[Top 10] Ark Survival Evolved Best Base Locations And Why They're Great (2024)

There are many things to be said about the Ark: Survival Evolved Experience. Ark is without question one of the greatest survival games out there. You get the ability to lose yourself for hours in the magnificent world of dinosaurs, while attempting to survive and conquer. It doesn’t get much better than that. However, if you don’t choose the right base location, you may have an entirely different experience.

There is possibly nothing more important while playing Ark: Survival Evolved, than choosing the right base location. It not only saves you hours upon hours of time and energy, but it also enhances everything.

Here are the top 10 best base locations in Ark: Survival Evolved, and how you can benefit from them.

Ragnarok

Cliffside:

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Check out that view

Out of all of the base locations on Ark, this might just be one of the absolute best. No where else will you find a location that offers you practically every important resource in the game right on your front lawn, and such an extraordinary view. Every way you look, there’s an opportunity.

• Right next to the ocean: You could build a balcony on the cliffside overlooking the stunning ocean. An ocean with plenty of silica pearls, and a lot of space for your aquatic dinosaurs.
• Plenty of resources: You’re practically surrounded by every possible resource you could ever need. Metal, Stone, Wood, berries, etc. You’re also very close to the penguin spawn zone, meaning unlimited Organic Polymer.
• Plenty of dinosaurs: You’re in a relatively safe area, but you’re very close to the spawn zones of very powerful dinosaurs. Close to the Wyvern Trench and the mountains, where you can find ferocious carnivores.
• Close to the Frozen Dungeon: You’re right next to the Frozen Dungeon, meaning when you’re strong enough, you can do some incredible loot runs, and XP farming.

How to get to Cliffside:

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Cliffside

Coordinates: 19.0 - 42.4

Whitedove Falls Cave:

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Every villain needs two things. A Lair, and A Cat.

Talk about perfection. Ever wanted to feel like you were living in James Bond’s house? A cave hidden behind a triple waterfall, with one entrance for walking, and one for flying. Completely sealed off from the rest of the world, and easily able to be defended. That’s probably as close as you’re going to get.

• Hidden in plain sight: As I mentioned, it’s hidden behind a triple waterfall. Not only does that give you protection against unaware Ark players (In PVP), but it just enhances the beauty of the location. Your house is literally inside a waterfall, and you get to see that beautiful piece of nature every single time you go home.
• Easy to defend: You only have to guard and protect two entrances. Beyond that, you can set up defenses further into the base if you need, and even have some set up outside the waterfall.
• Tons of space: Whether you’re inside or outside the waterfall, you have plenty of space to work with. Inside the falls, you get the opportunity to build on a nice stone floor right next to a stream of water that echoes through the cave. Outside, you get a huge lawn to do whatever you want with. The possibilities are endless.

How to get to Whitedove Falls Cave:

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Whitedove Falls Cave

Coordinates: 28.1 - 48.7

The Island

Hidden Lake:

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It's quiet. Too quiet...

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The Hidden Lake is a timeless classic valued by all experienced Ark players, known for its perfection. From its peaceful location, to its elegant yet simple beauty, it’s the perfect spot if you want to have a feeling of peace amidst the storm that is Ark.

• Easily fortified: There are three paths into The Hidden Lake if you’re by foot (by flying, it’s completely exposed. But if you’re on PVE, it doesn’t matter.). The paths can easily be sealed off with a Behemoth Gate for each entrance, stopping any and all dangerous dinosaurs from getting in.
• Excellent location: It’s right next to both of the mountains and the volcano. Meaning you can easily fly there to tame some awesome dinosaurs, and gather Metal, Crystal, and Obsidian.
• Tons of space: After you close off everything with the Behemoth Gates, you’re left with more space than you could possibly ever use. After you build your house, you still have so much room for your dinosaurs. Not to mention, you have a tiny little pond in the middle perfect for drinking water, and building a farm next to.

How to get to The Hidden Lake:

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Hidden Lake

Coordinates: 22.6 - 69.6

Aberration

Hidden Grotto:

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Looks like a painting in a museum

This is my personal favourite spot to live in all of Ark. There are so many benefits to living here. It’s a stunningly beautiful cave, and it’s a secret area of the map. It’s perfect for both PVP and PVE play, and the perfect spot for large tribes to build their colony.

• A beautiful cave: The picture above shows only a fraction of how beautiful this cave is. You get beautiful waters with glowing wildlife, beautiful lights falling from the ceiling, a perfect array of unique plants covering the floors, and of course… waterfalls. It’s the whole package.
• A secret: This entire cave is a secret. The coordinates and map image below lead you to the entrance of the cave. It’s a secret underwater passage that could be easily missed if you don’t already know about it.
• Easy to defend: There’s only one way into this cave, so if you’re playing on PVP and set up camp here before anyone else gets the chance to, it won’t take much to ensure that you keep your throne. It’s already dangerous enough to get into this cave, so if you add some powerful creatures and some turrets, you can sit comfortably.
• Artifact cave: It’s also an artifact cave. If you can manage to conquer the entire cave as you expand your base, you’ll have unlimited access to a hard to reach artifact.

How to get to Hidden Grotto:

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Hidden Grotto

Coordinates: 55.2 - 65.7

Luminous Cliff:

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I'm sure I won't fall

The Luminous Cliff (Unofficial name) is a part of the Luminous Marshlands within the Aberration Map. The Luminous Marshlands is an extremely dangerous zone to travel in. There are plenty of creatures that will kill you, one of them being The Nameless.

Why do I mention this? Because on the Luminous Cliff, Nameless don’t spawn here. It’s a pretty safe part of the Marshlands. You get a lot of space to build and you get a pretty nice view.

• Great view: At the very bottom of this cliff is The Blue Zone. A beautiful, alien looking environment, home to extremely dangerous and unique creatures. You’ll be thankful that you’re so far away from it. However, being right above it is perfect for dropping in when you need to.
• Next to The Green Zone: The Green Zone is a lot safer than the blue zone, and a great place to gather some of the more common resources. It’s great to know that your home is right next to it when you need it.
• Plenty of space: You get plenty of flat space to build your base on. You could take advantage of this by covering the cliff, building a balcony overlooking the drop, and even extending over to the Green Zone.

How to get to Luminous Cliff:

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Luminous Cliff

Coordinates: 35.9 - 64.8

Genesis

Sky Tower:

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Finally! After 8 hours of climbing, I made it to the top! Wait... Where's my phone?

The Sky Tower is located in the Ocean Biome on the Genesis Map. As you probably could’ve guessed, it’s the tallest island in the Biome. That makes it one of the best locations in the entire map to set up camp, because it gives you the most freedom.

• Freedom and peace of mind: After you set up camp here, you’re untouchable (in PVE. PVP might take more work). In any other map, it might’ve been a bad idea to build in the middle of the ocean, but on Genesis, with the help of HLN-A (Helena), you can teleport to the other biomes easily. So you can go out on dangerous adventures, and come back to the safety of your home.
• Lots of space: This is actually a pretty big island. Sure the main attraction is the top part, but you have all that space down below too, and you even have the ocean to build in. You could create a house that extends from the top of the island, down to the bottom. The possibilities are endless.
• Easy access to water and resources: This can’t be overlooked. You’re literally surrounded by water and wildlife, meaning setting up a farm will be a breeze. You also have precious resources like Metal right next to you, meaning you barely have to leave home to get rich.

How to get to the Sky Tower:

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Sky Tower

Coordinates: 40.5 - 57.6

Genesis 2

Secret Underwater Ocean Base:

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It's been 300 days since hide and seek began, I think I'm winning!

Okay, now this one is cool. Possibly one of the most unique places in all of Ark, it’s a secret base within a secret ocean. The only con is that you’ll have to be pretty strong in order to get to it. It’s surrounded by very dangerous creatures like Alpha Mosasaurs. However if you get past that, it’s perfect.

• Surrounded by dangerous creatures: Yes this is a con, but it can be turned into a pro. Once you conquer this base, they become your advantage. You only have to protect two entrances, and then they act as your natural first layer of defense.
• Ecosystem: This base comes fully equipped with a natural ecosystem ready for you. Meaning while you’re underwater, you still get access to some of the essentials that you would find on the surface.
• Only two entrances: It’s going to be pretty easy to defend what’s yours when you only have to worry about two entry points. Just place a few dinosaurs by it, some turrets, and you’re golden.
• The view: You get an astonishing view of a vast ocean right outside your window. Sometimes Alpha Mosasaurs will just swim right past your window. It can be pretty scary, but it’s pretty cool too.

How to get to the Secret Underwater Ocean Base:

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Secret Underwater Base

Coordinates: 44.2 - 68.4

The Center

The Pond:

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Nothing could possibly go wrong here...

This is one of those “can’t go wrong” base locations. You get plenty of space to build, it’s easy to get to and relatively safe. Plus there are plenty of benefits.

• Next to an Obelisk: Living right next to an obelisk is a huge pro in Ark. While it’s never absolutely necessary, it’s very convenient. Not only for when you’re ready to fight bosses, but also for crafting items like Cryopods.
• Easy access to Organic Polymer: The glacier in the middle of the pond is home to the penguins. They’ll spawn very frequently, so it’s very easy to get a lot of this valuable resource.
• Very valuable tames: You don’t have to travel very far to find some pretty cool creatures. It should be pretty easy to find Yutyrannus', Mammoths, and Argentavis’. However you’re also very close to the centre of the map, where there’s a lot more variety.

How to get to The Pond:

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The Pond

Coordinates: 38.1 - 13.0

Lava Island Flats:

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Ehh, I'm sure it's safe enough.

While this island is considered to be very dangerous, once you can conquer it, this makes for a fantastic base location.

• Very flat space: I’ve never seen so much flat space anywhere else on Ark. Simply clear out a few trees, and you have the foundation to build a mansion and a skyscraper. Flat space simply makes everything easier.
• Plenty of strong dinosaurs: This is the home of powerful T-Rex’s, Spinos, Carnos, etc. You have a massive variety of dinosaurs to add to your army, or you can use them to easily farm levels.
• Two Artifact Caves: Lava Island is home to two Artifact Caves. So by living here, you can easily get all the Artifacts you want. The caves also have some pretty good loot drops, so you can constantly farm those to get some pretty sweet things.

How to get to Lava Island Flats:

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Lava Island Flats

Coordinates: 4.9 - 52.7

Fjordur

Raised Castle:

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Aha! Now I can rule these lands!

The Raised Castle is a beautiful structure ready for you to take from the moment you join the world. You could get away with not building a single thing, and just living right in the castle. However if you want to get creative, there are so many unique ways you can expand this castle.

• Nice flat area: Inside the walls of the castle, the ground is completely flat. This gives you loads of creativity to do whatever you want.
• Easy access to water: It won’t be very difficult for you to irrigate your farm when the water is so close to your mighty castle. Plus having easily accessible drinking water is always a pro.
• Beaver dams: There’s a pond close to you that’s home to the beavers. Meaning you can easily collect all the goodies from their dams whenever they’re available.
• Plenty of resources: There’s a metal and obsidian spawn location right next to the castle. Finally you won’t have to travel to a volcano in order to get that precious obsidian.

How to get to Raised Castle:

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Raised Castle

Coordinates: 55.0 - 73.6

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