ARK: Survival Evolved is a strategy survival game where players are trying to create a decent lifestyle on an island full of dinosaurs and other deadly creatures. This could sound like a challenge, but the game offers some great weapons to make the character's life easier.
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These weapons include some simplistic ones, and some very high-tech, futuristic ones as well. These legendary weapons are the ones players strive to obtain. Weapons come in all shapes and sizes, from chainsaws and swords, to rocket launchers and rifles for the ultimate experience. Once a player gets their hands on these, they're unstoppable.
Updated on June 20th, 2021 by Emma Majoros: ARK: Survival Evolved is one of the most popular strategy survival games of 2021. Players all around the world are struggling to become the ruler of an island full of carnivorous dinosaurs and other deadly creatures. One of the most intriguing things about the game is the range of weapons, shields, and tools it offers, making the gameplay interesting and exciting. Unlocking, crafting, or earning them is the highlight of the game. Listed below are the best of the best when it comes to weapons, from simple ones to powerful rifles and grenades.
13 Pike
- Type: Melee weapon
- Damage Rate: 50 melee damage
- Required Level: 25
The most efficient of the starter weapons, the pike is an upgrade from the spear. It has great range and causes surprising amounts of damage. It's best to upgrade quickly though, as it doesn't match the better weapons. Still, those starting out should keep the pike very close at all times.
In the future, it can prove to be a great asset, as it's repairable and great for a number of tasks. Players should definitely make it a priority to craft one of these.
12 Chainsaw
- Type: Tool
- Damage Rate: 14 melee damage
- Required Level: 55
This weapon (or, according to the game, this tool) is recommended for those who like to cause a massacre. Although it's best for gathering hide and wood, it also causes high damage in combat and is very cool to use.
A big downside to the chainsaw is that it uses a lot of gasoline, making the usage and upkeep frustrating and expensive. But it's great as a piece of equipment and great as a weapon, so it's good to have it on standby when anything attacks unexpectedly.
11 Simple Pistol
- Type: Gun
- Damage Rate: 10 melee damage; 100 ranged damage
- Required Level: 34
The earliest obtainable weapons are the flare gun (which is absolutely useless), and the simple pistol. This is a great little weapon to have in the inventory, as it causes significant damage. It also has a great range, and when equipped with a scope it can become a sniper pistol.
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A huge setback in this almost flawless equipment is the recoil, which most players find annoying and hard to handle. This makes it dispensable for most when other weapons become available, but for those who don't mind, this is a great asset to keep in the long run.
10 Grenade
- Type: Explosive
- Damage Rate: 176 explosive damage (6-meter radius)
- Required Level: 38
The simplest explosives to craft, grenades are very useful to have at hand. They can easily break down stone walls and reinforced doors. As with any other explosive, this one is a little harder to craft, and players will need to farm some main ingredients. Patience is a virtue when crafting these weapons, but it's definitely worth the wait.
Although the main goal of many players is obtaining the rocket launcher or the C4, this weapon is a great starting out point and can be useful even after having the others.
9 Shotgun
- Type: Gun
- Damage Rate: 64 x 10 ranged damage
- Required Level: 39
Everybody knows the shotgun. In any combat game, the shotgun is an item everyone has in their inventory. It's a classic, elegant, effective weapon.
In ARK, the shotgun can cause massive damage and anyone who has it is surely one to look out for. Because it only houses 2 bullets, players might think it's hard to use, but it actually has amazing reload speed unmatched by any other weapon in the game.
8 Assault Rifle
- Type: Gun
- Damage Rate: 47 ranged damage
- Required Level: 58
Although very powerful, this weapon is best used for taming. It has a huge recoil, making it a hard weapon to use. But if a player isn't bothered by the insane recoil and masters the use, the assault rifle is one of the most effective in the game. The wiki defines this weapon as "the best way to fill a target with holes."
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Because of the difficult usage, other than taming, it has better results with larger prey rather than small animals or other players, which are harder to aim at.
7 Compound Bow
- Type: Bow
- Damage Rate: 27 - 175 ranged damage
- Required Level: 79
A huge step up from bows and crossbows, this weapon causes the most damage when paired with metal arrows. Surprisingly, it holds very well against other weapons, as it's easy to aim, and causes extreme damage when used right. It's also nearly silent, letting players sneak up to basically any unsuspecting dino (or other players).
6 Flamethrower
- Type: Ranged
- Damage Rate: 9% damage per second, for 6 seconds
- Required Level: 65
Everyone's childhood was once spent wanting to destroy everything with a flamethrower. It's incredibly cool and effective, and in the game, it's not forbidden to craft one's own. This awesome weapon is available in the Scorched Earth DLC and quickly became a fan favorite.
While its power is greater than most weapons, it can only be used in close combat. Still, it's definitely worth it. As an added bonus, it's better than other anger management solutions.
5 Rocket Launcher
- Type: Gun
- Damage Rate: 700 ranged damage
- Required Level: 87
Defined as "mankind's ultimate portable killing device," the rocket launcher is the most popular weapon to raid bases with in Ark: Survival Evolved. These weapons are slightly cheaper than the C4, and cause a lot of damage. While it's not as popular or in-demand as the C4, this is a great weapon for newcomers to raiding.
4 C4
- Type: Explosive
- Damage Rate: 6899 explosive damage (2-meter radius)
- Required Level: 65
This weapon gives spectacular results, blowing holes through metal walls in mere seconds. This is the most popular weapon for raiding. Using only two can destroy anyone's base.
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Most players make it their mission to get their hands on these to raid and pillage other players' structures. This is a more expensive weapon, but if a player has one or two, they're definitely the one to fear the most.
3 Riot Shield
- Type: Shield
- Weight: 30
- Durability: 2300
- Required Level: 92
While this is not technically a weapon, any type of shield can come in handy, especially during raids. The best automatically unlockable shield out there is the Riot Shield. Weighing less than the metal shield and performing even better, this is a must-have if players see it unlock – even if they won't use it often.
It also gives players impressive visibility, as the view from the metal shield is quite limited. Using the Riot Shield will be like a walk in the park, and players won't even notice it after a while.
2 Pump-Action Shotgun
- Type: Gun
- Damage Rate: 46 x 14 ranged damage
- Required Level: 55
The Pump-Action Shotgun is one of the most popular and strongest guns in the game. Ammunition can be created at low levels, and it can shred through enemies like a knife through butter.
Players love this weapon, as it's easy to obtain and works like magic. The only weapon that comes close to the Pump-Action Shotgun is the Longneck Rifle itself. Perhaps the only downside to this weapon is its lackluster long-range use, as it's much more powerful up close.
1 Longneck Rifle
- Type: Gun
- Damage Rate: 280 ranged damage
- Required Level: 35
Easily the best weapon in the game, the longneck rifle has amazing range, causes extreme damage, and is easy to obtain. Both the weapon and its ammo are inexpensive, and no player regrets making it. Adding a scope to it is the best strategy and will allow players to kill any unsuspecting prey.
This is one of the first modern weapons players craft in the game, but it doesn't mean it's dispensable in the future. It can also be used with tranq darts, making it a great asset for dino taming. Most fans love this because although it's cheap, it's very effective.