Once you have progressed further into the game, especially up until the endgame Tek tier of items and structures, in Ark: Survival Ascended, you will eventually learn about the existence of turrets.
In this guide, we will quickly go through everything that you need to know when it comes to these structures and how you can best utilize them.
Beginner’s Guide to Turrets
First of all, there are several kinds of turrets in the game with increasing tech tiers. Each of these can be configured in various ways by holding the E button while standing next to them.
Through this popup menu, you can shut it on or off, configure its range (this will vary per turret), or even control what types of targets it will attack, which will ideally be other survivors and tamed creatures.
Plant Species X
One of the very first types of turrets that you can get is actually a plant known only as Plant Species X.
These can typically be found within the swamp or redwoods biomes, and its seeds will require a Large Crop Plot in order to plant it.
Once it has fully grown, it will fire spores that will temporarily slow down its target and apply a healing debuff.
This makes it a great option at any stage of the game, especially when paired with other turrets.
SIDE NOTE: Did you know that you can stack X-Plants? Check out our guide about that for more details.
Auto Turret
Next up, the Auto Turret is a defensive structure that requires Advanced Rifle Bullets as ammunition in order to actually work.
One of the main differences it has with the previous entry is that you can set a warning that will allow you to notify other players within range that they will be shot at within the next few seconds unless they leave the area.
It deals much more damage when compared to Plant Species X, but it is definitely more expensive to utilize as it requires both ammo and power to function.
They also only have 3,000 health, making them relatively easy to destroy when compared to its more advanced counterparts.
Heavy Auto Turret
The Heavy Auto Turret functions almost the same as the regular variant, but it deals much more damage and has 20,000 health.
It also shoots four bullets at a time, making it a much more expensive but significantly more effective defensive option. Definitely upgrade to these if you have the resources to keep them stocked up.
Tek Turret
Finally, after beating a certain boss at the hardest difficulty, you will unlock the necessary tekgram to create a Tek Turret.
It is one of, if not the strongest turret that you can build in the game, but it is also the most expensive to maintain and the hardest to actually unlock.
While firing, it will spend two Element shards per shot. However, despite how expensive this is, it can be very worth it as its attacks deal area of effect damage and has a slight knockback to keep enemies at bay.
It also requires a Tek Generator nearby to function, so you will be spending even more expensive resources to keep it active.
One special feature it has is the ability to set minimum or maximum creature target level, allowing you to ensure that its ammunition is not spent on what you would consider to be lesser targets.
Combined with all of the other lower tier turrets, you can have a well-rounded defensive setup that can prevent most players from raiding your base.
The Heavy Auto Turret is especially important to have alongside the others as, unlike the Tek Turret or Plant Species X, its bullets do not have a slow travel time that one can dodge if they’re fast enough.
And those are all of the basic tips that you have to keep in mind when it comes to the different turret types in Ark Survival: Ascended. Now get out there and start building some to keep hostiles out of your territory!
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