One of the ways you can customize objects in Ark: Survival Evolved is by using various coloring dyes. You can change the appearance of pretty much anything that you own and it gives you a chance to reflect your personality within the game. The possibilities for dye are endless, but you are limited in your color choices.
There are 25 colors in all that you can create, although you might have to gather a few materials to craft what you need. Ark: Survival Evolved doesn't require you to make dyes to be successful, but that doesn't mean dyes are worthless. Looking fashionable is just as important as surviving to some. Let's go over everything you'll need to recolor your items.
Updated October 30th, 2021, by Charles Burgar: Ark is about more than survival. This game gives players the tools to create massive structures, engage in large-scale PvP, or create the largest collection of dinosaurs the world has seen. No matter how you play Ark, you'll want to ensure that your creations and dinosaurs both stand out from the crowd. We've updated this guide with more information on applying dyes, the different ways you can paint objects, and we've reorganized our recipe section to make it easier to read.
How To Craft Coloring Dye
If you want to craft dye, the first thing you need is a Cooking Pot or an Industrial Cooker. This is where you will place your ingredients that can be used to make a specific dye. Each dye has a unique crafting recipe. However, no matter what combination of materials you are using to craft a certain color, there are three ingredients you will always need.
Here are the necessary ingredients:
- 1x Canteen, Water Jar, or Waterskin (filled at least 25%) or an Irrigation System
- 2x Charcoal or 1x Sparkpowder or 1x Gunpowder
- Specific Berries to craft a specific color
It will take time for the dye to be crafted in your chosen cooker after it has been lit. You should also be aware that each batch of ingredients will create five dyes for you to use.
What Is Dye Used For?
Dye is used to customize your items and creatures by giving them a personal pop of color.
Here are a few things you can dye:
- Armor
- Saddles
- Creatures
- Weapons
- Buildings
- Structures
- Miscellaneous Items
How To Apply Dye To Items And Dinos
If you want to color structures to make the ultimate base then you will need a Paintbrush or a Spray Painter. With either item, you'll need to drag the dye of your choice onto the item to load it with your color of choice. From there, use your attack button to begin painting an object. Should the durability of either item break, you can "repair" it by dragging another dye onto the item.
You'll need the following to craft either painting item:
Paintbrush |
Spray Painter |
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The Difference Between A Paintbrush And Spray Painter
Paintbrushes can color virtually anything in Ark, including warpaint on dinos and players. It can store ten uses of color at a time, at which point its durability will reach zero. You'll need to swing at an object multiple times to paint it. Fortunately, Paintbrushes are fairly cheap to make and are available from level nine.
Spray Painters require far more materials to craft, but the payoff is more than worth it. Spray Painters color items much faster and are much more efficient with using dyes. Unfortunately, Spray Painters can't apply warpaint onto dinos or players, so you'll still need to use a Paintbrush in those instances.
Dye Colors
The tricky part about dyes is that each color must be individually made, using a specific recipe unless you are using single-player cheat codes. There are 25 different colors you can make, each one using a combination of certain berries, fuel, and water. The recipe for each dye can be found below.
Every Dye Color Recipe
IMPORTANT: Every dye below also requires a source of water (25% filled water storage or an Irrigation System). This has been omitted from the table for the sake of brevity. |
Color |
Recipe |
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Black |
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Blue |
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Brick |
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Brown |
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Cantaloupe |
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Cyan |
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Forest |
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Green |
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Magenta |
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Mud |
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Navy |
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Olive |
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Orange |
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Parchment |
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Pink |
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Purple |
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Red |
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Royalty |
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Silver |
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Sky |
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Slate |
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Tan |
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Tangerine |
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White |
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Yellow |
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