Despite the initially tumultuous and controversial release of ARK: Survival Ascended in October 2023, the game has since cultivated a loyal player base. While the core gameplay closely resembles that of ARK: Survival Evolved in most respects, the graphical improvements in Survival Ascended bring the ARK franchise up to modern standards.

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As with many survival games, armor plays a crucial role in a player's equipment in ARK: Survival Ascended. Players must carefully balance their overall armor rating with cold and heat protection. With few exceptions, no standard armor offers comprehensive coverage for all conditions; some excel in armor rating but lack sufficient cold protection, for instance. Then there are these armor sets, which offer the game's best cold resistance.

7 Ghillie Armor

Camouflage Armor With Average Cold Protection

Stats:

• Level: 33
• Rating: 160
• Cold: 24
• Heat: 155
• Weight: 24
• Durability: 45

Offering a good combination of armor rating, decent cold protection, and outstanding heat resistance, the Ghillie Armor is widely considered among ARK: Survival Ascended players as a versatile and practical choice for various situations. Furthermore, this armor boasts camouflage capabilities, halving the player's visibility range when equipped.

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However, even though the Ghillie Armor has some cold protection, it is the worst of all armor sets in the game. Unlocking the Ghillie Armor requires reaching Level 34, which will mean that new players have to level up some before acquiring this armor set. For lower-level players, a combination of Hide and Cloth Armor could serve as a viable alternative to this Armor set.

6 Cloth Armor

Basic Armor Protection With Balanced Stats

Stats:

• Level: 3
• Rating: 40
• Cold: 40
• Heat: 60
• Weight: 3
• Durability: 25

Cloth Armor is the first armor set that players unlock when playing ARK: Survival Ascended. Despite this being a low-level armor set, it remains a valuable asset even as players progress further in the game due to its good heat and cold protection properties.

Because of its lightweight design and effective cold and heat resistance, seasoned players often carry a set of Cloth Armor in their inventory. This enables them to quickly switch to it when encountering environments that demand specific temperature protection, eliminating the need to return to base for equipment adjustments.

5 Chitin Armor

Good Early Game Armor Rating

Stats:

• Level: 37
• Rating: 250
• Cold: 43
• Heat: -35
• Weight: 22
• Durability: 50

Chitin Armour is a pretty well-balanced mid-game armor set in ARK: Survival Ascended, first becoming available at Level 37. It offers robust protection and serves as a versatile alternative to the Ghillie Armor. However, it provides minimal heat protection, a drawback that can be partially solved by combining Chitin Armor with other types of armor.

Players frequently combine Cloth Armor pieces with Chitin Armor to address the heat protection deficiency while maintaining a commendable overall armor rating, and with a decent level of cold protection, this is a good compromise. Until players unlock more advanced end-game armor, this combination likely provides the best overall protection, balancing decent cold and heat resistance.

4 Flak Armor

Good Mid-Game Armor With Decent Cold Protection

Stats:

• Level: 56
• Rating: 500
• Cold: 60
• Heat: -25
• Weight: 30
• Durability: 120

Available at Level 56, Flak Armor is a great armor choice for players transitioning into the mid-game, and moving away from the new player experience. Despite it having the typical heat protection limitations found in many armor sets, its substantial 500 armor protection at Level 56 makes it highly desirable.

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Similar to other armor sets, Flak Armor is often paired with Cloth Armor pieces to fine-tune their heat and cold protection levels, achieving a more balanced overall set. A common approach involves using two Cloth Armor pieces, effectively neutralizing the negative heat protection attribute. As standard, the full set has a respectable 60 cold protection. That being said, for PvP gameplay, heat and cold protection are often a secondary considration, and with its great armor rating, this is arguably the best PvP armor.

3 Riot Armor

Good Armor Rating With Acceptable Cold Protection

Stats:

• Level: 98
• Rating: 575
• Cold: 60
• Heat: -16.8
• Weight: 42
• Durability: 120

As one of the end-game armor sets in ARK: Survival Ascended, Riot Armor delivers exceptional protection when worn as a complete set. While it offers strong overall defense, its heat protection surpasses that of sets like Chitin or Hide Armor. Although it still carries a negative heat rating, it outperforms all previously mentioned armor sets in this list. However, the 60 cold protection makes it very usable in cold biomes.

One notable advantage of Riot Armor is its significant reduction in torpor inflicted on the wearer from external sources, such as melee weapons like a wooden club or ranged weapons like the slingshot. However, it does not guard against torpor induced by creature poison attacks.

2 Hide Armor

Best When Mixed With Clot Armor

Stats:

• Level: 15
• Rating: 100
• Cold: 85
• Heat: -25
• Weight: 10.5
• Durability: 45

Available at Level 15, Hide Armor offers a significant boost in armor rating compared to Cloth Armor. However, this enhanced protection is counterbalanced by its limited heat protection, although it does have great cold protection for its level.

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Some players choose to blend pieces of Cloth and Hide Armor to strike a balance between cold and heat protection while enjoying a higher armor rating than Cloth Armor alone provides. This strategy is widely regarded as one of the most effective approaches to achieving balanced armor stats until the later stages of the game. For PvE gameplay, this kind of balanced armor combination is common.

1 Fur Armor

The Best Cold Protection

Stats:

• Level: 23
• Rating: 200
• Cold: 249
• Heat: -105
• Weight: 34
• Durability: 125

Fur Armor has the highest cold protection, but the lowest heat protection of the armor sets in ARK: Survival Ascended. This means that its usefulness is largely situational, as it is only suitable for biomes where heat protection is not essential. Conversely, in cold biomes, Fur Armor excels as the top choice for protective gear. Some players will head back to base and switch to Fur Armor when they know they are going to be spending time in a cold biome.

Unfortunately, substituting certain pieces with armor offering better heat protection does not adequately compensate for Fur Armor's heat resistance shortcomings. While Fur Armor boasts great cold protection, it falls short of being the most effective overall armor in the game due to the major imbalance in protection stats.

Ark: Survival Ascended

Platform(s)

PC , PS5 , Xbox Series X , Xbox Series S

Released

October 26, 2023

Developer(s)

Studio Wildcard

Genre(s)

Survival , Open-World

See at Steam