How to Use Crafting in Ark: Survival Ascended

With Ark: Survival Ascended being a survival game, the ability to find resources and craft them into tools is one of the game’s most vital skills. However, the crafting system can be a bit difficult to get a hang of if you don’t know what you are doing.

Where to find Resources in Ark: Survival Ascended

Those familiar with other survival games, such as Minecraft, should have an easy time getting the hang of Ark: Survival Ascended’s crafting system. While basic resources are fairly easy to find in Ark: Survival Ascended, the item system may confuse new players at first. When you see the hand icon appear in the bottom right of your screen, this means you can pick up resources (done by clicking E on PC).

The resources you gather depend on the terrain below. For example, rocky areas give you rocks and sticks, while standing on foliage gives you berries. Of course, there are many other ways to acquire more advanced resources, such as killing enemies or finding hidden treasure. As with any gathering and crafting survival game, tools are essential for your ability to collect more resources.

For example, having a hatchet will allow you to gather more wood, and having a pickaxe will lead to you gathering extra stone. These materials are best in bulk for crafting your domicile where you can escape enemies. While having resources is essential, your character does not have infinite storage space, so be cautious about managing your inventory space.

How to Craft Items in Ark: Survival Ascended

To craft items, simply go to the crafting tab in your inventory. Here, you will find a list of items you have the recipe for and those you can craft. Crafting recipes in Ark: Survival Ascended are known as Engrams. Hovering your cursor over an item will show you its recipe and the items required to make it.

For example, the simple yet vital pickaxe requires stone, thatch, and wood. Once you choose to craft an item, it will be put in your queue, and you will have to wait for the item to be completed. Be sure to craft your tools as soon as possible to ensure your survival.

How to unlock Engrams in Ark: Survival Ascended

While crafting is easy, being able to make more advanced tools is another challenge altogether. To do this, you will need to invest in Engram Points. In Ark: Survival Ascended, Engram Points are used to unlock recipes from the Engrams tab.

Naturally, more advanced Engrams will require more points to purchase. Some of the advanced recipes in the game include storage units and higher-tiered weapons such as Bows. You acquire Engram points by leveling up, so you must grind a lot to unlock these essential items. Having a limited arsenal is almost as bad as your character being completely unequipped in the late game.

Ark: Survival Ascended is now available on PC and is currently in development for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S at a later date.