Ark – Guide with Tips for Beginners

First steps for those who play Ark Survival Evolved for the first time

In Ark Survival Evolved we are placed with nothing in an extremely hostile world, this is a true survival game since the player does not have access to any kind of tutorial or help, he has to discover and learn the mechanics of the game alone, luckily we are here to help and in this article we will indicate the first steps to take when entering Ark.

Be prepared to die … often

In Ark there are many ways to die, whether from hunger, thirst, poisoning, dinosaurs, hypothermia, other players, etc … the beginning is particularly difficult since our character is still very weak and we don’t have tools or weapons, every time we die we are born in a different place and we lose all items. So if you die often don’t get discouraged, it’s part of the nature of the game.

Collect resources and create the first tools

In short, the essential materials at the beginning are Wood and Thatch from the trees, Stone and Flint from the stones and Fiber and Berries from the bushes. To start with, our priority is to create tools, we get some Wood and Thatch from the trees in a punch, and some Stone from the ground to make a Stone Pick, with it we have already been able to break stones to obtain Flint and Stone needed for a Stone Hatchet. One tip, breaking stones with an ax gives more Stone while the Pickaxe gives more Flint.

It is necessary to pay close attention to thirst and hunger, it is always advisable to have a lake or beach close by and berries to eat, these are caught in the bushes, beware the Narcoberries will make us unconscious and the Stimberries dehydrate. At the beginning we were not able to carry much weight so we should only catch even what is needed.

Evolve quickly

As we explained in the guide on how to evolve quickly in Ark, as we collect materials, hunt, build or anything else, we are rewarded with points to increase our character’s attributes, at first it is a good idea to choose to increase the weight, stamina and character’s life. With each level reached we are also rewarded with Engram Points (EP) that are used to unlock new Engrams, the name given to the schemes of the items that we are going to build, there will be no points to unlock everything so we only have to choose what is really necessary.

Hunting Dodos and Cooking

As soon as we manage to build a Spear to start facing Dinos, the Dodos are ideal for first victims because they kill easily, even by punch, and do not attack, these and other animals give raw meat and Hide, a resource that will be used a lot, if we use the axe the amount of Hide collected will be greater. With Hide we have already managed to make garments that in addition to providing protection against high or low temperatures that help to withstand a little more the attacks suffered.

Hunger is one of our biggest enemies in Ark, Berries only serve to deceive hunger, we must work to build a Campfire where Wood or Tatch is placed as fuel along with the meat to be cooked, be aware that over time the meat will be spoiled.

Build First Base

Whenever we die, all the items stay with the body and we are born again in a different place so our main priority is to be able to create a first base where we will put a bed, that way we will be born there and not in a random place. First you have to choose the location at least for an initial base, the ideal is to be close to the water and other main resources, try to understand if it is not a place frequented by dangerous dinosaurs and you should not build too close to the place where you are born because this is where other players will also appear. In the beginning a construction in Thatch is the fastest, just 4 foundations, 7 walls, 1 entrance, 1 door and 4 ceilings are enough, it may even be smaller but it will fit less things. With our modest house builded, we put a bed, fire and wooden chest inside to store items. As soon as we have the resources for that, we must convert the base to wood and later to Stone, for that, simply put the new buildings in place of the old ones to replace them. Attention, we can be stolen by other players, all chests and inventories must be protected by a PIN code to make life difficult for thieves.

Tame First Dinosaurs

Now we come to the part that many yearn for, start to domesticate dinos, for that it is necessary to first put the dinosaur unconscious, food (berries in herbivores and raw meat in carnivores) is placed that they will eat until they fall in love with us, this process can take anywhere from a few minutes to hours, depending on the dinosaurs and multipliers on the server. In the beginning it will not be easy so we start with small herbivores like the Dodos that even fall off and just take a few minutes to be ours, these are not much use in practice but will greatly increase our XP in the beginning. To make them unconscious, a sling is necessary, although the ideal and faster are the tranquilizer arrows, they will need Narcotics made with Narcoberries and spoiled meat in Mortar & Pestle, Narcotics are also used to prevent Dinosaurs from waking up before to be tamed. Another weapon that will come in handy is the ball that will immobilize them for a few seconds.

Also check out our guide with the first 5 dinosaurs you should tame in Ark Survival Evolved.

Defend the base

From now on it is to continue to evolve and try to defend the base as best as possible, the other players can attack while we are offline and more powerful wild dinosaurs are also capable of causing destruction, so we must be prepared not to have unpleasant surprises. Dinosaurs must be left in Neutral mode to defend the base, plant Species X plants and place turrets that will automatically attack as they approach, fill the Spikes roof to prevent someone from landing are some defense tips. Joining a tribe is ideal, it is easier to survive and evolve together than solo.