If you are just beginning an adventure in ARK: Survival Evolved, keep the following tips in mind to get started on the right foot.
Pay attention to the order in which you place things. For example, you should place a foundation before you place a ramp. Try to do it the other way around and you'll learn that it's not possible.
If you destroy a storage box, its contents will drop in a bundle that you can take with you.
Be sure to use the right tools, depending on what you want to achieve. For instance, you can use a hatchet on a tree if you're looking for wood, or a pickaxe if your goal is more thatch. If you're demolishing stone, a hatchet produces that resource. A pickaxe will increase your flint reserves.
You can more easily tame a dinosaur if you let it get really hungry, since it will appreciate the food you provide a lot more on an empty stomach.
If you want to ride a dinosaur, keep in mind that its weight, your weight, and the weight of any materials all work against its movement. If everything together weighs too much, the dinosaur might not be able to go anywhere.
Collecting items
Destroy a storage box and the items it contains will drop in a bundle that you can collect.
Quick Inventory Saves Time
You can conveniently re-craft a quick key item that breaks by pressing the quick inventory key, provided you possess the required materials. Hold down the quick key for a moment and you'll see a list of the items needed, as well as your current stock. If you would prefer, of course, you can move the item into your regular inventory and repair it. That option is cheaper.
Recolor Items
Add the indicated berries to a Cooking Pot with Water. Then, light the fire to create the corresponding dye which can be used to recolor an item. A single Waterskin will create five quantities of dye.
Black Dye: Water + 2x Charcoal + 15x Narcoberry.
Blue Dye: Water + 2x Charcoal + 15x Azulberry.
Brown Dye: Water + 2x Charcoal + 3x Azulberry + 9 Tintoberry + 6x Amarberry.
Green Dye: Water + 2x Charcoal + 9x Azulberry + 9x Amarberry.
Orange Dye: Water + 2x Charcoal + 9x Amarberry + 9 Tintoberry.
Purple Dye: Water + 2x Charcoal + 9x Azulberry + 9 Tintoberry.
Red Dye: Water + 2x Charcoal + 15x Tintoberry.
White Dye: Water + 2x Charcoal + 15x Stimberry.
Yellow Dye: Water + 2x Charcoal + 15x Amarberry.
Recolor Items
Add the indicated berries to a Cooking Pot with Water. Then, light the fire to create the corresponding dye which can be used to recolor an item. A single Waterskin will create five quantities of dye.
Black Dye: Water + 2x Charcoal + 15x Narcoberry.
Blue Dye: Water + 2x Charcoal + 15x Azulberry.
Brown Dye: Water + 2x Charcoal + 3x Azulberry + 9 Tintoberry + 6x Amarberry.
Green Dye: Water + 2x Charcoal + 9x Azulberry + 9x Amarberry.
Orange Dye: Water + 2x Charcoal + 9x Amarberry + 9 Tintoberry.
Purple Dye: Water + 2x Charcoal + 9x Azulberry + 9 Tintoberry.
Red Dye: Water + 2x Charcoal + 15x Tintoberry.
White Dye: Water + 2x Charcoal + 15x Stimberry.
Yellow Dye: Water + 2x Charcoal + 15x Amarberry.
Replacing items
After an item breaks, you can re-craft it quickly if you already have the necessary ingredients. Hold [Quick Inventory] to see the required items and their availability in your inventory. Note: This will be more expensive than the normal method of moving the item into your regular inventory before repairing.
Single Player Cheat Codes
Console Codes (Single-Player) Press TAB to bring up the cheat console. From there, you can enter the following codes and press ENTER to unlock the corresponding effects.
Code
Effect
Fly
You can fly.
Ghost
NoClip mode (walk through walls).
God
Enables God Mode.
Teleport
Teleport forward in the direction you're facing.
ToggleInfiniteAmmo
Infinite ammo.
Walk
Deactivates "Fly" cheat.
addexperience 1000 1 1
Receive 1000 XP (or some other number of your choosing).
giveengrams
All crafting recipes are unlocked.
giveresources
Receive 50 of each resource.
setcheatplayer false
Disables Menu.
setcheatplayer true
Enables menu.
settimeofday
You can set the time of day to suit your preference (i.e. 11:00).
Various Steam Achievements
Complete the indicated task to unlock the achievement.
Achievement
How to unlock
Adept Explorer
You've discovered 60% of the Explorer Notes on the ARK!
Adventurous Explorer
You've discovered 30% of the Explorer Notes on the ARK!
Alpha Ascension
You Ascended off the ARK, at Alpha level!
Artifact Archaeologist
You personally retrieved all Nine Artifacts!
Beginner Explorer
You discovered 10% of the Explorer Notes on the ARK!
Beta Ascension
You Ascended off the ARK, at Beta level!
Cure-All
You've cured yourself of Swamp Fever!
Experienced Explorer
You've discovered 20% of the Explorer Notes on the ARK!
Expert Explorer
You've discovered 80% of the Explorer Notes on the ARK!
Expert Survivor
You defeated ARK's second Ultimate Life Form!
Gamma Ascension
You Ascended off the ARK, at Gamma level!
Giga Rider
You rode on the back of a Giganotosaurus!
Highest Peak
You've reached the highest mountain peak of the ARK!
Lowest Depth
You've reached the bottom of the ARK's oceans!
Map Maker
You uncovered more than 80% of the Mini-Map!
Master Explorer
You've discovered 90% of the Explorer Notes on the ARK!
Master Survivor
You defeated ARK's third Ultimate Life Form!
Master Zoologist
You tamed all of the domesticable creatures on the ARK!
Maximum Dinosaur
One of your Dinosaurs reached Maximum Level!
Maximum Survivor
You reached the Maximum Survivor Level!
Perfect Explorer
You've discovered 100% of the Explorer Notes on the ARK!
Professional Explorer
You've discovered 70% of the Explorer Notes on the ARK!
Rex Rider
You rode on the back of a T-Rex!
Studious Explorer
You've discovered 40% of the Explorer Notes on the ARK!
Survivor Evolved
You've defeated ARK's first three Ultimate Life Forms! And yet...
Veteran Explorer
You've discovered 50% of the Explorer Notes on the ARK!
Veteran Paleontologist
You unlocked the Dossiers of each of ARK's initial Specimens!
Veteran Survivor
You retrieved the Artifacts, and summoned & defeated ARK's first Ultimate Life Form!
Beginner Tips...