On the surface Ark: Survival Evolved appears to be a simple survival simulator, but underneath is a web of complex systems as players craft, build, tame, breed, and gather resources. After all a standard run of the game is in the ballpark of 60 hours and a completionist run is north of 400 hours to finish.
There is a notable shift in the game where players go from struggling to survive to taking down bosses for fun. For players struggling in the beginning or looking to advance into the challenging endgame there are some pro tips to keep in mind.
Updated February 18th, 2022 by Russ Boswell: Ark: Survival Evolved continues to be one of the most engaging and entertaining survival titles currently on the market. Players are still hopping into this dinosaur-infested open-world romp on a daily basis, taking on other players, building bases, and taming as many creatures as possible. There is a ton to do in Ark: Survival Evolved in 2022, with new and returning players hopping in every day. To better showcase some of the best tips and tricks for Ark: Survival Evolved, the following list has been updated to include even more entries.
13 Track Down Drop Zones
Whether the player is just starting out or riding astride a T-Rex it’s important to take time to track down drop zones. These beacons of light indicate loot crates that contain everything from blueprints to powerful weapons.
This is also the only way to obtain certain blueprints that allow players to craft and build things. There are literally hundreds of reasons to track these down and players should be prepared to go after each and every one of them their level can open. Not only is it necessary to unlock endgame content it tremendously speeds up growth thanks to the valuable loot inside.
12 Stay At The New Spawn ...
One of the best tips that both new and pro players can benefit from is learning to stay wherever they spawn when entering a new game. Players dropping into Ark: Survival Evolved for the first time will always wake up on a beach in a particular area. While these zones can differ wildly in where they are located on the map, they will always be a beach and always been "tuned for beginners" in mind.
This means players won't have to worry about stronger predators attacking them, and they'll always have access to necessities like water and starting materials. It's better to approach a new Ark world slowly, rather than rushing in to try and find a spot before a player is better equipped to explore the mainland.
11 ... But Get Moving As Soon As Possible
While the newest spawn in any game is always going to be the safest place to be at the start, that's not the case when players start to gain power and resources. Ark: Survival Evolved isn't just a game about surviving against the elements and nature, but about surviving against fellow man. There are many players out there that would rather take someone else's resources than have to grind for their own.
For this reason, it's important to move away from the beach and construct a better (more hidden) shelter as soon as possible. Staying on the beach later into a game session can be a deathwish as it's easy for other players to spot elaborate shelters on the wide-open beaches and shorelines.
10 Breed Tek Parasaurs
Players should be breeding just about every type of dinosaur and creature in this open world game, but strong consideration should be made for Tek Parasuars. Parasaurs in general are only useful in the beginning as fast mounts, but the Tek variation can serve this and a more valuable purpose well into the endgame.
Players can breed a host of Tek Parasaurs, kill them, and then harvest the bodies with a Chainsaw. This nets all kinds of valuable resources like Oil, Scrap Metal, and the big one Electronics. It’s a fantastic way to amass harder-to-obtain resources and all it takes to start are two Tek Parasaurs.
9 Cryopods
Cryopods are an incredibly underrated item among the playerbase. Cryopods can be used to store dinosaurs making them incredibly easy to transport over long distances. Also any dinosaur inside a Cryopod will passively receive experience.
Admittedly players will need to be level 51 to craft these. But the resource cost is cheap and it’s a great way to move a lot of dinos and level up a few over time. Its important not to carry all dinos at once or the player risks losing them upon death.
8 Avoid The Water, Then Exploit It
In the beginning and into the mid-game players should be avoiding the water. From small ponds to the horrifying open ocean there are various threats like crocodiles and massive prehistoric sharks that can quickly eviscerate the player.
But in the mid-game when players have some more resources, gear, and creatures this mindset becomes very limiting. The open water is a vast treasure trove of resources and powerful creatures that can be exploited. Once players obtain their first Megalodon or Ickthyosaurus they’ll notice the difference.
7 Dedicate Time To Breeding
The most time-consuming aspect of this game is breeding and for good reason. It’s the single best way to obtain the most powerful creatures and to expand their capabilities. Breeding two powerful creatures together can result in offspring that have both sets of superior stats. Then those can be bred together to make even more powerful offspring.
It takes time, a lot of time, but it is worth it in the long run. Players shouldn’t feel compelled to breed mass amounts of every animal in the game. But even just choosing a handful will consume many, many hours in the long run.
6 Pair Defending Dinos With An Anchor
One incredible use of dinosaurs is having them protect the player’s base. It’s very effective at warding off other players and can prevent the bigger monstrosities from wreaking havoc. But as most Ark players will know, convincing dinosaurs to stay put and not wander off is a challenge.
A really good tip is to have a non-aggressive creature residing inside the base then direct all defending dinosaurs to follow that creature. Players can have a team of Raptors stationed outside directed to follow the beaver-like Castoroide inside. The Raptors will fight off attackers and then return to where the Castoroide is stationed when they’re done.
5 Prioritize Defenses
Many games teach players to prioritize offense over defense. While this usually works in other games, it’s a handicap in Ark. Whether it’s commanding a squad of dinosaurs to gather resources or smelting at a base it’s important to have the right defenses in place.
This means having walls, traps, turrets, defending dinosaurs and other measures. There are a lot of players and roaming dinosaurs in the open world that can quickly ruin your day. It’s vital to have multiple layers of security to act as a deterrent and provide you with a fighting chance.
4 Tame Everything
Nearly every creature in this game is ideally suited for something. For instance, Ickthyosaurus’ are great for fast water travel and exploring the ocean, Quetzals serve as flying bases and mass resource carriers, and Doedicurus are great for harvesting obsidian. Whatever the player can do manually a creature out there can do it better.
There’s also the fact that players will need to learn to tame weaker creatures to gain the ingredients to make kibble for the better ones. As a result players should settle themselves in for the long grind of being able to tame every monster in the game.
3 Take Time To Improve Systems
What should be apparent by now is that the player has a lot of things to do in this game and the biggest obstacle is going to be time. Because of this players should set aside some time on longer play sessions to find ways to improve the things they do.
This tip is incredibly helpful for making Ark more enjoyable and freeing up time to do other things. If players can find a way to gather berries quicker, say using a Brontosaurus to gather and a Stegosaurus to carry it all, that will free up time to do other things. There is always a better, more efficient, or more creative way to do something and figuring that out frees up a tremendous amount of time. Remember that automation is king.
2 Create More Than One Gear Set
Ark: Survival Evolved is an entertaining game, but it's also exceptionally difficult, especially when it comes to exploring new areas. Eventually, players will need to venture out of their safe zone to gather new materials or find and tame new dinosaurs. It's during these moments that the game gets pretty tense. No matter how prepared a player is, it can be difficult to navigate Ark: Survival Evolved, especially with other players lurking around the corner or powerful creatures hidden and ready to pounce.
A good rule of thumb is that players should always craft a set of gear to keep in a chest back at their base. No matter how well-prepared a player is, it's entirely possible they'll perish during their adventure outside their base. By having backup gear at the ready, players can get back on their feet quickly should the worst happen.
1 Learn To Use Tame Groups
Perhaps the greatest tip that many players aren’t aware of is using tame groups to organize and direct creatures. It’s possible within this open world to assign creatures to a particular group. This group then obeys unique whistles for that group and responds accordingly.
Players can then organize teams of creatures to carry out activities. For instance, a player can have a Tame Group of Raptors defending a Doedicurus while it's gathering stone. Or a pack of Wolves can sweep through an area killing all the animals. The player can then call them back and send out Hyenadons to gather all the meat. Learning how to use and organize Tame Groups will have a dramatic impact on how the game plays moving forward.