Shadowmane

The Shadowmane is a creature in Genesis: Part 2.

Dossier
"Now that is one formidable looking predator. I think it's some kind of chimera -- part cat, part spiny tropical fish, all trouble. It seems to have unusually good camouflaging abilities, too. What would you name something like that? How about...'shadowmane'? HLNA Shadowmane Dossier sound.ogg"

Behavior
Shadowmane travels either alone, or in groups of 3 or more. If they find a target, they will chase after it, teleporting if its unreachable.

Appearance
The Shadowmane is feline in appearance, and bears a strong resemblance to Lions. Shadowmane have a frill, which is more pronounced among males, the male's frill bear a resemblance to the Lionfish, and Catfish, making it look semi-aquatic. It also features a small finned tail and is a fast swimmer in game.

Color Scheme and Regions
Male=

Female=

Combat
This section describes how to fight against the Shadowmane.

General
Similarly to the, the Shadowmane stalks players using its invisibility, the only two distinct ways to tell if it's stalking someone is via its pawprint, or the distinct faint sound it makes. The Shadowmanes invisibility is almost perfect, unlike the.

Strategy
The Shadowmane usually spawn in groups of two to three, making it difficult to engage without many casualties. Running from aggressive Shadowmanes is also not a viable option, as their teleport allows them to keep up with a sprinting survivor easily- even with the benefits of tek gear equipped. Their warp distance seems to be most effective on ground and in water. At a certain point in the sky they cannot follow and will quickly de-aggro. If you're still using the basic Federation Tek Suit, take to the skies above all else to get away or to shoot from afar.

Weaponry
Relying on a powerful ridden tame such as a Rex to take down a group of Shadowmanes is a poor choice since they are capable of stunning a Rex and dismounting the rider. The same goes for essentially any other creature. With this in mind, using a group of tames such as Allosaurus can be more effective, though a dismounted player is at the Shadowmane's mercy if they are in the fray.

Supporting some tanky tames from afar with a ranged weapon such as the Tek Bow or Fabricated Sniper Rifle will ensure the player's safety while dealing optimal damage to take down Shadowmanes.

Dangers
Shadowmanes are stealthy pack hunters with the capability to teleport to their targets and stun dinos, which will dismount riders. The highest level also gets an alpha boost akin to the Allosaurus, and when factoring in a likely mate boost for the whole pack, they can deal a high amount of damage. All of these factors can make a survivor's first encounter against them to be catastrophic as several tames can not match up to a pack of Shadowmanes, and none of them can escape once the rampage has started.

Weakness
A single Shadowmane is much less threatening without a pack as their damage drops considerably without a mate boost and alpha bonus, but they can still stun dinos to disrupt the player's control of the fight. They are also incapable of targeting players some distance in the air beyond their teleport range, and since the Federation Tek Suit is provided to all survivors, it is easy for survivors to use this to their advantage to pick them off or escape a tight spot.

Taming
For general information about domesticating a wild creature see Taming.

Shadowmanes are tamed non-violently, rather than through the usual methods.

Shadowmanes are inactive during the day, and can be seen resting. To tame the creature, you need a filled with 0.5+ weight fish of any kind. Larger fish seem to tame it faster. (Needs further testing) With the basket in the last slot of your hotbar, carefully approach the Shadowmane while it is asleep (the creature is aggressive) and feed it. When you approach it, it must be from it's behind or back. If you approach it from the front, it will aggro. Be mindful of other aggressive dinos which will either target the survivor or Shadowmane. It's not yet certain which variable is true, but either the level of the fish or the size of the fish determines how much taming affinity it provides; the larger and/or higher level the fish, the more affinity provided. You will need many filled fish baskets for the tame, so prepare ahead of time.

To reduce the chance of it detecting you, wear a full set of and crouch towards it while its resting (Use  if possible before attempting in order to deter aggro from the area's several insects.) Try to approach from its sides or rear when approaching with the fish basket to further reduce being detected. If it wakes up while you are close, immediately try to sprint away as the Shadowmane takes a few moments before grabbing any aggro. Be careful if there are other Shadowmanes, as even one Shadowmane being alerted will wake the entire pack up. It's advised to clear out unwanted creatures, including other Shadowmanes, before initiating the tame; they will aggro onto most herbivores such as Stegosaurus and Pachyrhinosaurus, as well as small creatures and corpses.

As soon as it feeds, it will immediately walk elsewhere (they become invisible). Keeping track with the Taming tracking system is vital, as you don't want to be too close when they break out of stealth. If Shadowmane attacks a player, all taming progress is NOT lost and taming effectiveness is NOT reset, progress is only lost when you wake him up even if he doesn't follow you. However, they can attack other creatures without losing taming progress, but lone Shadowmans are likely to die if they attack a pack of Stegos.

The Shadowmane is quite variable in its resting times, though if there is nothing in the area to attract their attention, they seem to rest for at least 20 seconds. It's important to be close enough to capitalize on these resting periods, but far enough away to not get its attention at unwanted times.

Tip: As of right now they seem to keep the resources they gather from dead creatures around them. By bringing them enough victims to feed on they will become encumbered and unable to act, making taming a much easier task. Ovis are an excellent creature to feed it if you have enough disposable sheep, since they harvest for very heavy pelt and can encumber the creature very quickly. Building gates around them to prevent them from walking away invisible is also a good strategy.

Utility
All Shadowmanes have a varying amount of natural armor upon being tamed, this effect takes the place of a saddle. The higher the level, the higher the armor generally is.

They also have a momentum-like bar, which increases whenever it attacks a creature, and decays over time. Once filled it can do its special Attack (Hold the Bite button), If this attack does the killing blow the bar will instantly refill and allow another assassination strike

C - Stalking Stealth (Both Genders. a Mate-Boosted Female's stealth causes allied creatures nearby to also go invisible. Reduces Movement Speed)

Right Mouse Button (Hold) - Warp Attack (Ricochets between multiple targets, Both Genders) Right Mouse Button (Click) - Dash Attack (Both Genders)

X or Hold C - Courageous Roar (Male, require Female's presence).

Shadowmanes passively deal damage to melee attackers and apply progressive damage over time in the form of the "thornmail" debuff which is a poison that appears as a pink cloud around the attacker causing a reduction in attack power and damage over time this debuff can stack up to five times maximum.

Shadowmanes can get the Hydration buff similar to that of a, improving their damage, speed, and health regeneration when in contact with water. This buff lasts for 30 seconds after leaving the water.

Shadowmanes do not take fall damage when using the jump ability, however if they fall off a ledge or land much lower than where they initially jumped from they will take fall damage but at a significantly reduced amount similar to that of the Reaper or Karkinos.

Roles

 * Ambusher: Shadowmanes can temporarily turn invisible and stalk at would-be targets. Mate-boosted females can turn nearby allied creatures invisible, allowing for a surprise attack with many creatures.
 * All-Terrain Transport: The Shadowmane has amazing mobility perks. It has unparalleled mobility in the water, perhaps even better than that of the and  along with the fact that it does not have an oxygen bar, with the added bonus of its leap, which can be used in the water and on land to jump considerable heights. It is equally very fast and strong, able to make short work of anything in its way should need arise. Caution should still be taken while underwater as Electrophorus can shock to hinder its movement and Cnidaria can permanently stun lock the Shadowmane until death. It is advised to use the dash to attack them first if attacking them is a necessity. Otherwise, avoid confrontation.
 * Passenger Carriage: The Shadowmane is capable of carrying up to two passengers akin to a Gallimimus, one behind the other. However, it is way more mobile and combat-effective compared to a Galli.
 * Boss Killer: The Shadowmane's combat capability rivals that of Rex as well as it possess natural armor, Males can essentially buff the pack to make them more lethal in battle, and their fast attack speed gives them edge during boss fight.

Notes/Trivia

 * Shadowmanes are not truly invisible sporting a glow representative of their genders and footprints appear as they move
 * Followers like Chibis or HL-NA will remain visible possibly giving away a Player's location
 * Shadowmanes are one of the creatures whose gender can easily be differentiated by its appearance.
 * can be differentiated because the males have antlers while the female does not
 * The design of the Shadowmane appears to be a twist on the real-life lionfish. It has physical anatomy very similar to a lion, while at the same time bearing the fins/barbs of a lionfish as its "mane", as well as other fish-like features on its body.
 * The Shadowmane's design also resembles the Mishipeshu or Underwater Panther of the Anishinaabe.
 * The code name for the Shadowmane is Lionfish Lion.
 * The Shadowmane, the and the  are the only creatures with the ability to camouflage.
 * One of the unnamed humanoid Creatures from the ARK 2 trailer appears to be wearing some sort of Shadowmane Mask.
 * The VR variant cannot be ridden.
 * Shadowmane’s can apply passive damage to anyone who attacks one. (Including other Shadowmane) This is reminiscent of Lionfish as they use poison barbs to deter and even kill potential predators.
 * The Shadowmane may also be partially inspired by Displacer Beast from the Forgotten Realms setting of Dungeons & Dragons. Displacer Beasts resemble cats with alien tentacles, and are capable of optical camouflage and apparent teleportation.