ARK: Survival Evolved Wiki
Register
Advertisement










































Steam 239.0
Apr 20, 2016
Xbox One 734.0
May 17, 2016
PS 501.0
Dec 6, 2016
Logo Mobile 1.0
May 24, 2018
Nintendo Switch 599.0
Nov 30, 2018
Epic Games 311.74
Jun 11, 2020
Stadia 678.15
Sep 1, 2021
Spawn Command
cheat summon Manta_Character_BP_C
or
cheat SpawnDino "Blueprint'/Game/PrimalEarth/Dinos/Manta/Manta_Character_BP.Manta_Character_BP'" 500 0 0 35
Variant Aberrant Manta
cheat summon Manta_Character_BP_Aberrant_C
or
cheat SpawnDino "Blueprint'/Game/PrimalEarth/Dinos/Manta/Manta_Character_BP_Aberrant.Manta_Character_BP_Aberrant'" 500 0 0 35
Variant Manta (Escort)
cheat summon Manta_Character_BP_Escort_C
or
cheat SpawnDino "Blueprint'/Game/Genesis/Dinos/MissionVariants/Escort/Ocean/Manta_Character_BP_Escort.Manta_Character_BP_Escort'" 500 0 0 35
Variant Manta (Race)
cheat summon Manta_Character_BP_Race_C
or
cheat SpawnDino "Blueprint'/Game/Genesis/Dinos/MissionVariants/Race/Manta_Character_BP_Race.Manta_Character_BP_Race'" 500 0 0 35
Variant Manta (Retrieve)
cheat summon Manta_Character_BP_Retrieve_C
or
cheat SpawnDino "Blueprint'/Game/Genesis/Dinos/MissionVariants/Retrieve/Ocean/Manta_Character_BP_Retrieve.Manta_Character_BP_Retrieve'" 500 0 0 35
Taming Method
Preferred Food
Equipment
Manta Saddle Manta Saddle (Level ?)
Gestation Time
7h 56m 11.428s
Baby Time
3h 42m 13.333s
Juvenile Time
14h 48m 53.331s
Adolescent Time
18h 31m 6.664s
Total Maturation Time
1d 13h 2m 13.328s
Breeding Interval
18h - 2d
Jen Twitter I think you'll be surprised, the smaller size makes it extremely maneuverable.
~ Jen about Manta size[1]

The Manta is one of the Creatures in ARK: Survival Evolved.

Basic Info[]

Dossier[]

This section is intended to be an exact copy of what the survivor Helena Walker, the author of the dossiers, has written. There may be some discrepancies between this text and the in-game creature.

NoteHelena
Species

Manta mobula

Time

Early Oligocene - Holocene

Diet

Carnivore

Temperament

Aggressive

Wild

Here is another example of a creature that seems to have evolved beyond its historical traits. Everything points to this being a saltwater ray, but Manta mobula has developed the ability to swim into the island's rivers and shallows, as well as through the open ocean. Perhaps there were originally two types of ray on the island before, but years of interbreeding combined their lineage. Normally docile, Manta mobula is a carnivore only in that it naturally consumes plankton. Fortunately, Manta mobula is usually not aggressive, unless encroached. Its tail is incredibly sharp, and can pierce through thick hide and armor with ease.

Domesticated

While not the fastest swimmer around the island, Manta mobula is among the deadliest of small ocean mounts. Tribes who value striking power over speed often keep large schools of Manta to ride. Its capability to briefly leap out of water provides it a showy tactic for avoiding combat as well. A quick jab through the heart of an unsuspecting survivor can easily take them by surprise! Thusly, many tribes use it as an escort for their slower cargo-carrying swimmers.

Behavior[]

While its dossier describes the manta to be a docile creature, it is actually anything but docile. Simply swimming near them is reason enough for them to attack the player. They also seem to actively seek out their prey, as tamed aquatic creatures 'parked' near the coast will be regularly attacked by them as well. Mantas usually swim together in groups of three.

Appearance[]

The Manta is an odd-looking fish that lives in the island's deeper offshore waters. A wide-bodied plankton-eater with distinctive trailing barbules, M. mobula is nevertheless a dangerous creature due to the barbed stinger it carries on its tail. Between this weapon and its fast swimming speed, they are rarely bothered by larger predators.

Color Scheme and Regions[]

This section displays the Manta's natural colors and regions. For demonstration, the regions below are colored red over an albino Manta. The colored squares shown underneath each region's description are the colors that the Manta will randomly spawn with to provide an overall range of its natural color scheme. Hover your cursor over a color to display its name and ID.

This information can be used to alter the Manta's regions by entering cheat SetTargetDinoColor <ColorRegion> <ColorID> in the cheat console. For instance, cheat SetTargetDinoColor 0 6 would color the Manta's "body" magenta.

Manta PaintRegion0
Region 0:
Body
14
19
20
21
22
23
24
28
29
Manta PaintRegion1
Region 1:
Spots
13
14
20
22
24
26
27
33
34
35
X mark

Region 2 is not used
for this Creature.

X mark

Region 3 is not used
for this Creature.

Manta PaintRegion4
Region 4:
Patterning
13
14
20
22
24
26
27
33
34
35
X mark

Region 5 is not used
for this Creature.

Drops[]

Base Stats and Growth[]

Attribute Base Value Level Increase Taming Bonus
Wild Tamed Additive Multiplicative
Health Health 320 +16 +1.35% 0.07
Stamina Stamina 270 +54 +20%
Oxygen Oxygen N/A N/A N/A
Food Food 1000 +100 +10% 15%
Weight Weight 200 +4 +4%
Melee Damage Melee Damage 28 +1.4 +0.85% 14% 17.6%
Movement Speed Movement Speed 100% N/A +1.25%
Torpidity Torpidity 700 +42 N/A 0.5
Movement
[u/s]
Base Speed Sprinting Speed Stamina
Wild Tamed1 Tamed2 Wild Tamed1 Tamed2
Walking 600 ? ? ? ? ? 10
Swimming 600 ? ? 780 2700 2700 3
  • 1These are the base speeds of the creature at 100% Movement Speed.
  • 2These are the speeds of the creature tamed and non-imprinted.
  • For a comparison of the speeds of all creatures, see Base Creature Speeds.
Attack Values
Melee Stamina Cost Attack Range Description
Base Minimum Activation Using the Left Mousebutton (PC), R2 Button (PS), RT Button (Xbox One), the Manta stabs the target with its barbed tail.
-10 200 0 400
Attack Type Damage Projectile Values Torpor Values Status Effect: Stamina Status Effect: Torpidity
Life Impulse Radius Base Mult Duration Damage Mult Amount Duration Damage Mult Amount
Melee 28

Wild Stats Level-up

Type in values of a wild creature to see on which stats it's emphasized. Green values on a high-level creature are very good for breeding. If you have already tamed your creature you can try to recover the breeding stats with an external tool.[2]

Manta

The stat-calculator does not work in the mobile-view, see here for alternatives: Apps

Note that after the creature is tamed it gets bonuses on some stats depending on the taming effectiveness. This makes it hard to retrieve the levels on a tamed creature, so this tool is only for wild ones, but gives a first impression, how well the stats are distributed.

Taming[]

Manta Level 1 Feeding Interval Time
AnglerGel AnglerGel 5 00:37 0:02:29
Manta Level 30 Feeding Interval Time
AnglerGel AnglerGel 12 00:32 0:05:56
Manta Level 60 Feeding Interval Time
AnglerGel AnglerGel 19 00:31 0:09:23
Manta Level 90 Feeding Interval Time
AnglerGel AnglerGel 26 00:30 0:12:51
Manta Level 120 Feeding Interval Time
AnglerGel AnglerGel 33 00:30 0:16:18
Manta Level 150 Feeding Interval Time
AnglerGel AnglerGel 40 00:30 0:19:45

Soothing Balm Manta Level 1 Feeding Interval Time
Values without Soothing Balm AnglerGel AnglerGel 6 00:35 0:02:58
Minor Soothing Balm (Mobile) AnglerGel AnglerGel 2 01:00 0:01:00
Regular Soothing Balm (Mobile) AnglerGel AnglerGel 1 00:00 0:00:30
Major Soothing Balm (Mobile) AnglerGel AnglerGel 1 00:00 0:00:30
Soothing Balm Manta Level 30 Feeding Interval Time
Values without Soothing Balm AnglerGel AnglerGel 14 00:31 0:06:55
Minor Soothing Balm (Mobile) AnglerGel AnglerGel 5 00:37 0:02:29
Regular Soothing Balm (Mobile) AnglerGel AnglerGel 1 00:00 0:00:30
Major Soothing Balm (Mobile) AnglerGel AnglerGel 1 00:00 0:00:30
Soothing Balm Manta Level 75 Feeding Interval Time
Values without Soothing Balm AnglerGel AnglerGel 26 00:30 0:12:51
Minor Soothing Balm (Mobile) AnglerGel AnglerGel 9 00:33 0:04:27
Regular Soothing Balm (Mobile) AnglerGel AnglerGel 1 00:00 0:00:30
Major Soothing Balm (Mobile) AnglerGel AnglerGel 1 00:00 0:00:30
Soothing Balm Manta Level 150 Feeding Interval Time
Values without Soothing Balm AnglerGel AnglerGel 46 00:30 0:22:43
Minor Soothing Balm (Mobile) AnglerGel AnglerGel 16 00:31 0:07:54
Regular Soothing Balm (Mobile) AnglerGel AnglerGel 2 01:00 0:01:00
Major Soothing Balm (Mobile) AnglerGel AnglerGel 1 00:00 0:00:30
Soothing Balm Manta Level 300 Feeding Interval Time
Values without Soothing Balm AnglerGel AnglerGel 86 00:29 0:42:28
Minor Soothing Balm (Mobile) AnglerGel AnglerGel 29 00:30 0:14:20
Regular Soothing Balm (Mobile) AnglerGel AnglerGel 3 00:44 0:01:29
Major Soothing Balm (Mobile) AnglerGel AnglerGel 1 00:00 0:00:30
Soothing Balm Manta Level 450 Feeding Interval Time
Values without Soothing Balm AnglerGel AnglerGel 126 00:29 1:02:13
Minor Soothing Balm (Mobile) AnglerGel AnglerGel 42 00:30 0:20:45
Regular Soothing Balm (Mobile) AnglerGel AnglerGel 5 00:37 0:02:29
Major Soothing Balm (Mobile) AnglerGel AnglerGel 1 00:00 0:00:30


Note that the values are for optimal cases, always bring extra supplies!
For a level-dependent count of resources needed, try an external taming calculator.

Strategy[]

The Manta is tamed passively, meaning it must not be rendered unconscious before taming it. This is kind of similar to the Ichthyosaurus Ichthyosaurus and Mesopithecus Mesopithecus. However, the main problem you are going to face is that unlike the Ichthy and Mesopithecus, the Manta is a hostile creature which makes this tame very frustrating and, due to the Manta's high damage output, even dangerous. Mantas are tamed using AnglerGel AnglerGel, which is dropped by the Angler Angler.

It seems the feeding counter has 2 different ways to count down. When attacking, the Manta becomes hungry a lot quicker (feeding ~every 20 seconds), in other circumstances it takes ~ 1 minute until you can feed him again. Needs further checking.

There are multiple strategies you can use to tame one.

Basilosaurus

The mantas swarming around a Basilosaurus seem pacified and won't attack survivors even if touched, unless something sets them off like a "free-range" manta attacking your mount, or the Basilosaurus eating something and activating the group aggro. You will need scuba fins to keep up with the Basilosaurus's wandering, and Lazarus Chowder or a scuba tank are recommended for oxygen, but you don't strictly need a mount (though a strong one is recommended in case you make a mistake and the mantas all attack you.) Bring extra AnglerGel due to the difficulty of pinpointing a single manta in the swarm; it is easiest to just feed and tame all of them as you're able to get within feeding range. (Tested on SP)

Bug Repellant

Bug Repellant Bug Repellant works against their aggro radius. Use an amphibious mount to lure them into very shallow water (so they can't go up or down), jump on land, apply Bug Repellant on yourself, put on your scuba fins and approach the manta from the rear. You can touch his stingers and his rear end of the "wings" without him attacking you. Just don't come in contact with his forward parts, upper side or underside and everything will be alright (by going into very shallow, you can not come in contact with lower and upper side, making the process a lot(!) easier).

If they start to wander off to deeper waters, go in with your mount again and bait them back to the shallow.

SCUBA Flippers SCUBA Flippers also assist greatly in evasion should it became angered making the taming process a game of "Feed and Run" just go to shore and it'll lose aggro making a Trap completely unnecessary.

High Mounts

Take a rather large mount, such as a Paracer Paracer, Rex Rex or Spino Spino, and go to shallow waters near the coast. Find a spot of water that is shallow enough for your mount to stand in, but is too deep for your character to stand in, causing him to swim. You then need to lure one Manta to the shallow spot near your mount. The trick here is that Manta's do not attack creatures standing in water, but only the ones swimming in it. So to tame the Manta with this trick, follow these steps:

  1. Lure the Manta near you by swimming in the water near your mount.
  2. When its near, try to feed it and then quickly mount your pet to make the Manta stop attacking.
  3. If the manta is close to your mount, dismount, jump near it and try to feed it again, after which you will go on your mount again. Repeat this step until the creature is yours.

When sitting on your mount, the Manta will probably swim away, as it has no targets near it. To lure it back to you, simply follow step 1 again. It might also be advisable to take some Medical Brew Medical Brew with you, due to the Manta's huge damage output.

Using a raft

Stand on a rock or a boat edge close enough to feed the Manta, but not so close it can bite you. Be careful of jumping Manta knocking you into the water.

Building an under boat metal cage works well to stay inside cage underwater and let the Manta try to get in through a doorway. They won't be able to get in, but you can get close enough to feed them. The distance to feed is just ever so slightly greater than their striking range, so you should stay safe as long as you don't get closer than necessary.

Trapping with doorframes

Stone Doorframe trapping is very efficient if you want to tame a Manta solo. Build a Stone Foundation on a flat part in the water somewhere not too close to the shore. Place three stone doorframes around the perimeter, leave one empty slot. Aggro a Manta and lure it to your structure. Swim in through the open slot and swim out the stone doorframe opposite to it so that the Manta will get stuck. After this, slowly swim towards it so you can place the final stone doorframe behind it to ultimately trap it. Be careful though, if you get too close to the open stone doorframe the Manta might be able to hit you!

Alternatively an Giant Reinforced Trapdoor Giant Reinforced Trapdoor may be used however this requires four Stone foundations and an minimum of 8 doorframes

Preferred Food[]

*Only for taming. Will not eat it once tamed but eats Meat like a normal carnivore.

Combat[]

This section describes how to fight against the Manta.

General[]

The Manta has a melee attack strong enough to rival a Megalodon; not only do they spawn in the deep sea, but they also spawn near the surface swimming peacefully with Megalodons. This now makes the sea much more dangerous, especially for low-mid level players; Even high level players might find they struggle with this creature. The only good thing is that the Manta has low health so it's not too hard to take one out.

Strategy[]

Mantas have low health, but are fast. Either kite it towards land so you can easily shoot it, or take a big risk and use a crossbow underwater to kill it. Due to their high damage, they will typically destroy flippers within 3 hits, so in order to out-swim and/or hunt mantas underwater you'll also need a high Oxygen stat. Beware that mantas usually are found in small packs of 2 to 4, and can easily block your movements by surrounding you.

Weaponry[]

Mantas can be taken out easily with even a Spear if run onto land, and stronger weapons make killing it a piece of cake.

Dangers[]

Manta's melee is very strong and they are fast. It is not recommended to go head to head with these, but rather use a mount to take one out. Even low level ones can shred through armor easily.

They will destroy SCUBA Gear in 3 hits. Without the Scuba flippers you are very unlikely to outrun them so be careful!

Even full Flak can get shredded within 6-8 hits.

Be cautious around other Mantas, as conflict with one will divert the attention of other Mantas in the area toward the player, even if they were not part of the original pack.

Weakness[]

It happens they commit suicide (including tamed ones) by jumping onto the beach or rocks. They also have a low health stat in general which makes them die fast when fighting. Additionally, they appear to have considerably reduced damage resistance when run onto land.

Utility[]

Roles[]

  • Scout: Its flat shape allows you to peek just above surface water while the manta and your torso are both hidden under the water.
  • War: Too frail to be an effective war beast (unless you have a good saddle), mantas excels in swift pokes and harassing enemies sea creatures. However, using hit-and-run tactics such as attacking from behind and the side can be used to kill wild plesiosaur and even mosasaurs. Simply speed up to a creature and attack it from above. The downwards attack of its tail is useful, as it allows you to swiftly hit-and-run without getting hit at all. DON'T LEVEL UP HEALTH; the stats increase is extremely low. Instead, just level melee.
  • Underwater Farming: Its base speed is faster than an Ichthy- which makes it good for underwater beacon/resource farming.
  • Explorer: The manta is the ideal underwater exploration mount due to its speed. It can also defend itself handily against predators such as plesiosaurs. Level up speed.
  • Transport: The manta is a great choice for transport, as it is fast and can defend itself well.
  • Travel: Mantas are fast and a great mounts to travel around in water, with their ability to jump the manta can go over obstacles that get in the way of other aquatic creatures. With their flat bodies mantas can move through shallow water that large sea creatures can't access.
  • Escape Vehicle: Because of their speed, small size and flat bodies Mantas can make excellent getaways to escape from threats that overpower or outnumber players and their mount. Not only can Mantas escape from most sea creatures they can escape land creatures when they travel through rivers and shallow waters.
  • Damage:
  • Hunter:

Collectibles[]

Notes/Trivia[]

For information pertaining specifically to the real-world Manta, see the relevant Wikipedia article.

  • Be careful of Ichthys near shallow waters as they can unintentionally beach your manta by raising it out the water.
  • The Manta is unable to swim on the sand.
  • The Dossier was revealed on 9/16/15 on Steam.[3]
  • Real-life Mantas are gentle giants which lack stingers.
  • Among fish, Mantas have the largest brain relative to their body size.
  • The Dossier mentions "A quick jab through the heart" and features a survivor's chest being pierced from behind by a manta. This might be a reference to Australian wildlife expert, television personality, and conservationist Steve Irwin (nicknamed "The Crocodile Hunter"), who died when a stingray barb pierced his chest.
  • Despite the dossier saying the Manta can be ridden bareback, it has a saddle.[4]
  • Despite the dossier saying it eats plankton, they will kill and eat animals (and players) that wander into their waters from land.
  • The species name mobula may refer to the prehistoric ray Paramobula, which was initially believed to be a member of the Manta family. It may also be a reference to the ray genus Mobula.
  • At release, some Manta spawn upside down or even sideways. They can be tamed and ridden upside down. There is no known way to 'flip' them the right way.
  • Mantas do not produce Feces Feces.
  • Real Mantas are carnivores just like Ark's Manta however when trying to tame one for some reason it won't eat any meat until after it has been tamed.
  • Mantas will get beached sometimes chasing a target or trying to escape after taking to much damage in a fight. This will instantly kill a Manta or get them stuck allowing players to get easy fish meat.
  • It is unknown why the Manta will only eat Anglerfish Gel when it is wild but won't eat it after it has been tamed.
    • This is most likely due to Angler Gel not actually being consumable at all.

Changelog[]

Patch Changes
239.0 Manta Manta is added to the game
240.0 Manta now drops Raw Fish Meat Fish Meat instead of regular Raw Meat Meat
243.5 Fixed Manta taming
260.0
  • Wild Manta aggro range decreased
  • Fixed issue where Tamed Mantas would swim off in one direction during a fight
264.52 Spyglass Spyglass and GPS GPS are now usable on all water creatures
294.101 Reduced Movement Speed Movement Speed gain per level
305.12 Fixed a bug where the Fish Basket Fish Basket wasn't returning creatures properly

Spotlight[]

Gallery[]

References[]

  1. Jen on Twitter
  2. ARK Smart Breeding
  3. Jat (16 September 2015). "Introducing the Manta & ARK Digest 16". Announcements. ARK: Survival Evolved Steam Community. Retrieved September 17, 2015.
  4. Sneak Peek on the Manta
Advertisement