Slingshot

The first ranged weapon

The Slingshot is an early-game weapon in ARK: Survival Evolved and, according to the ARK Wiki, the first ranged weapon a survivor can unlock. In-game it is described like this: "A simple ranged weapon that deals damage from afar. Better for knocking out a target than killing it outright. Requires stone to fire." Stones serve as its ammunition, which keeps it cheap to use.

Knockouts over kills

Its shots do little damage, but they add a fair amount of Torpor, so the wiki rates it as a useful taming tool in the early game. Headshots help: many creatures take extra damage to the head, and the torpor from such a hit rises with that bonus. Early hunters also use it to wear down dangerous prey from a safe distance. The low damage has a side benefit for beginners, since friendly-fire accidents stay less messy than with other ranged weapons.

Aiming

Holding the alt fire button raises the Slingshot in front of the camera and zooms in slightly. Aim gets a little better, at the price of slower movement. Shots drop off over a very short range, so the wiki advises aiming high in most cases.

Crafting and repair

The engram unlocks at level 5 for 6 engram points. The recipe:

• 5 Wood (Fungal Wood also works)
• 20 Fiber
• 1 Hide

A craft takes 5 seconds and gives 0.95 XP. The weapon weighs 3, does not stack and has 40 durability. A repair costs 2.5 Wood, 10 Fiber and 0.5 Hide.

What comes after it

The wiki names the Bow as the weapon that supersedes it. Slingshots are common in loot as well: our records list 280 loot entries that can contain one, among them those named after the Acrocanthosaurus and the Allosaurus. We have it on 9 maps, including The Island, Ragnarok and Valguero.