ARK: Survival Ascended

ARK: Survival Ascended saw the much-needed removal of the Movement Speed stat as an improvable ability, making room for better strategy when it comes to selecting an appropriate travel mount. Restricted by speed, certain dinosaurs in ARK: Survival Ascended are no longer as advantageous to use for scouting or traversing The Island. Selecting a dinosaur with access to a high speed stat has become increasingly important, especially for PvP, where players rely on speedy creatures to evade foes.

Still, having a quick mount is vital in some PvE situations, such as quickly exploring The Island in search of high-tier beacons. While there are many different factors to consider before choosing a mount, starting by considering the Speed stat can be a great method for narrowing down the list. This article does not cover the Titanosaur.

8 Megaloceros

Built To Run Like The Wind

Base Stamina: 280
Base Movement Speed: 200
Base Sprinting Speed: 1020

Thanks to the removal of Movement Speed as an improvable stat in ARK: Survival Ascended, the Megaloceros has reclaimed its place as one of the best travel mounts due to its great sprinting speed and large jumping distance.

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With a fantastic base sprinting speed, low stamina drain, and good vaulting distances, the Megaloceros makes exploring The Island on land a breeze. The female Megaloceros is particularly nimble, with respectable speed and agility. However, players should be aware that the female Megaloceros is unable to fend for itself, making its use as a travel mount somewhat risky if unable to outrun a threat.

7 Dire Bear

Speed Ramps Up Over Time

Base Stamina: 500
Base Movement Speed: 190
Base Sprinting Speed: 1149.5

The Dire Bear has access to a unique ability that allows it to build up speed over time when traveling in one direction, eventually becoming a blur of speed. A fully accelerated Dire Bear is an unstoppable force, able to cover large distances in an extremely short amount of time.

In addition to this, the Dire Bear’s stamina drain is very low, meaning the bear can run fast for a good while before tiring. With a decent base stamina stat, the only thing holding the bear back from being used as an effective travel mount is its inability to jump. This drawback can make jagged terrain somewhat difficult to manage.

6 Allosaurus

A Fast And Aggressive Carnivore

Base Stamina: 250
Base Movement Speed: 650
Base Sprinting Speed: 1579.5

With a base movement speed of 650, the Allosaurus is one of the fastest land dinos in ARK: Survival Ascended. While its size can make the Allo susceptible to getting caught on terrain, its classification as a large-class predator will cause most wild dinos to leave it alone.

This immunity to being targeted, coupled with its decent movement speed, enables players to traverse The Island much more easily than with most other dinosaurs in ARK: Survival Ascended. While the Allosaurus isn’t as fast as the Gallimimus, it is better at defending itself from threats, making it both a great travel and battle mount.

5 Yutyrannus

Brilliant All-Round Land Mount

ARK Survival Ascended Yutyrannus Roaring

Base Stamina: 420
Base Movement Speed: 700
Base Sprinting Speed: 1610

The Yutyrannus is surprisingly swift for its size, with a better base movement speed stat than its Tyrannosaurus cousin. High health coupled with decent melee damage, access to a fantastic defensive roar that applies a debuff to enemy dinos, and a great movement speed stat make the Yutyrannus one of the best travel mounts in the game.

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Although it cannot jump, and may routinely get stuck on objects, players using the Yutyrannus to traverse the land in ARK: Survival Ascended will have an easy time traversing The Island. They'll also have the ability to fend off any dangerous predators.

4 Giganotosaurus

The King Of The Ark

Base Stamina: 400
Base Movement Speed: 1500
Base Sprinting Speed: 1681.6

The Giganotosaurus’ huge size gives the colossal carnivore a massive advantage in traversing The Island. The Giganotosaurus can cross large areas in just a few steps. While there’s little difference between the Giga’s sprinting and walking speeds, this can be somewhat beneficial, considering the dino’s extremely poor stamina stat. Since the difference is so minimal, players can instead opt to walk instead of sprinting, saving stamina.

Saddled comfortably on the back of a Giga, players don’t have to worry about encountering dangerous wild dinosaurs. Classed as a large-class predator, frustrating dinosaurs that can dismount the player, such as the Thylacoleo, Microraptor, and Purlovia, are of little concern.

3 Procoptodon

Fantastic At Jumping Huge Distances

Base Stamina: 350
Base Movement Speed: 850
Base Sprinting Speed: 1784.9

The Procoptodon is a fantastic travel mount with a fantastic sprinting speed, long vaulting distance, and massive jump range. Not only will players find traversing all the land-biomes across The Island to be effortless, but getting from one area to another will be completed in record time, too.

While the kangaroo’s base stamina seems rather weak compared to some other dinosaurs on the list, its relatively low stamina drain makes up for this. In addition to being a fast mount with brilliant maneuverability, the Procoptodon can carry an extra survivor in its pouch, making it an efficient multi-player vehicle for traveling across The Island.

2 Gallimimus

The Fastest Medium Sized Land Dino

Base Stamina: 300
Base Movement Speed: 1100
Base Sprinting Speed: 2189.7

The Gallimimus holds tightly onto the crown of the fastest medium-sized dinosaur, able to easily outrun the gigantic Giganotosaurus as well as most of the dinosaur population on The Island. While the Gallimimus suffers from drawbacks to maneuverability (like most dinos of a similar size), its speed and low stamina drain more than make up for it.

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Unlike the Dire Bear, which is broad and bulky, the Gallimimus is nimble. Therefore, it shouldn’t have as much trouble with small environmental details such as rocks and trees. The Gallimimus Saddle allows for two extra survivors to ride the dino, alongside the rider, making it a brilliant multi-player mount.

1 Carcharodontosaurus

A Quick And Terrifying Giant

ARK Survival Ascended Carcharodontosaurus

Base Stamina: 480
Base Movement Speed: 1600
Base Sprinting Speed: 2241.1

A relatively new addition to the ARK, the Carcharodontosaurus was initially added as a rival to the Giganotosaurus. When comparing the two giants' stats, the Carcha clearly has less damage and health than the Giga. However, the Carcha has superior stamina, movement speed and sprinting speed. As a giant carnivore, the Carcha will have little to no problems passing through woodland terrain, its sheer weight being able to knock down trees as it passes by them.

Due to the length of the Carcharodontosaurus’ legs, the alpha predator has a much easier time than the Yutyrannus and Allosaurus when it comes to passing over rocky terrain. Players atop a Carcha will have an easy time scaling the sides of mountains, passing over jagged terrain, and moving through dense forests. With the highest base sprinting speed in the game, the Carcharodontosaurus is ARK: Survival Ascended’s fastest land dino.