Ark Survival Evolved has a beautiful open-world survival gameplay experience for the players. Whether you are a new or veteran player, it might be common knowledge that animals are the norm, whether wild, roaming around, or tamed.
From the collection of animals available, the Quetzal is a unique one, and in our Ark Survival Evolved Quetzal guide, we will uncover how to tame it, what its roles are, and what kind of food it is required to tame it.
- Ark Survival Evolved is an open world survival game that has a lot of different aspects to it. But the main goal is to survive the game.
- There are a lot of different beasts and animals that can be tamed by players and used for their own use.
- Quetzal is one of the most unique beasts in Ark Survival Evolved
- It can be found flying freely in the open skies that flees the moment it has been startled in any way. Taming it can be quite a challenge.
- Two types of Quetzals are there one is the Normal Quetzal and the other one is the Tek Quetzal.
- They can be used to perform different tasks such as Use As An Air Base, Using In Battle, Taming Mount For Titanosaur, Carrier Bird, Pack-Mule Quetzal, Use As A Fishing Mount and a few more.
- It is not an easy task to catch a Quetzal as you can come across the following difficulties which are the following.
- Always Airborne: The Quetzal will never be found roaming on the ground but it will always be flying in the Air.
- Rare Specie: The Quetzal are one of the Rare species in the game so coming across one is also quite rare.
- 50:50 Bug: A glitch where the Quetzal if startled will start moving towards a particular area of the map known as the 50:50.
- The weakness points of the Quetzal are quite small which makes it hard for players to actually get a hit on the beast.
- The main foods to use in order to tame the Quetzal are the Exceptional Kibble, Raw Mutton, Raw Prime Meat, Cooked Lamb Chop, Cooked Prime Meat, or the Rex Kibble.
- Methods to tame the beast are Griffin Method, Snow Owl Method, Wyvern Technique, Pteranodon And Grappling Hook Method, Tapejara Passenger Seat Method, Argentavis And Scorpion Method and Platform Saddle.
If you are a completely new player, then you might want to read up on our Ark Survival Evolved Complete Starter guide to get more familiarised with the gameplay!
What is a Quetzal in Ark Survival Evolved
The Quetzal in Ark can be found flying freely in the open skies, and its typical behavior includes consistently flying around. Anytime it is attacked or gunned down, its first instinct will be to run away. Quetzals are surprisingly similar to the Pteranodon, and they will never be found near the ground.
While it is weaker in combat power and cannot attack the hunter, it is on the more skittish end. Therefore it will flee the second it has been startled, so taming it can be quite the hurdle. When they have been tamed, they will not be able to fly as fast as they can if startled, and they have a few roles when under the control of players in Ark.
In their appearance, they can be noticed by the fact that they are one of the largest animals in terms of flying animals in Ark, and with their long necks, their main diet will include that carnivorous food.
The two different types of quetzals can include the normal and Tek Quetzal, which are extremely rare and about 20% higher than the one offered on the normal Quetzal. Their spawn rate is only 5%, making them all the more scarce. Therefore, staying away from that type of Quetzal is recommended in Ark Survival Evolved. You might like our Ark Survival Evolved Fjordur helpful!
Roles of a Quetzal
Before knowing how exactly Ark players can tame Quetzals, let’s take a deep dive into the role of quetzals and how they can serve you when they have been fully tamed. Below listed are a few of their main roles.
Taming Mount for Titanosaur
For those players that want to tame a Titanosaur, they will almost always require a quetzal, and you will also need to have turrets installed on its platform saddle. Other animals are pretty slow and will not be able to keep their pace with which the Titanosaur will try to escape; therefore, using a Quetzal is the best option.
Use As An Air Base
Another purpose that Ark Quetzals can serve is that they can be used as an air base when you are in the air on the hunt for other animals to tame. The main reason is that since Quetzals do not require that high of a stamina count, they will be able to provide ample mobility while airborne.
Using in Battle
With the sheer amount of stamina and HP that the Quetzal has, they can be used as an Aerial assault weapon, and when combined with its tribe members and turrets that have been installed on the platform, it can do great!
Carrier Bird
Another thing you can consider doing is using it as a carrier bird, meaning that since the size of a quetzal is pretty big, it can easily carry medium-sized animals, and you can drop them anywhere that is needed.
Pack-mule Quetzal
The next role that a quetzal in Ark can fulfill is that it can travel far-places on the open map; it can protect the player from predatory animals blocking the main path and taking them on with ultimate ease.
It is made even easier with the high amount of stamina that the Quetzal will possess. You might enjoy reading our Ark Survival Evolved Crafting Guide!
Use As a Fishing Mount
With the long length of its beak, the Quetzal can deep dive from the air, reach into the depths of the water, grab hold of fish, and then fish them out, which can be used as food or fodder later on.
Gatherer of Resources
Next up, the Quetzal will also deem it important whenever it can carry resources. While carrying animals like the Ankylosaurus, or the Therizinosaur, it can harvest tougher resources that would otherwise take hours in a matter of few minutes.
Co-Op Transport
While you are in a coop session with your friends and want to take them across dangerous areas, if you happen to have tamed an Ark Quetzal, you are in luck since it can transport and carry other tribes members across islands.
Damage dealing
Lastly, this role isn’t recommended, but *can* be done; while mounting the Quetzal, players can use creative methods to attack other animals and take them down.
Food Required
Next up, Quetzals will typically require a certain amount of food to be tamed, and it will change based on the level of the Ark Survival Evolved Quetzal you are aiming to tame and what food it is fed.
The recommended food to tame Quetzals includes the Exceptional Kibble, Raw Mutton, Raw Prime Meat, Cooked Lamb Chop, Cooked Prime Meat, or the Rex Kibble. Both the exceptional kibble as well as the raw prime meat are put in priority as compared to the other food options.
The levels will drastically increase the amount of time it takes for the player in Ark. A level 30 quetzal will require 30 minutes when fed the raw kibble.
At the same time, it will start to take 46 minutes, then one hour and thirty minutes when lamb chop is used, and the highest amount of time at 2 hours and 16 minutes with the raw meat.
A level 60 quetzal will end up requiring anywhere between 46 minutes to 3 hours and 32 minutes, the time again being divided equally between the raw kibble and the raw meat.
A level 120 Ark Quetzal will need 1 hour and 18 minutes with the raw kibble or 6 hours and 5 minutes with the raw meat.
Lastly, the highest level, 150, will require a waiting time of 1 hour 35 minutes when using the raw kibble or 7 hours and 22 minutes when using the raw meat. If you’ve been wanting to learn how Genesis 2 works, then reading our Ark Survival Evolved Genesis 2 Guide will help you out!
Possible Complications
While ark players might be highly interested in taming Quetzals and using them for transport or as a platform to hunt down other animals and capture them, there are a few set complications that can never be ignored.
Always Airborne
One main thing that irks most players wanting to capture and tame quetzals is that while they haven’t been tamed, wild quetzals will never roam the ground and never land. They will always stay airborne, and players in Ark are left to tame these quetzals on their own accord while they are still in the air.
Rare Species
Another major complication that can hinder the taming process is that wild quetzals are rare. Not only do they appear scarcely, but once they get sighted, and you are in a position to capture them, there is a chance that you might not even be able to capture them.
The 50-50 Bug
In some versions of the game, there is a glitch whereby the Quetzal will instantly start to fly towards the 50:50 area of the map when it has been startled and starts to flee in Ark Survival Evolved. Unfortunately, it is also one of the areas on the map that crosses a river full of predators that can kill players.
Headshot Modifier
While the Quetzal does have a headshot modifier, it is important to keep in mind that the weak points are pretty small in terms of hitbox. Therefore it can take a lot of tries to bring down the Quetzal.
Quetzal Taming Methods in Ark Survival Evolved
Moving on, let’s look into some of the methods that might work to capture Quetzals in Ark, some are less time-consuming, while the other methods will end up being pretty unconventional.
Griffin Method
The first method is the Griffin method, which could be one of the most straightforward methods, but one thing to note is that this method will only be available on the Ragnarok map and will need to be transferred to other maps if you play on it.
The main reason why Ark players will find it so easy and time-saving to use a griffin is that while you are mounted on the griffin itself, not only can you drive it forward, but players will also be able to reload and then shoot while holding their weapons, making multitasking a breeze.
The passenger seat option while on the griffin can make the entire process a lot easier, making it all the more desired. The best option for taming a Quetzal using the griffin in Ark Survival Evolved is to stay just a few feet behind the Quetzal while being airborne.
Make sure to stay a bit lower than it, so you can shoot up and keep shooting and hitting at it until you succeed in bringing it down to the ground. It might take anywhere from 30-40 shots depending on the player’s overall aim and ability to fire shots in a second.
The Quetzal will descend to the ground when it is shot upon, and when it is unconscious, it can be used for taming.
Pteranodon and Grappling Hook Method
The next method we would like to discuss is using a Pteranodon and a grappling hook combined to lure and bring down a Quetzal. While it isn’t the most conventional way, it is still comparatively easy and time-saving compared to the other methods we will mention later.
For this method, you will need to have any kind of Pteranodon follow you, and then with your grappling hook, aim to shoot it in the belly until it can lower itself to the ground. After that, if players in Ark are standing on a cliff, they will need to jump off it.
Once you are going down the slope, the player needs to “while” so that the Pteranodon will grab onto the hook and then go above you and be airborne. If the method is done well, the Pteranodon should be able to fix itself directly above you properly. Otherwise, it will hit the ground and might die.
Once you are airborne with the Pteranodon above you and keep hunting for the Quetzal, and once you find it, whistle so that the Pteranodon can position itself at the Quetzal’s location. Keep shooting at the Quetzal, and ensure that the Ark Ptranodon doesn’t attack the Quetzal.
Keep repeating the “whistle method” to lure the Pteranodon to go near the Quetzal, and keep aiming to shoot it until you successfully bring it down to the ground to tame it fully.
Tapejara Passenger Seat Method
Another method that can work but will be more unconventional is using a tapejara and sitting in the passenger seat while aiming to tame a Quetzal. Whenever you can have the ark tapejara follow you, make sure to be on the edge of a cliff going down a taller mountain.
The second the tapejara comes near you, immediately enter the menu and click on “sit in the passenger seat,” and continue to glide forward until you can glide and keep heading forward. The tapejara will attempt to land back onto the ground, and before it gets the chance to, ensure that you whistle so that it isn’t able to.
The second you whistle, the tapejara will immediately move upwards, and you will be airborne then. Players in Ark can then go ahead and use the same whistle and attack command to move forward and towards the Quetzal in Ark Survival Evolved.
When players are sitting in the passenger seat, they will have an almost clear view of the Quetzal, then proceed to shoot at it until you can weaken it and immediately land it down.
The tapejara method in Ark usually takes a lot of whistle commands and shots to get the Quetzal to dive down towards the ground.
Argentavis and Scorpion Method
The next method that Ark players can use is definitely hands-down the most annoying and time-consuming. Not only that, the process is irritating and has an insanely high amount of failures. Therefore it should only be used as a last resort when all else fails.
To start the process, players must have a stamina-stat equipped Argentavis animals, and a Damage-stat equipped Scorpion. The Scorpion also needs to be aggravated before being picked up by the argentavis, and the reason for that is simply so it can deal damage.
After going up into the air, glide forward until players in Ark can hunt down a quetzal, and while you are trailing it, make sure to get as close as possible to the quetzals’ heads. Getting close to the head will allow the Scorpion to attack the Quetzal, making it even easier to damage and let it fall.
While it has a high chance of failure, one of the main reasons why players might want to stick to this method is simply so that they can kill off a high-level quetzal using a few hits from the Scorpion. It is recommended to use this method on a quetzal at least above level 60, as it will have equal amounts of torpor and health.
While we’re on the topic of taming Quetzals, why not check out our Ark Survival Evolved Diplodocus guide so that you can know how to tame it as well!
Snow Owl Method
Moving on, the snow owl method is also something that people can consider, which is yet again a method that players might not use on a day-to-day basis, but it does exist and is available for use.
A snow owl has an ability whereby it can freeze animals and cause them to become stunned for a certain amount of time, and while the sun does not last for a long time, it is enough to take a few shots at the animal, have them go unconscious, and then tame them.
Once you are near an Ark Survival Evolved Quetzal while being present in the sky, use the snow owl’s freeze ability to cause it to fall to the ground. After it has successfully been put down to the ground, you can use a trap placed on top of it before it gets the chance to fly away after being unfrozen.
After it has been trapped, players can knock out the Quetzal and tame it for however long they might want to—running low on resources to make food? Why not take some help from our Ark Survival Evolved Resource map guide.
Wyvern Technique
Another technique that players can try out is using a Wyvern animal. There is a small technique whereby if a wyvern has been following you for a certain period and you are in the air, you can dismount and then stand on top of its neck. The neck can act as a platform floating in the air, whereby players can launch shots at the Quetzal.
While the method may not be as easy as using a platform on top of a Griffin or using a passenger seat on the Tapejara, it is a bit easier than using a literal grapple hook and struggling for your life while you attempt to tame a quetzal.
Once the Wyvern gets almost too close to the Quetzal, back off a bit and let it fly away just enough to where there is a small distance between you and the Quetzal. After that, stand on top of the Wyvern’s neck, start aiming for Quetzal and continue landing shots at it one after the other.
After consistently shooting at it, the Quetzal will eventually fall to the ground and collapse, making it even easier to tame.
However, one small mistake that players might make while using a wyvern is getting too close to the Quetzal while being in the air, which ends up causing the Quetzal to get startled and flee away faster.
Our Ark Survival best Map guide will help you to decide which map might be the best option to spawn in!
Platform Saddle
Last but not least, the safest method, if you have already managed to tame a quetzal, is to use it to capture another quetzal. For this, players will need to make a platform on top of an already tamed quetzal, which will make it significantly easier to trap the animal and lure it down and get it down.
One of the things that players will need to ensure is that when they are building the platform, it needs to be built with sides higher than the average height of the Quetzal itself. Otherwise, there is an extremely high chance that the Quetzal can just slip out and fly free.
Another thing to be noted is that the top or the side of the carrier should be left open so that the Quetzal can be lured in and can land into the carrier to be tamed later. The easiest way is to simply locate a quetzal and then let it fly into the carrier.
Once it is snugly fit inside, place it down the rooftop so that it cannot fly away. Make sure to keep track of your stamina; if you end up running out of stamina while the Quetzal is consistently hovering, it can fall to the ground and die.
Another thing to make sure of is not to leave the Quetzal unattended during the entire waiting period, as the Quetzal can fall to the ground if you do not keep track of its hovering and overall movements.
With that, we will wrap up our Ark Survival Evolved Quetzal guide; we hope you liked it! Don’t miss out on our Ark Survival Evolved Cave guide!
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