Introduction
Ark: Survival Evolved plunges you into a prehistoric world where survival is paramount. You’ll hunt, build, tame dinosaurs, and craft essential tools to thrive in this harsh environment. As you progress, you’ll move beyond basic crafting stations and venture into more advanced technology. A crucial stepping stone in this progression is the Chemistry Bench. This is not just another crafting table; it’s a gateway to creating powerful explosives, vital stimulants, life-saving blood packs, and fertilizers that will accelerate your agricultural efforts. The Chemistry Bench unlocks a new tier of possibilities for survival and domination.
This article provides a complete guide to the Ark Chemistry Bench, detailing its function, acquisition, use, and advanced strategies to master its capabilities. Whether you’re a seasoned survivor or a newcomer seeking to enhance your crafting abilities, this guide will equip you with the knowledge to effectively use the Chemistry Bench and gain a significant advantage in the world of Ark.
What is the Ark Chemistry Bench?
The Chemistry Bench represents a substantial leap in Ark’s crafting system. It’s an advanced crafting station, characterized by its laboratory-like appearance – a complex arrangement of beakers, tubes, and intricate machinery. It enables players to synthesize complex resources and items that are simply impossible to create using simpler tools. Its primary function is to combine resources through chemical processes, enabling the creation of high-level items necessary for both survival and advanced gameplay.
Compared to earlier crafting options like the Mortar and Pestle or the Cooking Pot, the Chemistry Bench offers significantly greater efficiency and access to a vastly expanded recipe list. While the Mortar and Pestle is suitable for grinding raw materials, and the Cooking Pot is for simple recipes, the Chemistry Bench is where you create explosives to raid enemy bases, potent narcotics to tame the most powerful dinosaurs, and advanced medical supplies that can save you in a pinch. This versatility makes the Chemistry Bench an indispensable tool for players aiming for mid-to-late game dominance.
Obtaining and Placing the Chemistry Bench
Before you can unlock the full potential of the Chemistry Bench, you must first learn the Engram for it. This requires reaching a specific experience level, and then spending the necessary Engram points to unlock the blueprint. Check your Engram list as you level to see when it becomes available.
Once you’ve learned the Engram, you’ll need to gather the resources to craft the Chemistry Bench. These materials typically include cementing paste, metal ingots, crystals, and polymer. These materials can be time-consuming to acquire, so consider gathering them over time in anticipation of unlocking the Engram.
Placement of the Chemistry Bench is a crucial consideration. The bench requires a significant amount of space, so plan accordingly. Remember, it needs to be connected to a power source to function. Therefore, placing it near a power generator is essential. Optimizing the bench’s location can significantly increase your crafting efficiency.
Proximity to storage containers for essential resources is also an important factor. By placing the bench strategically near your stockpiles of raw materials like metal, stone, crystal, and organic polymer, you can significantly reduce travel time and streamline your crafting process. A well-organized crafting area is key to making the most of your Chemistry Bench.
Powering the Chemistry Bench
Unlike simpler crafting stations, the Chemistry Bench requires electricity to operate. Without a power source, you won’t be able to craft any of the advanced items it offers. This means you’ll need to establish a power grid within your base.
The most common method of powering a Chemistry Bench is with a generator. Generators are crafted separately and require fuel to run, typically gasoline. Connecting the generator to the Chemistry Bench with electrical cables provides the necessary power.
Setting up a reliable power grid involves strategic placement of generators and careful management of fuel consumption. Consider investing in multiple generators to ensure redundancy in case one fails or runs out of fuel. Also, prioritize efficient fuel consumption by optimizing generator settings and minimizing unnecessary power drain.
Different fuel options for generators have varying efficiencies. Gasoline, crafted from oil and hide, is the standard fuel source. However, understanding the consumption rate of each fuel type allows you to strategically manage your resources and minimize downtime for your Chemistry Bench.
Chemistry Bench Recipes and Uses
The Chemistry Bench’s true value lies in its extensive recipe list. It opens the door to crafting a wide array of essential items, ranging from potent explosives to life-saving medical supplies. Among the most important are gunpowder, narcotics, stimulants, fertilizers, blood packs, mindwipe tonic, and specialized ammunition types.
Gunpowder, a fundamental ingredient for ammunition and explosives, is a staple recipe for any player seeking to defend their base or raid their opponents. Crafting narcotics requires combining berries and spoiled meat. Stimulants, such as Stimberries and the crafted Stimulant, are crucial for combating torpor, which can render you unconscious. Fertilizer helps speed up the growth of crops in crop plots. Blood Packs are valuable for taming certain creatures or healing. The Mindwipe Tonic allows you to reset your Engrams, offering the flexibility to reallocate your knowledge points as needed. Specialized ammunition types, like Tranquilizer Darts, are essential for taming dinosaurs without killing them.
Each recipe requires specific resources. Gunpowder needs charcoal and sparkpowder, narcotics need spoiled meat and narcoberries, and so on. Some recipes also require rarer, specialized ingredients, such as Rare Flowers or Leech Blood. Understanding these requirements is crucial for planning your resource gathering and ensuring you always have what you need to craft the items you need.
Tips and Strategies for Efficient Chemistry Bench Use
Efficiently using the Chemistry Bench requires a strategic approach to resource management, organization, and crafting techniques. Optimizing your crafting process can dramatically reduce the time and effort required to produce essential items.
Organizing your resources near the Chemistry Bench is paramount. Dedicated storage containers for commonly used materials will significantly reduce travel time and streamline your crafting. Consider using multiple containers, each dedicated to specific resource types.
Crafting speed is another important factor. Your character’s Crafting Skill stat directly affects the speed at which you can craft items at the Chemistry Bench. Prioritize leveling up this skill to reduce crafting times and increase overall efficiency.
Efficiently gathering the necessary resources is also key. Identify the most efficient methods for acquiring the resources you need, whether through manual gathering, taming specialized creatures, or setting up automated resource farms.
Be aware of potential duplication glitches or exploits. Engaging in such activities can negatively impact the game’s integrity and may result in penalties. Always play fair and respect the game’s rules.
Advanced Techniques and Special Cases
Mastering the Chemistry Bench involves learning advanced techniques and understanding special cases that can further enhance your crafting capabilities. These techniques can significantly boost your efficiency and provide access to unique crafting options.
Crafting in bulk can be a time-saver when you need large quantities of a particular item. Utilizing techniques for streamlining the crafting process, such as pre-preparing ingredients and optimizing crafting speed, can significantly reduce the time required to produce large batches of items.
The Chemistry Bench also plays a crucial role in advanced taming strategies. Crafting specialized narcotics and tranquilizer ammunition can help you tame even the most challenging dinosaurs more safely and effectively.
Be aware that some recipes or crafting options may be specific to certain maps or downloadable content. Understanding these map-specific recipes can unlock unique opportunities and advantages depending on the environment you’re playing in.
Troubleshooting Common Issues
Like any complex crafting station, the Chemistry Bench can sometimes encounter issues. Knowing how to troubleshoot these problems quickly can save you time and frustration.
Common issues include the Chemistry Bench not working, due to power problems or missing resources. Check your power grid and ensure the generator has fuel and is connected to the bench. Verify that you have all the necessary resources in your inventory or nearby storage containers.
Crafting taking too long can be another common problem. Check your character’s Crafting Skill stat. You may need to level it up to increase crafting speed.
Missing Engrams can prevent you from crafting certain items. Make sure you have unlocked the necessary Engrams to craft the items you’re attempting to create.
By quickly identifying and resolving these issues, you can minimize downtime and maximize the effectiveness of your Chemistry Bench.
Conclusion
The Chemistry Bench is an indispensable tool for any serious player in Ark: Survival Evolved. Mastering its function and understanding its recipes is essential for mid-to-late game progression. It opens the door to a wide array of powerful items that can significantly enhance your survival, taming, and raiding capabilities.
By learning how to acquire, power, and efficiently use the Chemistry Bench, you can gain a significant advantage in the world of Ark. From crafting essential ammunition and narcotics to producing life-saving medical supplies and fertilizers, the Chemistry Bench empowers you to thrive in even the most challenging environments.
So, experiment with different recipes, optimize your crafting process, and explore the full potential of the Ark Chemistry Bench. With dedication and the knowledge gained from this guide, you’ll be well on your way to becoming a master chemist and a dominant force in the world of Ark: Survival Evolved. Happy crafting!
