Crafting in ARK 2 is a tech tree that takes you from punching trees for thatch to fabricating advanced rifles and TEK armor. Understanding the progression path — which engrams to unlock and when — is the difference between smooth advancement and wasted engram points on gear you'll never use. This guide maps the optimal crafting progression from level 1 to endgame.
Engram Points: Spend Wisely
Engram points are limited. You earn them with each level, but you'll never have enough to unlock everything. The key principle: unlock only what you need now and in the next 5 levels. Don't unlock the Raptor Saddle at level 18 if you don't plan to tame a Raptor until level 25. Essential early engrams (levels 1-15): Stone Pick, Stone Hatchet, Spear, Campfire, Thatch Foundation/Wall/Doorframe/Door, Storage Box, Sleeping Bag, Bola, Narcotic, Wooden Club, Mortar and Pestle, Bow and Stone Arrows, Tranquilizer Arrows.
The Crafting Progression Path
Tier 1 — Primitive (Levels 1-15): Stone tools, thatch structures, basic weapons (spear, bow), campfire cooking. Focus on taming a Parasaur and Raptor. Gather narcoberries and spoiled meat to craft narcotics for tranquilizer arrows.
Tier 2 — Wood (Levels 15-30): Wood structures, crossbow, metal tools (pick, hatchet, pike), Pteranodon saddle. Start metal smelting with a Refining Forge. The crossbow is a major upgrade over the bow — it fires tranquilizer arrows with 2x torpor, making taming significantly faster.
Tier 3 — Stone / Early Metal (Levels 30-50): Stone structures, longneck rifle, tranquilizer darts, Ankylosaurus and Doedicurus saddles. The longneck rifle with darts is the preferred taming weapon from this point forward.
Tier 4 — Industrial (Levels 50-70): Industrial Forge, Industrial Cooker, Chemistry Bench, pump-action shotgun, fabricated sniper rifle, flak armor. The Industrial Forge smelts metal 20x faster than the Refining Forge.
Tier 5 — TEK (Level 70+): TEK Replicator, TEK armor pieces, TEK weapons, TEK structures. Requires defeating bosses for TEK engrams and Element.
Resource Location Guide
| Resource | Best Gathering Method | Prime Locations |
|---|---|---|
| Metal | Ankylosaurus | Mountains, volcano, caves |
| Crystal | Ankylosaurus or Pick | Mountaintops, caves |
| Obsidian | Ankylosaurus | Volcano, high mountains |
| Oil | Dung Beetle or Oil Pump | Deep ocean, snow biome |
| Silica Pearls | Anglerfish or Hand | Shallow ocean, rivers, beaver dams |
| Polymer | Kill Kairuku or craft | Snow biome (Kairuku) |
| Cementing Paste | Beaver dams or craft | Beaver dam locations + Chitin/Keratin + Stone |
Crafting Skill Optimization
Putting points into Crafting Skill increases the quality of items you craft (higher damage, armor, durability on blueprint-crafted items). At 100% Crafting Skill, a blueprint crafts at its listed stats. Each additional point grants a chance for a stat bonus. At level 100 with max crafting skill, you can produce gear 30-50% better than base blueprints. This matters most for saddles (armor), weapons (damage), and armor (protection). Dedicate one tribe member to be the crafter with max crafting skill.