Reborn: Eel
In the vast oceans of ARK: Survival Ascended, the Electrophorus—commonly known as the eel—has always been a creature of extremes. Wild eels are terrifying, zapping your mount and dragging you into the abyss. Tame one, however, and you quickly realize the joke is on you. Their bite deals less damage than a dodo, and their shock attack is barely a tickle. This frustrating inconsistency is exactly what the Reborn: Eel mod addresses. It is a focused, quality-of-life overhaul that makes tamed eels live up to their fearsome wild counterparts.
Why Tamed Eels Were Broken
Before diving into the fix, it helps to understand the problem. In the base game, the stats for wild and tamed eels are wildly different. A wild eel can shred through your health and stamina with a powerful bite and a devastating area-of-effect shock. But the moment you tame one, those stats plummet. The bite damage drops from a respectable 15 to a pitiful 3, and the shock AoE falls from 35 to a negligible 5. This made tamed eels nearly useless for combat, relegating them to the role of a novelty pet or a slow-moving underwater taxi.
The Reborn: Eel mod cuts through this nonsense. It simply unnerfs the tamed stats, bringing them in line with the wild versions. This means your tamed eel becomes the pocket taser it was always meant to be, capable of stunning and damaging enemies with the same ferocity as its untamed brethren.
Core Changes in Reborn: Eel
This mod is not about adding new creatures or complex mechanics. It is a surgical fix to two specific stat values. Here is exactly what changes when you install it:
- Bite Damage Unnerfed: The tamed bite is increased from 3 (which is indeed less than a dodo) to 15, matching the wild eel's damage output.
- Shock AoE Unnerfed: The tamed shock area-of-effect damage is increased from 5 to 35, again matching the wild version's power.
That is it. No new engrams, no altered spawn rates, no extra items. Just a pure stat correction that makes tamed eels viable for underwater combat and defense. It is the perfect mod for players who love the eel's design but hate its uselessness in a fight.
Important Installation Notes
Before you download Reborn: Eel, there are two critical things you need to know. First, this mod will not retroactively fix eels you have already tamed. If you install it and load your save, your existing tamed eels will still have the old, weak stats. To see the changes take effect, you must perform a dino wipe after installation. This will clear all existing creatures from the map, forcing new ones to spawn with the corrected stats. It is a standard procedure for stat-changing mods, but be sure to back up your save if you are attached to your current tames.
Second, the mod is designed to be lightweight and compatible with most server setups. It does not conflict with core game files, making it safe to use alongside other creature or gameplay mods. For players using mod managers, the installation is straightforward. If you are using the foxygame.net launcher, you can find Reborn: Eel in its add-on catalog, which simplifies the process by handling version compatibility checks automatically, so you do not have to worry about mismatched updates breaking your server.
How to Install Reborn: Eel for ARK: Survival Ascended
Getting this mod running is simple, whether you are on a single-player world or a dedicated server. Here is a step-by-step guide on how to install it:
- Navigate to the Steam Workshop for ARK: Survival Ascended and search for "Reborn: Eel".
- Click the subscribe button to add it to your mod list.
- Launch the game and go to the mods menu. Ensure Reborn: Eel is enabled.
- If you are running a dedicated server, add the mod ID to your server's mod list and restart the server.
- After loading into your world, run the command admincheat DestroyWildDinos to perform the necessary dino wipe.
- Wait for new eels to spawn, then tame one to verify the new stats are active.
For server admins, the process is identical to any other mod. Just ensure all clients have the mod installed to avoid connection issues. The mod is compatible with the current stable builds of ARK: Survival Ascended, and it is regularly updated to support new game patches. If you are using the foxygame.net launcher, you can enable auto-updates for Reborn: Eel, which will pull the latest compatible version directly to your client without manual downloads.
Spawn Commands for Testing
If you want to test the mod quickly without searching the ocean, you can use admin spawn commands. These are useful for verifying that the stats are correctly applied before you commit to a full taming session.
- Wild Spawn: cheat summon RebornEel_Character_BP_C
- Tamed Spawn (Level 150): cheat gmsummon "RebornEel_Character_BP_C" 150
Use the tamed spawn command to instantly get a high-level eel and check its damage numbers in the inventory screen. You should see the bite damage listed at 15 and the shock damage at 35, confirming the mod is working.
Is Reborn: Eel Worth It?
If you have ever been disappointed by a tamed eel's performance, the answer is a resounding yes. This mod is a perfect example of a small change having a huge impact on gameplay. It turns a forgotten creature into a viable underwater weapon, opening up new strategies for ocean exploration and base defense. The mod's simplicity is its greatest strength—no bloat, no unnecessary additions, just a pure stat fix that respects the game's balance by matching tamed stats to wild ones.
In conclusion, Reborn: Eel for ARK: Survival Ascended is a must-have for any player who wants to make full use of the game's diverse creature roster. It is easy to install, lightweight on performance, and delivers exactly what it promises. Whether you are a solo survivor or a server admin, this mod is a low-risk, high-reward addition to your mod list. Just remember the dino wipe, and you will be zapping your enemies with glee in no time.