Metal Foundation
A foundation is required to build structures in an area. This one is made from sturdy metal-plated concrete.
Details
- Category
- Structure
- Games
- ASE + ASA
- Expansion
- Base
- Recipe
- 2 ingredients
- Loot crates
- 94 crates
- Item ID
- 169
Engram
How you unlock it
- Required level
- 45
- Engram points
- 24
Learn these first
Maps
Found on 9 maps
Video guides: search YouTube for Metal Foundation guides
How to craft Metal Foundation
Metal Foundation is crafted from 2 ingredients. The engram unlocks at level 45, costs 24 engram points, takes 5 seconds, gives 23 XP.
SmithyRaw materials
If you craft every ingredient yourself
120Stone
100Metal
60Chitin/KeratinCrafted along the way: Metal Ingot ×50, Cementing Paste ×15.
How to get Metal Foundation
Metal Foundation is found in 94 loot crates.
Loot crates
94 crates
- Aberration RedAberration and Valguero · ASA
- Aberration Red BonusAberration and Valguero · ASA
- Aberration Surface RedAberration · ASA
- Aberration Surface Red BonusAberration · ASA
- Aberration Surface YellowAberration · ASA
- Aberration Surface Yellow BonusAberration · ASA
- Aberration YellowAberration and Valguero · ASA
- Aberration Yellow BonusAberration and Valguero · ASA
- Astraeos Desert RedAstraeos · ASA
- Astraeos Desert Red BonusAstraeos · ASA
- Astraeos Desert YellowAstraeos · ASA
- Astraeos Desert Yellow BonusAstraeos · ASA
Show all 94 crates
- Astraeos Orbital HardAstraeos · ASA
- Astraeos Orbital LegendaryAstraeos · ASA
- Astraeos RedAstraeos · ASA
- Astraeos Red BonusAstraeos · ASA
- Astraeos YellowAstraeos · ASA
- Astraeos Yellow BonusAstraeos · ASA
- Extinction Orbital HardExtinction · ASA
- Extinction Orbital LegendaryExtinction · ASA
- Fjordur BlueFjordur · ASE
- Fjordur Blue BonusFjordur · ASE
- Genesis BlueGenesis Part 2 · ASE
- Genesis CyanGenesis Part 2 · ASE
- Genesis GreenGenesis Part 2 · ASE
- Genesis OrangeGenesis Part 2 · ASE
- Genesis PurpleGenesis Part 2 · ASE
- Genesis RedGenesis Part 2 · ASE
- Genesis WhiteGenesis Part 2 · ASE
- Genesis YellowGenesis Part 2 · ASE
- Island BlueThe Island, The Center, Ragnarok, Valguero, Crystal Isles, and Lost Island · ASE
- Island Blue BonusThe Island, The Center, Ragnarok, Valguero, Crystal Isles, and Lost Island · ASE
- Island RedThe Island, The Center, and Ragnarok · ASA
- Island Red BonusThe Island and Ragnarok · ASA
- Island YellowThe Island, The Center, and Ragnarok · ASA
- Island Yellow BonusThe Island, The Center, and Ragnarok · ASA
- Mission 'Bulbdog Fetch' HardGenesis Part 2 · ASE
- Mission 'Bulbdog Fetch' MediumGenesis Part 2 · ASE
- Mission 'Circuit Chase' HardGenesis Part 2 · ASE
- Mission 'Circuit Chase' MediumGenesis Part 2 · ASE
- Mission 'Downriver Run' HardGenesis Part 2 · ASE
- Mission 'Downriver Run' MediumGenesis Part 2 · ASE
- Mission 'Ferox Cull' HardGenesis Part 2 · ASE
- Mission 'Ferox Cull' MediumGenesis Part 2 · ASE
- Mission 'Maewing Poach' HardGenesis Part 2 · ASE
- Mission 'Maewing Poach' MediumGenesis Part 2 · ASE
- Mission 'Paracer Roundup' HardGenesis Part 2 · ASE
- Mission 'Paracer Roundup' MediumGenesis Part 2 · ASE
- Mission 'Shadowmane Prowl' HardGenesis Part 2 · ASE
- Mission 'Shadowmane Prowl' MediumGenesis Part 2 · ASE
- Mission 'Slide and Glide' HardGenesis Part 2 · ASE
- Mission 'Slide and Glide' MediumGenesis Part 2 · ASE
- Mission 'Slipstream Sweep' HardGenesis Part 2 · ASE
- Mission 'Slipstream Sweep' MediumGenesis Part 2 · ASE
- Mission 'Starwing Strike' HardGenesis Part 2 · ASE
- Mission 'Starwing Strike' MediumGenesis Part 2 · ASE
- Mission 'Team Downriver Run' HardGenesis Part 2 · ASE
- Mission 'Team Downriver Run' MediumGenesis Part 2 · ASE
- Mission 'Velonasaur Stalk' HardGenesis Part 2 · ASE
- Mission 'Velonasaur Stalk' MediumGenesis Part 2 · ASE
- Orbital Drop HardExtinction · ASE
- Orbital Drop LegendaryExtinction · ASE
- Outpost: Breeding Pits EasyLost Colony · ASA
- Outpost: Breeding Pits HardLost Colony · ASA
- Outpost: Breeding Pits MediumLost Colony · ASA
- Outpost: Gladiator's Keep EasyLost Colony · ASA
- Outpost: Gladiator's Keep HardLost Colony · ASA
- Outpost: Gladiator's Keep MediumLost Colony · ASA
- Outpost: Lost Resource Cache EasyLost Colony · ASA
- Outpost: Lost Resource Cache HardLost Colony · ASA
- Outpost: Lost Resource Cache MediumLost Colony · ASA
- Outpost: Marksman's Hold EasyLost Colony · ASA
- Outpost: Marksman's Hold HardLost Colony · ASA
- Outpost: Marksman's Hold MediumLost Colony · ASA
- Outpost: Molten Works EasyLost Colony · ASA
- Outpost: Molten Works HardLost Colony · ASA
- Outpost: Molten Works MediumLost Colony · ASA
- Outpost: Outpost Defense EasyLost Colony · ASA
- Outpost: Outpost Defense HardLost Colony · ASA
- Outpost: Outpost Defense MediumLost Colony · ASA
- Scorched BlueScorched Earth, Ragnarok, Valguero, and Lost Island · ASE
- Scorched Blue BonusScorched Earth, Ragnarok, Valguero, and Lost Island · ASE
- Scorched Buried BlueThe Island, Scorched Earth, Aberration, Extinction, Lost Colony, The Center, Astraeos, Ragnarok, and Valguero · ASA
- Scorched Buried GreenThe Island, Scorched Earth, Aberration, Extinction, Lost Colony, The Center, Astraeos, Ragnarok, and Valguero · ASA
- Scorched RedScorched Earth, Ragnarok, and Valguero · ASA
- Scorched Red BonusScorched Earth, Ragnarok, and Valguero · ASA
- Scorched YellowScorched Earth, Ragnarok, and Valguero · ASA
- Scorched Yellow BonusScorched Earth, Ragnarok, and Valguero · ASA
- The Center RedThe Center · ASA
- The Center Red BonusThe Center · ASA
- Valguero RedValguero · ASA
- Valguero Red BonusValguero · ASA
- Valguero YellowValguero · ASA
- Valguero Yellow BonusValguero · ASA
Metal Foundation — Detailed Guide
The floor of a metal base
The Metal Foundation is the fourth foundation type to unlock in ARK: Survival Evolved and ARK: Survival Ascended, and the piece a metal base is built on. In the game's words: "A foundation is required to build structures in an area. This one is made from sturdy metal-plated concrete."
Unlocking and crafting
The 
Stone Foundation comes first; the Metal Foundation then costs 24 engram points at level 45, the same level needed to craft it. Each one takes 50 
Metal Ingot and 15 
Cementing Paste, with 
Scrap Metal Ingot and 
Achatina Paste accepted in their place. A 
Smithy makes it in 5 seconds for 23 XP, and the 
Exo-Mek, 
Tek Replicator, 
Thorny Dragon Saddle, 
Argentavis Saddle and 
Castoroides Saddle can as well.
A foundation weighs 4, so a full stack of 100 weighs 400. They are common loot too: 94 crate types can contain them, including the Aberration Red and Aberration Surface Red crates.
Laying the floor
Metal foundations go down on flat or slightly uneven ground. After the first is placed, the next ones snap to its sides and line up, provided there is space and ground for them. A foundation supports walls, ceilings and similar pieces only when it sits directly beneath them. It also lets ceilings reach up to 2 pieces out along each axis and 1 piece diagonally, though ceilings at the far end of that reach cannot hold walls.
If a foundation falls
Everything resting on a destroyed foundation goes down with it, and pieces lost that way after a demolish refund nothing. Metal makes that hard to bring about: only explosives, Enraged Creatures, Corrupted Creatures, Bosses, Titans, Tek Saddles, the 
Tek Rifle, the 
DodoRex, the 
Titanosaur and the 
Arthropluera can damage it.