The Simple Pistol: Your First Firearm in ARK: Survival Evolved

The first gun you unlock in ARK: Survival Evolved is the Simple Pistol. This revolver is a basic but essential weapon, providing a ranged combat option for survivors venturing beyond melee combat. It’s a crucial step up from spears and bows, offering more consistent damage output, though at the cost of using ammunition. Understanding how and when you gain access to the Simple Pistol is vital for any new player looking to survive the harsh world of ARK.

Unlocking and Crafting the Simple Pistol

How to Obtain the Blueprint

The Simple Pistol blueprint is unlocked at level 34. This is a significant milestone for any survivor as it signifies access to relatively early ranged weapons. Unlike some other items, you will not find the blueprint by exploring the game world. You must reach this specific level and then spend engram points to learn how to craft it. The exact number of engram points required is not mentioned in this document, but it will be available in your engram list at level 34.

Crafting the Simple Pistol

Once the blueprint is unlocked, you’ll need to gather the necessary materials to craft the Simple Pistol. These materials are:

• Metal Ingots: Used in many advanced crafting recipes, you’ll need to smelt raw metal in a Refining Forge. This will involve smelting metal ore acquired from rocks with a pickaxe or other tool.
• Wood: A very basic resource harvested from trees with a pickaxe.
• Hide: Acquired from harvesting the bodies of creatures with pickaxes or other tools.

Ammunition

The Simple Pistol uses Simple Bullets. These bullets are crafted using:

• Metal Ingots: 2

• Gunpowder: 12

  Gunpowder requires charcoal and flint, both are also harvested from the game world. You’ll create Gunpowder in a Mortar and Pestle or Chemistry Bench, depending on the map and version of the game you are playing on.

The Simple Pistol in Combat

While not the most powerful weapon in the game, the Simple Pistol offers several advantages:

• Ranged Attack: It allows you to engage enemies from a safe distance, which is particularly useful against aggressive creatures.
• Six Shots: The Simple Pistol can fire six rounds before requiring a reload. This rapid-fire capability can quickly overwhelm some weaker opponents, and give you a chance to reload before a tougher creature gets to you.
• More Consistent Damage: Unlike the bow and arrow, which require a charge-up, the Simple Pistol can fire rapidly at a standard damage output.

However, it has limitations:

• Lower Damage: The damage per shot is lower than that of a charged bow shot. This means it’s not ideal for taking down heavily armored dinos, but is better than nothing against them.
• Reload: While it can fire six shots quickly, the reload time can be a vulnerability, so keep an escape plan, or a friend, nearby.
• Ammunition Requirement: The need for bullets means you’ll need a sustainable source of metal, flint, charcoal, and gunpowder.

Why Is the Simple Pistol Important?

The Simple Pistol is a milestone weapon in ARK: Survival Evolved as it enables you to move away from primarily melee-based combat. While the spear and pike are great starting weapons, they require you to engage enemies directly. The Simple Pistol allows you to engage dinos from a distance. It’s your first real step towards mastering the ranged combat in ARK. This early access to firearms provides a significant tactical advantage, making resource gathering and exploration safer.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. What level do you unlock the Simple Pistol in ARK?

You unlock the blueprint for the Simple Pistol at level 34.

2. What kind of ammunition does the Simple Pistol use?

The Simple Pistol uses Simple Bullets.

3. How many shots can the Simple Pistol fire before reloading?

The Simple Pistol can fire six shots before needing to be reloaded.

4. What resources are needed to craft Simple Bullets?

Simple Bullets require 2 Metal Ingots and 12 Gunpowder to craft.

5. Is the Simple Pistol better than a bow for early game combat?

The Simple Pistol is generally better than the bow for consistent damage output, despite slightly lower per-shot damage. It can also be fired rapidly, whereas the bow must be charged.

6. Can you find a Simple Pistol as loot in ARK?

No. The Simple Pistol is crafted and is not available through random loot drops.

7. What is the best way to acquire Metal Ingots for crafting the Simple Pistol and its ammo?

You must mine metal ore from metallic rocks, and then smelt it in a Refining Forge using fuel like wood or thatch to create metal ingots.

8. What other weapons can you access in early ARK?

Before the Simple Pistol, you’ll have access to spears, pikes, and bows. These are all primarily used for melee or ranged combat, and are essential to leveling up and surviving the harsh early game.

9. How do I make Gunpowder?

You create Gunpowder by combining Charcoal and Flint in either a Mortar and Pestle or a Chemistry Bench.

10. What’s the next step up from the Simple Pistol in terms of firearms?

The next firearm to unlock is the Longneck Rifle at level 48.

11. Is there a way to improve the damage of the Simple Pistol?

You can increase the damage through character stats and by crafting a higher quality pistol, but the most effective way to improve ranged firepower is to acquire better weapons as you level up.

12. What is the most effective use of the Simple Pistol early game?

Use the Simple Pistol to engage dinosaurs from a safe distance, especially those that can be dangerous in melee. Use it on your farming trips or when exploring, so you are always ready to defend yourself.

13. Is open carry legal in the world of ARK?

While not explicitly stated in-game, open carry of firearms is common and presumed to be permitted within the game’s world. Your weapons are visible to all other players.

14. What level do you unlock the assault rifle in ARK?

The Assault Rifle is unlocked at level 58 and requires having previously unlocked the Longneck Rifle.

15. What is the earliest level I can start taming dinosaurs?

You can start taming most dinosaurs early in the game. Some dinosaurs are harder to tame than others, but many can be tamed with simple methods even early in the game.