When you first begin a new game in Ark: Survival Evolved, you may not know what to do. If you are playing a single-player game, you will need to harvest resources and set up a small base right away. Stranded on an island, surrounded by dinosaurs, one of your first steps should be to make a campfire. In this guide, we're going to go over how to light your campfire, as well as how to craft it, and what can be used as fuel.

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Campfires are an important item early in the game. To unlock the ability to make a campfire, you will need the campfire engram, which can be learned for three points on the engram screen of your inventory. The campfire is in the second level of the engram tree, so you should learn it as soon as possible. With the campfire engram unlocked, let's take a look at how to craft it.

Updated January 6, 2023 by Jacqueline Zalace: We've updated this guide with more information on the campfire, allowing you to quickly make one and warm yourself in Ark: Survival Evolved.

How To Build A Campfire

To build a campfire, you only need four material types. In the table below, you can check out each material, along with how to get it.

Once crafted, the campfire will move to your inventory. From here, you can place the campfire anywhere you want.

Remember, campfires are a good source of light and heat. You may want to place the campfire close to where you establish your beginner base, so you will stay warm.

What To Use As Campfire Fuel

Before you light your campfire, you will need to gather fuel. The following items can be used as fuel for campfires. You can also find the approximate burn time for each material.

How To Light Your Campfire In Ark

Now, let's go through a step-by-step list for how to light your campfire! Overall, it's quite simple, but if you have never done it before, it can be slightly confusing.

1. Place fuel inside the campfire. This can be done by holding the 'Use' button on the campfire.
2. Doing so will open a circular menu where you can select 'Access Inventory'. This will open a new menu that looks similar to your normal inventory. On the righthand side of the screen, you will see three empty slots for the campfire.
3. Here, you will place your fuel of choice. As the campfire burns, the fuel will be consumed and turn into charcoal.
   • You will be able to gather charcoal from the campfire inventory as well.

4. Finally, light the campfire. In the center of the menu screen, you will see a button saying 'Light Fire'. Clicking this will ignite the fire.
   • Once lit, this button will say 'Put Out Fire'.

The campfire can also be lit outside of the inventory menu. As you walk by a campfire, you may see a message above it, prompting you to light or put out the fire. This will only appear if there is enough fuel. With the right amount of fuel, all you need to do is press the 'Use' button.

What To Do At A Campfire In Ark

At a campfire, you will be able to cook a variety of meats. Below, you can every item that can be cooked on the campfire.

The raw materials above will all cook for around 20 seconds, with the exception of raw mutton. It will take around 60 seconds for raw mutton to cook and become a cooked lamb chop.

Next: The Best Items In Ark: Survival Evolved