Forge Ahead: A Comprehensive Guide to Crafting Metal Ingots in Ark: Survival Evolved

Metal ingots are a cornerstone of progression in Ark: Survival Evolved. They are crucial for crafting advanced tools, weapons, armor, structures, and machinery that allow you to survive and thrive in the harsh environment. This comprehensive guide will walk you through the entire process of obtaining metal, smelting it into ingots, and maximizing your efficiency.

## Why Metal Ingots Matter

Metal ingots represent a significant leap forward in your Ark journey. Compared to stone, wood, or even hide, metal offers superior durability, strength, and crafting potential. Here’s a glimpse of what metal ingots unlock:

* **Stronger Tools & Weapons:** Metal tools harvest resources faster and more efficiently than their lower-tier counterparts. Metal weapons deal significantly more damage, improving your combat capabilities against both creatures and other players.
* **Durable Armor:** Metal armor provides substantially greater protection from physical damage, environmental hazards (like extreme temperatures), and creature attacks.
* **Robust Structures:** Metal structures offer superior defense against wild creatures, player attacks, and environmental hazards like storms. They’re essential for building secure bases.
* **Advanced Machinery:** Many advanced crafting stations, generators, and automated systems require metal ingots, enabling you to automate resource gathering, crafting, and base defense.

## Gathering Raw Metal: The First Step

Before you can create metal ingots, you need to acquire raw metal ore. Metal ore is found in specific locations throughout the Ark maps, primarily in mountainous regions, caves, and volcanic areas. Here’s how to identify and collect it:

**1. Identifying Metal Nodes:**

* **Appearance:** Metal nodes are easily recognizable by their metallic sheen and dark gray or black color. They typically have a rough, jagged surface and are often embedded in rocks or cliffs.
* **Location:** Metal nodes are most abundant in mountainous regions, particularly on the sides of mountains and near their peaks. Look for rocky outcroppings and areas with exposed stone.
* **Underwater Nodes:** Some maps also have metal nodes underwater, usually in caves or near underwater vents. These can be more challenging to access but can provide a consistent source of metal.
* **Volcanic Regions:** Volcanic areas, like the volcano on The Island, are rich in metal nodes. However, be prepared for extreme temperatures and dangerous creatures.

**2. Essential Tools for Harvesting:**

* **Stone Pick:** While you *can* harvest metal with a stone pick, it’s extremely inefficient and time-consuming. You’ll get very little metal per node, and the pick will break quickly.
* **Metal Pick:** A metal pick is the minimum recommended tool for harvesting metal. It’s significantly more efficient than a stone pick and will last much longer.
* **Mining Drill:** The Mining Drill (unlocked at a higher level) is the ultimate tool for harvesting metal. It provides the fastest harvest rate and yields the most metal per node. It requires gasoline to operate. It’s also quite heavy.
* **Ankylosaurus:** Taming an Ankylosaurus is highly recommended for efficient metal harvesting. The Ankylosaurus has a weight reduction on metal and a special attack that significantly increases metal yields when used on metal nodes. It’s generally considered the best option for gathering large quantities of metal.
* **Magmasaur:** On Genesis: Part 1 and other maps where it is available, the Magmasaur is an excellent metal gatherer, possessing the ability to smelt metal directly on its back, eliminating the need for transport to a forge initially. However, be aware of the magma biome’s hazards.
* **Stryder with Mining Rig:** The Stryder, added in Genesis: Part 2, can be equipped with a Mining Rig module that allows for highly efficient and targeted resource gathering, including metal. This requires power and element to operate.

**3. The Harvesting Process:**

* **Approach the Node:** Carefully approach the metal node, being aware of any nearby creatures that might pose a threat.
* **Equip Your Tool:** Equip your metal pick, mining drill, or mount your Ankylosaurus/Magmasaur/Stryder.
* **Attack the Node:** Repeatedly strike the metal node with your equipped tool or use the Ankylosaurus/Magmasaur’s special attack (usually the primary attack button). For Stryders use the module specific attack.
* **Collect the Metal:** As you harvest, metal ore will drop to the ground. Pick it up to add it to your inventory (or the inventory of your mount).
* **Be Mindful of Weight:** Metal is heavy! Be aware of your weight limit and the weight of your mount to avoid becoming encumbered and unable to move. Consider using a creature with weight reduction for metal, such as the Ankylosaurus, or increasing your character’s weight stat.

## Smelting Metal Ore into Metal Ingots: The Forge

Once you have gathered metal ore, the next step is to smelt it into usable metal ingots. This is done in a forge. There are two main types of forges:

* **Campfire (Inefficient):** While you *can* technically smelt metal in a campfire, it’s incredibly slow and inefficient. You’ll only be able to smelt a very small amount of metal at a time, and it will consume a lot of fuel. This is only recommended as an absolute last resort in the early game.
* **Standing Forge (Recommended):** The Standing Forge is the standard forge used for smelting metal. It can hold a significant amount of metal ore and fuel, and it smelts metal at a reasonable rate. It’s the workhorse of metal ingot production.
* **Industrial Forge (Late-Game):** The Industrial Forge is the ultimate smelting solution. It can hold a massive amount of metal ore and fuel, and it smelts metal at a dramatically faster rate than the Standing Forge. It requires gasoline to operate and is typically only used in the late game.
* **Tek Forge (Late-Game):** The Tek Forge smelts metal the fastest, but requires Element to run. It is the most efficient forge in the game.

**Crafting a Forge:**

* **Standing Forge:** Requires stone, wood, fiber, hide, and metal ingots. This means you’ll need to find at least a small amount of metal beforehand, typically from surface rocks or by killing creatures that drop metal. It is crafted in your inventory at level 20 after learning the engram.
* **Industrial Forge:** Requires cementing paste, metal ingots, oil, crystal, and sparkpowder. This is a significantly more resource-intensive crafting recipe and is usually only pursued in the mid-to-late game. It is crafted in a Smithy or Fabricator at level 60 after learning the engram.
* **Tek Forge:** Requires element, metal ingots, crystal, black pearls and polymer. This is a very resource-intensive crafting recipe and is usually only pursued in the late game. It is crafted in a Tek Replicator at level 91 after defeating the Broodmother Lysrix (Gamma), Megapithecus (Gamma), and The Dragon (Gamma) bosses simultaneously on The Island.

**Fueling the Forge:**

The forge requires fuel to operate. The most common fuel sources are:

* **Wood:** Wood is the most readily available fuel source, especially in the early game. However, it burns relatively quickly and requires frequent refueling.
* **Thatch:** Thatch burns even faster than wood and is not recommended for smelting metal.
* **Sparkpowder:** Sparkpowder burns longer than wood and provides more heat, making it a more efficient fuel source for forges. It’s made by combining flint and stone in a mortar and pestle.
* **Gasoline (Industrial Forge):** The Industrial Forge requires gasoline as fuel. Gasoline is made by combining oil and hide in a refining forge.
* **Element (Tek Forge):** The Tek Forge requires Element as fuel, making it difficult to keep running as it is a limited resource.

**The Smelting Process:**

1. **Place the Forge:** Find a suitable location to place your forge. Make sure it’s in a secure area, as forges can be vulnerable to attack.
2. **Access the Forge:** Interact with the forge to open its inventory.
3. **Add Metal Ore:** Transfer metal ore from your inventory to the forge’s inventory.
4. **Add Fuel:** Transfer your chosen fuel source (wood, sparkpowder, or gasoline for the Industrial Forge, Element for the Tek Forge) to the forge’s inventory.
5. **Activate the Forge:** Press the “Turn On” button to start the smelting process.
6. **Wait for Completion:** The forge will begin smelting the metal ore into metal ingots. The time it takes to smelt depends on the type of forge and the amount of metal ore being smelted.
7. **Collect the Ingots:** Once the smelting process is complete, the metal ingots will appear in the forge’s inventory. Transfer them to your inventory for use in crafting.
8. **Keep it Running:** Be sure to monitor the fuel level of the forge and add more fuel as needed to keep the smelting process running continuously.

## Optimizing Your Metal Ingot Production

Here are some tips and strategies to maximize your metal ingot production efficiency:

* **Tame an Ankylosaurus:** As mentioned earlier, the Ankylosaurus is a game-changer for metal harvesting. Its weight reduction and special attack significantly increase metal yields. It is the most weight effective way to transport Metal to a forge.
* **Use a High-Quality Pick:** A higher-quality metal pick (e.g., a Journeyman or Mastercraft pick) will harvest more metal per node and last longer than a lower-quality pick. Look for blueprints in supply drops or caves.
* **Level Up Harvesting Skill:** Increase your character’s Melee Damage stat. While counter-intuitive, it increases your harvesting efficiency for all resources, including metal. This applies to both manual harvesting and when using a creature like an Ankylosaurus. The weight stat is also very useful for metal farming.
* **Build Multiple Forges:** The more forges you have, the faster you can smelt metal ore. Consider building multiple Standing Forges to increase your production capacity. An Industrial Forge is also highly recommended later.
* **Automate Fuel Delivery:** Use a dedicated creature, like a Doedicurus (for stone -> sparkpowder) or a Dung Beetle (for oil -> gasoline), to automatically gather and deliver fuel to your forges. This reduces the amount of time you need to spend managing your forges.
* **Dedicated Transport:** Utilize an Argentavis or Quetzal to efficiently move metal ore from the harvesting location to your base and forges. These flying creatures have high weight capacity and can transport large quantities of metal.
* **Consider a Refining Forge for Gasoline:** If you are using an Industrial Forge, set up a Refining Forge near your oil source to create gasoline. This reduces the travel time for fuel.
* **Base Placement:** Strategically placing your base near a rich metal source can significantly reduce travel time and increase your overall efficiency. However, be aware that these areas are often contested by other players.
* **Use a Tek Teleporter:** If you have access to Tek technology, consider using a Tek Teleporter to quickly transport metal ore and ingots between your harvesting location and your base.
* **Experiment with Different Locations:** Different areas on the Ark maps have varying levels of metal density. Explore different locations to find the most productive metal nodes.

## Advanced Strategies: Refining & Beyond

Once you have established a reliable metal ingot production system, you can explore more advanced strategies to further optimize your resource management and crafting capabilities.

* **Refined Metal:** Some advanced structures and items require Refined Metal, which is created by smelting metal ingots in an Industrial Grinder. This process is more complex than simply smelting metal ore and requires significant investment.
* **Metal Structures as Defense:** Metal walls, gates, and turrets provide superior protection against raids and wild creature attacks. Consider upgrading your base to metal for increased security.
* **Automated Defense Systems:** Combine metal structures with automated turrets and sensors to create a highly effective base defense system that requires minimal manual intervention.
* **Tek Tier Technology:** Metal ingots are essential for crafting Tek Tier technology, including Tek armor, Tek weapons, and Tek structures. This advanced technology provides significant advantages in combat, resource gathering, and base building.

## Common Mistakes to Avoid

* **Ignoring Weight Limits:** Overloading your character or mount with metal ore is a common mistake that can leave you stranded and vulnerable. Always be mindful of your weight limits and use creatures with weight reduction for metal.
* **Neglecting Fuel Supply:** Running out of fuel in your forge can halt your metal ingot production and waste valuable time. Always ensure you have a sufficient supply of fuel before starting the smelting process.
* **Unprotected Forges:** Leaving your forges unprotected can make them vulnerable to attack by wild creatures or other players. Build defenses around your forges to protect them from harm.
* **Inefficient Harvesting Techniques:** Using a stone pick or neglecting to level up your melee damage stat can significantly reduce your metal harvesting efficiency. Invest in better tools and skills to maximize your yields.
* **Poor Base Placement:** Building your base far away from a metal source can waste valuable time and resources. Choose a location that is close to a rich metal deposit to minimize travel time.

## Conclusion

Mastering the art of crafting metal ingots is essential for success in Ark: Survival Evolved. By following the steps and strategies outlined in this guide, you can establish a reliable metal production system, unlock advanced technologies, and build a secure and thriving base. Remember to prioritize efficiency, resource management, and base defense to maximize your progress and survive the challenges of the Ark. Happy crafting! Good luck, survivor!