ARK: Equipment, defensive engrams - useful engrams ARK Survival Evolved guide, tips
Last update: 12 June 2020
Below, you'll find a list of engrams preferable for newcomers. They will allow you to boost your toughness, deal more damage and shoot down flying creatures.
On the list, we didn't consider armors such as:
- Fur set
- Ghillie set
- Riot set
- SCUBA set
The reason for that is the difficulty of obtaining these, or the level of difficulty required for them.
Name | Icon | Requirements | Description/Useful? |
Cloth Set |  | Level: 2,3 Engram Points: every element costs 3 points. Cloth set is made of these basic materials: Fiber - main ingredient Hide - additional ingredient | Those are the first armors that you'll be able to craft. The offer small increase of defense and resistance to cold. These will allow you to learn engrams for better armors. |
Hide Set |  | Level: 15, 20 Engram Points: 6, 7, 9 Hide set can be created from a larger amount of materials such as: Fiber - additional ingredient Hide - main ingredient | The next tier of armors that can be unlocked. More damage resistance compared to cloth. Thanks to unlocking these engrams, you unlock the next three armors. |
Chitin Set |  | Level: 30, 35 Engram Points: 18, 15 Required materials: Chitin - main ingredient Hide - second main ingredient Fiber - additional ingredient | This is a temporary armor that will allow you to unlock the target armor. Chitin is an ingredient that's harder to obtain. This kind of armor deteriorates quickly and is problematic in repairing. |
Flak Set |  | Level: 45, 50 Engram Points: 15, 16, 20 To craft materials for Flaks you need ingot metal, which has to be melted in the refining forge. Required materials: Metal Ingot - main ingredient Hide - additional ingredient Fiber - additional ingredient | The best armor for beginners. Doesn't require much time to get the materials. The only thing you have to know is where to find them. To craft this one, you need knowledge in the field of Chitin. Great damage resistance Low cold resistance |
Crossbow | Level: 25 Engram Points: 12 Requires the knowledge of the previous engram for the bow. Required materials: Metal Ingot - main ingredient Wood - additional ingredient Fiber - additional ingredient | The best ranged weapon for beginners. Also pretty good for those more advanced. Uses two types of arrows: Stone Arrow Tranquilizer Arrow Stone are used for dealing damage, Tranquilizer are used for taming animals. Can shoot underwater. | |
Pike |  | Level: 25 Engram Points: 10 Requires the knowledge of the previous engram for spear. Required materials: Metal Ingot - main ingredient Wood - additional ingredient Hide - additional ingredient | One of the main melee weapons. Attack speed is 1.5 attack per second. The recommended tactic is running backwards and attacking - it allows to avoid damage, and deal it at the same time. |
Metal Sword |  | Level: 30 Engram Points: 11 Requires the knowledge of the previous engram for wooden club. Required materials: Metal Ingot - main ingredient Wood - additional ingredient Hide - additional ingredient | It deals more damage than Pike. However, it has less range, which makes it perfect to combine with a shield. The downside is that it's lest robust, so it damages quickly. |
Wooden Shield |  | Level: 10 Engram Points: 7 Required materials: Wood - main ingredient Fiber - additional ingredient Hide - additional ingredient | Basic shield made of wood. Stops damage but gets damaged quickly. |
Metal Shield |  | Level: 30 Engram Points: 9 Requires the knowledge of the previous engram for wooden shield. Required materials: Metal Ingot - main ingredient Cementing Paste - main ingredient Hide - additional ingredient | Very good shield, even though pretty expensive. Combined with metal sword is a good way of making sure you stay longer in a fight. |