Over the weekend, our Ark tribe decided it was time to try our hand at getting some of the artifacts scattered across the Island. These rare items are crucial for progressing with the storyline of the game and summoning bosses, and are usually found in well-hidden caves filled to the brim with various bugs and snakes.
On our previous game, our attempt to collect an artifact ended in utter failure due to our lack of preparation. Though we had plenty of high-level weapons and armour, we had no idea what to expect and thus were unprepared for the toxic air inside, and the multitudes of dragonflies and other creatures which quickly overwhelmed us. Each of us were killed several times and lost some valuable gear within the cave, although we later discovered we had actually chosen to start with the hardest one!
This time around, our tribe did a lot more preparation beforehand. Stocking up on ammunition for bows, reading up on the Ark wiki for particular dangers, and pooling our resources, Wullie, George and Henry set out for one of the caves in the far south of the island, to collect the Artifact of the Hunter. This is one of the easier caves, though we took care to pack many different weapons and armour. Our tribe member Wullie constructed a raft to carry more supplies with us in case any of us were killed, and we journeyed south. The cave is located deep within the jungle and it took a little while for us to find it, but once we did, we placed a few beds outside to act as spawn points.
The cave was relatively quiet until quite far in, and we encountered little opposition except for a few spiders (araneos) and snakes (titanoboas). Both of these are capable of inflicting a paralysing effect on survivors, and occasionally one of us would lose consciousness. However, by sticking together we were able to fend off any creatures until our downed tribemates woke up. It wasn’t until halfway through that things started to get a little more challenging, with a large pool of water we had to swim across, infested with piranhas and the occasional crocodile (sarco). Melee weapons such as swords took care of the piranhas, and a few good fire arrows dealt with the crocodiles.
Along the way, we found a few explorer notes containing snippets of lore from the game. These also gradually reveal the secret behind the island although as yet it remains a mystery to us. There were also ample deposits of metal and obsidian, as well as carbon, limestone and crystal.
All in all, this was a fairly easy cave and we worked well together to secure the artifact without any problems. Upon our return, tribe member George placed his on a pedestal inside the town hall he had built.
CERBERUS GAMERS 