Leveling in ARK Ascended is the essential survival aspect, giving you better stats and engrams – here are all the best methods to level up and XP boosts.
In Ark: Survival Ascended, leveling up is crucial for your survival and success. Fortunately, there are various methods to earn experience points (XP). Earned through general activities like gathering resources, crafting, and killing creatures, and here’s a How to Level Up Fast in ARK Survival Ascended and All Methods guide to help you understand and utilize them effectively.
Leveling in ARK Survival Ascended and All Methods
Leveling is how you and your tamed creatures gain experience levels, unlocking new crafting engrams and improving your stats. It gets you better at surviving in the Ark Survival Ascended world. The highest player level you can reach is 135. You begin at level 1 and can gain 104 levels through regular activities. If you defeat the Overseer boss on Alpha difficulty, you get 15 more levels. Collecting all the Explorer Notes on The Island grants you an extra 10 levels. So, explore, survive, and level up!
Leveling up quickly and gaining access to advanced crafting items is a top priority for many experienced players in Ark. Losing items, bases, or dinos might happen, but having better stats and the ability to craft powerful gear like weapons, armor, structures, and saddles makes you truly more powerful.
Experience Sources – All Methods
Here’s a list of all the common ways to earn experience in ARK Survival Ascended:
- Harvesting Resources
- Crafting
- Taming
- Hunting and Combat
- Boss Battles
- Alpha Creature Kills
- Tribe Shared Experience
- Explorer note Hunting
- Lystrosaurus XP XP Boost
- Broth of Enlightenment XP Boost
- Golden Hesperornis Egg XP Boost
- Toilet XP Boost
Harvesting Resources
When you gather resources like wood, thatch, and berries, you earn XP. This is a fundamental method, especially for beginners and the game’s early stages. Simply use tools like a pickaxe or an axe on different resources to start accumulating XP.
Crafting
The Ark environment is challenging, but no crafted item is a waste. Crafting not only provides essential items but also grants valuable experience points. Seize every opportunity to level up. Every wall, foundation, or tool you create adds to your experience. As you advance in crafting, you’ll notice a substantial increase in XP.
Crafting Sparkpowder and Narcotic is an easy and efficient way to gain experience. Narcotics only require five narcoberries and one spoiled meat, while sparkpowder needs two flints and one stone – all easily obtainable resources.
Taming
Successfully taming and caring for creatures is a rewarding experience. Approach wild creatures cautiously, use the appropriate food to tame them, and ensure they are well-fed and happy. This not only helps you in survival but also boosts your XP. Various creatures in ARK require unique strategies to be tamed.
Hunting and Combat
Engaging in combat and taking down creatures, especially higher-level ones, grants XP. Equip yourself with weapons and armor, and hunt in the wild. Each victorious battle adds to your experience, making you stronger and more capable.
Boss Battles
Boss battles and conquering caves are advanced methods to gain significant XP and better-quality gear. Assemble a powerful team, gear up, and face the challenges that await. The rewards for overcoming these powerful foes include a considerable XP boost.
Players must be sufficiently prepared and well-equipped for boss battles. High-level armor, powerful weapons, and a good supply of resources are crucial. Additionally, bringing a team of tamed creatures, including powerful dinosaurs, is advisable.
Each boss has multiple difficulty levels, ranging from Gamma (easiest) to Beta and Alpha (hardest). The difficulty level determines the boss’s strength and the rewards’ quality. Players need to choose the desired difficulty before initiating the summoning process.
Boss battles are initiated at tall obelisks, floating towers located in different map areas. Players need to go to one of these obelisks to summon a boss with the required artifacts and trophy in their inventory.
Alpha Creature Kills
Taking down alpha creatures is a high-risk, high-reward strategy. These formidable foes provide a substantial amount of XP. Approach with caution, bring your strongest creatures and enjoy the XP rewards for defeating these apex predators. Remember that fighting Alpha Creatures can be a significant challenge, and players often need advanced gear, weapons, and creatures to take them on successfully. The rewards for defeating Alpha Creatures may include high-quality loot, experience points, and trophies. Always be well-prepared before engaging with Alpha variants in Ark: Survival Ascended.
All alpha creatures you can find in ARK Survival Ascended:
- Alpha Raptor
- Alpha Carnotaurus
- Alpha Rex
- Alpha Leedsichthys
- Alpha Mosasaur
- Alpha Tusoteuthis
- Alpha Megalodon
- Alpha Basilisk (Aberration DLC)
- Alpha Surface Reaper King (Aberration DLC)
- Alpha Karkinos (Aberration DLC)
- Alpha Deathworm (Scorched Earth DLC)
- Alpha Fire Wyvern (Scorched Earth DLC)
- Alpha Lightning Wyvern (Scorched Earth DLC)
- Alpha Poison Wyvern (Scorched Earth DLC)
- Alpha X-Triceratops (Genesis: Part 1 DLC)
Tribe Shared Experience
When you join or form a tribe with other players in Ark, you share resources, responsibilities, and experience points. Tribe Shared Experience means that when any tribe member earns experience points, everyone benefits from it. This shared experience allows the entire tribe to level up collectively.
For example, if one tribe member successfully tames a creature, gathers resources, or crafts, all members in the tribe receive a portion of the experience points earned. To make the most of Tribe Shared Experience, coordinate with your tribe members on activities like taming, hunting, and crafting. To gain tribe work experience, you need to be near your tribe members.
Explorer Note Hunting
Scattered across the map are explorer notes. When you find and “use” an Explorer Note, your character receives a significant experience point (XP) boost. This boost applies to both the survivor and any tamed creatures you have with you at the time. Watch for them during your travels to maximize your experience gain.
Explorer Notes are often found at key locations across the Ark, including caves, mountain peaks, and other notable landmarks. They can be discovered while exploring the diverse biomes of the game.
Each Explorer Note contains a short story or description written by one of the characters within the Ark universe. These stories may provide insights into the game’s lore, the creatures that inhabit the Ark, or the experiences of survivors who came before you.
Experience Boosts
In Ark: Survival Ascended, Experience Boosts are special items or effects that increase the rate at which you gain experience points (XP). These bonuses improve your ability to level up quickly by speeding up the gain of experience points during different in-game activities. Experience Boosts can be consumable items, events, or adjustments to server settings.
Here are some common sources of Experience Boosts:
- Explorer Note Hunting
- Broth of Enlightenment
- Golden Hesperornis Egg
- Toilet
- Events
- Lystrosaurus Ability (creatures XP boost)
These Experience Boosts are valuable tools for players looking to level up more quickly, especially during specific activities like taming, building, or engaging in combat. Keep an eye out for these boosts to maximize your progress in the challenging world of Ark.
Explorer Note Hunting
Scattered across the map are explorer notes. Finding and reading these notes grant you a significant +100% XP boost for a limited time. Watch for them during your travels to maximize your experience gain.
Broth of Enlightenment
Consuming the Broth of Enlightenment food provides a temporary +50% XP boost for a limited time. To craft Broth of Enlightenment in Ark: Survival Ascended, you’ll need to gather the required ingredients and use a Cooking Pot or Industrial Cooker. Here’s a step-by-step guide:
Ingredients:
- 10 Mejoberry
- 2 Rockarrot
- 2 Longrass
- 2 Savoroot
- 2 Citronal
- 1 Full Waterskin or Water Jar (at least half filled)
- 1 Black Pearl
- 5 Woolly Rhino Horn (Base Game in the Snow Area) or Deathworm Horn (Scorched Earth DLC in the Desert)
Here is how to craft the Broth of Enlightenment:
- Harvest Vegetables and collect resources
- Fill a Waterskinm Canteen or Water Jar
- Approach a Cooking Pot or Industrial Cooker and Place Ingredients, including a water container. Cooking Pots are commonly used in smaller bases, while Industrial Cookers are suitable for larger, more advanced bases.
- Ignite the fire under the Cooking Pot or Industrial Cooker.
- Wait for Crafting. You’ll see a progress bar indicating the production of Broth of Enlightenment.
- Collect Broth of Enlightenment and enjoy XP boost
Golden Hesperornis Egg
Eating the Golden Hesperornis Egg provides a useful 10% XP boost for a limited duration, serving as a valuable resource to enhance experience gain. You can also force-feed the egg to your creature for an additional boost. To tame a Hesperornis in ARK, use Fish Baskets to trap and then feed them their preferred type of fish. Once tamed, Hesperornis will periodically lay Golden Hesperornis Eggs.
Lystrosaurus XP Boost
The Lystrosaurus, a unique creature in Ark, has an ability that boosts XP for all nearby creatures. Tame one, activate its ability, and witness an increase in +100% XP gain for your creatures for the ability duration. You will need to refresh the ability from time to time.
Toilet
Believe it or not, using the toilet can give you a small but handy +33% XP boost for a limited time. Take advantage of this quirky feature in the game to enhance your leveling progress and will give you fertilizer fro your crops.
Events
Occasionally, special in-game or server events may offer global experience boosts to all players for a limited time. Ark: Survival features various in-game events that give players unique challenges, opportunities, and rewards. Here are some of the main events in Ark:
- Eggcellent Adventure:
- Description: Easter-themed event.
- Features: Springtime decorations, bunny ears skins, and egg-themed creatures.
- Activities: Hunt for Bunny Dodo eggs, collect Bunny Eggs, and engage in Eggcellent Adventure events. Special bunny-colored creatures may also appear.
- Fear Evolved:
- Description: Halloween-themed event with a spooky atmosphere.
- Features: Darkened nights, skeletal creatures, and eerie decorations.
- Activities: Hunt for elusive skeletal dinos, collect event-specific items, and engage in themed activities.
- Love Evolved:
- Description: Valentine’s Day event celebrating love and romance.
- Features: Heart-shaped decorations, themed items, and colored dinos.
- Activities: Tame event-colored creatures, collect chocolates, and participate in love-themed events.
- Summer Bash:
- Description: A summer-themed event celebrating the warmer season.
- Features: Beach-themed decorations, new skins, and colored dinos.
- Activities: Participate in mini-games, find event-colored dinos, and enjoy summer-themed items.
- Turkey Trial:
- Description: Thanksgiving-themed event with a focus on turkeys and harvest.
- Features: Turkey-themed decorations, new skins, and the introduction of the Super Turkey boss.
- Activities: Hunt Super Turkeys for special loot, gather Wishbones, and participate in Thanksgiving-themed events.
- Winter Wonderland:
- Description: Christmas and winter-themed event.
- Features: Snowfall, holiday decorations, and festive-colored creatures.
- Activities: Gift hunting, taming event-colored creatures, and participating in winter-themed events.
Keep in mind that the specifics of these events may vary, and Wildcard Studio, the developers of Ark, may introduce new events or make changes over time. It’s advisable to check official patch notes or community announcements for the most up-to-date information on Ark events.
Experience Server Settings
Remember that server settings may influence XP gain rates, affecting the speed of progression in the game, allowing you to gain faster experience (XP) form all methods and level Up Fast in ARK Survival Ascended.
In Ark: Survival Ascended, server settings play a crucial role in influencing the rate at which players gain experience points (XP). Server settings can be adjusted by server administrators or in the single-player settings menu to customize the gameplay experience.
- XP Multiplier: Servers can adjust the XP multiplier, directly affecting the rate at which players accumulate XP. A higher multiplier results in faster XP gain, while a lower multiplier slows the progression.
- Harvesting Multiplier: The harvesting multiplier affects the amount of resources players gather from the environment. Higher multipliers lead to faster resource gathering, indirectly impacting XP gain since crafting and building contribute to XP.
- Taming Multiplier: The taming multiplier influences how quickly players can tame creatures. Faster taming allows players to gain XP from the taming process more rapidly.
- XP Events: Some servers, including official servers, host special events that provide increased XP rates for a limited time. These events are often coordinated to celebrate holidays or server milestones, allowing players to level up faster during the event period.
Adjusting these server settings allows servers to adapt to different player preferences. Some communities may prefer a faster-paced game with quicker XP progression, while others may prefer a more challenging and slower progression. Server settings, including XP multipliers, provide a way to customize the Ark experience for a specific player base or in single-player mode.
Best Methods to Level Up Fast in ARK Survival Ascended
Now that you know the various methods, let’s focus on the top three most effective ways to level up quickly in Ark. However, don’t rush to max level if it’s your first playthrough. Enjoy the game, learn its mechanics at your own pace, and remember that nothing is a waste as long as you gain more experience.
1 Creature Kills + XP Boost
Combine XP-boosting items like the Broth of Enlightenment or the Golden Hesperornis Egg with the temporary benefits from explorer notes. Pair this with the aggressive hunting of alpha creatures to significantly maximize your XP gains.
2 Breeding Baby Creatures + XP Boost
Utilize XP-boosting items and explorer notes while engaging in the breeding process. Breeding baby creatures and then killing them yields valuable experience and enhances your understanding of the game’s mechanics. The more dangerous the creature with a higher level, the greater the XP gain. Taking down a high-level baby T-Rex results in a significant experience boost. This method is more suitable for the end game. You will need a pair of high-level tamed creatures and initiate breeding by activating your creatures’ “mating” or “wandering” behavior settings.
3 Resource Gathering with Crafting + XP Boost
Boost your XP gain using items like Broth of Enlightenment or Golden Egg and Explorer notes. Next, focus on gathering resources like wood, thatch, and berries, and then channel your efforts into crafting structures and items. This method ensures a steady flow of XP as you build and create. It’s perfect for beginners and has a significant amount of XP at the beginning of the game.
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