Obsidian
A very rare resource, found underground. Can be broken down and used to make modern tech.
Details
- Category
- Resource
- Games
- ASE + ASA
- Expansion
- Base
- Loot crates
- 87 crates
- Item ID
- 141
Engram
How you unlock it
- Required level
- None
- Engram points
- 0
- How to unlock
- Resource (Not an Engram)
Maps
Found on 14 maps
Video guides: search YouTube for Obsidian guides
How to get Obsidian
Obsidian is gathered best by Ankylosaurus; found in 87 loot crates.
Best gatherers
AnkylosaurusLoot crates
87 crates
- Aberration BlueAberration and Valguero · ASA
- Aberration Blue BonusAberration and Valguero · ASA
- Aberration PurpleAberration and Valguero · ASA
- Aberration Purple BonusAberration and Valguero · ASA
- Aberration Surface BlueAberration · ASA
- Aberration Surface Blue BonusAberration · ASA
- Aberration Surface PurpleAberration · ASA
- Aberration Surface Purple BonusAberration · ASA
- Astraeos Desert PurpleAstraeos · ASA
- Astraeos Desert Purple BonusAstraeos · ASA
- Astraeos PurpleAstraeos · ASA
- Astraeos Purple BonusAstraeos · ASA
Show all 87 crates
- Fishing Items (Net)The Island, Scorched Earth, Aberration, Extinction, Genesis Part 1, Genesis Part 2, The Center, Ragnarok, Valguero, Crystal Isles, Lost Island, and Fjordur · ASE
- Fishing Items (Pole)The Island, Scorched Earth, Aberration, Extinction, Lost Colony, The Center, Astraeos, Ragnarok, and Valguero · ASA / 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 PurpleThe Island, The Center, and Ragnarok · ASA
- Island Purple BonusThe Island, The Center, and Ragnarok · ASA
- Lost Colony Cave YellowLost Colony · ASA
- Lost Colony City YellowLost Colony · ASA
- Mission 'Bulbdog Fetch' EasyGenesis Part 2 · ASE
- Mission 'Bulbdog Fetch' HardGenesis Part 2 · ASE
- Mission 'Bulbdog Fetch' MediumGenesis Part 2 · ASE
- Mission 'Circuit Chase' EasyGenesis Part 2 · ASE
- Mission 'Circuit Chase' HardGenesis Part 2 · ASE
- Mission 'Circuit Chase' MediumGenesis Part 2 · ASE
- Mission 'Downriver Run' EasyGenesis Part 2 · ASE
- Mission 'Downriver Run' HardGenesis Part 2 · ASE
- Mission 'Downriver Run' MediumGenesis Part 2 · ASE
- Mission 'Ferox Cull' EasyGenesis Part 2 · ASE
- Mission 'Ferox Cull' HardGenesis Part 2 · ASE
- Mission 'Ferox Cull' MediumGenesis Part 2 · ASE
- Mission 'Maewing Poach' EasyGenesis Part 2 · ASE
- Mission 'Maewing Poach' HardGenesis Part 2 · ASE
- Mission 'Maewing Poach' MediumGenesis Part 2 · ASE
- Mission 'Paracer Roundup' EasyGenesis Part 2 · ASE
- Mission 'Paracer Roundup' HardGenesis Part 2 · ASE
- Mission 'Paracer Roundup' MediumGenesis Part 2 · ASE
- Mission 'Shadowmane Prowl' EasyGenesis Part 2 · ASE
- Mission 'Shadowmane Prowl' HardGenesis Part 2 · ASE
- Mission 'Shadowmane Prowl' MediumGenesis Part 2 · ASE
- Mission 'Slide and Glide' EasyGenesis Part 2 · ASE
- Mission 'Slide and Glide' HardGenesis Part 2 · ASE
- Mission 'Slide and Glide' MediumGenesis Part 2 · ASE
- Mission 'Slipstream Sweep' EasyGenesis Part 2 · ASE
- Mission 'Slipstream Sweep' HardGenesis Part 2 · ASE
- Mission 'Slipstream Sweep' MediumGenesis Part 2 · ASE
- Mission 'Starwing Strike' EasyGenesis Part 2 · ASE
- Mission 'Starwing Strike' HardGenesis Part 2 · ASE
- Mission 'Starwing Strike' MediumGenesis Part 2 · ASE
- Mission 'Team Downriver Run' EasyGenesis Part 2 · ASE
- Mission 'Team Downriver Run' HardGenesis Part 2 · ASE
- Mission 'Team Downriver Run' MediumGenesis Part 2 · ASE
- Mission 'Velonasaur Stalk' EasyGenesis Part 2 · ASE
- Mission 'Velonasaur Stalk' HardGenesis Part 2 · ASE
- Mission 'Velonasaur Stalk' MediumGenesis Part 2 · ASE
- NeophyteThe Island, Scorched Earth, Aberration, Extinction, Lost Colony, The Center, Astraeos, Ragnarok, and Valguero · ASA
- Outpost: Molten Works EasyLost Colony · ASA
- Outpost: Molten Works HardLost Colony · ASA
- Outpost: Molten Works MediumLost Colony · ASA
- Quake Biolum 1Aberration · ASA / ASE
- Quake Biolum 2Aberration · ASA / ASE
- Quake Forest 1Aberration · ASA / ASE
- Quake Forest 2Aberration · ASA / ASE
- Quake Radiation 1Aberration · ASA / ASE
- Quake Radiation 2Aberration · ASA / ASE
- Scorched Buried WhiteThe Island, Scorched Earth, Aberration, Extinction, Lost Colony, The Center, Astraeos, Ragnarok, and Valguero · ASA
- Scorched PurpleScorched Earth, Ragnarok, and Valguero · ASA
- Scorched Purple BonusScorched Earth, Ragnarok, and Valguero · ASA
- Thrall ArcherThe Island, Scorched Earth, Aberration, Extinction, Lost Colony, The Center, Astraeos, Ragnarok, and Valguero · ASA
- Thrall DeadeyeThe Island, Scorched Earth, Aberration, Extinction, Lost Colony, The Center, Astraeos, Ragnarok, and Valguero · ASA
- Thrall DemolisherThe Island, Scorched Earth, Aberration, Extinction, Lost Colony, The Center, Astraeos, Ragnarok, and Valguero · ASA
- Thrall EnforcerThe Island, Scorched Earth, Aberration, Extinction, Lost Colony, The Center, Astraeos, Ragnarok, and Valguero · ASA
- Thrall GunslingerThe Island, Scorched Earth, Aberration, Extinction, Lost Colony, The Center, Astraeos, Ragnarok, and Valguero · ASA
- Thrall HeraldThe Island, Scorched Earth, Aberration, Extinction, Lost Colony, The Center, Astraeos, Ragnarok, and Valguero · ASA
- Thrall MarauderThe Island, Scorched Earth, Aberration, Extinction, Lost Colony, The Center, Astraeos, Ragnarok, and Valguero · ASA
- Thrall PiercerThe Island, Scorched Earth, Aberration, Extinction, Lost Colony, The Center, Astraeos, Ragnarok, and Valguero · ASA
- Thrall ScattershotThe Island, Scorched Earth, Aberration, Extinction, Lost Colony, The Center, Astraeos, Ragnarok, and Valguero · ASA
- Thrall SnarerThe Island, Scorched Earth, Aberration, Extinction, Lost Colony, The Center, Astraeos, Ragnarok, and Valguero · ASA
- Thrall WardenThe Island, Scorched Earth, Aberration, Extinction, Lost Colony, The Center, Astraeos, Ragnarok, and Valguero · ASA
- Volcanic RockRagnarok · ASA / ASE
Obsidian — Detailed Guide
Where Obsidian forms
Obsidian is a base-game resource in both ARK: Survival Evolved and ARK: Survival Ascended, described in game as "A very rare resource, found underground. Can be broken down and used to make modern tech." It comes from smooth black rock in caves and on high ground. On The Island the best deposits sit at and around the summits of Whitesky Peak and the Volcano, with smaller patches on other peaks; on Scorched Earth it is found in the artifact caves. Our records list it on 14 maps.
Mining it
Our data names the 
Ankylosaurus as a gatherer. The ARK Wiki adds a caution about the 
Doedicurus: it can mine obsidian from some black rocks but not from all of them. On The Island it works inside the Volcano's crater, yet fails on the final part of the climb toward it. Each unit weighs 1 and stacks to 100, so a full stack weighs 100.
It also turns up in loot: 87 crate types can contain it, among them the Aberration Blue and Aberration Purple crates on Aberration and Valguero.
What Obsidian goes into
Its most important use is 
Polymer, which takes 2 Obsidian per craft in ARK: Survival Evolved and is an ingredient of many high-end items. Other recipes there include:
- Obsidian Arrow (1) and Obsidian
Spear (2) 
Chain Bola (2) and 
Cannon Ball (4)- Obsidian Pickaxe (20), Tek Binoculars (25) and
Harpoon Launcher (50) 
Mirror (70), 
Artifact Pedestal (80) and 
Lance (100)
Camera and 
Motorboat (150 each)
In ARK: Survival Ascended it also goes into the 
Reinforced Ship Cannonball (1), the 
Arthropluera Saddle (35), the 
Cursed Harpoon Launcher (50) and the 
Solwyn Saddle (80).