🐍 Plesiosaur

ARK 2 Plesiosaur - Speed Demon of the Deep Guide

Honestly I love plesiosaurs way more than mosas ngl and I mean the mosa is tankier sure but the plesiosaur is just so much faster and more fun to actually ride around on and tbh that platform saddle at level 84 is kind of amazing for building a mobile base underwater and I've died to jellyfish so many times trying to tame these things but once you have one it's basically your deep sea sports car you get the idea and maybe I'm biased but I think it's the best ocean mount for anyone who actually likes moving faster than a snail

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Species
Elasmosaurus Remuspissa
πŸ–
Diet
Carnivore
πŸ’‰
Tame Method
Underwater Knockout
πŸ‡
Saddle Level
64 (Platform: 84)

Base Stats (Wild Lv150)

StatBase ValuePer Level (Wild)Per Level (Tamed)
Health2,400+480+5.4%
Stamina480+48+10%
OxygenN/A (Aquatic)N/AN/A
Weight800+16+4%
Melee Damage100% (75 base)+5%+1.7%

Taming Guide

FoodAmount (Lv150, 1x)TimeEffectiveness
Exceptional Kibble22~1h 15min+99%
Raw Mutton44~1h 40min+85%
Raw Prime Meat55~2h+78%

Plesiosaur vs Mosasaurus

Look I've used both extensively and here's the deal.

AttributePlesiosaurMosasaurus
Health2,400 (lower)3,600 (higher)
SpeedFast (higher)Slow (lower)
Turn RadiusTight (agile)Wide (sluggish)
Base Damage75 (lower)120 (higher)
Platform SaddleLevel 84 (earlier)Level 93 (later)
Platform Structures5070

Taming Strategy

So plesiosaurs spawn in deep ocean like near underwater caves and trenches and stuff and tbh they're harder to find than mosas but the actual taming is easier once you track one down.

And they're kind of curious creatures which is honestly pretty useful because they'll follow you at a distance so you can literally lure them into shallower water where things are less likely to murder you and I've done this trick like 4 times now and it works every time even when I'm not 100% sure about the depth. You'll need roughly 90 tranq darts to the head for a level 150 with SCUBA gear obviously because you can't hold your breath for a 90-dart knockout session and the torpor drain is moderate so bring about 500 to 600 narcotics and check every 15 minutes or whatever because sometimes the torpor drops faster than you expect and I've lost a tame that way and it sucks. But also the plesiosaur is fast like really fast and if it decides to flee during taming it can absolutely outswim you so you either need a fast water mount to chase it down or just trap it before you start tranqing and honestly trapping is the safer play ngl because chasing a fleeing plesio through the deep ocean with anglers and eels everywhere is not a good time.

Platform Saddle Uses

I mean the platform saddle is pretty much the whole reason you tame a plesio over other ocean mounts and at level 84 you get it sooner than the mosa platform at 93 which matters more than you'd think because those 9 levels can be dozens of hours of grinding and you can build a mobile taming pen on it and since the plesio is faster it's honestly better for chasing and trapping other ocean creatures anyway. And for exploration the faster cruising speed means you cover way more ground when you're hunting deep sea crates and I've done full crate routes in one oxygen tank with a well-bred plesio which is kind of nuts and you get the idea about why people like this thing for farming loot. Also it's the best ocean scout bar none because speed plus agility means you can zip through the map checking spawns and you can slap a bed on the platform for a respawn point while you're exploring the deep ocean which has literally saved my runs so many times when some alpha mosa decided I was lunch.

Combat & Uses

The plesiosaur honestly excels at hit and run tactics and I love it for that.

You just bite retreat bite retreat in a loop and since it's faster than pretty much anything that can actually kill it you can wear down big targets without taking much damage if you're careful and it's kind of a cowardly playstyle but it works and that's what matters. For deep sea crate farming nothing is faster and you can cover all spawn locations on the map in one oxygen tank which makes it the most efficient crate farmer in the game imo and I've pulled some ridiculous loot this way. But ngl it has real limitations too you can't solo Alpha Mosas or Tusos without serious breeding and mutations and the lower HP pool compared to a mosa means there's less forgiveness when you mess up like if you get stunned by jellyfish or cornered you're in trouble and I've lost plesios that way and it really sucks the key is speed you gotta use that speed to stay alive because that's the plesio's whole thing.

Data sources: Studio Wildcard press materials and ARK community taming calculators and theorycrafting