The Soaking Meta
In ARK PvP, you cannot simply walk up to an enemy base. "Deathwalls" composed of Heavy Auto Turrets and Tek Turrets will vaporize you instantly. The primary raiding strategy is "Soaking": throwing high-health, damage-resistant dinosaurs into the turret fire until the turrets run out of ammunition.
Top Tier Soakers
- Stegosaurus (S-Tier): Using the "Hardened Plate" mode, Stegos take reduced damage and prevent the rider from being shot off by Auto Turrets. Essential for pushing into deathwalls while carrying C4.
- Rock Elemental (S-Tier against Bullets): Takes 90% reduced damage from bullets. However, it takes FULL damage from Tek Turrets. Use them only against standard/heavy turrets.
- Trike (A-Tier): Its head hitbox takes vastly reduced bullet damage. Great for early-game soaking or when backed up against a wall.
- Gasbags (A-Tier): When inflated, takes up to 80% reduced damage. Can fly and bounce into hard-to-reach sky bases.
The Sweet Vegetable Cake
Never soak without Cakes! Herbivores (like the Stego and Trike) can consume a Sweet Vegetable Cake to heal 10% of their max HP over 10 seconds. You can force-feed them cakes while they are being shot to drastically extend their lifespan.
Explosives & Damage
Once the turrets are empty (or if you find a blind spot), you need to breach the walls. Different explosives are tailored for different situations.
| Explosive Type | Best Used For | Pros / Cons |
|---|---|---|
| C4 Charge | Breaching Vaults & Metal Walls | Highest damage to structures. Must be placed at point-blank range. Can be strapped to a Pteranodon (C4 Bombing). |
| Rocket Propelled Grenade | Ranged Breaching & Turret destruction | Can be fired from outside turret range if you find a blind spot. Cons: Auto Turrets will shoot down incoming rockets. |
| Tek Rifle | Sustained Ranged Breaching | Fires explosive plasma that damages Metal and Tek structures. Cons: Overheats quickly and consumes Element. |
| Grenades / Cluster Grenades | Early game stone bases | Cheap to craft. Useless against Metal structures. |
Setting up a FOB
A FOB (Forward Operating Base) is a temporary military base you construct just outside the range of the enemy's turrets. You do not raid from your main base; you raid from a FOB.
Essential FOB Components:
- Beds / Bunk Beds: You will die frequently. You need multiple spawn points.
- Vaults: To store your raiding gear (C4, Saddles) and to safely stash the loot you steal from the enemy.
- Heavy Turrets: A FOB must be defended. If the enemy pushes out to destroy your FOB, your own turrets must cover your retreat.
- Tek Transmitter: Allows you to download reinforcements (more Stegos) directly from the cloud without walking them across the map.
Tactical Creatures
Raiding isn't just about soaking. These specialized tames are used to disrupt the enemy's defense.
- Arthropluera: Its melee bite damages Metal and Tek structures, and it reflects melee damage. It acts as a living, infinite C4 charge.
- Microraptor: Thrown from your shoulder, it will seek out enemy players riding dinosaurs, instantly dismount them, and stun them for 10 seconds.
- Noglin: Can mind-control enemy players or their dinosaurs. You can take control of an enemy player, walk them inside their own base, and turn off their generator!
- Titanosaur / Titans: The ultimate siege weapons. Their massive AoE attacks can wipe out entire grids of turrets in seconds, but they are temporary tames.
💬 Community Strategies & Discussion
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