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Ark Survival Ascended Character Stats
Screenshot: PC Invasion

All stats in Ark Survival Ascended, explained

Stats are your friend.

Living alongside dinosaurs is risky business in Ark Survival Ascended, but you can make it easier by coming to grips with your character’s stats and what they all mean. Here is our guide explaining all stats in Ark Survival Ascended.

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Ark Survival Ascended – all stats available

When you gain a level, it comes with a stat point you can devote to any of the nine categories below. Some categories are more important than others, but you should also keep balance in mind as you choose.

Health – As your health meter drains, you become injured and move more slowly. If your meter drains completely, you die. This attribute gives you a more robust meter, allowing you to delay or eliminate those unwelcome events.

Stamina – Most actions you take, from running to jumping and swimming (even just harvesting resources) drain your stamina. Then you can burn through water and food in a hurry. To avoid that, improve your stamina.

Oxygen – If you dive underwater, you’ll need to hold your breath. A better oxygen rating lets you do so for longer, which can quickly drain your health meter, as well. Improve this attribute to make aquatic exploration less dangerous.

Food – You need to eat to live. If you don’t, you’ll start to gain Torpidity, which can lead to unconsciousness. Less temperate environments can also impact how much food you must consume, and you need to eat more to regain health or stamina. Improve this attribute so you have to worry less about food all the time.

Water – Hydration is important, and you need more of it when you use your stamina. If you let it drain too far, you’ll start taking damage. Although you can remedy the issue by having something to drink or visiting wet environments, improving the attribute’s parameters with stat points also helps.

Weight – The more you carry, the slower you move. If you carry too much, you become encumbered. Then you can’t pick up the resources you need, which can lead to long-term issues. Since the game is all about survival, it is important to upgrade this stat early in your adventure.

Melee Damage – You won’t have to hit a foe as often if you improve your melee damage attribute. You can harvest things faster that way, as well. You may even impact the rarity of items you gather, due to the more efficient harvesting. When you have weapons equipped, their performance also depends on this stat.

Crafting Skill – When you improve this skill, you gain the ability to craft items more quickly. You also can produce items with a chance of providing additional benefits, which is handy when cooking or following blueprints.

Fortitude – Life is difficult, constantly adding to your Torpidity. With greater Fortitude, you can reduce the impact of life’s most treacherous pitfalls. Heat and cold aren’t as bad, plus a fearsome dinosaur’s roar isn’t so terrifying. That’s always handy.

Although you will also notice Torpidity on the menu, you can’t dedicate points to that attribute directly.

What to level up first in Ark Survival Ascended

As noted above, all stats are important but some attributes are more important than others. You should improve the stats that support your style of play. With that said, a few key stats are particularly important in the early game, as you try to gain your footing.

Related: What is Torpidity in Ark Survival Ascended?

We suggest you start by leveling your Weight, Health, Food, and Water attributes first. They will impact everything you do in the game. Once you have those at a level that feels comfortable, branch out to other areas. I’m also a fan of Fortitude, simply because the effects of Torpidity can be such a bummer. If you’re big on making the most of your environment, you also won’t want to ignore Crafting Skill.

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Author
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Jason Venter
Jason Venter is a contributing writer for PC Invasion since 2022 who can trace his love for video games back to the Apple IIe port of Mario Bros. in the late 80s. He remains a diehard Nintendo fan to this day and loves JRPGs, adventure games, and platformers in particular, but he still plays games in most genres and on most hardware. After founding indie gaming site HonestGamers in 1998, he served as an editor at Hardcore Gamer Magazine during its entire print run. He has since freelanced for a variety of leading sites including IGN, GameSpot, and Polygon. These days, he spends most of his time writing game guides and entertaining readers with his fantasy novels.