GameWiki
GET YOUR BEARINGS
About ARK: Survival Evolved
Stranded naked on a mysterious island, you must hunt, harvest, craft, and build to survive. Managing hunger, thirst, temperature and weight while exploring a dynamic ecosystem creates constant tension.
Taming over 100 creatures, forming Tribes, and confronting colossal boss beasts give purpose beyond mere survival. The game blends open‑world adventure with deep crafting, breeding, and multiplayer interaction, all rendered in a vivid Unreal Engine 4 world.
01 / THE GUIDE
Taming and Breeding
Creatures are subdued by weakening them until unconscious, then fed appropriate food to nurse them back to health. Once tamed, they obey commands based on their level of trust and can level‑up, carry inventory, and be ridden if large enough.
Opposite‑gender tames can mate, producing offspring whose traits inherit genetically. Both egg‑based incubation and mammalian gestation are supported, allowing players to selectively breed for desired characteristics.
- Weaken a creature fully before feeding to speed the taming process.
- Match food type to the creature’s diet for faster recovery.
02 / THE GUIDE
Crafting and Structures
Resources like wood, metal and stone are harvested to craft items from blueprints. Items have durability and can be painted for visual customization. Structures are built from snap‑linked parts and have a load system that can collapse if unsupported.
Shelters reduce weather extremes and protect inventories. Paintable signs, billboards and decorative objects let players personalize bases, while water pipes, generators and electrical devices add functional depth.
- Reinforce key support beams to prevent structural collapse.
- Paint frequently used gear for quick visual identification.
03 / THE GUIDE
Survival Mechanics
Players must eat and drink, with different foods offering varied nutritional values. Inventory weight slows movement, and day/night cycles plus weather affect hunger and thirst rates.
Building fires or shelters mitigates temperature extremes. Dynamic indoor/outdoor insulation calculations determine how quickly a player loses health to cold or heat.
- Carry a mix of meat and plant foods to balance nutrition.
- Use insulated clothing when exploring cold biomes.
04 / THE GUIDE
Tribe and Multiplayer
Players can create Tribes, sharing tames, structures and spawn points. Tribe admins manage permissions, and members can command each other's tames. Communication is possible via proximity text, voice chat and long‑distance radios.
On large servers, characters, items and tames persist after logout, allowing long‑term development of shared bases and coordinated attacks on boss creatures.
- Assign a trusted member as admin to streamline base management.
- Coordinate radio channels for efficient long‑range communication.
05 / THE GUIDE
Exploration and Endgame
Exploring reveals rare seeds, blueprints, and Explorer Notes that piece together the ARK’s backstory. Players can map points of interest, craft compasses or GPS devices, and place signs for others.
Summoning locations let players attract massive mythic creatures; defeating them yields valuable progression items and serves as the game’s end‑game challenge.
- Mark dangerous areas with signs to warn tribe mates.
- Collect as many Explorer Notes as possible for lore insights.
COMMUNITY
Player discussion