Snow owls are a majestic and elusive creature in Ark: Survival Evolved. Tracking down these beautiful birds takes patience and knowing where to look. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know about finding snow owls in Ark.
Snow Owl Spawn Locations
Snow owls are only found in Ark’s snowy regions. Here are the main snow owl spawn locations to check:
- The Snow biome – This is the main snow owl habitat, located in the snowy northeast region of the map. Concentrate your search efforts here.
- The Frozen Tooth – The giant snow-capped mountain in the northwest also harbors snow owls.
- The Murder Snow biome – The isolated snowy biome in the southeast sometimes spawns snow owls.
- The Frozen Fang biome – This snowy area west of the Redwoods may have snow owls.
In these frigid areas, look for snow owls perched on cliffs, flying overhead, or roosting on the ground. They tend to spawn more frequently at higher elevations but can appear almost anywhere in the snow.
Finding the Perfect Snow Owl
Not all snow owls are created equal when it comes to stats and colors. Here are some things to look for when finding your ideal snow owl tame:
Stats
A high-level snow owl is key for a powerful mount and harvester. Try to tame owls that are 120+ level. Level 150 is the max possible wild spawn.
Pay close attention to the owl’s stats. Health and stamina are most important for a battle mount. Weight is key for resource harvesting. Melee damage boosts harvesting too.
Colors
Snow owls come in a variety of gorgeous colors and patterns. Look for rare and vibrant owls if you want a real stand-out tame. These include:
- White, black, or gray owls with bright blue eyes
- Pure white or jet black owls
- Light blue owls
- Red, pink, orange, yellow, green, or purple owls
High stat owls with vibrant colors are the cream of the crop when it comes to snow owl tames in Ark.
How to Tame a Snow Owl
Once you’ve located a promising snow owl, it’s time to tame it. Here are some tips for successfully taming a snow owl:
Trap It First
Snow owls will initially flee when attacked. Make a taming pen to trap your chosen owl inside. Build a small room or enclosure out of stone with a ramp leading inside and a trapdoor to close it off once the owl goes in.
Knock It Out
Use tranq arrows, darts, or a longneck rifle to knock out the trapped owl. Be careful not to kill it. Aim for the body and fire from a bit of a distance. It will go down after a few hits.
Taming Food
Snow owls prefer to eat raw mutton during the taming process. Have at least 50-100 mutton ready before you begin. Load it into the owl’s inventory after it passes out.
Passive Taming
Snow owls can be passively tamed without narcotics. Simply place the mutton in the owl’s inventory and wait. It will eat when hungry and slowly tame.
Be sure to stay nearby so other creatures don’t kill the defenseless owl. Also have more mutton ready to refill its inventory as needed.
Taming Tips
- Build a shelter around the trap to protect the taming owl from weather.
- Have mutton ready in a preserving bin to keep it from spoiling.
- Use an oviraptor nearby to boost taming speed.
- Drop items like stone or wood on the ground for the owl to eat and boost taming progress.
With some patience, you’ll soon have your very own snow owl companion in Ark!
Snow Owl Uses
Snow owls are extremely versatile tames in Ark. Here are some of their best uses:
Resource Harvesting
A snow owl’s talons make it an excellent harvester. It gathers large amounts of the following resources:
- Fur/Pelt
- Raw Meat/Prime Meat
- Hide
- Thatch
- Wood
- Oil
- Rare Flowers/Mushrooms
Pump up a snow owl’s melee damage and it can gather huge hauls of resources to take back to base.
Travel Mount
Snow owls can fly quickly across the map, making them ideal for travel, especially in cold regions. Some key benefits:
- Good mobility in the air and on the ground
- High base speed
- Can sprint in the air
- Gets speed boost in cold areas
- Carry riders and cargo
Use a snow owl to swiftly navigate snowy terrain and transport supplies back home.
Combat Mount
Don’t underestimate the snow owl as a battle companion. It has decent HP, damage, and some unique attacks:
- Freeze breath attack to slow targets
- Healing burst from its passive ability
- Bonus damage to flyers
- Can carry additional riders with weapons
Snow owls make hardy aerial battle mounts, especially when teamed up with a rider wielding a shotgun or sniper rifle.
Cave Explorer
A snow owl’s ability to walk, climb, fly, and fit through tight spaces makes it the perfect cave mount. It can access loot crates and resources deep inside caves easily.
The healing burst also keeps you and the owl alive during hairy situations in caves.
Baby Raising
A snow owl’s nursing ability completely replaces the need for milk or imprinting while raising baby dinos. Just use the owl’s healing burst on the babies when they need care.
This makes the snow owl essential for solo players raising dinos away from home.
Snow Owl Weaknesses
While very versatile, snow owls do have some weaknesses to watch out for:
- Low weight limit – Can’t carry much compared to other flyers
- Low HP – Fairly fragile despite healing ability
- Slow attack speed – Not ideal as a damage dealer
- Takes extra damage from flame weapons
- Sensitive to high heat – Avoid bringing to the volcano, etc.
- Mediocre stamina – Can’t fly for overly long distances
Keep these limitations in mind and the snow owl will serve you well. Avoid putting them in situations their abilities aren’t suited for.
Finding a Mate
To breed snow owls, you’ll first need to find a mate for your current owl. Here are some tips for locating the perfect partner:
- Scout nearby snow owl spawns for high-level candidates
- Tame both a male and a female owl for breeding
- Try to find owls with color/stat mutations to pass along
- Trade for a top stat owl with other players
- Match owls with complementary colors/patterns
Once you have a male and female paired up, it’s time to breed them and hope for a top stat baby owl!
Breeding Snow Owls
Breeding snow owls follows the standard breeding process but does have some unique aspects.
Enable Wandering
Set both the male and female owl to wander to allow breeding. Turn wandering off after mating begins.
Producing the Egg
Like penguins, fertilized snow owl eggs are carried by the male. Wait for him to birth the egg after mating concludes.
Hatching
Place the egg in a fireplace, torch, campfire, or A/C unit. Maintain proper egg temperatures until it hatches.
Raising
Use a nursing snow owl to raise the baby owl. No milk or imprinting is needed. Keep it safe and warm.
Maturing
Make sure the growing owl always has raw mutton to eat. Fill its inventory as needed. It will reach adult size rapidly.
With some luck, your perfect stat snow owl army will be ready in no time!
Conclusion
Tracking down a top quality snow owl takes time and effort in Ark: Survival Evolved. But the journey is well worth it once you have an owl companion at your side. Use this guide to pinpoint prime snow owl spots, tame your first one, and start breeding a elite feathered fleet. May your snow owl serve you well across the frozen ark landscape!
Snow Owl Spawn Locations |
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Snow Biome |
Frozen Tooth |
Murder Snow |
Frozen Fang |
Snow Owl Uses |
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Resource Harvesting |
Travel Mount |
Combat Mount |
Cave Explorer |
Baby Raising |
Snow Owl Weaknesses |
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Low weight limit |
Low HP |
Slow attack speed |
Vulnerable to flame |
Sensitive to heat |
Mediocre stamina |