ARK: Survival Evolved – Ultimate Survival Guide for Novices

Article Key Points

ARK: Survival Ascended presents a formidable survival experience within a realm teeming with dinosaurs and ancient creatures. In order to survive, players must adeptly attend to their character's necessities while evading perilous encounters with these formidable creatures.

The beach areas in the game make for the most secure spawning locations. Here, players can easily find resources such as water, thatch, fiber, rock, and flint.

Constructing a thatch hut is a wise choice for a basic form of shelter within the game. Furthermore, players have the option to create important stations like a campfire, refining forge, smithy, preserving bin, mortar and pestle, and a bed, all of which greatly assist in survival.

Bolas are vital tools for safety, while taming travel mounts and resource-gathering dinosaurs can significantly enhance efficiency.

ARK: Survival Ascended, the highly anticipated upgrade to ARK: Survival Evolved, presents a challenging survival experience in a unique realm teeming with dinosaurs and ancient creatures. Awaking in an unfamiliar environment without any clothing, players must effectively manage their hunger, hydration, and body temperature, all while avoiding the threat of predatory creatures that see them as an easy meal.

Coexisting with dinosaurs in ARK: Survival Ascended can be an intimidating task, particularly as many of these creatures actively seek out opportunities to hunt the player. To ensure their safety, players must construct dependable shelters, tame dinosaurs to serve as protective and useful companions, and create weapons and armor to enhance their chances of survival. Amidst the perils of this prehistoric world, players must also remain mindful of their character's needs for sustenance and comfort.

1. Spawn In The Beach Zones

Contains Water And An Abundance Of Resources

Similar to ARK: Survival Evolved, the beach zones are the most secure areas for spawning in ARK: Survival Ascended. Unlike many other survival games, ARK: Survival Ascended does not classify water types as fresh or salt, allowing players to quench their thirst from the ocean. By spawning on the beach, players will have convenient access to all the essential resources they require at the beginning of the game, including thatch, fiber, rock, and flint.

2. Build A Thatch Hut

The beach areas are also inhabited by numerous passive herbivores, meaning the player doesn't need to worry about being chased or searching for food. The easiest dinosaurs to hunt are Dodos, which provide both raw meat for sustenance and animal hide used in crafting certain pieces of Cloth Armor. However, caution should be exercised when venturing into the nearby woodlands or swimming across large bodies of water, as aggressive dinosaurs tend to inhabit those areas.

Easiest Starting Form Of Shelter

Thatch is the first and easiest building material that players can learn to craft with Engram points. It serves as a decent shelter against most early dinosaurs, despite its low defense rating and vulnerability to damage from wild dinosaurs. Constructing a small thatch hut quickly can be a great survival strategy, providing protection from the elements and hiding the player from danger.

In ARK: Survival Ascended, the building process has been modified to make it easier for players. Wildcard has reduced the number of engrams required to learn how to build structures. At level 4, players can unlock the Thatch Foundation, Thatch Wall & Doorway, Thatch Doors & Window, and Thatch Ceiling. The Thatch Wall & Doorway incorporates multiple structure variants that players can cycle through before placing them. To install walls, players must first lay down a foundation, which then allows them to place walls around the perimeter. As players progress and level up, they can replace each part of the building with wooden or stone blocks for increased safety.

3. Craft Important Stations

Vital For The Early Game

It is crucial to prioritize crafting and positioning essential furniture inside your base such as a Campfire, Refining Forge, Smithy, Preserving Bin, Mortar and Pestle, and above all else, a bed. Each furniture item holds significant value during the early stages of the game. The Refining Forge is capable of smelting metal ore, which can then be utilized to craft superior weapons in the Smithy. The Smithy, in turn, unlocks better armor options and enables the creation of certain dinosaur saddles.

The Preserving Bin, which holds Spark Powder, is used to preserve perishable items of higher priority, such as food. Spark Powder can be created in the Mortar and Pestle, which is also where Narcotics (essential for taming) and gunpowder are produced. Placing a bed is crucial as it serves as a respawn point. Although sleeping in a bed does not allow the player to skip through the night, it is possible to fast-travel from one bed to another. Lastly, the Campfire is valuable for providing warmth, cooking meat, and converting wood into charcoal for gunpowder. As players level up, they will unlock additional crafting stations like the Fabricator and Industrial Forge.

4. Carry Bolas For Safety

An Essential Utility Weapon

At level 9, players can acquire Bolas, a throwable weapon that immobilizes dinosaurs it hits. While larger dinosaurs like the Stegosaurus are immune to their effects, Bolas can effectively restrict the movement of Raptors, which pose a significant threat to beginners in the early stages of the game. When trapped by Bolas, Raptors pose little danger to players for 30 seconds, allowing for an easy attack with arrows or a quick escape.

Besides immobilizing hostile creatures, Bolas are also useful for trapping and taming other creatures, or immobilizing passive herbivores like the Parasaur for effortless kills. Crafted using thatch, stone, hide, and fiber, Bolas are cost-effective and serve as versatile utility weapons with countless applications. As players progress, they may opt for Chain Bolas, which are even more potent and effective against a wider range of targets.

5. Tame A Travel Mount

Vital For Eluding Predators

ARK: Survival Ascended has made changes that eliminated the option to increase movement speed, which means survivors are unable to outrun certain aggressive wild dinosaurs like Raptors. Additionally, unlike players, wild dinos do not experience stamina depletion. As a result, it is crucial for new players to prioritize taming a reliable travel mount early on. Thankfully, there are several excellent options available in the early stages of the game.

Parasaurs serve as excellent early-game mounts with their high stamina, low stamina drain, and impressive speed. While they may not excel in combat, they can easily outrun most threats and be placed in Turret Mode to warn players of potential dangers. On the other hand, if players are feeling confident, low-level Raptors can be easily incapacitated using a Bola and Tranq Arrows.

6. Locate And Gather Valuable Materials

Metals Are Particularly Important

Valuable resources such as Metal, Crystal, Obsidian, and Silica Pearls can be gathered from various deposits throughout the map. As the game progresses, Metal becomes particularly crucial as it serves as a primary material for many crafts in the mid-to-late game. Metal rocks have a distinctive appearance with silver veins that emit sparks when struck. Initially, Stone Pickaxes are used to gather resources until enough Metal is obtained to craft a Metal Pickaxe or tame a gathering dino like the Ankylosaurus.

Crystal, also obtained with a pickaxe, is used in crafting Water Jars (which allow players to carry water in their inventory), Spyglasses, and Green House building blocks. Mountainous areas are the primary location for finding Metal, Crystal, and Obsidian nodes, although some Metal Nodes can also be found near hills. Silica Pearls are commonly found along riverbeds or at the bottom of lakes, and they are valuable for late-game crafts in the Fabricator.

7. Tame Resource-Gathering Dinos

Makes Gathering Resources More Efficient

In addition to their impressive appearance, dinosaurs in ARK: Survival Ascended serve various practical purposes, with certain dinosaurs excelling in specific tasks. Beginners should focus on taming the following dinosaurs to minimize the initial challenges and gather resources more effectively. Triceratops are particularly useful for collecting thatch and berries, enabling players to produce narcotics in large quantities.

The Doedicurus is exceptional at collecting stone, reducing the weight of stone in its inventory by half. Similarly, the Ankylosaurus is highly skilled at extracting metal from metal rocks, significantly increasing the efficiency and speed of metal gathering. Lastly, the Casteroides, an adorable beaver-like dinosaur, specializes in gathering wood and also reduces the weight of carried wood by half, mimicking the Doedicurus' ability with stone.

8. Slay Alphas For Easy Levels

Focus On Alpha Raptors

Alpha dinosaurs, distinguished by their larger size and red or white scales, are stronger versions of their non-alpha counterparts. They often emit a red glow and defeating them rewards players with a significant amount of experience points. While taking down Alpha Carnos and Alpha Rexes might be challenging, Alpha Raptors are usually more manageable, especially when using a well-leveled mount.

Triceratops, in particular, are effective against Alpha Raptors due to their enhanced defense when attacked from the front. In the early stages of the game, defeating Alpha Raptors yields valuable loot such as Metal Pickaxes, Metal Hatchets, Arrows, Tranq Arrows, and Bows. Additionally, they can be harvested for abundant amounts of Prime Meat. Prime Meat is highly beneficial for taming carnivorous creatures, although it spoils more quickly than Raw Meat and comes in smaller quantities. As players progress to higher levels, Alpha Carnos and Rexes become easier targets, offering greater experience points and more valuable rewards.

Ark: Survival Ascended

Platform(s) PC, PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series SReleased October 26, 2023Developer(s) Studio WildcardGenre(s) Survival, Open-World

Editor's P/S

ARK: Survival Evolved is a challenging and unforgiving game, but it is also incredibly rewarding. The sense of accomplishment you feel when you finally build your first house, tame your first dinosaur, or defeat your first boss is unlike any other. The game is constantly evolving, with new content being added all the time. If you are a fan of survival games, then ARK: Survival Evolved is a must-play.

Here are some tips for beginners:

* Start by playing on a PvE server. This will allow you to learn the game without the risk of being killed by other players. * Choose a good location for your base. The beach is a good starting point, as it is relatively safe and has plenty of resources. * Build a small house to protect yourself from the elements and predators. * Tame some dinosaurs to help you gather resources and protect yourself. * Explore the world and discover all of its secrets. * Have fun!