Ark: Survival Evolved is a video game produced by Studio Wildcard. In this survival game, players/characters are trapped on an island filled with ravaging dinosaurs and other mysterious creatures who are life-threatening to human beings. For players to survive they need to assemble resources, make a habitat, and fend off deadly beings.
If a player in Ark: Survival Evolved has poor stats then surviving will be an uphill battle. Stats play a vital role in distinguishing a successful game from an unsuccessful one. Since there are several stats to upgrade, choosing the appropriate one can be a bit challenging. However, there are some that tend to work better than the rest and need to be prioritized.
10 Oxygen
Though oxygen may not play a big role in the early stages/levels of the game, upgrading it is so important. Most of the time, players find themselves adventuring in the water. Oxygen is thus the primary resource needed to dive. The more oxygen stats, the faster swimming speed one will have. It is therefore essential, especially when escaping from enemies.
As time goes by, oxygen gets depleted. Once players fall short of oxygen, they start suffocating and their health begins to deteriorate with every tick. This is likely to cause death.
9 Water
Since the player is a human being, basic physical needs such as water are the obvious necessities for survival. Death resulting from thirst is really painful. However, this can be avoided by carrying a waterskin. The player can obtain a waterskin Engram at the initial stages of the game.
The water stat indicates the level of hydration. A player who doesn't rehydrate will experience their water bar falling. It is important to note that consuming Stimberries and Auric Mushroom aids in dehydration just as Stamina-dependent activities. A player should ensure that their stats don't come closer to zero.
8 Fortitude
With many biomes on the map, a player should be very keen to select an appropriate one. Fortitude affects how one is able to survive in extreme environmental conditions. These conditions could be either hypothermia or hyperthermia. Mostly, it shows how one can resist extreme coldness or hotness. Players who love wandering and exploring the map need to upgrade their Fortitude stat for them to have less suffering from the heat.
Players without the appropriate armor against temperature extremities need to upgrade their Fortitude stat. With good stats, one can stay alive for a longer period.
7 Weight
Weight determines how much a player can carry. Activities such as hunting, crafting, and foraging requires many levels of weight. One can swiftly carry items created or collected with good weight stats. Thus, fewer trips can be made and less time is wasted. Unlike at the beginning, as the player progresses through the game, the weight of the things created progressively becomes much heavier just as the resources needed.
Upgrading the weight stat eases nearly everything in this video game. A player will easily be able to explore and gather more resources. Those who carry a weight of up to 85% of their body weight are likely to suffer from the Encumbered ailment.
6 Melee Damage
Since this is a survival game, it’s apparent that one will at some points fight. This could be against a fellow player or the monsters. Melee Damage stats show the level of damage the player can release from one attack.
These levels of damage can be altered by equipping ammunition. If this is done, Melee Damage stats act as a bonus. If the melee damage is high, defending oneself against enemies becomes easy. There is also the possibility of killing several creatures if melee damage is high enough even with a single attack.
5 Health
Since health shows the level of time remaining before the death of the player, it should be one of those prioritized. A player dies when their health bar hits zero. Good health makes it easy to tackle and survive in harsh environments. Also, with good health, tackling bigger and more dangerous monsters becomes easy. Players whose health reaches 30 and below are likely to be injured.
With poor health, there will be reduced movement speed, thus making the game hard. Players need to ensure they remain healthy. To improve this stat, food such as cooked meat, blood pack, and medical brew should be taken.
4 Movement Speed
All creatures in Ark have this stat. It shows the rate at which a creature can move. When the movement speed is upgraded, a character moves swiftly. For those using PvP servers, the movement speed stat is very significant because dodging the attacks involves a lot of movement. Every upgrade results in a 1.5% rise in speed.
The movement speed stat allows one to have light feet, thus one will be able to maneuver through any distance easily. Most players also find Focal Chili important in boosting movement speed.
3 Torpidity
Torpidity shows how likely a character will fall unconscious. Torpidity that drops to 50 results in the survivor falling unconscious. Players in such a state are likely to be fed with narcotics, robbed, or dragged by other opponents. Often, they are killed, though players can still accomplish their mission.
It’s not new to Ark fans that this game is unfriendly towards unconscious characters. Attacks from creatures such as Araneo, Arthropluera, Cnidaria, Broodmother Lysrix, and Basilisk are known to raise Torpidity. This stat is upgraded by connecting to Fortitude. Torpidity is also increased when Fortitude is upgraded.
2 Stamina
Stamina is important just as an energy meter. Any action in this video game needs stamina. A player should therefore have enough tank reserves to increase their survival rate.
The energy that a player has is affected by activities such as swimming, running, and harvesting. A low stamina results in a faster drop in water and food levels, making it hard to play this game. Players with low stamina mostly collect less when foraging. Upgrading this stat early enough is therefore useful. Players with more stamina have increased movement speed, allowing them to make faster trips.
1 Food
Though the food may not be the center of focus, upgrading it slightly is vital. As time goes by, some players get hungry. Two factors that affect the rate of consuming food are Stamina-dependent activities and health. The health of many players begins to decline when their food stats begin to hit zero.
Although some players may opt to store food themselves, they get spoiled with time. Others use preserving bins inside their boats. If the Torpidity stat, the measurement of tiredness mostly due to low food, falls to 50, a player becomes unconscious.
Ark: Survival Evolved is currently available on PC, macOS, Linux, PS4, Xbox One, Switch, and Mobile.