Resource Farming Routes

Optimize your grind. The absolute best spots and dinosaurs for harvesting mid-to-endgame materials.

Best Routes & Locations

Resource Best Dinosaur Best Location Strategy
Metal Ankylosaurus + Argentavis The Volcano & Frozen Tooth (The Island) Carry the Anky with an Argy. Fly to the Volcano rim, drop the Anky, harvest golden rocks, and fly back. The Argy reduces metal weight by 50%.
Obsidian Ankylosaurus or Magmasaur Volcano Crater Found primarily as smooth black rocks inside and around the top of the Volcano. Essential for Polymer crafting.
Organic Polymer Pelagornis or Wooden Club Northwest Snow Biome / Aberration Plants Kill Kairuku (Penguins) on the ice floes. Use a Wooden Club on their corpses to yield massive amounts of Organic Polymer, which substitutes standard Polymer. On Aberration, harvest the white bulb plants with a Bear.
Crystal Ankylosaurus Mountain Peaks & Caves Almost all high mountains have crystal nodes near the summit. The Frozen Tooth is the safest spot on The Island.
Black Pearls Tusoteuthis or Anglerfish Deep Ocean / Extinction OSDs Kill Eurypterids (Sea Scorpions) on the ocean floor or hunt Alpha Mosasaurus and Tusoteuthis. On Extinction, corrupted nodules drop them occasionally.
Cementing Paste Beelzebufo (Frog) Swamp Cave (The Island) Take a high-level Beelzebufo into the Swamp Cave. Using its secondary attack to kill Meganeuras (bugs) will instantly convert their corpses into massive amounts of Cementing Paste.
Silica Pearls Anglerfish Snow Biome Ocean Floor The Anglerfish harvests Silica Pearls with its bite attack without dismounting. Swim around the icy shores in the Northwest; the pearls look like glowing clams.
Oil Dung Beetle / Basilosaurus Snow Biome Surface / Tame Inventory Tame a Dung Beetle and put feces in its inventory; it converts it to Fertilizer and Oil. Alternatively, tame a Basilosaurus, which passively generates Oil in its inventory over time.
Element N/A (Bosses / Charge Nodes) Boss Arenas / Extinction Veins On The Island, you must kill Bosses. On Aberration, you can craft it at Charge Nodes using gems and batteries. On Extinction, defend Element Veins with Gigas.
Back to ARK: Survival Ascended Guide
Support the Guide

Did This Guide Help You?

Maintained through hundreds of hours of gameplay and research. If it saved you from dying 47 times against a boss, consider supporting the project.

🅿️

Donate via PayPal

Any amount — no minimum. Every donation helps keep the guide updated with every new patch.

💙 Donate with PayPal

One-time · No subscription required

🔴

Subscribe on Patreon

Every donation helps keep the guide updated with every new patch.

❤️ Join on Patreon

Cancel anytime

💬 Community Strategies & Discussion

Did you find a hidden chest? Struggling with a boss? Share your tips and questions with other mercenaries below!