20 Tips for Surviving Your First Days in Ark: Survival Evolved

Surviving your first days in Ark: Survival Evolved can feel overwhelming, especially when you’re thrust into a dangerous world full of aggressive creatures and hostile environments. However, by focusing on a few critical strategies, you can not only survive but also set yourself up for long-term success. Here are 20 essential tips for surviving the early game.

1. Choose a Safe Spawn Location
Start by selecting an easy or medium spawn zone. Don’t dive into more challenging areas without understanding the basics. A safer area gives breathing room to gather resources and level up without constant threats from predators.

2. Gather Essentials Immediately
Focus on gathering fiber, wood, stone, and thatch right after spawning. These are your foundation for crafting tools, weapons, and structures. Keep an eye out for bushes to gather berries, which serve as an early food source.

3. Craft Basic Tools
Craft a stone pickaxe and hatchet first. These tools allow quicker gathering of resources like wood, stone, and flint. Always have one in hand to avoid delays in resource collection.

4. Level Up Vital Stats
In the early game, prioritize leveling up health, stamina, and weight capacity. Health helps with survival during unexpected attacks, while stamina keeps you moving, and increased weight lets you carry more resources without slowing down.

5. Learn the Right Engrams
Initially, unlock essential engrams like the campfire, thatch foundation, walls, and a simple bed. Focus on structures to secure shelter and tools to hunt and defend yourself. Avoid wasting points on items you don’t immediately need.

6. Build a Shelter
Shelter protects you from both predators and harsh weather. Craft a basic thatch hut to keep yourself safe at night and store essential items in one place.

7. Craft a Spear
Once you have enough materials, craft a spear. The spear is your first reliable weapon against small predators. Always carry a few, as they break easily.

8. Cook Meat
Eating raw meat can lead to food poisoning. Always use a campfire to cook meat for more effective hunger recovery. Hunting Dodos or small creatures provides a consistent source of meat.

9. Watch Out for Dangerous Dinosaurs
Stay away from aggressive dinosaurs like Raptors, Carnotaurus, or even Dilophosaurs early on. You’re better off avoiding them until you’ve acquired better weapons and gear.

10. Tame a Basic Dinosaur
Once you’re familiar with basic survival, start taming smaller creatures like the Parasaur or Dodo. These creatures are easy to tame and can assist with gathering or protection.

11. Keep Your Distance from Water Predators
Always remain cautious near water bodies. Creatures like Megapiranha and Sarcosuchus can attack with little warning, pulling you into a dangerous situation before you’re ready.

12. Create Backup Bases
Build multiple small bases or shelters scattered across the map. If one location gets overrun, you’ll have safe points to retreat to without losing all your progress.

13. Craft and Place Beds
Placing beds or sleeping bags at your base allows you to respawn at these points after death. This prevents the frustration of starting from scratch at random locations.

14. Use Spoiled Meat for Narcotics
Spoiled meat may seem like a waste, but it’s a key ingredient in crafting narcotics for taming. Don’t throw it away—use it to improve your taming efficiency.

15. Utilize Berries for Survival
In addition to meat, berries can help stave off hunger and hydration. Certain berries like Narcoberries and Stimberries have special properties useful for taming and fighting sleep or exhaustion.

16. Beware of Nightfall
Nighttime can be perilous in Ark. Visibility decreases, and more aggressive predators roam. Stay indoors or build a campfire to keep yourself warm and visible.

17. Learn to Kite Enemies
Kiting involves attacking enemies from a distance while staying out of their range. Use this technique with ranged weapons like slingshots or bows to handle predators that would otherwise overwhelm you in melee combat.

18. Use Hide Armor
Once you’ve leveled up a bit and gathered enough hide, craft hide armor for improved protection. This basic armor greatly increases your survivability in the wild.

19. Secure a Water Source
Hydration is crucial, so stay close to rivers or lakes. Alternatively, craft a waterskin to carry water on your adventures.

20. Join a Tribe
While solo play is possible, joining a tribe gives access to shared resources, protection, and knowledge. Playing with others makes the game more manageable and enjoyable.

About ARK: Survival Ascended Items

ARK: Survival Ascended introduces a fresh spin on ARK: Survival Evolved, bringing new graphics, mechanics, and items. Understanding how items work in this edition is essential for success.

Item Classes
Basic Tools and Weapons: Stone and metal tools like hatchets and pickaxes remain core for gathering. Early weapons include spears and bows.

Building Materials: You’ll use thatch, wood, stone, and eventually metal to build structures. Advanced materials, such as Tek-tier items, are critical for endgame survival.

Taming Gear: Items like saddles and tranquilizer darts play a key role in taming more challenging creatures.
Crafting Stations: Crafting stations like smithies and fabricators allow you to create advanced items that improve your defense, transportation, and efficiency.

Reasons to Buy ARK: Survival Ascended Items
1. Efficiency and Time-Saving
Early-game in ARK often requires a significant time investment, especially when it comes to gathering resources. Buying key items helps skip tedious grinding, allowing focus on building and exploration.

2. Competitive Advantage
Having access to advanced gear early in the game gives a competitive edge. This advantage proves especially valuable in PvP servers where timing and strength can determine survival.

3. Customization and Convenience
Purchasing items such as skins or exclusive gear enhances the game's aesthetic and personal experience. Customizing characters and dinosaurs adds to the overall immersion without spending excessive time crafting or gathering materials.

4. Access to Exclusive or Limited Items
Certain items in ARK: Survival Ascended are exclusive to events or limited periods. Buying these ensures long-term access to rare, high-quality items that improve gameplay or display personal achievements.

5. Faster Progression in PvE
In PvE, purchasing items speeds up progression, allowing you to unlock advanced content without unnecessary delays. This advantage lets you explore and tame powerful dinosaurs more quickly. Due to its multiple uses in the game, some players will choose to buy ark items at mmowow.

These strategies, coupled with the right understanding of items and their benefits, can make all the difference in how you survive and thrive in Ark: Survival Evolved and Survival Ascended. The key lies in understanding the balance between strategic preparation, resource management, and learning from each failure until success becomes inevitable.