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Ark: Survival Evolved is a complicated game filled with many different things that are all important to know about if you hope to survive its harsh environment.
One of these things is the Engrams, which serve as a blueprint for skill learning which then lets you craft items and structures.
There are hundreds of unique Engrams in Ark and it’s impossible for a player to have all of them since the game only gives a player limited points to buy Engrams as soon as the survivor levels up and you can use these engrams to build things like a ship base.
This means that the player needs to be careful about what Engrams they unlock after getting the points and it’s impossible to try all of them to know which ones are the best.
To save your time and to help you have a smooth experience, we’ve created a guide with some of the best starter Engrams that you should get in the game which guarantees a good experience. After you have these, you can be as picky as you like with the ones that come after!
So, let’s not waste any more time and jump right into the best Engrams in Ark: Survival Evolved that you should get.
The Best Engrams in Ark: Survival Evolved
The Engram points that you get each time your survivor levels up in the game are based on what level your character reaches. The points required for buying each Engram are different too. Here’s a chart of how the points work:
- Level 2-9: 8 Points
- Level 10-10: 12 Points
- Level 20-29: 16 Points
- Level 30-39: 20 Points
- Level 40-49: 24 Points
- Level 50-59: 28 Points
- Level 60-72: 40 Points
- Level 73-86: 50 Points
- Level 99-105: 90 Points.
Since the default max survivor level is 105 in Ark, that’s where the highest Points cap lies too.
One last thing to note is that sometimes you get blueprints for crafting certain items and structures in airdrops and inside caves too. When you find the blueprints in this way, you don’t need to unlock an Engram to be able to build those items. Instead, you can do that directly without any complications.
1. Mortar and Pestle
First things first, Ark is not a game just about fighting, it’s also equally about survival. And you cannot survive a harsh land unless you are able to have things like consumables, ammunition, ointments to protect you from nature, and so on.
The Mortar and Pestle are all about crafting important items that are very crucial to how things in Ark work. Whether it’s stimulants, gunpowder, narcotics, or even insect repellants, all of that is made possible only by the Mortar and Pestle and thus it’s something that you should buy in the game as soon as possible.
2. Stone Hatchet
Although the game does give you the option to hit things without needing an Engram for it too – it’s far from the ideal option. A stone hatchet is the best of both worlds between an ax and a pick since it’s something that you obtain through a bit of effort.
And once you have it, you can use the Stone Hatchet as a primary tool for mining and smashing through things. It’s especially effective for collecting meat from bodies too.
3. Tranq Arrow
The Tranq Arrow is a very straightforward tool and in a game that heavily focuses on taming and hunting animals, it’s a very useful tool. Although it inflicts less damage to the victim than the normal Stone Arrow, it provides a poisoning effect on the creature and causes them to slow down.
And as the name implies, it can cause them to pass out too. And what makes it even better is that you can still recover these arrows later – they will just have lost the Narcotic effect.
4. Narcotics
Narcotics in Ark are just as important as having health or a weapon. You will be knocking out dinosaurs and other creatures often in the game by attacking them with non-lethal methods, and afterward, you can keep them unconscious by using narcotic berries.
Although you can gather them without the Engram too, it’s far more rewarding once you do gain it.
And as for number 3 states, Tranq Arrows are very useful too and you can’t make them unless you have the Narcotics Engram.
5. Spear
While the Stone Hatchet can be used for combat, it is a multi-purpose tool. So, naturally, combat isn’t its best function and that’s why you need a good starter weapon that can help you find other players and creatures.
The Spear is a great starter weapon in Ark that lets you attack enemies without letting them get too close – and when they do get close, then you can use something like the Stone Hatchet. Aside from combat, the Spear can be used to hit birds and even fish better.
6. Hide Sleeping Bag
Ark: Survival Evolved is not a linear game with checkpoints or scripted events. You can run into many unpredictable occurrences both at the hands of other players and NPC creatures scattered throughout the game.
That’s why you need the Hide Sleeping Bag Engram since they act like single-use respawn points.
You can set them around the map every time you’re going to do something important or risky, and if you die, you respawn on top of them. You don’t keep anything from your inventory as it remains on the dead body, but it’s still pretty useful. Especially since you can keep it close to where you died since usually, you can predict danger to some extent.
7. Bow
Although the Crossbow is pretty good too, it’s a bit further away in the game since it costs quite a bit in Engram points and your character has to be around 25 in level. If you have those stats, choose the Crossbow over this.
But if you’re a player who is starting out – the Bow is a great choice.
As you’d expect, it’s useful for attacking enemies from a distance. And what makes it particularly useful is that you can use the aforementioned Tranq Arrows on it too, poisoning the creatures from a distance.
8. Bola
Although the Slingshot isn’t half bad, the Bola is a better option since the Slingshot itself too is less about damage and more about knocking small creatures out.
The Bola allows you to tame reasonably sized dinosaurs and there is a decent number of seconds for which the creature will be knocked out once you use it on them.
As the creatures get bigger, so does the requirement of what is needed, such as chain Bolas to name an example. But it’s still pretty useful in general and can be upgraded to other stuff.
9. Campfire
The campfire is a no-brainer for any video game that has role-playing elements in it. They can be used as a way to not get lost, get some light in a particularly dark area, burn torches, and do other things such as staying warm, making charcoal, and cooking meat for consumption.
It’s not that useful later on, but for starter players, it’s a very useful and cozy Engram to have.
10. Storage Box
The Storage Box is a small box in which you can store a total of 15 items and it’s especially useful because it’s one of the earliest Engrams that you can get in the game.
If you try to be ambitious regarding building things early on in the game, you will be raided and destroyed by tribes because they do not take kindly to players asserting territory.
Thus, you’d be better off keeping just a basic storage box and not over-investing in building aside from that. Furthermore, you can pin-code the box to be inaccessible to enemies unless they break it, in which case anything they don’t pick up will be wasted. But it’s useful for when you are close to your base and can stop the looter.
And that’s it for our guide of the 10 best Engrams in Ark: Survival Evolved ranked. As you must have noticed, they are options meant for starting and mid-level players in the game.
That is because the majority of the things that come with being a mid and high-level player is that you begin taming larger beasts and building bigger living spaces.
By that point, the player no longer needs a guide and that’s why this guide focuses on those who are newer. We hope that you found the guide useful and while you’re here, make sure to check out some of our other guides such as whether Ark: Survival Evolved has cross-platform multiplayer or not.
