Learning how to Ark: Survival Evolved can feel overwhelming at first. Players spawn on a mysterious island with nothing but their fists and a strange implant in their arm. Dinosaurs roam freely. Resources are scarce. Death comes quickly for the unprepared.
This beginner’s guide breaks down everything new players need to know. From gathering basic resources to taming dinosaurs and building secure bases, each step builds toward long-term survival. Whether playing solo or joining a tribe, these fundamentals will help anyone get started in Ark: Survival Evolved.
Key Takeaways
- New players learning how to Ark: Survival Evolved should spawn on southern beaches for a gentler start with fewer aggressive dinosaurs.
- Craft a stone pickaxe and hatchet first to dramatically improve resource gathering efficiency.
- Monitor health, stamina, food, and water constantly—ignoring these vital stats leads to quick death.
- Tame starter dinosaurs like Dodos, Parasaurs, and Raptors early to gain transportation, defense, and resource-gathering advantages.
- Build a secure base near water using stone structures, as thatch breaks easily against wild dinosaurs and raiders.
- Choose engrams wisely since players cannot unlock every crafting recipe in Ark: Survival Evolved.
Understanding the Basics of Survival
Ark: Survival Evolved drops players into a prehistoric world with one goal: stay alive. The game presents several core mechanics that determine survival success.
Managing Vital Stats
Players must monitor multiple status bars at all times. Health depletes from attacks, falls, and environmental hazards. Stamina drains during running, swimming, and combat. Food and water levels decrease constantly and require regular attention.
Hunger depletes faster than thirst in most situations. Eating berries provides a quick food boost early on, while drinking from rivers or rain refills the water meter. Ignoring these stats leads to rapid health loss and eventual death.
Leveling Up and Engrams
Every action in Ark: Survival Evolved grants experience points. Harvesting resources, crafting items, and killing creatures all contribute to leveling up. Each level provides points to invest in character stats like health, stamina, weight capacity, and movement speed.
Leveling also unlocks engram points. These points purchase crafting recipes permanently. Early priorities should include the pickaxe, hatchet, campfire, and basic clothing. Players cannot unlock every engram, so choosing wisely matters, especially in the early game.
Choosing a Spawn Location
The spawn location significantly impacts early survival difficulty. South zone beaches offer gentler starts with fewer aggressive creatures. Northern regions contain more dangerous predators but better resources. New players should stick to southern beaches until they understand basic mechanics.
Gathering Resources and Crafting Essentials
Resource gathering forms the foundation of progress in Ark: Survival Evolved. Different tools harvest different materials from the same sources.
Primary Resources
Thatch, wood, stone, fiber, and flint represent the essential starting materials. Punching trees yields thatch and wood, though this damages the player’s health. Picking bushes provides fiber and berries. Stone nodes scattered across beaches supply stone and flint.
Once a player crafts a stone pickaxe, resource gathering becomes significantly more efficient. The pickaxe extracts more flint from rocks and more thatch from trees. A stone hatchet, by contrast, gathers more stone and wood from the same sources.
Essential Early Crafts
The first crafting priority should be a pickaxe and hatchet. These tools accelerate all future gathering. A campfire comes next, it cooks meat, provides warmth at night, and offers light in dark areas.
Cloth armor protects against minor damage and temperature changes. A spear serves as both a weapon and fishing tool. Storage boxes keep items safe and organized near spawn points.
Advanced Materials
As players progress in Ark: Survival Evolved, they’ll need metal, crystal, obsidian, and polymer. Metal nodes appear on mountains and in caves. A forge smelts raw metal into ingots for better tools and structures. Crystal spawns near mountain peaks. These materials unlock mid-game and late-game crafting options.
Taming Your First Dinosaurs
Dinosaur taming separates Ark: Survival Evolved from other survival games. Tamed creatures serve as mounts, pack animals, guards, and resource gatherers.
Knockout Taming Basics
Most dinosaurs require knockout taming. Players must render the creature unconscious using fists, clubs, slingshots, or tranquilizer arrows. Once knocked out, the dinosaur’s torpor bar appears. Keeping this bar full prevents the creature from waking up.
Narcoberries and narcotics maintain torpor levels. Players place food in the creature’s inventory, meat for carnivores, berries for herbivores. The taming bar fills slowly as the dinosaur eats. Lower-level creatures tame faster than high-level ones.
Best Starter Tames
Dodos require minimal effort and provide eggs for cooking. Parasaurs detect nearby threats and carry decent weight. Trikes gather berries efficiently and defend against small predators.
Raptors make excellent early mounts. They’re fast, deal solid damage, and spawn frequently on beaches. A bola immobilizes raptors long enough for knockout. Pteranodons unlock aerial travel but require more preparation.
Taming Tips
Build a small pen from wooden foundations and doorframes. Lure the target dinosaur inside and trap it. This method prevents the creature from running away and protects the taming process from other predators.
Always bring extra narcotics. Taming takes time, and running out means losing all progress. Starving a creature before placing food speeds up the final taming phase.
Building a Base and Staying Safe
A secure base protects players, tames, and resources from threats. Location and construction choices determine long-term success in Ark: Survival Evolved.
Choosing a Base Location
Flat ground near water and resources offers the best starting position. Avoid high-traffic predator paths. Stay away from spawn points for aggressive creatures like rexes or spinos.
Beaches provide easy access to water and basic resources. Elevated positions offer natural defense but limit expansion space. Hidden spots in forests or cliffs reduce the chance of player raids on PvP servers.
Building Materials Progression
Thatch structures go up quickly but break easily. Wild dinosaurs and other players destroy thatch walls with minimal effort. Stone structures provide meaningful protection against most early threats.
Metal construction requires significant resource investment but resists all but the most determined attacks. Greenhouse structures maximize crop growth for food sustainability.
Base Defense Strategies
Place beds inside the base for respawn points. Storage boxes should sit against interior walls, not exterior ones. Build small and expand gradually rather than creating large empty structures.
Tamed dinosaurs on “aggressive” behavior defend the base while players are away. Spikes placed around the perimeter damage anything that gets too close. Turrets become available later and provide automated defense.
