Introduction
Surviving in the brutal world of ARK: Survival Evolved requires more than just sharp claws and a sturdy base. Food is absolutely essential. It’s not just about staving off hunger; it’s about restoring health, gaining powerful stat boosts, and, critically, successfully taming the dinosaurs that roam the landscape. Forget simply grilling some raw meat on a campfire – the true survivors master the art of cooking, unlocking advanced recipes that can significantly improve their chances of survival and progression. This guide will cover the best food recipes in ARK, explaining their benefits and detailing precisely how to craft them, ensuring you’re always prepared for whatever the island throws your way. We will explore the best ARK good food recipes
Understanding the Essentials of Cooking in ARK
Before diving into the delicious depths of advanced recipes, it’s crucial to understand the basics of cooking in ARK. Think of it as your culinary foundation for prehistoric survival.
Cooking Tools: Your Prehistoric Kitchen
Your cooking journey begins with the right equipment. The simplest option is the campfire. While basic, it allows you to cook raw meat and provide warmth. As you progress, you’ll want to craft a cooking pot. This opens up a world of complex recipes, but it requires a water source (either a nearby body of water or a waterskin/water jar placed inside). For the ultimate in culinary efficiency, aim for the industrial cooker. This massive machine automates the cooking process and can produce large quantities of food quickly, a massive time-saver for larger tribes or ambitious players. Don’t forget the mortar and pestle. This is essential for crafting many of the ingredients required for advanced recipes, such as sparkpowder and narcotics. Finally, consider the preserving bin and refrigerator for extending the life of your hard-earned ingredients.
The Building Blocks: Essential Ingredients
The island is teeming with potential ingredients, but knowing which ones to gather is key. Common staples include various berries (Amarberry, Azulberry, Tintoberry, etc.), meat (both raw and cooked, with prime meat offering superior benefits), fiber, thatch, wood, and stone. As you delve deeper into crafting, you’ll need to acquire less common, but incredibly valuable, ingredients. These include rare flowers, rare mushrooms, sap, and the specific crop types: citronal, longrass, rockarrot, and savoroot. Lastly, don’t underestimate the power of Mejoberries – the taming treat preferred by many herbivores. Remember, the cooking pot requires a source of water to function properly.
Battling Decay: The Fight Against Spoilage
Time is not your friend in ARK. Food spoils quickly, rendering your precious ingredients useless. Understanding how to combat spoilage is critical. The preserving bin extends the life of food slightly, but the refrigerator is the game-changer. By keeping your ingredients chilled, you can dramatically increase their shelf life, reducing waste and ensuring you always have supplies on hand. The higher the server difficulty, the faster foods spoil.
Recipes for Healing Your Survivor
When battling dinosaurs or navigating treacherous terrain, injuries are inevitable. While bandages can help, certain food recipes offer superior healing capabilities, getting you back on your feet faster.
The Medical Brew: A Quick Healing Fix
The medical brew is a staple in any ARK survivor’s inventory. It provides a burst of healing, restoring a significant amount of health over a short period.
- Recipe: Two Tintoberries, two Azulberries, one Rare Mushroom, and a Water Container.
The medical brew has a cooldown, meaning you can’t spam it continuously. Use it strategically during or after combat to quickly recover from injuries. It’s particularly useful in situations where you need to heal quickly and can’t afford to wait for natural regeneration. This is one of the best ARK good food recipes for healing your survivor.
Enduro Stew
The Enduro Stew is another valuable potion that allows your survivor to heal and deal a lot of damage.
- Recipe: Cooked Meat, Stimulant, Mejoberries, Azulberry, Amarberry, Water.
The benefits of this stew is that it allows for % increased melee damage and grants hyperthermic insulation.
Food Recipes for Gaining Powerful Buffs
Beyond healing, certain food recipes provide temporary stat boosts that can significantly improve your performance in various situations. These buffs can range from increased crafting speed to enhanced underwater breathing, making them invaluable for specific tasks.
Focal Chili: The Crafting Powerhouse
If you need to craft a large quantity of items quickly, the focal chili is your best friend. It significantly boosts your crafting speed, reduces torpor, and increases experience gain.
- Recipe: Five Amarberries, Five Azulberries, Five Mejoberries, One Cooked Meat, One Longrass, and a Water Container.
The increased crafting speed allows you to produce items much faster, saving you valuable time. The reduced torpor helps you stay awake and focused during long crafting sessions, and the increased experience gain accelerates your leveling progress. This is one of the most useful ARK good food recipes for efficiency.
Lazarus Chowder: The Deep Sea Diver’s Delight
Exploring underwater caves can be both rewarding and dangerous. The lazarus chowder allows you to stay underwater for much longer, increasing your oxygen capacity and reducing the rate at which you consume oxygen.
- Recipe: Nine Mejoberries, Two Cooked Meat, Two Savoroot, a Water Container, and Five Lazarus chowders can be crafted at a time.
This recipe is essential for anyone venturing into the depths, allowing you to explore for extended periods without constantly worrying about running out of air. It is vital for the ARK survivor interested in underwater exploration.
Shadow Steak Saute: Become One with the Shadows
The shadow steak saute is great for remaining unseen by creatures around the island.
- Recipe: Amarberry, Azulberry, Cooked Meat, Longrass, and Water.
This steak will allow your survivor to remain hidden in the shadows. It is a useful item when trying to sneak past a large dinosaur.
Calien Soup: Beat the Heat
Calien Soup is great for preventing overheating during the day when temperatures spike.
- Recipe: Cooked Meat, Citronal, Mejoberry, Tintoberry, and Water
This soup will give your survivor hypothermic insulation in extreme heat.
Kibble Recipes for Efficient Taming
Taming dinosaurs is a core element of ARK: Survival Evolved, and using the correct kibble can dramatically reduce the time and resources required. Kibble is a specially crafted food that each dino has a preference to and is much better than just using meat or berries. Kibble comes in different qualities, but they will always tame a dino more quickly than its preference otherwise.
Simple Kibble
- Recipe: Cooked Fish Meat, two Mejoberries, three Fiber, and Water
This kibble is used for taming Dimorphodon, Mesopithecus, Parasaurolophus, Phiomia, Pteranodon
Regular Kibble
- Recipe: Cooked Meat, two Mejoberries, three Fiber, and Water
This kibble is used for taming Carbonemys, Compsognathus, Dilophosaur, Dodo, Gigantopithecus, Ichthyornis, Iguanodon, Jerboa, Kairuku, Lystrosaurus, Microraptor, Onyc, Pegomastax
Superior Kibble
- Recipe: Cooked Prime Meat, two Mejoberries, three Fiber, and Water
This kibble is used for taming Anglerfish, Baryonyx, Beelzebufo, Castoroides, Dimetrodon, Diplodocus, Direwolf, Equus, Griffin, Hesperornis, Hyaenodon, Ichthyosaur, Kaprosuchus, Kentrosaurus, Pelagornis, Plesiosaur, Pteranodon, Pulmonoscorpius, Sabertooth, Sarcosuchus, Tapejara, Terror Bird, Thorny Dragon
Exceptional Kibble
- Recipe: Cooked Lamb Chop, two Mejoberries, three Fiber, and Water
This kibble is used for taming Allosaurus, Argentavis, Arthropluera, Basilisk, Bloodstalker, Brontosaurus, Giganotosaurus, Karkinos, Managarmr, Megalodon, Morellatops, Mosasaurus, Quetzal, Rex, Rock Drake, Spinosaur, Therizinosaur, Tusoteuthis, Wyvern
Extraordinary Kibble
- Recipe: Special Egg, two Mejoberries, three Fiber, and Water
This kibble is used for taming Astrocetus, Gacha, Megachelon, Noglin, Reaper, Rock Elemental
Tips and Tricks for Efficient Cooking
Mastering cooking in ARK involves more than just knowing the recipes. It requires efficient resource gathering, smart storage, and a few clever tricks to maximize your output.
Efficient Ingredient Gathering: Become a Resource Master
Knowing where to find specific ingredients is crucial. Berries are plentiful in forests and can be easily gathered by hand or with a Trike. Meat, of course, comes from hunting dinosaurs, with prime meat being a valuable resource for higher-tier recipes. Rare flowers and mushrooms can be found in specific locations, often in caves or swamps. Use a dino to harvest these ingredients.
Cooking in Bulk: Automation is Key
Once you have a steady supply of ingredients, streamline your cooking process. Set up a dedicated cooking station with multiple industrial cookers to produce large quantities of food quickly. Use dedicated storage containers to keep your ingredients organized and easily accessible. This will save you time and effort in the long run.
Minimizing Spoilage: Keeping Food Fresh
Invest in refrigerators to extend the shelf life of your ingredients. Place your refrigerators near a power source to ensure they remain operational. Alternatively, use Preserving Salt to add life to meats.
Conclusion: The Culinary Path to Survival
Food is a fundamental aspect of survival and success in ARK: Survival Evolved. From healing injuries to gaining powerful buffs and taming formidable dinosaurs, mastering cooking is essential for any serious player. This guide has provided a comprehensive overview of the best food recipes in ARK, equipping you with the knowledge and skills to thrive in this challenging prehistoric world. Don’t be afraid to experiment and adapt these recipes to your specific needs and playstyle.
What are your favorite recipes in ARK? Share your tips and tricks in the comments below!
