Honey in Ark: Survival Evolved is a vital resource that serves multiple purposes, from crafting essential items like torches and gunpowder to taming some of the game’s most formidable creatures. Securing this sweet, golden resource requires understanding the behaviors of its source, the bee, and employing the right strategies to harvest it safely. This guide provides a detailed walkthrough on how to obtain honey efficiently while minimizing the risk of losing health and resources.
Locating Bee Hives in the Ecosystem
The journey to harvesting honey begins with locating the hives themselves. Bee hives are naturally generated structures that appear hanging from the ceilings of caves or on the undersides of large rock formations and trees in forested biomes. Visually, they are large, grey, honeycomb-like structures that emit a distinct buzzing sound. The most reliable way to find them is to listen for this audio cue while exploring, or to look for swarms of aggressive yellow bees flying in a specific pattern, which indicates a hive is nearby. Mapping the location of these hives is crucial for long-term resource gathering.
Identifying the Hive Type
Not all hives are created equal in terms of yield and difficulty. Players will encounter standard hives, which contain honey and honeycombs, and rock beehives, which are larger and contain rock honey. Rock honey takes significantly longer to harvest but provides a much larger quantity of honey and honeycombs. Assessing the size of the hive before engaging is important for planning your approach and resource allocation, as larger hives house more bees and require more smoke to pacify.
Gathering Essential Harvesting Tools
Approaching a beehive empty-handed is a guaranteed way to trigger a swarm attack. To successfully harvest honey, you must prepare with specific tools. The primary tool is a smoker, an item that uses fuel like thatch or wood to produce a calming smoke cloud. This smoke pacifies the bees, preventing them from attacking you while you work. Additionally, you will need a tool capable of harvesting the honeycomb, such as a metal pickaxe or a creature with harvesting capabilities, to collect the honey once the process is complete.
Smoker (Requires fuel such as wood or thatch)
Metal Pickaxe or suitable harvesting creature
Protective Armor (Leather or better to mitigate initial damage)
Health Restoratives (Food, medical brews, or healing items)
The Harvesting Process Step by Step
Once you have located a hive and prepared your tools, follow these steps to safely secure your honey. First, position yourself a safe distance away from the hive and use the smoker on it. You will see gray smoke emit from the hive, indicating the bees are pacified. Once the smoking effect is complete, approach the hive and use your metal pickaxe to harvest the honeycomb. If you are using a creature, order it to harvest the structure. Be aware that the initial smoke only provides a temporary window; you must complete the harvest quickly before the bees become aggressive again.
Utilizing Creatures for Efficiency
For players who prefer not to engage in manual harvesting, several creatures can automate the process. The Rock Drake, with its ability to enrage and become nearly invulnerable, is the most popular choice for high-level honey harvesting. Other creatures like the Beelzebufo, which deals torpor damage, or the Phoenix, which can fly and avoid ground-based threats, are also effective. When using a creature, ensure it is sufficiently leveled and equipped with protective gear, such as a ghillie suit, to reduce the visual aggression of the bees and keep the creature safe during the harvest.
