ARK: Survival Ascended Genesis Wiki
ARK: Survival Ascended Genesis — Tidepup
Everything about the Tidepup creature in ARK Genesis: locations, taming method, abilities, breeding, and best uses for naval exploration.
What Is the Tidepup?
The Tidepup is a new Genesis companion creature introduced with Tides of Fortune—a amphibious canine-sized predator adapted to tidal zones across the Ocean and Bog biomes. Its slick hydrodynamic fur reduces drag while swimming, and bioluminescent markings activate during night cycles to help crews spot underwater hazards. Wild Tidepups travel in pairs or small packs and aggressively defend kelp groves used as passive polymer farms.
Tamed Tidepups fill a unique niche between combat scout and utility mount. They are smaller than Kaprosuchus but faster in water, and unlike Ichthyosaurs they can disembark onto land without dismount penalties. High-level tribes use Tidepups as ship escorts, loot sniffers for sunken mission crates, and early-game travel boosters before unlocking full naval builds.
Where to Find and How to Tame
Wild Tidepups spawn along shallow coastlines, tidal caves, and mission-adjacent kelp forests marked on the Genesis map with paw icons. Highest spawn density occurs where Ocean tiles border Bog marsh outlets—check east-facing shores during in-game morning hours when tide levels are lowest and creatures bask on rocks.
Taming is passive with Exceptional Kibble preferred, though Raw Prime Fish Meat works at increased taming effectiveness cost. Approach from waterline crouch-walking; sprinting triggers a pack flee timer. Feed when the creature lowers its head and emits a soft chirp. A full tame requires roughly eighteen to twenty-four minutes on 1x rates with kibble. Build a temporary pen from stone foundations to prevent pack mates from aggroing during the process.
Abilities and Leveling
Tidepup abilities scale with level and saddle quality. Tidal Dash grants a burst of swim speed consuming stamina—excellent for escaping X-Megalodon ambushes. Scent Trail highlights nearby loot crates, sunken nodes, and passive tame fish schools within a medium radius. Pack Harmony provides a movement buff when two or more allied Tidepups travel within range, making them popular for duo explorers.
Level melee and health for combat escort roles; prioritize movement speed and oxygen for deep recon. The Genesis Tidepup Saddle unlocks at level 42 and adds a small cargo pouch plus a harpoon assist that applies a slow debuff to small sea predators. Tek-tier saddle variants appear in hexagon loot pools after mid-game missions.
Breeding and Pairing Tips
Breeding requires two tamed Tidepups of opposite sex with mating enabled near a water source at least three foundations deep. Egg gestation is short compared to larger creatures, but imprint intervals are frequent—plan a two-hour play session for optimal imprints. Imprinted Tidepups gain bonus damage against Bog leech swarms, a common nuisance when transferring loot from ship to shore.
Pair Tidepups with Palaeoctopus scouts for combined recon: Tidepup marks surface loot while Palaeoctopus reveals underwater caves. On ships, assign a Tidepup to the foredeck pet slot where Scent Trail pings display on the navigator HUD, reducing full-stop sonar scans and saving voyage time across Genesis ocean tiles.
Frequently Asked Questions
What kibble does Tidepup prefer?
Exceptional Kibble provides the fastest tame with maximum effectiveness. Superior Kibble is acceptable on lower difficulty. Raw Prime Fish Meat works but extends tame time and risks lower post-tame stats.
Can Tidepup fight underwater bosses?
Tidepups are scouts, not boss DPS mounts. They excel at locating adds and loot during Moeder Master of the Ocean phases but should be stowed during heavy AoE attacks.
Does Scent Trail work on PvP hidden stashes?
Scent Trail highlights mission crates, supply drops, and certain buried loot nodes. It does not reveal player-hidden storage vaults inside ship hulls.
How many Tidepups can I bring on a ship?
Ship pet slots vary by hull class: Skiffs allow one, Schooners two, Brigantines three, and Galleons four. Only slotted pets grant navigator HUD bonuses.