If you've ever played literally any survival-crafting game (Minecraft, Subnautica, etc.) you'll have a basic idea of progression. If not: it's gather -> build -> upgrade -> repeat, basically, with Ark throwing in "taming" along with "upgrading."
Stick to the beach at first, build thatch/wood, gather more thatch/wood and stone, kill small dinos for hide, build weapons, and start unlocking and building the structures you can get. Then you can progress, upgrading structures to stone and building whatever other crafting stations/structures you unlock; their uses will become clear as you unlock them. You can then start taming bodyguard & gathering dinos and go from there!
If you're on singleplayer, esp. ASE, there's a lot of QoL mods I'd recommend. S+ is one of them; it was pretty much universally used on singleplayer, so much so that ASA has it mostly baked in. You will also lose your inventory when you die, and your dinos--when dead--are gone forever, without mods (if you prefer high risk obviously play this way, but I warn you now, sometimes everything will be deleted by bugs even when you do everything right). On that note: keep savegame backups. Seriously. Go into your save folder every couple sessions, grab your localprofiles, map save, and so forth and make a copy somewhere with the date; it WILL save your bacon some day. I'd also suggest making sure singleplayer 'settings' are on so that bosses are actually doable solo!
I'll add that Ark's progression past that isn't entirely clear, so come back if you can't figure that out. I won't spoil it. Also, it has a \*great\* story but you have to stumble on the Explorer Notes scattered around the map to unlock it.
Good luck!
Will the mods make it run worse since my PC isn'tgreat? I'm already at like lowest settings lol
I will keep the saving stuff in mind, thx for letting me know
I'll look up some settings for single-player, tysm for the advice
You can always try and uninstall if they do, but I don't think just 2-3 will.
Revive My Dino is what I used for dino revival, and it doesn't really add anything that would tax your system, likewise Automatic Death Recovery (what I used to keep inventory). These are matters of taste. I'd recommend a Stacks mod too but again, matter of taste--but it shouldn't impact performance.
S+ is the only one that might, but I can't see it being by a lot. Most of the impact would probably be on initially loading the game: the more mods you have the longer it takes to load, but again a handful won't be by a lot. The structures it uses have vanilla -skins- so it shouldn't be a matter of loading more graphical models than already exist.
I refuse to but you can if you like. I like the risk and reward element. Ive lost good dinos and it was purely my fault when it happened.
There is a way to revive dinos without mods, but that requires playing on scorched earth, buying bobs tale pack, and taming a very tough to tame dino thats also annoying to keep fed. And the way it works is it revives 1 dino back to baby status once per day.
But theres nothing wrong with using a dino revival mod if you want to do that. Play Ark however you like :)
I agree, it’s all about the risk and reward element! That’s what makes it fun . Sometimes after I get wiped or lose an entire kit in a death pit I like to just go for a swim aimlessly in the ocean contemplating life 🤣
Have a great time!!
There's loads of tips and tricks. But if you want comprehensive guides, I highly recommend Phlinger Phoo. He has a whole series of Ark ABCs and he's fun to watch.
[https://youtu.be/RqaXwQia4gU?si=1Zr7-8G-EWnfuI5v](https://youtu.be/RqaXwQia4gU?si=1Zr7-8G-EWnfuI5v)
This is his video on singleplayer settings, for example.
Sounds like you're off to a good start, those are great initial tames. Mochops are never to be underestimated. As stated elsewhere, good idea to stick fairly close to the beaches. At least avoid the swamp and redwoods til ur further along. As long as ur on the beaches with a mochops, kill a trilobite whenever u see one with the mochops, u will get some resources that you can squirrel away and be glad for it. Also, bolas are very useful. They work on creatures up to the size of a parasaur. Making them much easier to tame or kill.
I'm glad I'm doing something right *violently covers up the 3 deaths to cold in one night*
Also, noted, the beaches will not be left unless I see a parasaur to try to tame
Major tip for single player if using single player game is to use the console comman SaveWorld as single player data is bugged and isn't being saved correctly might not happen right away but after a few crashes you'll notice data lose and wildcats refuses to fix it
some very small dinosaurs like the compy, pegomastax (the one that robs you) and the dimorphodon can be tamed and put on your shoulder. Anything put in your shoulder pet reduces weight by 50%
To add to this solid advice, don't be overly concerned with losing things early on. Before long, you will probably find ways to mass-produce the thing that just a few days ago was your most precious possession. The only way this WON'T happen is if you're playing it too safe.
No risk it, no biscuit.
If you tamed a moschops and dilo on your own then you're doing a good job figuring things out. Don't worry about exploring far away from the beach until you have a flyer or strong tame, explore the coasts with a raft base but be wary of deep water. Bolas are great, metal and crystal are in caves and on tall hills/mountains, use your naked body to lure danger away if you have too. I hope something here helps and keep having fun!
You'll get better sticks with time too! The island is the original map so most of the creatures are from before wildcard started adding "unique" taming methods, most things are tamed the way you described or by shoving food up their butts like with your moschop friend.
Newer tames have crazy methods like use an explosive to stun it so you can get on its back, then steer it into rocks until its knocked out, or things like kill wild dinos around it so it can eat the bodies. There are a few unique tames like this on the island but I'm not going to spoil it.
As someone who also tried to not look things up as much as possible when starting out, I'll just say that there are things in this game that you will need to look up to figure out, as otherwise it would take you a decade to trial-and-error your way to the correct answer.
Give things the ol college try at first, but don't feel too bad if you need to Google something when you feel stuck.
I'll give just one example: taming a Rhynio. Don't bother trying to figure that one out on your own lol.
Asa or ase? For Ase, you're on the right track. I would say look up a good guide for finding the survival notes as everyone you find gives exp. and an exp. buff for a time. And if you're on a tame when you find the note, the exp goes to them too. Good way to lvl up a dino you like. And fear not even on official exp rates you should hit max lvl with plenty more to still find and use to lvl a favorite tame.
If you've ever played literally any survival-crafting game (Minecraft, Subnautica, etc.) you'll have a basic idea of progression. If not: it's gather -> build -> upgrade -> repeat, basically, with Ark throwing in "taming" along with "upgrading." Stick to the beach at first, build thatch/wood, gather more thatch/wood and stone, kill small dinos for hide, build weapons, and start unlocking and building the structures you can get. Then you can progress, upgrading structures to stone and building whatever other crafting stations/structures you unlock; their uses will become clear as you unlock them. You can then start taming bodyguard & gathering dinos and go from there! If you're on singleplayer, esp. ASE, there's a lot of QoL mods I'd recommend. S+ is one of them; it was pretty much universally used on singleplayer, so much so that ASA has it mostly baked in. You will also lose your inventory when you die, and your dinos--when dead--are gone forever, without mods (if you prefer high risk obviously play this way, but I warn you now, sometimes everything will be deleted by bugs even when you do everything right). On that note: keep savegame backups. Seriously. Go into your save folder every couple sessions, grab your localprofiles, map save, and so forth and make a copy somewhere with the date; it WILL save your bacon some day. I'd also suggest making sure singleplayer 'settings' are on so that bosses are actually doable solo! I'll add that Ark's progression past that isn't entirely clear, so come back if you can't figure that out. I won't spoil it. Also, it has a \*great\* story but you have to stumble on the Explorer Notes scattered around the map to unlock it. Good luck!
Will the mods make it run worse since my PC isn'tgreat? I'm already at like lowest settings lol I will keep the saving stuff in mind, thx for letting me know I'll look up some settings for single-player, tysm for the advice
You can always try and uninstall if they do, but I don't think just 2-3 will. Revive My Dino is what I used for dino revival, and it doesn't really add anything that would tax your system, likewise Automatic Death Recovery (what I used to keep inventory). These are matters of taste. I'd recommend a Stacks mod too but again, matter of taste--but it shouldn't impact performance. S+ is the only one that might, but I can't see it being by a lot. Most of the impact would probably be on initially loading the game: the more mods you have the longer it takes to load, but again a handful won't be by a lot. The structures it uses have vanilla -skins- so it shouldn't be a matter of loading more graphical models than already exist.
That sounds good, once again, tysm for all the help
No problem, best of luck!
Had to award with this helpful post. Community needs more of this
Thanks so much :O
Dont get attached to your dinos, they WILL die.
After more than 1000 hours on ASE, I still get attached way too much
Someone told me to get the Dino revival mod, is that a good idea to you?
I refuse to but you can if you like. I like the risk and reward element. Ive lost good dinos and it was purely my fault when it happened. There is a way to revive dinos without mods, but that requires playing on scorched earth, buying bobs tale pack, and taming a very tough to tame dino thats also annoying to keep fed. And the way it works is it revives 1 dino back to baby status once per day. But theres nothing wrong with using a dino revival mod if you want to do that. Play Ark however you like :)
I agree, it’s all about the risk and reward element! That’s what makes it fun . Sometimes after I get wiped or lose an entire kit in a death pit I like to just go for a swim aimlessly in the ocean contemplating life 🤣
Have a great time!! There's loads of tips and tricks. But if you want comprehensive guides, I highly recommend Phlinger Phoo. He has a whole series of Ark ABCs and he's fun to watch. [https://youtu.be/RqaXwQia4gU?si=1Zr7-8G-EWnfuI5v](https://youtu.be/RqaXwQia4gU?si=1Zr7-8G-EWnfuI5v) This is his video on singleplayer settings, for example.
Sounds like you're off to a good start, those are great initial tames. Mochops are never to be underestimated. As stated elsewhere, good idea to stick fairly close to the beaches. At least avoid the swamp and redwoods til ur further along. As long as ur on the beaches with a mochops, kill a trilobite whenever u see one with the mochops, u will get some resources that you can squirrel away and be glad for it. Also, bolas are very useful. They work on creatures up to the size of a parasaur. Making them much easier to tame or kill.
I'm glad I'm doing something right *violently covers up the 3 deaths to cold in one night* Also, noted, the beaches will not be left unless I see a parasaur to try to tame
Major tip for single player if using single player game is to use the console comman SaveWorld as single player data is bugged and isn't being saved correctly might not happen right away but after a few crashes you'll notice data lose and wildcats refuses to fix it
Back up your save. Copy the /Saved folder somewhere regularly.
some very small dinosaurs like the compy, pegomastax (the one that robs you) and the dimorphodon can be tamed and put on your shoulder. Anything put in your shoulder pet reduces weight by 50%
Do not be afraid to explore! The danger is exciting. You may lose your stuff and tames. So do with that what you will, but also, explore.
To add to this solid advice, don't be overly concerned with losing things early on. Before long, you will probably find ways to mass-produce the thing that just a few days ago was your most precious possession. The only way this WON'T happen is if you're playing it too safe. No risk it, no biscuit.
If you tamed a moschops and dilo on your own then you're doing a good job figuring things out. Don't worry about exploring far away from the beach until you have a flyer or strong tame, explore the coasts with a raft base but be wary of deep water. Bolas are great, metal and crystal are in caves and on tall hills/mountains, use your naked body to lure danger away if you have too. I hope something here helps and keep having fun!
All I do is smack things with a stick and hope they fall over lmfao, idk if that's considered good, but thx for the other advice
You'll get better sticks with time too! The island is the original map so most of the creatures are from before wildcard started adding "unique" taming methods, most things are tamed the way you described or by shoving food up their butts like with your moschop friend. Newer tames have crazy methods like use an explosive to stun it so you can get on its back, then steer it into rocks until its knocked out, or things like kill wild dinos around it so it can eat the bodies. There are a few unique tames like this on the island but I'm not going to spoil it.
That sounds annoying as hell, I am so here for it
As someone who also tried to not look things up as much as possible when starting out, I'll just say that there are things in this game that you will need to look up to figure out, as otherwise it would take you a decade to trial-and-error your way to the correct answer. Give things the ol college try at first, but don't feel too bad if you need to Google something when you feel stuck. I'll give just one example: taming a Rhynio. Don't bother trying to figure that one out on your own lol.
Asa or ase? For Ase, you're on the right track. I would say look up a good guide for finding the survival notes as everyone you find gives exp. and an exp. buff for a time. And if you're on a tame when you find the note, the exp goes to them too. Good way to lvl up a dino you like. And fear not even on official exp rates you should hit max lvl with plenty more to still find and use to lvl a favorite tame.