Valguero packs a full Aberration zone and an underground Abyss into one free map, so you can tame Reapers and Rock Drakes and farm Aberration resources without the DLC map. Start on herbivore island in the redwoods lake, grab a Deinonychus early, farm loot from the lava artifact cave and Milton's Grotto, and beat Grendel with a bleed-heavy Deinonychus and Ferox team.
Valguero's remaster is one of the most feature-dense free maps in ASA. It folds a full Aberration zone and an underground ocean into a single world, which means Reapers, Rock Drakes and Aberration resources are all available without owning that DLC map. This guide covers the parts that actually change how you play it - the hidden regions, the tames worth rushing, the best loot farms, and the Grendel fight.
Valguero is a patchwork of biomes: the white cliffs in the southeast (metal, crystal, obsidian and Deinonychus), the redwoods in the southwest, a cold tundra in the west, a warm snow biome in the north, jungles and swamp in the east, and a huge boreal forest through the center. The beaches are the friendly part; head inland and it gets hostile fast.
Note: The best starter spot is the small island in the redwoods lake - "herbivore island." No aggressive creatures spawn on it at all, so it is a safe launch point while you find your feet.
These two areas are the reason to play Valguero over the base maps.
Aberration zone - a no-fly area with a green zone and a radiated red zone. Main entrance in the map center at 38.3/58 (marked by big purple crystals); a second water entrance in the eastern jungles at 32.3/92.6. It has aberrant creatures, a Rock Drake nesting ground and full Aberration resources.
The Abyss - a large underground ocean for deep-sea tames. Easiest entrance is at 63.6/73.2, just below the white cliffs; a second sits behind a waterfall in the tundra at 34.6/9.1.
Warning: The red zone is fully irradiated - a full Hazard suit is required. Aberrant Ankylosaurus are ideal there since they are immune to radiation, and nearly every rock in the red zone yields large amounts of Metal.
The Deinonychus is the standout early carnivore and stays useful all game. It nests around the white cliffs, glides great distances with zero fall damage, and stacks a bleed up to five times that drains 1.5% of a target's max health - and it is the only bleed that still works on bosses. Steal an egg with a Pteranodon, incubate with standing torches, and you have a traversal and combat mount in one.
For the new Megaraptor, bring high-quality torches to the taming altar, keep your torch out, and circle the altar so its attacks land from the side; swing when you hear the attack cue and it takes torpor almost every hit. For Wyverns, steal an ice Wyvern egg from the northern trench and raise it on Wyvern milk (tranq a wild female with a fast mount like a Procoptodon) - the ice Wyvern's inventory also doubles as a portable refrigerator.
Note: Valguero is a non-story map, so the Scorched Earth and Aberration DLC must be installed or the engrams stay blacked out. Deinonychus saddles and blueprints only drop from Valguero purple beacons; Megaraptor saddles only from Valguero yellow and red beacons, which are most common in the northern snow biome and redwoods.
Flyers work inside; blue, yellow and red crates respawn almost instantly. Fastest early-to-mid loot on the map
Milton's Grotto
78.3 / 90.4
Flyers work; four red crates that double-respawn - six to eight per run, the best crates on Valguero
Red zone crates
Aberration red zone
Purple/yellow/red Aberration crates for hazard suits and high-tier saddles; best run on a Rock Drake
Wild Broodmother
76.4 / 43.2
Mini-boss that drops fabricated weapons, flak, riot armor and saddle blueprints; a few Megatheriums clear her
Tip: Black pearls are easiest at the bottom of the red zone trench (around 48/59.7) where the Rock Drake nests are - whip them up by the thousand without going underwater.
Reapers spawn in the red zone and are easier to get than Rock Drakes here. Ride a Karkinos (Crab) with mushroom soup for radiation resistance, turn on your light pet, and bleed a Reaper Queen down with the Crab while watching its health with a magnifying glass. Below about 1,000 health, turn the light pet off - a red aura on its belly means it is ready to impregnate you. Dismount briefly when safe to trigger the animation, and bring med brews since you often survive the birth.
Grendel is a proper mechanics fight, not a breed-an-army roar-fest. On Alpha it has a 600,000 health pool and hits hard with bleed damage.
Team - a bleed-focused Deinonychus plus a squad of Ferox with strong saddles (110-120 armor) and sweet veggie cakes to self-heal. Add a Yutyrannus and Daeodon if you have riders for them.
Wyvern milk - force-feed it for two minutes of bleed immunity, which directly counters the boss's main damage.
The real threat is the vultures - they spawn at level 500 and target riders, not mounts. Never fight them yourself; round them up and run them past your Ferox on aggressive.
Rotation - hit the boss from behind on the Deinonychus and let the bleed work, avoid the red slam indicator, and when the fire pit lights up, group your Ferox by it, summon the boss and let them take aggro.
Yes. Valguero has a full Aberration zone with a radiated red zone that spawns Reaper Queens and a Rock Drake nesting ground, so you can tame both without owning the Aberration map. You do need the Scorched Earth and Aberration DLC installed for the engrams to unlock.
What is the best early creature to tame on Valguero?
The Deinonychus. It spawns around the white cliffs, glides with no fall damage, stacks a strong bleed and is the only bleed that still works on bosses, which makes it useful from early game all the way through the Grendel fight.
Where is the best loot farm on Valguero?
The lava artifact cave at 34.2/51.4 for fast early-to-mid loot (flyers work inside and crates respawn), and Milton's Grotto at 78.3/90.4 for the best red crates - you can pull six to eight per run.
If the guide tells you the grind is bigger than the reward, the marketplace can turn that checklist into a private Discord ticket with availability confirmed before ordering, delivery timing and a clear quote.
Aberration zone - a no-fly area with a green zone and a radiated red zone. Main entrance in the map center at 38.3/58 (marked by big purple crystals); a second water entrance in the eastern jungles at 32.3/92.6. It has aberrant creatures, a Rock Drake nesting ground and full Aberration resources.
Team - a bleed-focused Deinonychus plus a squad of Ferox with strong saddles (110-120 armor) and sweet veggie cakes to self-heal. Add a Yutyrannus and Daeodon if you have riders for them.
Wyvern milk - force-feed it for two minutes of bleed immunity, which directly counters the boss's main damage.
The real threat is the vultures - they spawn at level 500 and target riders, not mounts. Never fight them yourself; round them up and run them past your Ferox on aggressive.