0ASA Dragon Hoard Key & Blood Pack Farm Guide: Best Drakeling, OSD, Element Vein, and Labyrinth Methods
- LUKE
- Share
- ARK Survival Ascended
- 05/27/26
- 154
Dragon Hoard Keys are worth farming. The loot can be strong, the method is repeatable, and Drakelings make it easy to turn XP into keys.
But the popular Minotaur Labyrinth Onyc method is not always the best Dragon Hoard Key farm. On boosted servers, it works well. On vanilla-like rates, it is usually slower than OSDs and Element Veins.
For Blood Packs, though, the Labyrinth method is excellent.
Use the right farm for the right job.
- Best Dragon Hoard Key Farm in ARK Survival Ascended
- Dragon Hoard Loot Table Basics
- Minotaur Labyrinth Dragon Hoard Key Farm
- Labyrinth Key Farm Setup
- How to Run the Labyrinth Key Farm
- Why Labyrinth Key Farming Is Overrated on Vanilla Rates
- OSDs and Element Veins Are Better for Dragon Hoard Keys
- XP Efficiency Comparison
- Best OSD / Element Vein Setup
- Best Dragon Hoard Key Method by Server Type
- Fast Blood Pack Farm in ARK Survival Ascended
- Blood Pack Farm Setup
- How to Farm Thousands of Blood Packs
- Labyrinth Safety Tips
- Do Not Ignore Rabies
- Spawn in Controlled Batches
- PvP Players: Keep Runs Short
- Dragon Hoard Key vs Blood Pack Farming: Best Use of Each Method
- FAQ
- What is the fastest Dragon Hoard Key farm in ARK Survival Ascended?
- Is the Minotaur Labyrinth Onyc method worth using for Dragon Hoard Keys?
- How much XP should I transfer for a good Dragon Hoard Key?
- What is the best way to farm Blood Packs fast?
- Can Dragon Hoards drop saddles?
- Summary
↖ Best Dragon Hoard Key Farm in ARK Survival Ascended
Dragon Hoard Keys come from Drakelings.
The loop is simple:
1. Put a Drakeling on your shoulder.
2. Kill creatures to store XP.
3. Transfer the XP to a creature.
4. Get a Dragon Hoard Key.
5. Use the key with a Drakeling on your shoulder.
6. Follow the marker and loot the chest.
The key detail: more transferred XP = better key quality.
A Drakeling can store about 30,000 XP per transfer. That is the number you want to hit when farming serious keys.
↖ Dragon Hoard Loot Table Basics
Dragon Hoards can drop high-value gear, but not everything.
| Loot Type | Can Drop? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Weapons | Yes | Can roll strong quality |
| Armor | Yes | One of the main reasons to farm keys |
| Tek items | Yes | High-value drops possible |
| Saddles | No | Do not farm this for saddles |
| General loot | Yes | Depends on key quality |
If your keys are low quality, your loot will usually feel bad. The farm is only worth it when you generate strong keys consistently.
↖ Minotaur Labyrinth Dragon Hoard Key Farm
The Minotaur Labyrinth has a repeatable Onyc spawn trick.
At the start of the Labyrinth, there are pedestals asking for the correct map name spelling. Pick the wrong answer, and Onyc spawn. Kill them with a Drakeling active to gain XP.
↖ Labyrinth Key Farm Setup
| Required | Why You Need It |
|---|---|
| Drakeling | Stores XP and creates Dragon Hoard Keys |
| Strong combat tame | Kills Onyc fast |
| Multiple Drakelings | Rotates cooldowns |
| Lesser Antidotes | Counters rabies |
| Medical Brews | Keeps you alive |
| Decent flak | Reduces rider damage |
| Storage/cart setup | Helps manage keys and extra Drakelings |
The cave is a no-build area, so place your outpost outside the entrance. You will need to move in and out or bring a cart-style storage setup where allowed.
↖ How to Run the Labyrinth Key Farm
1. Bring your combat tame and Drakeling inside.
2. Put the Drakeling on your shoulder.
3. Click a wrong pedestal answer several times.
4. Mount your tame.
5. Kill the Onyc.
6. When the Drakeling reaches high XP, transfer it.
7. Receive a Dragon Hoard Key.
8. Swap to another Drakeling during cooldown.
This works. The problem is XP.
↖ Why Labyrinth Key Farming Is Overrated on Vanilla Rates
Onyc give roughly under 200 XP on normal settings.
To hit the 30,000 XP cap, you need a lot of kills.
| Target XP | XP per Onyc | Onyc Needed |
|---|---|---|
| 10,000 | ~200 | ~50 |
| 20,000 | ~200 | ~100 |
| 30,000 | ~200 | ~150 |
That means one good key can take around 150 Onyc kills.
On boosted XP, this method becomes much better. On official-like rates, it feels slow. That is why some clips make it look insane while your server feels underwhelming.
↖ OSDs and Element Veins Are Better for Dragon Hoard Keys
For raw Dragon Hoard Key farming, OSDs and Element Veins usually win.
Corrupted creatures give far more XP than Labyrinth Onyc. Big corrupted enemies can give around 10,000 XP each, depending on settings.
That means a few kills can nearly cap a Drakeling.
↖ XP Efficiency Comparison
| Source | Approx. XP | Key Farm Value |
|---|---|---|
| Labyrinth Onyc | Under ~200 | Poor on vanilla |
| Corrupted Rex | ~10,000 | Excellent |
| Corrupted Spino | ~10,000 | Excellent |
| Corrupted Wyvern | ~10,000 | Excellent |
| OSD / Element Vein waves | High volume | Best overall |
This is the real difference.
A single corrupted Rex can be worth dozens of Onyc. During higher-tier OSDs, you can generate multiple keys per wave while also farming event loot.
↖ Best OSD / Element Vein Setup
| Bring This | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Strong Carcha / Giga / Rex-line tame | Clears waves fast |
| Drakeling | Stores XP |
| Multiple Drakelings | Reduces cooldown downtime |
| Outpost near spawn zones | Saves travel time |
| Weight/storage tame | Holds keys, meat, hide, loot |
| Healing support | Keeps long runs stable |
Run the event normally. Keep the Drakeling active. When it fills, transfer XP and generate a key.
You are farming several things at once:
- Dragon Hoard Keys
- OSD loot
- Element Vein rewards
- Meat
- Hide
- Corrupted materials
- Creature XP
That is why this beats the Labyrinth for key farming on most servers.
↖ Best Dragon Hoard Key Method by Server Type
| Server Type | Best Key Method | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Official-like PvE | OSDs / Element Veins | Better XP per kill |
| Boosted PvE | Labyrinth or OSDs | Onyc XP scales well |
| Small-tribe PvP | Fast OSD runs | Less time trapped in cave |
| High-rate PvP | Labyrinth burst farming | Fast if uncontested |
| Solo casual | Lower-tier OSDs | Safer and more rewarding |
If your server has low XP rates, do not waste hours forcing the Labyrinth. Go kill corrupted creatures.
↖ Fast Blood Pack Farm in ARK Survival Ascended
The Labyrinth is much better as a Blood Pack farm.
You use the same wrong-answer Onyc spawn, but instead of caring about XP, you care about fast kills and clean harvesting.
This is where the method shines.
↖ Blood Pack Farm Setup
| Required | Why It Matters |
|---|---|
| Blood-harvesting creature | Collects Blood Packs from kills |
| High melee damage | Faster kills, more packs |
| Resource harvesting disabled | Prevents meat/spoiled meat clutter |
| Storage tame, like Basilisk | Holds bulk Blood Packs |
| Good armor | Onyc can hit riders |
| Lesser Antidotes | Rabies protection |
| Tribe mate optional | One spawns, one kills |
Disable normal harvesting if possible. You want Blood Packs, not a full inventory of junk meat.
↖ How to Farm Thousands of Blood Packs
1. Go to the Minotaur Labyrinth entrance around 91, 74.
2. Walk your creature inside.
3. Disable unwanted resource harvesting.
4. Keep a storage tame nearby.
5. Trigger the wrong pedestal answer.
6. Mount your harvesting creature.
7. Kill the Onyc.
8. Move Blood Packs to storage.
9. Repeat.
With a strong setup, 1,000+ Blood Packs in a few minutes is realistic.
With a teammate constantly triggering spawns, the output gets ridiculous fast.
↖ Labyrinth Safety Tips
The farm is simple, but it can still kill careless players.
↖ Do Not Ignore Rabies
Onyc can apply rabies. Bring Lesser Antidotes every time.
If you get infected, cure it immediately. Waiting is how you lose kits.
↖ Spawn in Controlled Batches
Do not spam the pedestal endlessly when solo.
If you over-spawn, the cave turns into a flying mess. Start with small batches, then scale up once your creature is handling it.
↖ PvP Players: Keep Runs Short
The Labyrinth is dangerous on PvP servers.
You cannot rely on turrets inside. You may be carrying keys, Blood Packs, Drakelings, and a valuable tame. If someone catches you trapped in the cave, you are probably donating loot.
Farm fast. Bank often.
↖ Dragon Hoard Key vs Blood Pack Farming: Best Use of Each Method
| Method | Best For | Main Strength | Main Weakness |
|---|---|---|---|
| Labyrinth Onyc for Keys | Boosted servers | Controlled spawns | Bad XP on vanilla |
| OSDs for Keys | Most players | High XP + loot | Needs strong tame |
| Element Veins for Keys | Element + keys | Great combined value | Can be contested |
| Labyrinth Blood Packs | Bulk Blood Packs | Very fast output | Rabies and PvP risk |
Use OSDs and Element Veins for Dragon Hoard Keys.
Use the Minotaur Labyrinth for Blood Packs.
That split gives the best results.
↖ FAQ
↖ What is the fastest Dragon Hoard Key farm in ARK Survival Ascended?
For most servers, OSDs and Element Veins are the fastest Dragon Hoard Key farms. Corrupted Rexes, Spinos, and Wyverns give far more XP than Labyrinth Onyc, so your Drakeling fills much faster.
↖ Is the Minotaur Labyrinth Onyc method worth using for Dragon Hoard Keys?
Yes, but mainly on boosted XP servers. On vanilla-like rates, Onyc give roughly under 200 XP, so farming strong keys takes too long compared with OSDs or Element Veins.
↖ How much XP should I transfer for a good Dragon Hoard Key?
Aim for the Drakeling's cap of about 30,000 XP. Lower XP transfers usually produce weaker keys, which means weaker Dragon Hoard loot.
↖ What is the best way to farm Blood Packs fast?
Use the Minotaur Labyrinth wrong-answer Onyc spawn with a strong blood-harvesting creature. Disable regular resource harvesting, kill Onyc in batches, and store Blood Packs on a weight tame.
↖ Can Dragon Hoards drop saddles?
No. Dragon Hoards can drop weapons, armor, Tek items, and general loot, but saddles are not part of the expected loot pool.
↖ Summary
For Dragon Hoard Keys, the best farm is usually OSDs or Element Veins. Corrupted creatures give massive XP, fill Drakelings quickly, and add extra loot on top.
The Minotaur Labyrinth Onyc method works, but it is overrated on vanilla rates. Use it for keys only if your server has boosted XP or you want a simple controlled farm.
For Blood Packs, the Labyrinth is excellent. Trigger wrong answers, kill Onyc with a proper harvesting creature, disable junk harvesting, and bank often.
Best practical split:
- Dragon Hoard Keys: OSDs and Element Veins
- Blood Packs: Minotaur Labyrinth Onyc farm
- Boosted servers: Labyrinth becomes much stronger
- PvP servers: keep runs short and never carry more than you can afford to lose
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