Saurian – Triceratops Survival Guide

Advice for surviving as the resident ceratopsian of Hell Creek.

Guide to Survive

All credit goes to Flameal15k!

Introduction

So, now that Triceratops is in the game, I feel it prudent to offer advice for how to survive as one.

Now, let’s get right to the point.

Triceratops Gameplay Basics

So, just to get the controls out of the way, use WASD for moving (can’t remember if the arrow keys work for Saurian), left click to attack, right click to aim, left shift for sprinting, C for resting, hold C to sleep for a while, and hold E for scent.

Now onto Triceratops’ unique mechanics.

Charging

Triceratops can increase the damage of its attacks via charging. Basically, you sprint at the enemy and attack at the last second. Practice helps here.

Social Interaction

Triceratops lives in herds. Thus, it must interact in one.

Pressing F opens up the social interaction menu – which has four different icons, plus an exit icon at the bottom right of the circle. The bottom icon shows off your herd, which will list their names (you can rename them if you want), their need statuses (food, water, stamina, and health), as well as their standing. Standing is affected by your behavior – if you warn of threats, befriend herd members and strangers, and threaten any predators that want to eat you, you will increase your standing. Crying wolf and being a ♥♥♥ to everyone else lowers your standing. Eventually, you may find yourself excommunicated from the herd, and they probably won’t want you back.

The left icon is Social Interaction. Clicking that icon, then selecting another Triceratops, will make you try to befriend them. Use this when you are trying to join a new herd, invite another triceratops to an existing herd you are in, or befriending herdmates. This will gradually increase your standing.

The top icon is the threat display. Click this and then click on a threat (e.g. a raptor or a rex) to try and scare it off. You cannot use this as a hatchling because you are an adorable bundle of scales that just looks silly trying to stand up for yourself.

The right icon is a warning. Selecting it and then selecting a threat will cause you to warn your herd-mates about said threat, which will make them run away/try to scare it off and make them like you more. If you use it when there is no threat, your herd will get annoyed at you, and might kick you out.

Now, onto threats.

Dangerous Creatures

Here are the creatures you should fear.

Tyrannosaurus rex

The King/Queen of the dinosaurs. They see you as tasty. If you see a rex at any stage, use a warning on it, then book it. You might be able to scare it off if you have numbers, but don’t press your luck unless another dinosaur is around for the rex to eat. I’d even suggest trying to kill a weaker creature so that the rex goes after the corpse instead. Only try to fight if you are an adult. Try to start with a charge.

Dakotaraptor

The resident giant raptor. A mighty killer who wants to eat you. Also very fluffy. A danger even when you are a subadult, but if you are a sub-adult, you can scare it off. You can also easily kill it once you stop being a juvenile.

Acheroraptor

Velociraptor’s cousin. Dangerous as a hatchling, but you can run him over in any other phase.

Everyone Else

A bunch of creatures that are irrelevant to you. Larger dinosaurs should be ignored unless they threaten you, while smaller carnivores can be stomped under foot. Avoid the sea unless you want to become mosasaur chow.

Hatchling

You are green and look cute. You will spawn inside a nest. Stay with your parents. Your papa (Mr Colorful) will lead his harem around in search of food and water. Follow him for protection. Pressing F will show a compass in the top-right of the screen showing you where the leader is taking the herd.

Use your parents for protection – they cannot accidentally crush you at this phase.

Avoid all threats – you are tiny and delicious. Practice using warnings on any predators you see – it will help later.

Once you complete one year of life, it is time to grow up. Hold C when given the prompt.

Juvenile

You are now a juvenile and can kill things with your silly looking horns.

Also, your parents no longer want you. You will now be evicted from the herd, and can potentially be trampled by adults. Fortunately, your siblings will also mature, so you can form a herd with them. Juvenile and Sub-adult Triceratops can form herd with each other, as can adults and hatchlings. Anything else does not work.

Acheroraptor, crocodiles, and Paleosaniwa can now be killed very easily. You should just try threatening the little raptors, though – good practice for bigger threats. Avoid Dakotaraptors and rexes – better safe than sorry.

Use social interaction to bond with your herd mates and keep stragglers from getting left behind.

This phase lasts two years. Advance once you can.

Sub Adult

You are now big enough to easily kills raptors. Hooray!

The same rules that applied as a juvenile still apply here, but Dakotaraptor is now easy to kill. Still avoid rexes.

This phase lasts until you are 8 years old. Sleep to advance to the final phase.

Adult

Congratulations, you have gotten farther than I have as a Triceratops.

Note: once you are an adult, you will be evicted from your herd, excluding an siblings you had. These will mature with you and form a new herd.

Fighting For Dominance

Adult herds can only have one adult male in them. If you are playing as a male and find a herd with another male, you will need to fight and defeat him to join the herd. Defeat does not mean kill, but either of you can die. Be careful.

I’m feeling Invincible

You are now big enough to fight off even T. rex. Focus on using threat displays and warnings first, though – discretion is the better part of valor, plus you want a herd to back you up. Every other predator is a nuisance to be beaten up as you see fit.

Leading the charge

Male Triceratops have the ability to lead herds as adults, via the social menu (press F). I have not gotten to adulthood as a Triceratops, so I have no idea how to use this.