Cryopods let you shrink a tamed creature into a small carryable item — one of the most important quality-of-life tools in ARK: Survival Ascended for managing a big collection of tames. This guide covers how they work, cryosickness, storage, and how cryopods reduce server load.
Cryopod quick facts
| Detail | What to know |
|---|---|
| What it does | Captures a tame into a carryable item |
| Capture | Aim an empty cryopod at your tame and use it |
| Deploy | Release anywhere — but it gets cryosickness |
| Cryosickness | Stunned briefly on release — deploy before fights |
| Charge | Pods drain charge; store in a powered Cryofridge |
| Server load | Podded tames aren’t simulated — boosts performance |
What cryopods do
A cryopod captures a tamed creature into an item you carry in your inventory, freezing it in stasis. You can deploy (release) it anywhere — which makes cryopods perfect for transporting tames, swapping boss teams in and out, carrying a breeding line between bases, or moving creatures across maps in a cluster. To capture a creature, target it with an empty cryopod and use it.
Cryosickness
When you deploy a creature from a cryopod it suffers cryosickness for a short period — during which it’s stunned and can’t act, leaving it vulnerable. The crucial lesson: don’t release your army in the middle of a fight. Deploy your dinos before the battle (or before entering a boss arena) and let cryosickness wear off so they’re combat-ready when it matters.
Cryofridge & storage
Cryopods hold a charge; to store podded creatures indefinitely, keep the pods in a powered Cryofridge, which keeps them fresh and recharges them. Without a fridge, a pod’s charge ticks down over time. A row of cryofridges is how big tribes store dozens or hundreds of bred tames compactly.
Cryopods reduce server load
A practical bonus: podded creatures don’t count as active tames on the map, so cryopodding idle dinos reduces the number of active creatures the server has to simulate. On a busy server with lots of breeding, keeping non-essential tames in cryofridges genuinely helps performance — a tidy base of podded tames runs smoother than a field full of active ones.
Frequently asked questions
What is cryosickness in ARK?
A short stun a creature gets right after you deploy it from a cryopod — it can’t move or fight until it wears off. Always release your dinos before a fight or boss arena, never mid-battle, or they’ll stand frozen and defenceless when you need them.
How do you keep cryopods charged?
Store them in a powered Cryofridge, which recharges pods and keeps the creatures inside fresh indefinitely. Out of a fridge, a pod slowly loses charge, so big tribes keep banks of cryofridges to hold their breeding stock and boss teams.
Do cryopods help server performance?
Yes — podded creatures aren’t actively simulated, so cryopodding idle dinos cuts the active-tame count the server has to process. On busy breeding servers, keeping non-essential tames in cryofridges noticeably reduces lag compared with leaving them roaming the base.
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