In Ark: Survival Ascended, there are various caves scattered all throughout the different maps. On the Island, which is currently the only one officially implemented in this version of the game, there are a lot of them hidden all around the map. In this guide, we’ll go through each of the caves and the best choices that you can bring with you.
Best Dino for Every Cave on the Island
While some of the caves on the Island are relatively straightforward, some of them have various hazards that you will have to account for when it comes to gearing up and bringing dinosaurs with you.
Below, we’ll specifically be talking about the dinosaurs that you can bring with you, as well as a few tips that may come in handy.
Lower South, Central & Upper South Caves
For these three caves, the Baryonyx is one of the best choices due to its combat proficiency and mobility.
One issue, however, is that you will have to leave it behind if you use it in the Upper South Cave due to the exit being too small.
North East Cave
For this cave, either the Thylacoleo or, once again, the Baryonyx, are the best options due to how powerful they are and because of their mobility.
North West Cave
This one only allows shoulder dinos, which makes the Otter the only ideal option. There is not much to note here aside from the fact that you will need a lot of armor and firepower, as you will be going through it on foot.
Caverns of Lost Faith / Lost Hope
For both of these underwater caves, the only viable option is the Basilosaurus. As an added tip, you should bring a pack of Megalodons with you for the Caverns of Lost Hope, as it is much harder than the other underwater cave.
You should also bring some SCUBA gear with you, and take note of any air pockets that will let you breathe while underwater.
Lava Cave
For this one, the Thylacoleo and Baryonyx are the best choices once more. Nothing much to note here, though don’t forget to bring a lot of healing items with you.
Swamp Cave
Again, the Baryonyx is one of the best choices for this cave. The Beelzebufo can also be pretty useful here against most of the creatures that you’ll encounter.
Also, remember to bring either a gasmask or SCUBA set with you, as you will need this to survive inside the cave.
Snow Cave
Unfortunately, until the developers add cryopods in the game, there are not a lot of good options when it comes to clearing the Snow Cave.
Most players recommend simply running in naked to get the artifact. If you really want to try and clear it with a dinosaur, you will have to hatch and raise something like a Yutyrannus inside the cave itself.
Not only will this method require a lot of time, it will also be almost impossible to pull off in an official server, though if you manage to do it, you’ll still have to be careful as the dino itself will not be leveled at first.
And those are all of the best dinosaurs that you can tame for each cave in the Island map on Ark: Survival Ascended.
In case you’re wondering where to find these dinos, check out our guide which covers all creature location in Ark Survival Ascended: The Island!
Hopefully they reimplement cryopods into the game so that people can bring in bigger dinos into the snow cave, just like in the original version!
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