ARK Apex Offering is the item that starts the new Giganotosaurus taming challenge in ARK: Survival Ascended. After the 6 November v97 update, simply firing tranquiliser ammunition until a wild Giga collapses no longer describes the correct taming method. You must start the Apex Challenge, survive Enrage and then finish the knock-out.
The part that trips people up is the 50% Torpidity cap. You can’t push past halfway just by dragging out the fight. The Giga has to become Enraged and calm down again first.
ARK Apex Offering and the new Apex Challenge
Craft an ARK Apex Offering using Alpha trophies and carry it near a wild Giganotosaurus. The Apex Challenge begins when you approach. During the challenge, attacks landed by the Giga increase its Torpidity, but the meter initially stops at 50%.
- Craft an Apex Offering using Alpha trophies.
- Carry it close to a wild Giga to start the challenge.
- Let attacks landed by the Giga increase its Torpidity towards 50%.
- Force the Giga into Enrage, then survive until the Enrage ends.
- Continue until Torpidity reaches 100% and the Giga becomes unconscious.
- Feed the unconscious Giga to finish the tame.
How do you craft an ARK Apex Offering?
The official recipe description confirms Alpha trophies, but doesn’t name specific trophy types, quantities or a crafting station. Check the recipe displayed in your game before hunting Alphas. The offering starts the confrontation; it doesn’t knock out the Giga for you.
Why does Giga Torpidity stop at 50%?
The 50% cap is deliberate, not a bug. Force the wild Giga into Enrage and survive until that Enrage is over. After that, the cap lifts and you can keep building Torpidity. This is what older tranquiliser guides don’t account for.
Once Enrage finishes, keep the encounter going until Torpidity reaches 100%. Wildcard hasn’t given a fixed number of hits or a precise timer for the challenge, so watch the actual Torpidity meter rather than relying on an assumed countdown.
ARK Apex Offering: what to prepare before starting
This is a Giganotosaurus, so don’t start the challenge without an escape route and enough supplies to survive a long fight. Keep any tames you’re not prepared to lose out of danger, especially while you’re trying to trigger Enrage.
Remember that attacks landed by the Giga are what raise Torpidity. If you trap it somewhere it cannot land a hit, don’t expect the challenge to advance as if you were using tranquiliser darts. No single bait creature or trap arrangement is specified as mandatory.
Can you still use the old Giga tranquiliser method?
The ARK Apex Offering system replaces normal knockout-first taming. Once Torpidity reaches 100%, the Giga becomes unconscious and can be fed. Check its requirements in-game at that point; the patch notes don’t include a universal food quantity.
For the rest of the redesigned creature, our Giga TLC guide covers the new attacks, and Wounded Fury explains the buff and Rage bar. The v97 patch overview covers the other changes that shipped alongside the tame.
Enrage while taming versus Enrage while riding
The wild Apex Challenge needs the Giga’s Enrage to finish before you can pass 50% Torpidity. A tamed Giga has a separate rider-facing Rage bar with a Regain Control window, where landing attacks can reduce Rage and prevent the rider being thrown off. These are related mechanics, but they solve different situations.
If the ARK Apex Offering challenge stalls at 50%, focus on Enrage rather than firing more tranquiliser darts. The sequence is offering, attacks that build Torpidity, wild Enrage, survival until it ends, then 100% Torpidity and feeding.
Official source: Studio Wildcard, Giganotosaurus Apex Challenge in v97.
