Ark: Survival Evolved is packed with tons of materials, ranging from simple fibers to complex chemicals. One of these materials you will eventually need is crystal. This mineral won't be too helpful at the start of the game, but it will eventually become important once you start building complex structures around your base camp.
Since crystals are an important crafting material, we are going to take a look at where to get them, as well as what you can do with them. It's important to remember that crystals can be found on several DLC maps in different locations, but the locations we are going to talk about below apply to every map. Now, let's go over the best methods to obtain crystals.
Where To Find Crystal
The best place to find crystals is in caves, on mountain tops, or snowy biomes. Crystals have a shiny white appearance, making them very easy to spot from a distance.
To harvest the crystal, simply hit it with a metal pickaxe. This is the most efficient way to gather crystals by hand, ensuring that none is wasted. Below, you can check out the necessary steps to make one metal pickaxe.
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Materials Needed:
- 1 Metal Ingot
- 1 Wood
- 10 Hide
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Crafting Station:
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Smithy
- 5 Metal Ingot
- 50 Stone
- 30 Wood
- 20 Hide
- Required Level 20
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Smithy
Collecting With Creatures
In addition to finding and harvesting crystals by hand, various creatures will gather them for you. Below, you can check out every creature that will gather this material for you.
- Ankylosaurus
- Dunkleosteus
- Mantis
- Phoenix
- Therizinosaur
Overall, the most efficient way to gather crystals is with the Ankylosaurus. This dinosaur has an 85 percent weight reduction of items in its inventory, allowing them to carry more crystals at a time. For more information, be sure to check out our guide on taming creatures.
What To Do With Crystal
Crystal is used in over 100 different recipes. Because of this, we are just going to take a quick look at the most important items that you will craft with crystal.
- Spyglass
- SCUBA Mask
- Fabricator
- Radio
- Air Conditioner
- Refrigerator
- Gas Mask
- Greenhouse Structures
- Weapon Attachments
- Industrial Forge and Grill
- Poison Grenade
- Night Vision Goggles
That's all there is to know about crystals. Be sure to head into caves and climb mountains so you can find this resource!