
I compared several guides and wikis and added what they missed. The best dinosaurs are T-Rex, Spinosaurus and Raptor X. The best shovels are the Forgotten, Pacific and Titanium Shovels. Dino rankings are community-based because the game publishes no official dinosaur stats.
| Category | Best Pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Endgame Dino | T-Rex | Top production income, best ride |
| Fastest Mount | Velociraptor | Agile travel between dig sites |
| Best Documented Shovel | Pacific Shovel | 1.60× Fossil Luck, 1.45× coins |
| Strongest Shovel | Forgotten Shovel | Tier 7, digs every island |
| Best Early Buy | Bronze Shovel | Opens Devonian Island |
I ranked dinosaurs by production income, growth speed, riding value and rarity.
| Tier | Dinosaurs |
|---|---|
| S | T-Rex, Spinosaurus, Raptor X, Anomalocaris, Dunkleosteus, Herrerasaurus, Plateosaurus |
| A | Triceratops, Stegosaurus, Velociraptor, Opabinia, Hyneria, Coelophysis, Riojasaurus |
| B | Brontosaurus, Ankylosaurus, Hallucigenia, Ichthyostega, Mussaurus |
| C | Wiwaxia, Tiktaalik, Acanthostega, Eodromaeus |
| D | Compsognathus, Parasaurolophus, Trilobite, Eoraptor |
S-tier notes: T-Rex and Spinosaurus are Legendary and produce the most income. Raptor X is a boss tied to the Forgotten Shovel. Herrerasaurus needs a complete fossil set.
My advice is to skip Legendary eggs early. Fill your collection with C and D creatures while you upgrade your shovel.
| Tier | Shovel | Fossil Luck | Coins | Unlocks | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S | Forgotten | Unpublished | Unpublished | All islands | 1% Raptor X drop |
| S | Pacific | 1.60× | 1.45× | All but Late Cretaceous | 350,000 |
| S | Titanium | 1.40× | 1.30× | Cretaceous | 200,000 + materials |
| A | Iron | 1.20× | 1.15× | Jurassic | ~50,000 |
| B | Silver | 1.10× | 1.10× | Triassic | 12,000–15,000 (unconfirmed) |
| C | Bronze | 1.05× | 1.05× | Devonian | 2,500 |
| D | Wooden | 1.00× | 1.00× | Cambrian | Free |
Some sites list Bronze at 3,000 coins. Shop footage shows 2,500, so budget for that. Titanium also needs 20 Desert Topaz (Triassic rocks) and 20 Jungle Emerald (Jurassic rocks).
You need a Titanium Shovel or better.
You can also join other players’ Raptor X fights to skip the key quests.
Go Wooden, Bronze, Silver, Iron, then Titanium. Add Pacific or Forgotten after that. Pick the shovel that matches the era you are digging, because shovels are period-locked.
T-Rex is the best all-rounder, with top production and the most impressive ride.
The Forgotten Shovel is the strongest tier, but its multipliers aren’t published and it’s a 1% drop. Pacific is the best documented. Titanium is the best shovel you can simply buy.
Velociraptor is the fastest agile mount between dig sites.
No. It digs every island except Late Cretaceous.