Overview and gameplay loop
Choose the headbutt angle. Leave room to escape.
Pachycephalosaurus suits players who create a clear headbutt angle and leave room to disengage. Read the opponent's approach, use trees or rocks and avoid committing toward a blind slope. After a fracture, reassess the distance before retreating or following up.
+Fracture changes a pursuit
+Mobile
+Uses terrain well
−A missed ram is punishable
−Lightweight
−Friendly collision
Special abilities and controls
Verified against the current ability set in patch 0.21.772. Shown keys are defaults; players with custom binds should check Settings → Controls.
Combat and unique abilities
Tap or charge and release to ram and cause fracture. Charging has an audible cue, so disguise your timing.
Swing the head toward the camera to knock down a small target on your flank.
The only attack that still deals direct damage to targets too heavy for the headbutt.
Take reduced head damage. Headbutt may deal no direct damage to targets above roughly 3,000 kg.
Survival and environmental interactions
Fight near trees or rocks to force collisions
Avoid blind downhill rams
Migration supplies the diet
Bushes hide the acceleration phase
EInteractWallow at a mud pool to reduce tracks and scent for a while.
QScentScent while standing still to read water, diet, carcasses, tracks and distant zones.
GCarcass interactionCorpse handling: tap to tear off a chunk; hold to drag or carry it when mass allows.
HRestRest / safe logout: rest out of sight; never lie on a trail or directly between others and water.
All basic controls ＋
Use SHIFT to sprint and Z to switch trot or walk for tighter turns.
Hold longer for greater range; tap Q to open the compass.
Eat, drink, wallow, use nests and interact with resources.
Tap to tear off a chunk; hold to drag or carry a valid object.
Rest for faster recovery; hold H to sleep and log out safely.
View growth, diet, mutations, sex, group and asset location.
Broadcast · friendly · threaten · help. Loud calls reveal your position.
Use N to pair or place a nest; B builds a mound nest for supported species.
Damage by ability
Actual damage also depends on mass, hitbox, attack direction, bleed and server balance. The table separates fixed values from scaling abilities to avoid treating community figures as absolute damage.
Community reference for Bite; actual results still vary with mass, hitbox and server balance.
Headbutt scales with target state, mass, speed or contact conditions; use the listed value as a reference rather than guaranteed damage.
Head Swing scales with target state, mass, speed or contact conditions; use the listed value as a reference rather than guaranteed damage.
Recommended mutations
This list is the species-wide foundation. After choosing a build below, follow its dedicated loadout order instead of keeping the general priority.
Improves fracture resistance in heavy combat.
Reduces the consequences of falls and rough landings.
Redirects part of incoming damage pressure into stamina.
Improves recovery between combat rotations.
Two builds & detailed guides
Choose the role you want to play in this life. These are EFG tactical recommendations, not universal meta builds for every matchup.
Bone breaker
Disable a predator's legs.
Aim for the legs or an angle near an obstacle; a missed ram is a disengage signal, not the start of a second combo.
Choose in order from 01 → 04
Prioritize the first mutation in the list. If it is unavailable or slot-limited, use the next option and check again at the next milestone.
Improves fracture resistance, especially in heavyweight matchups.
Converts part of incoming damage into stamina loss; limited to Slot 2.
SLOT LIMIT · Slot 2 onlySpeeds up health regeneration and reduces downtime.
Improves the chance for herbivore kicks to dislodge pouncers.
TACTICAL GAMEPLAY LOOP
Use Sanctuary and find a Pachycephalosaurus group.
Choose a wall or rock → bait the approach → headbutt across the body → use fracture to escape or continue the combo.
Aim for the legs or an angle near an obstacle; a missed ram is a disengage signal, not the start of a second combo.
CONDITIONS FOR THIS BUILD
↗Fight near trees or rocks to force collisions
↗Avoid blind downhill rams
+Trees, rocks or slopes can force angles and create fractures.
+Mobile
−A missed ram is punishable
−Lightweight
NOTE: A build guides decisions; it does not replace reading hitboxes, stamina, team numbers and server-specific settings.
Runner
Run solo or between Migrations.
Preserve momentum for route changes and do not headbutt targets beyond a safe weight matchup.
Choose in order from 01 → 04
Prioritize the first mutation in the list. If it is unavailable or slot-limited, use the next option and check again at the next milestone.
Lowers the stamina-regeneration threshold and requires an activity unlock.
UNLOCK REQUIRED · Slot 2 or 3Improves daytime stamina regeneration for herbivores.
Slows hydration drain.
Makes tracks fade faster to help break pursuit.
TACTICAL GAMEPLAY LOOP
Practice headbutts into open angles away from teammates.
Choose a wall or rock → bait the approach → headbutt across the body → use fracture to escape or continue the combo.
Preserve momentum for route changes and do not headbutt targets beyond a safe weight matchup.
CONDITIONS FOR THIS BUILD
↗Migration supplies the diet
↗Bushes hide the acceleration phase
+You are solo or must travel long distances between zones.
+Fracture changes a pursuit
−Lightweight
−Friendly collision
NOTE: A build guides decisions; it does not replace reading hitboxes, stamina, team numbers and server-specific settings.
Mutation names, unlock conditions and effects may change with hotfixes. EFG prioritizes developer data; unclear items are treated as community recommendations and should be verified against the in-game description.
Growth time, mass and diet
Pachycephalosaurus from 0% to 100%
Before Adult: one nutrient gives 100% growth speed, two give 200%, and all three give 300%. Diet does not speed up Elder ageing at 75–100%. The table assumes a 1× server.
Coconut, Mango
Dulse, Fireweed
Russula
Maintain α, β and γ together for 300% Growth. Each bar only needs a remaining value; when one reaches zero, speed immediately drops to the corresponding tier.
Prime stats for Pachycephalosaurus
ADULT · 75%700 kg
→PRIME PEAK · ≈87,5%910 kg
ADULT · 75%41.8 km/h
→PRIME PEAK · ≈87,5%46.5 km/h
ADULT · 75%30
→PRIME PEAK · ≈87,5%34,5
Peak is the comparison point above. Prime usually rises from 75%, peaks around 87.5%, then enters Elder decline. Mass, speed and Bite Force use the Prime Peak value at roughly 87.5%; hotfixes may change these stats.
From first spawn to Prime
Use Sanctuary and find a Pachycephalosaurus group.
Practice headbutts into open angles away from teammates.
Target predator legs and loss of balance.
After Prime, contest mid-tiers without becoming overconfident against apexes.
Sanctuary juvenile
Perfect Diet
2 Migration
4 Patrol
Avoid negative mutations
Read the Prime guidePachycephalosaurus · Science & another perspective
Pachycephalosaurus means 'thick-headed lizard'; its skull dome could reach roughly 25 cm in thickness.
Reconstructing Pachycephalosaurus
A Pachycephalosaurus reconstruction by Fred Wierum. The form reflects the artist’s interpretation of evidence; coloration and soft tissues should not be treated as a photograph of the living animal.
Sandy in the museum
Pachycephalosaurus wyomingensis specimen Sandy at the Royal Ontario Museum. A full-body display is a reconstruction; unpreserved body parts require interpretation.
The dome of AMNH 1696
Pachycephalosaurus wyomingensis skull AMNH 1696 at the American Museum of Natural History. The bony dome can be observed directly; its use in life requires separate study.
Whether the dome was used for direct headbutting or mainly display remains scientifically debated.
EVRIMA fracture turns the headbutting hypothesis into a combat mechanic.
