Building a base in ARK: Survival Ascended is both a core experience and a necessary task. Often requiring an enormous number of materials, it’s crucial to pick a good location before laying down the foundations, as it’s quite tricky to move once settled. In order to build a base on ARK: Survival Ascended the player must first ensure that the location has an even ground, ruling out certain locations. On top of this, the location must also have enough space to fit the gigantic late-game crafting benches, such as the Industrial Forge and Fabricator.

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Luckily, players have plenty of great locations to choose from on The Island, each with their own pros and cons. Depending on the player, some locations will be more advantageous than others, making selecting the right location a personal endeavor. Thankfully, building in ARK: Survival Ascended also saw a much-needed update, making the base-building experience a much less frustrating experience. This article focuses on the best base locations for PvE game-play.

8 Water Lily Bay

Latitude: 76.2; Longitude: 16.8

• Plenty of room to build.
• Accessible to the sea.
• Easy access to water.
• Located close to the Swamp and Redwood biomes.

Water Lily Bay is a pretty location with easy access to both drinkable water and the sea. A relatively safe location, the only danger being a Therizinosaur potentially wandering too close, the bay has plenty of flat surfaces to build on surrounding or overlooking the waters' edge.

While the area lacks basic access to important material nodes, such as Metal, it is located close to the Swamp and Redwood biomes, making Chitin, Keratin, and Cementing Paste easier to gather. Furthermore, the lake is shallow enough that a raised base on stilts could easily be built within the water, keeping the player safe from wild dinos.

7 Hidden Lake

Latitude: 17.8; Longitude: 72.9

• Secluded area.
• Easy access to water.
• Located close to the Snow Biome.
• Plenty of room to build.

Hidden Lake is another beautiful base location sheltered within a ring of short cliffs. At the center of the area is a small lake, giving the location access to drinkable water. Most of the location is flat land, with a few raised areas, making it the perfect place to build big bases.

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While the Hidden Lake lacks close access to materials such as Metal, Obsidian, and Crystal, it is nestled next to the Snow biome, which is riddled with plenty of important material nodes. The lake is also located close to some rivers and the sea, making Silica Pearl harvesting a simple task.

6 Ice Cave

Latitude: 28.7; Longitude: 23.4

• Easy to defend.
• Plenty of room to build.
• Surrounded by Crystal, Metal, and Obsidian nodes.

Ice Cave is found sheltered within an icy canyon in the Snow biome, protected by impenetrable ice walls. The area's natural defenses make the Ice Cave an extremely simple location to defend, especially against the dangerous wild dinosaurs lurking within the snowy biome.

Within the icy cave is a relatively flat surface of land with plenty of room to build a large base. While the cave has no easy access to drinkable water, it is situated beside an abundance of important material nodes, including Crystal, Metal, and Obsidian. Players also won't need to journey too far to find water, as the icy sea is located close by.

5 Raised Gardens

Latitude: 40.2; Longitude: 70.6

• Rich Metal Nodes nearby.
• Easy access to water.
• Located close to the Redwood biome.
• The elevation makes it a safe haven from wild dinos.

Situated by a beautiful waterfall, the Raised Gardens are a cluster of elevated, rocky surfaces. This natural elevation makes the Raised Gardens an extremely safe base location from wild dinosaurs. Furthermore, the location has access to both drinkable water and rivers, making the area a good place to store water mounts.

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Perhaps the best part of the Raised Gardens is the easy access to Rich Metal Nodes, making metal-gathering an effortless task. The Redwood biome is also located nearby, meaning players will have no problems collecting Sap, either. Unfortunately, there is limited space atop the Raised Gardens, and dinosaurs who cannot climb or fly will have a difficult time getting up there.

4 Pirate Cove

Latitude: 93.3; Longitude: 58

• Accessible to the sea.
• Easy access to water.
• Surrounded by Silica Pearl and Oil nodes.
• Located in an easy zone.

One of the best base locations for the early game, the Pirate Cove is situated south along the coast, which also happens to be the area of the easiest spawn zones. Secluded but with great access to the ocean, Pirate Cove is a safe nook for water mounts.

While the area is a little uneven and separated, the Pirate Cove has plenty of room to build a decent-sized base with all the necessary crafting benches. While Metal, Crystal, and Obsidian gathering may be difficult, there are dozens of Silica Pearl nodes located nearby, as well as access to Oil.

3 Quiet Nook

Latitude: 45.9; Longitude: 78.8

• Metal nodes nearby.
• Easy access to water.
• Relatively hidden.
• Located close to the Redwood biome.

The Quiet Nook is a relatively hidden base location that’s perfect for a small tribe. Players will rely on having fliers or a Thylacoleo to get to the Quiet Nook, as it’s nestled cozily among some steep cliffs. While most land dinos will find it difficult to access the Quiet Nook, it’s a great location for water mounts.

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The steep cliffs, unfortunately, also limit the amount of room players have to build a base, but there should be plenty of room for all the crafting benches. Players looking to build in the Quiet Nook will be pleased to know that a lot of Metal nodes spawn nearby, making metal-gathering a simple task.

2 Redwood Pond

Latitude: 64.4; Longitude: 31.9

• Located within the Redwood biome, and close to the Swamp biome.
• Easy access to water.
• Rich Metal, Metal, Crystal, and Obsidian Nodes are nearby.
• Plenty of room to build.
• Located near Bee Hive spawns.

The Redwood Pond is one of the best base locations on The Island, with plenty of pros and only a handful of cons. Players that build here will have access to drinkable water, as well as plenty of space to build large bases. Rich Metal, Metal, Crystal, and Obsidian nodes all spawn nearby, making gathering extremely easy.

Furthermore, located within a woodland, Wood and Thatch are also in abundance. The nearby Redwood trees make Sap gathering a simple task, and Bee Hives are also common spawns. The only drawback of choosing the Redwood Pond as a base location is its inhabitants, which are largely made up of aggressive carnivores.

1 Redwood Forest

Latitude: 53; Longitude: 44

• The elevation makes it a safe haven from wild dinos.
• Plenty of room to build.
• Easy access to water.
• Located within the Redwood biome, and close to the Swamp biome.
• Surrounded by Rich Metal, Metal, Crystal, and Obsidian Nodes.
• Easy access to Sap.
• Located near Bee Hive spawns.

The Redwood Forest is a fantastic area to build a base, especially among the trees atop the safety of a Tree Platform. Tree Platforms, although expensive to craft, allow players to build an elevated tree house specifically on Redwood trees. These tree houses make living within the Redwood simple, keeping the player safe from the aggressive carnivores that roam the forest floor.

The trees along the river's edge near the Volcano are among the best options for placing a Tree Platform, as they give the player easier access to water. Perhaps the best benefit of living in the Redwood Forest is the abundance of Rich Metal, Metal, Crystal, and Obsidian nodes, which all spawn atop the small mountain at the center of the biome. Players might have a difficult time transporting large land dinosaurs atop their Tree Platforms. However, so long as players have an Argentavis or two, medium and smaller creatures can join them in the safety of the trees.

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