Can You Tame a Leviathan in Kenshi?
No, taming the titanic leviathans is not possible in the unmodded base version of Kenshi. But some ambitious players have taken things into their own hands to make these brutes a little more cooperative through fan-made mods.
Where The Behemoths Roam
Leviathans prowl along the aptly named Leviathan Coast in Kenshi‘s Northwestern realm, just south of The Great Desert. It‘s an extremely hazardous stretch of shoreline filled with threats like skin spiders, gutters and fogmen. But the leviathans pose some of the biggest menaces.
These lumbering beasts also occasionally appear in the Bonefields, stalking between massive ribcages and abandoned ruins. Like the coast, the Bonefields teem with danger around every corner. Between the local wildlife and frequent acid rain, it‘s already tough just to survive out there. Adding territorial leviathans to the mix takes the difficulty up another several notches.
The Leviathan Coast biome in Northwest Kenshi, home to the titular beasts
So venturing into these uninviting domains puts your very life on the line. But for adventurers and explorers, the risks often prove well worth the rewards out on the fringes…
The Walking Apocalypses
When a leviathan spots potential prey, it instantly switches into destroyer mode. These creatures do NOT play around. They will abruptly end whatever activities they were previously engaged in and commence obliterating everything in their path to get to the victims.
With their sweeping tail attacks and stomps delivering massive area damage, leviathans can effortlessly shred multiple attackers at once. Combatants also must beware the beast grabbing them in its jaws and chewing for tremendous injury. Expert martial artists and seasoned veterans alike struggle against these juggernauts.
All but the most prepared and strategic assault forces inevitably find themselves devastated and retreating from just one of the monsters. Taking on multiples frequently ends in outright disaster. Their huge health pools allow leviathans to absorb incredible punishment before they start showing wounds. And their thick hides provide serious damage resistance against both cut and blunt attacks. Not even a hundred naked prisoners being fed into the meat grinder slow these rampagers down much!
In my own playthroughs I‘ve led squads of skilled warriors equipped with top-end gear into fights with the beasts. Even with harpoons and turrets set up, and utilizing terrain advantages, they inflicted losses. These are NOT fights you want forced upon you! And yet like moths to flames, hotshot mercenaries continue throwing themselves into the leviathan maws…
Vainglorious Efforts To Seize The Beasts
Some extremely ambitious warriors like the notorious Bugmaster have sought to claim leviathans as their own creatures. But thus far all efforts to tame the titanic terrors in vanilla Kenshi have resulted in failure.
I made numerous attempts across different save files to see if imprisoning then repeatedly beating leviathan pups into submission might have some effect. Unfortunately the pups showed no change in temperament no matter the brutality inflicted on them. And mature leviathans paid even less mind to such heavy handed "training" efforts.
In another game I used a mod that enabled taming of virtually every animal to check if it could force leviathans to heel. But even with a 100% taming success rate, they never lost their aggression. I threw squad after squad of bonedogs and gorillos at the beasts expecting them to pacify the way they do gutters or even beak things. But it only served to further enrage the ravaging titans!
So sadly, no measure of caging, crippling or commanding in native Kenshi makes leviathan thralls a reality. These forces of living destruction scoff even at death itself, much less commands to stand down. Yet where others see unconquerable foes, ambitious souls perceive grand opportunities…
Entering the Modding Arena
While base Kenshi offers no avenue to harness leviathans through game mechanics, creative players have taken modding into their own hands. On Steam Workshop and Nexus Mods various users have produced mods enabling just that feat!
For example the cleverly titled "Taming A LEVIATHAN!" mod by chilledmelon lets players build beast resource storage pens back at base. After loading the pen up with tons of raw meat, it becomes possible to imprison a leviathan pup and set taming tasks. Although still EXTREMELY challenging given their substantial stats, with enough people and resources they can be forced into domestication!
The related "LRTmadness" mod features a leviathan mount known as Ol‘ Mate capable of being purchased outright after meeting some steep requirements. Players looking to ride their own personal leviathan deathbringer into battle may want to investigate this mod. Just beware Ol‘ Mate randomly rampaging and possibly turning former allies into a light snack!
In my current playthrough I‘m eagerly preparing to try "chilledmelon‘s" mod with my strongest squad. My veteran martial artist Rane "The Reaper" has spent the past two ingame years honing his skills while the team farms up building materials, iron plates and food to fuel the taming efforts. I expect capturing even a pup will result in injuries if not casualties. But turning the leviathans from unavoidable doom into controllable devastation promises epic rewards!
Conclusion: Vanilla Kenshi Says No, Modders Say YES
So at present, players of the base unaltered Kenshi cannot domesticate, train or even meaningfully interact with the rampaging leviathans that stalk certain areas of the world map. The beasts remain as primeval forces of destruction, virtually unstoppable and implacably hostile to humanity.
But while the path to making thralls of these titanic terrors stays beyond the reach of standard game systems, some ambitious modders and players blaze their own trails. Through adding new mechanics and content, they‘ve achieved what the base game considers impossible. And where modding goes, official patches may eventually follow!
For now though leviathans remain untamable threats in the official build. Yet with the endless creativity of modders, that could always change in future… So if you also dream of unleashing weaponized leviathans across the wastes, be sure to check back on those mods!
