Ark is a survival game that places players in a world full of dinosaurs. With nothing but a loincloth covering them, players must build a base by punching trees to get wood, make tools to defend themselves, and make friends with the local dinosaurs. The only problem is that there is a lot of aggressive dinos who would love nothing more than to make players their mid-day snack.
To get anywhere fast, players will need to level up fast and learn how to tame dinosaurs to help defend them and cart them around the map more quickly. No part of the map is truly safe, and players will need to manage their hunger and thirst as well.
Updated March 20, 2022, by Michael Abayomi: Ark: Survival Evolved continues to receive support several years after debuting on Steam Early Access in 2015. This is coming in the form of the recently-released version 2.76 update, which promises more than 70 fixes across the game's PlayStation, Xbox, and PC versions. On top of that, the game recently got dropped into PS Plus as one of the free games for March 2022, making it an excellent time for new players to start their adventures. But before you get thrust into its harsh dinosaur-filled sandbox, here are a few things worth knowing about the game.
12 There Are Performance Differences Between Versions
Ark: Survival Evolved is essentially the same game across all of its available platforms. At the time of this writing, the game has dedicated versions for PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Android, iOS, and Stadia.
Not all those versions were created equally, though. The Nintendo Switch and mobile phone versions, for example, are significant downgrades from the PC version, with pared-back settings to get the game running on that class of devices. Even then, you can expect to run into issues with frame rates and visuals, more so than on the other platforms, due to the limitations of the hardware in question. The PC remains the best place to play the game, provided you have a capable enough rig. That said, Xbox One and PS4 players should still be able to get some decent performance out of the game.
11 The Gameplay Loop Involves A Lot Of Grinding
In Ark: Survival Evolved, expect to spend most of your time gathering resources and crafting items. The game by design requires players to slowly make their way up from the very bottom of the evolutionary chain. This means you'll be using resources like wood and stone to craft primitive tools and weapons like bows and arrows for much of the game's early portions.
It will most likely be a while before you get to evolve to the point where you can use guns or high-end tech. So if you've seen trailers or screenshots showing players riding into battles on top of T. Rexes while firing assault rifles, we'd advise that you taper your expectations as those experiences could be tens of grinding-filled hours away.
10 The Multiplayer Isn't Beginner Friendly
Many of the multiplayer servers that you can join are already set up, with tribes patrolling the area. The game is PvP, and when players log out, their base is left unguarded, and their character actually falls asleep, meaning that they can get raided and killed at any time.
It can be extremely frustrating to get started in multiplayer without joining a tribe right off the bat.
9 Dinosaurs Can Take Days To Tame
Dinosaurs all have different taming needs in the game. Some simply need berries and a few minutes to join your rank, while others may take days. This can be adjusted in non-dedicated sessions, but bigger dinosaurs like the T. Rex will still be frustrating to gain control of.
Ark wants the players to have a true challenge with taming dinos, and players will have to worry about keeping them under control as well.
8 Scorched Earth Isn't A Beginner Area
From the start of the game, players have the option to begin on a map called Scorched Earth. The best advice most veteran players can give to newcomers is to build up your character and then move over to the map to tame the dinos and learn more about the game's lore.
Most low-leveled enemies in Scorched Earth can kill players within seconds.
7 Food Will Spoil
Gathering food isn't like other survival games, as meat and berries will go rancid in your inventory. This makes it hard to keep a stockpile of food and forces the player to constantly gather supplies until they unlock better preservation tools in the late game.
Spoiled meat does have some uses, but helping to keep a player alive isn't one of them.
6 Don't Get Attached To Your Pets
Many players will feel a bit powerful taming their first dinosaur, especially if it's a carnivore. The truth is that the dinosaur will die, whether it's by player error or a swarm of raptors. Pets can be healed, but it takes a lot of work to ensure that they stay alive in the game.
In addition, pets will also need to be fed, and getting far away in some sessions may cause them to despawn.
5 Your House Can Be Attacked
No matter how well-fortified your home is, it can become part of an attack. Whether by another tribe or by a violent dinosaur. Even plant-eaters can sometimes cause issues, especially in the case of the giant brontosaurus that can easily step over walls with little effort.
This often can't be helped, and only proper scouting for a camp area can help.
4 Swimming Isn't Safe
Many players' first instinct when encountering a Titanoboa or other carnivore is to try and run towards any area that seems safe. Most of the time, new players will find themselves trying to find safety by swimming out into the ocean, which is an extremely bad idea.
There is a long list of creatures that attack the player in the water, including alligators and even small creatures like stingrays.
3 Friends Make It Easier
One of the best ways to play Ark is alongside a group of friends. The game is set up so that being in a tribe greatly benefits the player. Tribe members can help guard the base at different times of day, split-up resource gathering, and offer back-up during expeditions.
Multiplayer is also one of the few ways to build yourself up much faster than normal and is almost required when going into an online session.
2 You Start Out At A Primitive State
When players start out the game, they literally start with nothing. The only thing they have to defend themselves is their fists, and that won't even be enough to fend off a hungry group of compy. Even spawning in an easy zone doesn't mean that a predator won't be close by.
Each time the player is killed, they will respawn in this state and have to make their way back to their items.
1 Slow Progression
Ark isn't a game that can be completed within a few sittings. The game can take nearly a hundred hours to just finish building yourself up in, and that doesn't include the time it takes to bounce back from raids or dinosaur attacks. The best way to play Ark is to pick a safe location and slowly level yourself up.
Before jumping into a new area, players should feel 100% confident that they can handle the carnivores roaming around inside of it.