✅ Step 1: Choose the Right Spawn Zone
Pick a “Beginner” zone like South Zone 1 on The Island map.

Avoid snowy, swampy, or desert areas for now — you’ll freeze, melt, or die from poison.

✅ Step 2: Collect Starting Materials
Punch a tree — literally. It hurts, but you need wood and thatch.

Now grab:

Stones from the beach

Fiber from bushes (just press and hold E near plants)

✅ Step 3: Craft First Tools
From your inventory (I key):

Craft a Stone Pickaxe (needs 1 stone, 1 wood, 10 thatch)

Then craft a Hatchet (after you level up and learn the engram)

Pickaxe = better for thatch, flint, and meat
Hatchet = better for wood, stone, and hide

✅ Step 4: Place a Bed & Campfire
Unlock and craft a Simple Bed ASAP — it's your respawn point.

Place a Campfire to stay warm and cook meat (from Dodos or Dilophosaurs).

Pro Tip: Always put your bed inside a shelter, or you’ll just die again on respawn.

✅ Step 5: Build a Small Thatch Base
Start with:

4× Thatch Foundations

4× Walls

1× Doorframe + Door

1× Thatched Roof

Upgrade to Wood and later Stone for durability.

There are 2 main types of taming: Knockout Taming and Passive Taming. Let’s walk through both in detail.

💤 A. Knockout Taming – How It Works
Goal: Knock the creature unconscious, feed it, and protect it while it tames.

🔨 Tools You’ll Need:
Club (early game) – unlocked at level 8

Slingshot (level 5) – cheap but slow

Bow + Tranq Arrows (level 10+) – more efficient

Crossbow (level 25) – better knockout tool

Longneck Rifle + Tranq Darts (mid-game)

🧠 Steps to Knockout Tame:
Equip your club, slingshot, or bow w/ tranq arrows

Approach or bait the dino into a trap (stone box or rock corner)

Aim for the head to increase torpor (unconscious meter)

Once unconscious, put food in its inventory

🍖 What to Feed?
Depends on the creature:

Carnivores: Raw Meat > Prime Meat > Kibble

Herbivores: Berries (Mejoberries > others) > Vegetables > Kibble

Keep an eye on the Torpor meter — if it drops too fast:

Feed Narcoberries or Narcotic to keep it knocked out

🫴 B. Passive Taming – Quiet, Gentle, Risky
Goal: Sneak up and feed the dino directly without knocking it out.

🧠 Steps for Passive Taming:
Put food in the last slot of your hotbar (usually 0)

Slowly approach the creature from behind

When prompted, press E to Feed

Wait for the next feeding prompt (intervals vary)

Repeat until the tame completes

Pro Tip: Use Ghillie Armor and Bug Repellent to stay hidden for more sensitive dinos.

🦙 Examples of Passive Tames:
Ichthyosaurus (dolphin) – raw meat

Mesopithecus (monkey) – berries

Ovis (sheep) – sweet vegetable cake

Otter – raw fish

Utility dinos make life easier. Here are the top must-tames and what they do:

Dino Utility Tame Method Level Needed
Trike Gathers berries fast Knockout ~Level 10
Argentavis Flying carrier w/ smithy saddle Knockout Level 55
Doedicurus Stone collector Knockout Level 34
Ankylo Metal and flint gatherer Knockout Level 36
Raptor Fast scout and travel mount Knockout Level 10–15
Pteranodon First flyer Knockout Level 38

Start with a Trike, then aim for a Pteranodon or Argentavis to unlock the map.

📈 Leveling Tips
Craft a ton of spears or thatch walls

Kill small dinos like Dodos and Dilophosaurs

Explore – XP boosts from discovering explorer notes

🧱 Base Upgrades
Wood > Stone > Metal

Set up Smithy, Forge, and Mortar & Pestle

Start producing Narcotics, Tranq Arrows, and Weapons

🏹 Weapons to Prioritize
Bow > Crossbow

Pike > Sword

Longneck Rifle + Tranq Darts for high-level tames

The Island: Best for learning. Classic map.

Fjordur: Free DLC with multiple biomes.

Ragnarok: Huge and popular, but can be overwhelming.

🔧 Optional Mods (if using modded server)
Structures Plus (S+) – cleaner base building

Awesome Spyglass – shows dino stats

Dino Tracker – locate tames

Automated Ark – quality of life

Never log out without a bed — or you’ll spawn randomly

Keep food cooked and ready – starvation is real

Watch your weight – encumbrance slows you

Always have Narcotics on hand – or risk losing tames

Join a tribe or invite a friend — solo ARK is brutal