ARK Survival Ascended Sky Base Building Guide

There are various locations to establish your base in ARK Survival Ascended, and while most are situated on the Island, you have the option of constructing your base completely off the island – in the sky. Although the concept of a sky base might seem unusual to new players, it is a fairly common choice among many experienced players.

So, if you're interested in venturing into the realm of sky-based housing, continue reading. Below, we will guide you through the process of building a sky base in ARK Survival Ascended.

How To Build A Sky Base In ARK Survival Ascended

The concept of constructing a sky base in ARK Survival Ascended primarily relies on utilizing one of the most valuable flying creatures in the game, the Quetzal. While it's widely known that you can build on the back of this colossal flyer, there are crucial details to consider when specifically creating a sky base, hence the significance of this guide.

Firstly, understanding how to tame a Quetzal is essential, and fortunately, we have you covered with our Quetzal taming guide available here. Once successfully tamed, you can equip a Quetzal platform saddle on its back and commence building your base.

Our recommendation is to lay down foundations or ceilings to create a walkable surface and start constructing your desired structures atop them (more details on this below). After establishing your base, there are a couple of factors to bear in mind for turning it into a permanent residence.

Firstly, there is a limit to the number of structures you can add to the Quetzal's back; essentially, the saddle has a cap of 40 structures. Every component counts, from foundations to electrical keypads, including structures built alongside the saddle, such as ladders. 

Although the weight of the structures doesn't contribute to the Quetzal's carrying capacity, any items inside those structures, like storing items in a vault on the sky base, will begin to increase the weight. If you plan on storing a considerable amount of resources, invest in your Quetzal's carry weight stat.

Additionally, be mindful that the Quetzal has stamina that depletes while airborne. However, it only diminishes when you stand on the back of the Quetzal's platform. Standing on your platforms won't consume your stamina. This allows you to fly your Quetzal up to the world height limit, where it will hover indefinitely, only landing if you deplete its stamina. An infinite stamina trick can also be utilized to bypass this limitation.

Certain structures cannot be placed on the Quetzal and, consequently, on your sky base. These excluded items include Pipes, Auto Turrets, Crop Plots with Plant Species X, Dinosaur Gateways, Behemoth Gateway, Vault, and Industrial Forge. Apart from these restrictions, you have the freedom to place whatever you want until reaching the build limit.

Finally, accessing the base is straightforward. Mark your base with a waypoint and use any flying creatures available in the game to reach your base whenever needed. The isolated nature of your base makes it extremely challenging to raid, making it a popular choice in PvP scenarios.

For added security, consider building your sky base along the ocean. In case enemies discover and destroy the base by killing the Quetzal, your items will drop into the ocean, and most adversaries will likely avoid venturing into the water unnecessarily. This ultimately makes the sky base a secure, useful, and advantageous set up to invest in, and now you know precisely how to build and use one in ARK Survival Ascended.