The Island
ARK: Survival Ascended
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The Island - Detailed Guide
The Island is the original ARK map and serves as the foundation of the ARK: Survival Ascended experience. This diverse landscape offers a perfect introduction to the game's mechanics and challenges.
Geography & Regions
The Island features a variety of distinct regions, each with unique resources, creatures, and challenges:
Coastal Beaches
Safe starting areas with basic resources. Ideal for new players to establish their first base with relatively few predators. Common resources include Thatch, Wood, Stone, and Berries.
Temperate Forests
Abundant in resources with moderate danger. Home to many herbivores and some predators like Raptors and Carnos. Rich in Wood, Fiber, Berries, and Chitin.
Mountains & Highlands
Rich in metal and crystal but dangerous. Higher elevations contain valuable resources like Metal, Crystal, and Obsidian, but also dangerous predators including Argentavis, Sabers, and occasionally Rexes.
Swamplands
Dangerous but resource-rich area. Home to Sarcos, Titanoboas, and Leeches. Contains rare resources like Rare Flowers, Rare Mushrooms, and Leech Blood.
Snow Biome
Extremely cold with unique resources. Requires specialized insulation gear but offers Oil, Organic Polymer (from Kairuku), and Fur from dire wolves and mammoths.
Redwood Forest
Massive trees with unique resources. Home to Thylacoleos that can ambush from trees. Contains Rare Mushrooms, Rare Flowers, and abundant Wood.
Volcano
Dangerous but metal-rich area. The volcano and surrounding mountains contain the highest concentration of Metal, Obsidian, and Crystal on the map.
Underwater World
Vast ocean with unique resources. Contains Oil, Silica Pearls, Black Pearls (deep sea), and unique creatures like Plesiosaurs and Mosasaurs.
Unique Features
The Island has several distinctive features that make it special:
- Complete Cave System: Contains all artifact caves needed for boss fights
- Balanced Resource Distribution: All basic resources available in reasonable quantities
- Diverse Ecosystem: Nearly all core ARK creatures represented
- Artifact Caves: 10 unique caves containing artifacts needed for boss summoning
- Three Boss Arenas: Broodmother, Megapithecus, and Dragon challenges
- Tek Cave: Final endgame challenge leading to Ascension
- Hidden Underwater Caves: Secret locations with high-tier loot
Survival Tips for The Island
Specific advice for thriving on The Island:
- Start on the southern beaches for the safest early game experience
- Establish a main base in the central regions for easy access to all areas
- Build outposts near resource-rich areas like mountains for efficient gathering
- Tame an Argentavis early for metal runs to the mountains
- Explore underwater with a Baryonyx or Sarco before getting dedicated water tames
- Prepare cold-weather gear before venturing into the snow biome
- Watch for Thylacoleos when passing through the redwoods - they ambush from trees
- Use the abundant metal in the volcano region for industrial-tier equipment
Essential Resource Locations
Where to find critical resources on The Island:
Mountains, especially the volcano region and metal mountain in the north
Higher elevations in mountain regions
Volcano and surrounding mountains
Underwater oil nodes or from Basilosaurus/Trilobites
Shallow waters in the northeast and deep underwater caves
Organic polymer from Kairuku in the snow biome or crafted from Obsidian and Cementing Paste
Beaver dams in the rivers or crafted from Chitin and Stone
Swamp areas and underwater caves for Rare Flowers and Rare Mushrooms
Recommended Base Locations
Strategic places to establish your presence:
- Hidden Lake (70,40): Protected valley with fresh water, near metal and crystal
- Herbivore Island (85,85): Safe peninsula with no natural predator spawns
- Redwood Plateau (50,50): Central location with access to all regions
- Western Coast (15,65): Resource-rich area with flat building spaces
- Footpaw (40,80): Coastal area with access to metal and relatively safe surroundings
Explorer Notes & Lore
The Island contains numerous explorer notes that reveal the story of ARK and provide temporary XP boosts when collected. Key note series include Helena, Rockwell, and Mei-Yin's journals that begin to unravel the mysteries of the ARK.
The Island remains the definitive ARK experience, offering the perfect balance of challenge, resource availability, and progression. Whether you're a new survivor or a veteran returning to where it all began, The Island provides the complete ARK experience in one diverse package.