What is the Best Tool to Mine Metal in Ark?
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The best tool for mining metal in Ark: Survival Evolved is undoubtedly the Ankylosaurus. This powerful dinosaur not only efficiently harvests metal nodes but also provides an incredible 85% weight reduction on metal carried in its inventory, making it the most productive option for large-scale metal farming. While a metal pick is a viable alternative, particularly when upgraded to mastercraft or ascendant tier, the Ankylosaurus remains the gold standard for metal harvesting efficiency.
Understanding Metal Mining in Ark
Mining metal is a core activity in Ark, essential for crafting advanced tools, weapons, structures, and more. The resource itself is found in various forms, but primarily in specific types of rock formations scattered across the maps. These metal nodes are identifiable by their grey color with gold streaks or as solid gold-colored rocks, with the latter yielding the most metal. Efficient harvesting of these nodes will dramatically impact your progress in the game.
Why the Ankylosaurus Reigns Supreme
The Ankylosaurus’s effectiveness is two-fold:
- High Yield: It harvests significant amounts of metal from each node. Its unique ability to break down the rock efficiently means you get more resources per hit compared to using a pickaxe.
- Weight Reduction: The aforementioned 85% weight reduction is invaluable. Metal is a heavy resource, and transporting large quantities back to your base would be incredibly slow and tedious without this bonus. The Anky can effectively carry far more metal than any survivor or other creature.
Metal Pick as an Alternative
While the Ankylosaurus is optimal, a metal pick is a decent option, especially early on when taming an Anky is not yet feasible. A metal pick surpasses its stone counterpart in several ways:
- Faster Gathering Speed: It significantly reduces the time it takes to harvest resources.
- Increased Yield: Compared to the stone pick, a metal pick harvests more resources from the same node.
- Higher Rare Resource Chance: It has a higher chance of yielding rarer resources from the node.
- Mastercraft and Ascendant Tiers: As you progress and obtain higher-quality metal picks, you’ll find they approach the efficiency of an Anky, albeit without the weight reduction bonus.
However, even with its benefits, the metal pick cannot match the speed, carrying capacity, and efficiency of a tamed Ankylosaurus.
Refining Metal into Ingots
Raw metal is not the final product. You need to smelt it into metal ingots for most crafting recipes. This is done using a Refining Forge or an Industrial Forge. The Industrial Forge is the faster option, smelting 40 metal into 20 metal ingots at once in 20 seconds, greatly accelerating the ingot production.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. Is a pick or hatchet better for mining metal?
A pick is far superior for mining metal and flint. A hatchet is more effective at gathering stone.
2. What tool is best for mining flint?
A pick, Ankylosaurus, or Mantis equipped with a pickaxe are all effective for harvesting flint. A hatchet is less efficient.
3. How do I get metal ingots quickly?
Use an Industrial Forge to smelt metal into metal ingots rapidly. It’s significantly faster than using a Refining Forge.
4. Does a metal pickaxe yield more metal than a stone pickaxe?
Yes, the metal pickaxe harvests more resources, including metal, and has a higher chance of finding rare resources than a stone pickaxe.
5. Besides metal, what are the best creatures to harvest other resources?
The Pelagornis or Therizinosaurus are great for general harvesting. The Doedicurus is excellent for obsidian, and the Dunkleosteus or Ankylosaurus are effective for oil.
6. What is the best pickaxe overall?
The Obsidian Pickaxe is a top-tier pickaxe and is the primary way of gathering Claystone, Limestone, Coal, and Carbon, but it’s not superior to the metal pick for metal harvesting, except for the secondary resources it provides.
7. Can a Doedicurus gather metal?
The Doedicurus cannot harvest metal directly from metal nodes. However, it excels at gathering obsidian, sometimes yielding metal as a secondary resource while attacking obsidian nodes.
8. Is an Ankylo or Doedicurus better for metal harvesting?
The Ankylosaurus is far superior for gathering metal, thanks to its high yield and weight reduction. The Doedicurus is better for collecting obsidian.
9. What other dinos are good at metal harvesting?
The Mantis, when equipped with a pick, can also harvest metal. However, the Ankylo is usually preferred due to its weight reduction benefit.
10. Can titanosaurs destroy metal structures?
Yes, Titanosaurs can destroy metal structures. While useful for soaking up damage, using them this way is wasteful of resources due to the metal destruction.
11. What is the strongest weapon in Ark?
The Tek Phase Pistol is considered the strongest weapon in the game.
12. What is the most effective weapon for knocking out dinos?
Tranq arrows, tranq darts, and the Pulmonoscorpius are effective for inflicting torpor to knock out dinosaurs.
13. What tool is best for harvesting hide?
A Metal Hatchet or Chainsaw are the most efficient tools for harvesting hide from corpses. The Direwolf, Sabertooth, Therizinosaurus, or Thylacoleo are excellent dinos for hide farming.
14. Can dinos damage metal structures?
Generally, dinos cannot damage metal structures. The primary way to destroy metal is using explosives.
15. What dinos are the most versatile and worth taming in Ark?
The Shadowmane is widely regarded as one of the most versatile creatures in Ark. The Rex is considered a top-tier combat dino, while the Argentavis is excellent for transportation. The Rock Drake is also very popular for exploration and combat.