The Center DLC has widened the scope of Ark: Survival Ascended with a new, massive map, and as always, it comes ready with a bunch of caves you need to track down with our guide.
Caves are a rare safe haven in Ark: Survival Ascended, and The Center is rife with them. Like The Island‘s caves or Scorched Earth‘s caves, The Center spreads them throughout the giant map, just waiting for you to seek sanctuary in them.
If you’re struggling, missing a cave or two, or want them laid out neatly in front of you, our guide has got you covered.
First cave location in Ark: Survival Ascended The Center
- Coordinates: Y: 28.7; X: 59.6
Featuring lots of overhanging vines, eye-catching blue plants and a fairly narrow entrance, this is the first cave I came across and it’s got a very homely atmosphere.
That is, of course, except for the Wild Dire Bears that inhabit it. If you can deal with them, you’ve got a great spot to seek refuge with plenty of resources inside.
Second cave location in Ark: Survival Ascended The Center
- Coordinates: Y: 15; X: 62.2
The second cave we came across in The Center‘s map is basically a lava cave with dangerous waterfalls descending from the ceiling above into large pools of lava below—certain death if you’re not careful!
Pulmonoscorpius, Araneos, and a variety of Titanobas await deep inside the threshold of the cave. The depth of the location is seriously unbelievable, with lots to explore and a ton of difficult verticality to navigate. It’s not the safest of places—as you can quite easily recreate Anakin Skywalker’s fate here—but it’s an amazing scene.
Third cave location in Ark: Survival Ascended The Center
- Coordinates: Y: 53.2; X: 49.8
I hate spiders, so I truly cannot understate how much I despise this cave. Nevertheless, you want to know where all the caves are, so I’m suppressing my screams to bring you this handy information.
To begin, you need to go to Y: 36.5, X: 60.6 on the map, up high you should see a lone, tall tree in between a canyon crevice. Go past it and head into the small hole to begin a huge descent. Follow the natural path, and you should come to our original coordinates for this cave.
As you can imagine, the cave is swarming with cobwebs, eggs, and everything else you’d expect. This should never be your home, it shouldn’t exist in the first place—unless you love spiders, in which case, have a wonderful time.
Fourth cave location in Ark: Survival Ascended The Center
- Coordinates: Y: 20.1; X: 46.4
A narrow enclosure awaits the first few hundred feet of this cave, but the cave’s beauty soon becomes visible. The main portion of the cave is overflowing with radiant reds and blues, with the flora popping and the fauna cruising to give you a bruising.
A deep lagoon is tucked away even further inside the domain and it feels like one of the easier and more linear to use and traverse.
Fifth cave location in Ark: Survival Ascended The Center
- Coordinates: Y: 22; X: 27
I hope you’ve brought warm clothes as the fifth cave is a glacial wonderland testing even the most hardened of cold-weather bearers.
There’s lots of water and icicles to smash your way through, but the centerpiece of the environment is the large room buried at the heart with its Greek-like architectural columns—making for a fun home!
Depending on what you look for, this is arguably the pick of all The Center‘s caves.
Sixth cave location in Ark: Survival Ascended The Center
- Coordinates: Y: 37.8; X: 31.5
Possibly the most unique of the caves as it’s quite literally hovering over a portion of the land and is in a well-isolated section of The Center.
What struck me the most was the lack of creatures, meaning you’re virtually unopposed in conquering this cave. It’s not the most resource-heavy or efficient hotspot, but damn if the views aren’t impressive!
Seventh cave location in Ark: Survival Ascended The Center
- Coordinates: Y: 59.4 ; X: 21.1
The final cave we have found is another deep one, and it’s a cavernous cauldron of snow. Due to the space available and the surroundings, you can do pretty much anything here.
Explore, breed, rest, recuperate—anything, really. Its theme and uniqueness make it a serene and simple cave to visit or maybe even dedicate yourself to.
For more on Ark: Survival Ascended‘s The Center update, check out the full dino list for the DLC, the best base locations, and how to find and tame a Shastasaurus.
