ARK Survival Ascended Raft Building Guide: How To Craft & Use Rafts

There are limited means of navigating the oceans surrounding the Island in ARK Survival Ascended. Apart from swimming or using aquatic creatures, your next viable option is the raft. This structure enables you to effortlessly glide through the waters, providing a relatively safe mode of transportation to new destinations.

If you haven't tried rafts yet or are interested in learning more, stick around, as we'll guide you through the process of crafting rafts in ARK Survival Ascended and explore their versatile uses, ranging from transportation to base construction. Without further delay, let's delve into it.

How To Craft the Wooden Raft in ARK Survival Ascended

The raft, also known as the Wooden Raft, serves as an aquatic transport vehicle that many players, particularly those in the early stages of the game, will find essential for navigating the seas around the island. While it has various applications, we'll delve into those later. For now, let's focus on the crafting requirements for the raft, which are detailed below:

• 250 × Wood or Fungal Wood
• 125 × Fiber
• 75 × Hide

Crafting these resources is relatively straightforward. If you're looking for an advanced option, you can consider crafting the Motorboat. Essentially, it's an upgraded version of the Raft, and its crafting resources are as follows:

• 250 × Wood or Fungal Wood
• 1200 × Metal Ingot or Scrap Metal Ingot
• 200 × Hide
• 180 × Fiber
• 150 × Obsidian
• 400 × Polymer, Organic Polymer, or Corrupted Nodule
• 60 × Black Pearl

Both the motorboat and the raft can be utilized for water transportation and provide platforms for establishing mobile bases. Structures, beds, and storage items can be directly placed on them. Notably, both the Raft and motorboat can bypass certain build restrictions, such as proximity to Enemy Structures. Rafts are particularly beneficial for new players, as most creatures (excluding the Leedsichthys) tend to ignore and cannot damage the raft and its driver while in motion.

Having covered the fundamentals, let's explore the more intricate uses of the Raft in ARK Survival Ascended, extending to the Motorboat as well.

How Does the Wooden Raft Work in ARK Survival Ascended?

Rafts essentially function as wooden boats in Ark, with versatile applications. They can be employed as cargo ships for transporting resources, survivors, and even large creatures. With suitable modifications, Rafts can serve as shelters, mobile homes, houseboats, dino traps, or even be adapted into battleships for raiding and piracy against other players.

Managing the raft is straightforward, although it continues to slide some distance before coming to a complete stop due to being on the water. To take control of the Raft, press E, Y, or Triangle. You can move the raft forward and turn during movement by using WASD or the Left stick, adjusting the camera with the Right stick on a controller or the mouse on a PC. It's important to note that the Raft doesn't have a reverse movement capability.

Now, let's touch on the building aspect, which is the most valuable feature of the raft's capabilities. The building process can be intricate, and we'll explore the detailed steps in a separate guide. For now, understand that it's possible to create a shelter, mobile home, houseboat, dino trap, or even a battleship for raiding and piracy.

In conclusion, you now have comprehensive information on crafting your Raft in ARK Survival Ascended, along with its operations and applications in the game. Investing in one early in the game is advisable for ensuring your survival on the ocean. As always, stay safe out there.