ARK: Survival Evolved is quite an interesting game, even compared to the wealth of similar survival titles out there. It's a multi-faceted experience, with so many moving parts to keep track of and so many things to do. It even has an intriguing story if you choose to pursue it.
With creatures from the realistic to the mythological and crafting of items ranging from primitive to futuristic, this game is the gift that keeps on giving. However, surviving in those first few hours can be tough, even frustrating. Here are ten tips to help you survive and thrive in ARK: Survival Evolved.
10 Get Yourself Kitted Out First
In this dangerous world, you might think that the first thing on your priority list would be to arm yourself. This is important, but in ARK: Survival Evolved, the environment is just as dangerous as a predator. Your character can become overheated or contract hypothermia very quickly during the day, night, or during inclement weather.
The best way to protect yourself in the first part of the game is to harvest fibers and craft basic clothes. These will insulate from the cold nights. There is a cap that you can craft and wear, but if you do so, pay attention to your meters. Wearing the cap will keep you warm but could cause you to overheat in the heat of the day.
9 Stay On The Beach You Started On
In the opening cutscene of the game, your character wakes up on a beach. For the beginning stages of the game, it is most beneficial to remain there. This is for several reasons. First of all, until you can gather resources for crafting, you won’t have a way to carry water with you. By staying close to the water, you can have an endless supply readily available.
Secondly, in the area you generally spawn in, larger and more aggressive predators rarely appear, so it's a safer spot to try and establish yourself. Third, there is a crafting tree that allows you to make pipes, reservoirs and wells. If your base of operations is on the beach, you are closer to your water source and can easily expand from there.
8 Stay Out of the Water
In this game, water is vital for life, but water sources can also be a place of death. Many dangerous creatures lurk in the seemingly inviting blue waters that surround the area you start out in. The deepest water offshore is home to huge sharks that can kill you in one bite. Some of the more shallow pools contain schools of piranhas, giant crocodiles, and other aggressive aquatic life.
If you must move through the water, try to find the shallowest place to cross. If that's not available, find the shortest route possible and swim as fast as you can. Once you acquire a boat, crossing bodies of water will be far less dangerous, but until then, only approach the water to grab a drink and then give it a wide berth.
7 Construct A Simple Shelter With A Bed
As mentioned in the first entry on this list, the elements pose just as much of a threat as any of the wildlife. To combat this, you’ll need shelter. Having a barrier between you and the wind and rain will help you stay warm and the shade of the roof will help keep you cool.
It's important for your safety as well, as it's incredibly difficult to see when night falls and predators are more likely to appear in the dark. Last but not least, your little shack will be the place where your bed will be. This is crucial because you will reappear in a random spot after dying unless you have a bed.
6 Tame Parasaurs
The best way to progress in this game is to amass resources so that you can craft equipment, weapons, and structures. However, materials are heavy, and as a mere human, you can't carry very much. Not to mention, sometimes the resources you find are quite a way from your camp, so making several small trips back and forth is a waste of time.
Thus, it should be one of your goals to tame a Parasaur or two as quickly as possible. These large beasts will make the perfect pack animals, as they can carry tons of material. You can also ride them, which will shorten your travel time.
5 Protect Your Settlement
Night time is a far more dangerous setting in this game. Predators are more likely to appear, and if you have tamed Parasaurs, it could attract them even more. You’ll need to protect yourself and your animals. So, even though it will take massive amounts of wood, you should construct spike walls around your camp with a Dinosaur Gate.
This will deter even large predators that might come sniffing around. The only negative to this is that sometimes large sauropods will roam the beaches. If they are hurt by your spike walls, they could fly into a frenzy and stomp your settlement. These creatures are relatively rare, though.
4 Prioritize Stamina And Melee Damage
These two Attributes will be your most important. Your Melee Damage will allow your melee attacks to hit harder (of course), while also helping you when it comes to gathering resources.
The other Attribute that you should put plenty of points into is Stamina. This is probably the stat that will save your life on many occasions. First of all, with more Stamina, you can attack more without getting tired. While this is great, ARK: Survival Evolved is full of creatures that can easily overpower you, especially at the beginning of the game. In this case, you will need to run, and run fast (Movement Speed is also great there). The last thing you want is to be killed and drop all of your belongings. Higher Stamina will also make you hunger and thirst a little more manageable.
3 Don’t Forget to Level Up Your Animals
All of the creatures you tame gain experience over time. So, every now and then, don’t forget to check on them and spend their level up points. For your pack animals and mounts, the same principle applies as to your player character: focus on Stamina, Movement Speed and strength. Your creatures will be able to carry more and defend themselves better against predators.
Again, there are some fearsome predators running around in this game and you could very easily run into them. Your animals will need all of the Stamina they can get so you can ride and guide them out of danger.
2 Try To Use Ranged Weapons
Something that keeps coming up a lot in this list is that the world is populated with dangerous creatures, and they come from the air, land, and sea. These are powerful creatures from eras across the Earth’s history. There are dinosaurs of all sizes, air-borne reptiles, and aquatic predators.
Naturally, as a little human, and these beasts having sharp teeth and claws, you don’t want to get too close. So, the best way to defend yourself is to keep your distance and try to kill them before they can reach you. Ranged weapons are difficult to master, but it’ll certainly be well worth your while.
1 Always Have A Back-Up Set of Gear
So, you have finally established yourself in ARK: Survival Evolved. You have a shelter, a fenced-in compound, you have some Parasaurs for mounts and pack animals, you have gear, and you have weapons. You feel ready to venture deeper into the mainland, find new resources and maybe hunt down some of the predators you’ve been living in fear of.
Before you go, there is one more preparation that needs to be made. Make sure to craft an entire back-up set of all your gear and keep it where your bed is. Odds are, you will most likely die on your expedition and it's no fun to wake up in your bed back at square one.