The Ultimate Guide to Rock Farming in Ark: Survival Evolved – Best Dinos & Strategies

What is the absolute best dino for farming rock in Ark: Survival Evolved? The clear winner is the Doedicurus. While other creatures can gather stone, the Doedicurus combines high efficiency, significant weight reduction, and the ability to harvest directly from multiple rock types, making it the most effective for serious stone farming. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll delve deeper into why the Doedicurus reigns supreme, explore alternative options, and answer some common questions about maximizing your rock-gathering potential in Ark.

Why the Doedicurus is the King of Stone

The Doedicurus is not just good at gathering stone; it’s exceptional. Here’s why it stands out:

• Stone Weight Reduction: The Doedicurus possesses a remarkable 75% weight reduction for stone. This means it can carry far more stone than any other dino, significantly reducing the number of trips back to base. This makes it ideal for gathering large quantities in a single outing.
• Efficient Harvesting: The Doedicurus’s attack is specifically designed to break down rocks effectively. It gathers stone at a high rate, making the farming process much quicker than other options.
• Versatile Harvesting: The Doedicurus isn’t limited to standard rocks. It can effectively harvest stone from metal nodes and crystal formations, making it a great all-rounder for gathering resources, including rarer types of stone. This ability greatly increases the efficiency of farming expeditions as you’re not limited to just one resource type.
• Safe Rolling Ability: The Doedicurus can curl into a ball, significantly reducing the damage it takes. This is useful when navigating dangerous areas or when accidentally aggroing other creatures.
• Ease of Taming: Doedicuruses are relatively easy to tame, especially for beginners, making them an accessible option from early to mid-game.

While the Doedicurus is excellent for gathering stone, it is important to level melee damage on the creature to maximize its effectiveness. A high melee stat will increase the amount of resources gathered per rock. Additionally, when farming stone with a doed on Aberration, the blue zone is considered to be a highly efficient spot, particularly when using a Karkinos (Crab) to carry the doed.

Alternative Options for Stone Gathering

While the Doedicurus is the best for general stone gathering, here are some other dinos that can be used effectively for different situations:

• Ankylosaurus: While not as efficient for standard stone, the Ankylosaurus is the premier creature for gathering flint, metal, and crystal. If you are in a region abundant with those resources, an Ankylosaurus can be a more effective option. It also has a decent weight capacity, making it useful for longer harvesting runs. It’s important to remember, however, it does not have a stone weight reduction, so it will not be as effective for stone alone.
• Magmasaur: On Genesis: Part 1, the Magmasaur is capable of gathering stone in large quantities while also able to carry other resources. This makes it a viable choice if playing on that particular map and looking for a mobile base for farming.
• Arthropluera This creature is capable of gathering stone and has the ability to spit acid. This may be useful for getting out of tough situations when farming.
• Karkinos (Crab): The Karkinos is not a harvesting dino but can be used to carry a doedicurus to farming areas, this is particularly useful in areas like the aberration blue zone, and increases the speed and efficiency of your stone farming. When you load a Doedicurus on a Karkinos, it can increase the farming speed of multiple Doedicuruses for higher efficiency.

Other Resources to Consider

When farming for resources, some of these other dinos can help you maximize your production in tandem with the Doedicurus.

• Mammoth: Excellent for gathering wood. A large weight capacity means fewer trips back to base.
• Triceratops: Good for harvesting thatch from trees. Also great for clearing areas in a pinch.
• Therizinosaur: The best choice for gathering fiber. Highly versatile in other tasks as well.
• Dunkleosteus: Can gather a lot of crystal quickly. This is a decent alternative for gathering crystal when an Ankylosaurus is not available.
• Gacha: Can produce various resources, including crystal and stone. This is a useful option if looking to passively farm resources.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. What is the fastest way to get stone in Ark?

The fastest method is to use multiple Doedicuruses with capped melee damage carried by Karkinos in the blue zone on Aberration. This allows you to maximize efficiency and gather massive amounts of stone quickly.

2. Does melee damage affect resource gathering in Ark?

Yes, melee damage directly affects the amount of resources gathered. For all dinos, including the Doedicurus, leveling melee damage is crucial for optimizing resource harvesting efficiency.

3. Can the Doedicurus gather metal or crystal?

Yes, the Doedicurus can gather stone from metal nodes and crystal formations. This versatility makes it an efficient choice for both common and less common rock types.

4. Do rocks respawn in Ark?

Yes, all resources, including rocks, respawn in Ark. The respawn time depends on the specific resource and is affected by proximity to player structures or tamed dinos. If the area is clear, rocks will respawn, but if you have a base built there, they will not respawn in the immediate vicinity.

5. Which is better, Doedicurus or Ankylosaurus for stone?

The Doedicurus is superior for stone gathering due to its high efficiency and weight reduction for stone. The Ankylosaurus excels at gathering flint, metal, and crystal, making it good for other types of resources.

6. Is the Karkinos (Crab) a good resource gatherer?

The Karkinos isn’t a direct harvester but excels at carrying other resource-gathering dinos, especially Doedicuruses. This method increases the efficiency of multiple dinos in one expedition.

7. What is the best map to farm stone?

Any map with a plentiful supply of rocks will work, but Aberration’s blue zone is often cited as a top location due to the abundance of resources and the availability of Karkinos.

8. Does having multiple doedicuruses increase stone gathering efficiency?

Yes, multiple Doedicuruses significantly increase efficiency. More dinos mean more rocks can be broken down at once. The most efficient way to gather is to bring multiple dinos and a Karkinos to carry them.

9. Can I use any dino to gather stone?

Most dinos can harvest stone to a degree, but the Doedicurus is the most efficient by far. Other dinos will be much slower and gather less material.

10. Is there a faster method than the Doedicurus?

While no dino surpasses the Doedicurus in efficiency for stone, using the Doedicurus in combination with a Karkinos and multiple drivers significantly increases gathering speed and overall stone haul.

11. How do I tame a Doedicurus?

Doedicuruses are tamed using a knockout method with tranquilizing weapons or darts. Feed them a preferred food, such as berries.

12. Can I use a Doedicurus to gather sand?

Yes, the Doedicurus can gather sand in addition to stone, which is a useful source of silicon in some maps.

13. What is the best way to carry large quantities of stone?

A Doedicurus is the best dino for carrying stone due to its weight reduction. For maximum haul, the Karkinos can carry the doed, or a raft can be used to transport large amounts of stone, especially with a doed in its inventory to assist with weight.

14. Do higher-level dinos gather resources better?

Yes, higher-level dinos typically have better base stats, making them more efficient gatherers. Leveling stats such as melee damage, can also improve resource gathering speed.

15. Is a saddle necessary for the Doedicurus to gather stone?

No, a saddle is not required for a Doedicurus to gather stone. However, a saddle can add armor which provides safety when farming in dangerous areas.