When I first dropped onto The Island, I spent hours smashing thatch and picking berries, only to hit level cap too slowly and get blown away by a level 50 raptor instead.
In a game like Ark Survival Evolved, leveling up is essential, especially when you are beginning your adventure as the gained skill points will help you do better in the game, including in any PVP situation.
Leveling is even more than that, though: more points unlock better gear, stronger dinos, and blueprint engrams. And today, I will share with you the best ways to level up faster in Ark: Survival Evolved.
Explorer’s Notes
While looking around the island, gathering materials, and getting a feel for the game, you will find ruins in the middle of nowhere.
Some of those ruins have chests or vases or tech dashboards. Interact with those and collect your rewards.
Normal explorer’s notes give a 2x exp modifier while special explorer’s notes give a 4x exp boost. Be sure to keep an eye out, because those modifiers can help you reach your goal that much faster.
Related reading: Best Ark Single Player Settings
Crafting
From base building to tools and weapons, players will gradually gravitate toward crafting throughout their adventure.
Crafting anything will grant exp, with stone foundations yielding the most exp points.
When a higher level is reached, canoes or rafts can be a good alternative to help players gain exp.
Crafting, along with our next suggestion, is the easiest and most consistent way to level up fast. But before, here is an example of how good crafting is in terms of XP gains:
| Item | Materials | XP per craft |
|---|---|---|
| Stone Foundation | 8× Stone, 4× Thatch, 10× Wood | 94 |
| Stone Ceiling | 10× Stone, 8× Thatch | 76 |
| Stone Ramp | 6× Stone, 4× Thatch | 68 |
| Wooden Sign (mass-craft) | 1× Wood | 12 |
Farming
Farming, though a bit labor-intensive, will be a constant asset throughout the game.
Players will need to gather a few materials, in the beginning, to get started but seeing as hunger is an important stat to manage, farming will have a multitude of benefits.
From harvestable crops required for cooking to frequent exp yields, farming will be something worth your time and effort. Keep up with it and you will not be let down.
Also read: What Is the Biggest Map in ARK Survival Evolved?
Hunting
For players in need of more thrills and battles, hunting higher-level dinosaurs is a good way to earn more experience and level up faster.
Though at risk of death, hunting can be a fun way to earn exp. It also allows players to be more familiar with the game’s mechanics and battle systems.
Do be careful, though, because upon death, the game has a penalty where you lose all your items and respawn in a random location. Your exp and levels remain unaffected, so feel free to experiment if you feel courageous. Here are some stats and what to expect:
| Creature | XP per kill | Risk level |
|---|---|---|
| Dodo | 20 | Very low |
| Raptor | 60 | Low |
| Trike | 120 | Medium |
| Sabertooth | 200 | High |
| Rex | 300 | Very high |
Tribes
Ark Survival Evolved feels better to play with friends and tribes are a way to make your group feel more productive and earn exp together.
While in the vicinity of your tribesmen, you will passively gain exp each time one of the other members gains exp. Most tasks will be able to finish sooner and battles that alone would be arduous, with tribesmen becoming easier.
Lastly, you will inevitably get to share many memorable experiences, giving the game a parallel sense of progression, through shared goals and milestones.
If you know of any other ways to level up fast, let us know in the comments down below.
With thousands of hours played on Nintendo systems since the original Gameboy, Nikiforos is happy to share his endless passion for Nintendo franchises and everything he can get his hands on.
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