How to get Oil in Ark: Survival Evolved

As we talked about in our last guide for Ark, Oil is required for quite a few things in Ark: Survival Evolved, such as Gasoline or Grenades; It's also one of the trickiest resources to get in the game. Luckily in this guide, we have you covered and will explain how to farm and get Oil in Ark: Survival Evolved.

How to get and farm Oil in Ark: Survival Evolved

In short, to get Oil, you mainly have to gather it by mining various nodes with ideally a metal pick. Oil nodes can generally spawn on the beach in the snow biome or around snow mountains, depending on the map. The nodes also spawn deep underwater in large chains that run along the edges of the map. However, it is worth noting that these nodes are a lot harder to get than those on the surface, but depending on the map, it might be your only option. 

To farm underwater nodes, you will need a pick as well, but you will need to get a decent underwater mount; we suggest taming the Angler because the light will help you see the nodes better. Along with this, there are a few other ways in which you can get Oil in Ark: Survival Evolved. Also, these methods only apply to all maps except Scorched Earth and Extinction. For how to get Oil on those maps, see the relevant list below, along with the other methods for non DLC maps.

Other ways to get Oil

• Dung Beatle - Taming Dung Beatles could be a safe long term route for gaining a lot of Oil over time. This is because when you set a tamed Beatle to wander, they will occasionally gather up the resource up over time. As a side note, I recommend building a small area for them to wander in as it is not ideal to let them roam the map unguarded. 
• Dunkleosteus - Mining the nodes with a Dunkleosteus is also a good route as you will get far more resources with a leveled Dunkle than your pick.
• Basilosaurus - Similar to Dung Beatles, these aquatic creatures can produce Oil over time, but since they are challenging to tame, they are not a good option for newer players.
• Hesperonis eggs - Taming a few Hesperonis might be a good option as their eggs can turn into Oil when placed in a cooking pot.
• Trilobites - Trilobites in Ark are probably your best shot for getting small amounts of Oil early on in the game. However, it is the least reliable as if you kill one Trilo; the rest will flee, making it harder to farm with this method. 

How to get Oil on DLC Maps

• Scorched Earth - On Scorched Earth, Oil can be farmed from Jug Bugs, placing an Oil pump and by harvesting dead Rock Elementals
• Aberration - Along with the usual ways, the map's red zone is home to substantial oil deposits that can run deep underground as well. But the area is hazardous with Reaper Kings roaming around, rock drakes, and radiation. 
• Extinction - In this DLC, unless you carry over resources, the only method for getting more Oil is by killing and harvesting Enforcers or Defense Units

Overall, there are many different methods to get Oil, with some being more effective depending on the situation. So it will be up to you to determine which farming method works best for you.