ARK: Survival Evolved is an extremely popular survival game that launched in summer of 2017, but today it has finally made its way to iOS!
The game tasks you with, surprise, surviving a dinosaur-infested island. You'll start with nothing, and death is around every corner. Here's everything you need to know about ARK: Survival Evolved on iOS.
Compatible devices
The game is gorgeous looking, and the graphics are top-notch in every way for a mobile game. Unfortunately, this does mean some older devices won't be supported, due to the system requirements of the game. Here's the official list of supported devices:
iPhones
- iPhone X
- iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus
- iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus
iPads
- All iPad Pro models
- iPad Air 2
- iPad 5th Gen and iPad 6th Gen
Start with nothing
Like most survival games, ARK starts your character with nothing. The game — and each life (more on this later) — begins with you washing up on the shore of a dinosaur-infested island with nothing but a pair of cloth underwear.
You're tasked with finding food, water, and other important resources to make living on the island possible. You'll need to defend yourself against dinosaurs and other creatures as well as take care of your basic needs.
Water and food
Just like in real life, your character needs both food and water to stay alive. If you go too long without eating you will become hungry and exhausted. Likewise with water, if you go too long without drinking you'll become thirsty and dehydrated.
To drink water, all you need to do is get your character into some water, and you'll drink. Watch out though, not all the water you find on the island is safe to enter!
Food is a little more tricky; you can collect various berries and other edible plants from the vegetation on the island; however, meat is much better at not only keeping you full, but also healing damage. You get meat by hunting and defeating creatures you come across, but be careful — all creatures have a level and some of them will easily make you their next meal.
Collect lots of resources
On top of water and food, you'll need to find various other materials around you so you can start crafting and making things to use.
Almost everything in ARK is a resource of some sort. Most trees will produce wood or thatch, which can help you build wooden structures or start a fire. Rocks you find around the island will give you stone, flint, and later on in the game, you'll find minerals in rocks as well.
Crafting
After collecting resources, you can finally start crafting items to help you survive better. All items require certain materials to make, and as you level up, you'll unlock new items to craft.
As you progress in the game, you can even build shelters and craft more sophisticated weaponry, which will greatly increase your odds of survival.
Dying
The most punishing part of ARK is that when your character dies, you re-enter the game with nothing. You'll keep your level and your level up bonuses, but all your equipment and resources will be gone.
Of course, if you can make it back to the place you died, you will be able to loot your old body and get all your gear back. Plus, the navigation kit will mark where you last died so you can find it again!
What else do you want to know?
Have you been playing ARK: Survival Evolved on mobile? Let us know what you think, or what else you want to know in the comments!
