Ark Survival Ascended Guide | Umbra Spawn, Tame and Abilities (Genesis Part 1)

The Umbra arrived in ARK: Survival Ascended with the first part of Dragon Utopia, and taming it is nothing like a normal dragon. Instead of knocking it out, you ride it through three mini-games over and over, and one mistake sends you back to the start. This guide covers where the Umbra spawns, what to bring, and how each stage works.

The Umbra has only been found in the mountains of Ragnarok, and it only spawns at night. That matters, because it despawns during the day. It is rare, hard to spot, and fast, and it will attack or fly off the moment it notices you. Search for a fast flyer with a scanner.

What You Need Before You Start

You need a Drake Claw, a new Dragon Utopia item, to jump onto the dragon’s back, and it burns Element Shards per use. You also need an Umbra Saddle equipped before the mini-games will start. The saddle engram unlocks at level 65 if you own and pre-ordered Dragon Utopia, and it is cheap to craft in a Smithy from Fiber, Metal, Hide, and Chitin. Bring Raw Mutton or Kibble, plus a few parachutes.

The Three Mini-Games

Once you hook on, the Umbra takes off, and the first game begins. You can steer it well enough, but touching the ground, mesh, or a structure throws you off and resets progress.

The first game shows a sequence of up to five actions to memorize and repeat in order. The second is the hardest: a horde of flying creatures spawns and you must kill them fast to fill the progress bar, and every hit you take costs progress. The third asks you to fly as far as possible in the shortest time, so climb high first and glide, much like a Griffin.

Feeding and Repeating the Cycle

Clearing all three games earns a single passive feed, and then the cycle starts again. Fail at any point and you are knocked back to the first game, so it is a long process rather than a hard one.

Bonding, Breeding and Abilities

After the tame, work through the skill tree. Bonding unlocks with the first skills and gives the dragon a 25 percent bonus to most stats, and mating must be unlocked before you can breed your Umbras. Horn commands sit behind skills too.

The Umbra has two movement modes. In hover mode, left-click bites, and every third bite becomes a stronger combo hit, while holding left-click switches to a slower but heavier claw attack. Right-click is a ranged breath attack, and holding it charges a rapid breath that fires while held.

Press R in midair to switch into sprinting mode, which adds mobility: double-tap A or D to roll left or right, press X to change direction quickly, and press C for a full loop that keeps your momentum. Once you repeat the three mini-games and passive feeds enough times, the Umbra is yours, and the skill tree is where its real abilities come from.

FAQ

Q. Can you tame the Umbra during the day?

A. No. It only spawns at night and despawns once day breaks, so plan the attempt around the night cycle.

Q. What happens if you fail a mini-game?

A. You are knocked off the Umbra and have to restart from the first game, so parachutes are worth carrying.

Q. Do you need the Dragon Utopia DLC to tame the Umbra?

A. Yes. The Drake Claw and the Umbra Saddle both come from Dragon Utopia, and the saddle engram unlocks at level 65.