Best way to farm Metal Nodes in ARK Survival Ascended

Metal is one of the single most important resources in ARK Survival Ascended (ASA). Its byproduct is used in crafting many important items and structures throughout the game.

Here's the best way to farm Metal in ARK Survival Ascended.

Where to farm Metal in ARK Survival Ascended

There are a couple of ways to get your hands on Metal in ASA. The fastest and easiest way is to simply use a Hatchet and strike large rocks you can find all over the island. Every hit has a chance to grant you a few Metal. However, due to the sheer amount of Metal you're going to need in the long run, getting Metal in large quantities this way will be largely inefficient.

The ideal way to farm Metal is to find and harvest Metal Nodes. These are rocks with silver streaks running through them. The best places to find Metal Nodes are on large mountains and inside random caves located throughout The Island. As with before, all you need is a Pickaxe to harvest them.

Related: How to use Mortar and Pestle in ARK Survival Ascended (ASA)

I recommend taking a tamed dinosaur that can hold a lot of weight with you, as Metal is rather heavy to carry on your own. Even medium-sized dinosaurs like Trikes can carry more weight than you can, and they are relatively easy to tame. Use them to store Metal in large amounts until you return to your base.

How to use Metal in ARK Survival Ascended

Once you have Metal, you can use it as a resource to craft some useful early-game items, such as a Carno Saddle. However, many later game crafts will require you to refine the Metal into Metal Ingots before you can make use of it.

To do this, first, learn the Engram for the Refining Forge. Craft the forge and place it somewhere in your base, preferably near storage facilities. Now, place the Metal and a fuel source, like Wood or Sparkpowder, inside the forge and turn it on. After some time, you'll begin to notice that your Metal will be refined into Metal Ingots. With Metal Ingots, you can begin crafting better tools like an Iron Hatchet or an Iron Pickaxe.

For more quality guides and useful info on ARK Survival Ascended, check out All Ascension Commands in ARK Survival Ascended right here on Pro Game Guides.