindo que qualquer um que o encontrasse pensasse duas vezes antes de abaixar a guarda.

Vote no Megaraptora e traga o terror silencioso para o ARK!

[SandraX]

Good idea, +I’d like a dino to win again.