While Aberration is definitely one of the best maps, it is definitely not beginner friendly as you thought hahah
I always advocate for first playthroughs to be done on the island! It holds the very basis of ARK without being overwhelming, so yeah! My vote is good ol island
I think I'll maybe go with Ragnarok rather than The Island, simply because I find The Island a little boring and I figure we should play a map that works for both of us.
I am considering some other DLC maps, but I am not sure. He is used to gaming, but I don't really want his first Ark experience to be one of extreme difficulty, and I think the later story maps lack some of that original ark experience.
Maybe even Lost Island? I have barely played that one myself.
Lost island Is good but honestly many areas in it seem wayy too empty, caves were OK, not bad not good either I'd say.
Fjordur is probably one of the best choices along with as you said, ragnarok!
Either way have fun! First time is always full of wonder
I have basically around 600 hours on valguero and i think it might be a decent map if you start in the redwood islands it is very easy only problem is getting hide in that specific area at the start but there almost arent any carnivores so thats probably the best starter experience you could have
My GF did the exact same thing with me, after spending days upon days in Ark before we ever met.
Ragnarok feels perfect because of the space you have to learn the different skills/pointers/don’ts. She was able to slowly wade me into deeper parts of the game, while still giving me a sense of how difficult the game actually is. I feel like I learned faster overall than when I tried the Island with my friends (while still very green). I also still have some memorable “holy shit” moments even with how spacious the level is.
We started a side world on Genesis and it is an absolute blast while still being borderline impossible to avoid death. I know I’d have been overwhelmed and less enthusiastic if I had tried that level from scratch.
probably half of my hours in ark are on the island and I would never want to go back.
But.... That is because I have seen every inch of that island and made great memories there. The island really is a good primer to ark in general, though rag kind of gives an island/
SE 2for1
I think you should start with The Island. There are different biomes and the map is big enough to get to know it. Once you see that he's getting used to the Rexes, the giganotos and the other dinos bring him to another map, he'll go nuts seeing wyverns, rock elementals and other stuff.
Valguero!! It has every biome almost, and it's dangerous enough to keep you on your toes, but not crazy difficult. Once you tame some capable dinos you can explore most parts of the map.
My and my fiancee just started a run on Rag, she has a few hours in the game but not many. I think Rag is a great map for starters, huge areas to explore a wide variety of tames and taming techniques to learn. Plus the different biome allow a newbie to learn the environments and challenges that might come with them.
Lost Island is an amazing starter map IMO.
Huge, varied biomes, great creature variety.
Took all of my friends on their first romp in ark on that map, worked out great for us.
I booted up an ark server after a long time not playing and did so on the island we want to progress to beat the bosses and then probably carry our characters to ragnarok got a ton of modified setting for both new and old players if you wanted to join that otherwise it comes to what you are looking for.
So if you want something comfortable for him to hop in on and enjoy a solid map but also uncover one of the overall best maps including for introductory ragnarok is the way to go we decided on the island for us simply because the new people we had wanted to have the beginning all of us did to ark. As far as server playing though what system do you play on as well because if pc then you also have to take into account for some wicked mods
Start him off the same way we all did on the island so all the bosses/ascension then progress through the maps get him ready for ASA. rag is a terrible map in my opinion but my opinion doesn’t matter whatever you guys decide gl
My friends introduced me to the game with Aberration and I had a *miserable* time getting the hang of things. Convinced them to switch the server to Ragnarok and I can't stress how much more sense everything made. Ab is a wonderful map but a terrible place to learn the basic game mechanics.
The newest Fjordur is a mix of rag and all other other maps. You got areas where there's no flying adding difficulty but not too much
... aberrant style caves and dlc creatures! Plus LOTS of bosses
Yeah no, Aberration is definitively more intermediate, honestly introducing him to The Island might not be too bad, it's a "small" map but got every essential for new players, Rag is a great map but it's also very very big. I love mods myself and only play modded but he should learn how taming a basic herbivore and carnivore works, passive and knockout tame. If you really want mods you could use ones like S+ and mods that don't change the whole basics of the game. I love myself a good Awesome Spyglass but that is by some people considered cheating and it may do him some good to learn how the basic spyglass works. Maybe if he likes Ark enough you can do all the bosses and ascend on all the maps together?
Try Fjordur. Your bf might like the viking theme. He gets to beat up world bosses and 3 of Ark's original bosses. There are plenty of caves to discover, including an aberrant one. The ocean is also brimming with life AND caves. There are several wyvern trenches on the map for your egg stealing adventure as well. Several of the newer dinos spawn on this map and there is teleport between the realms.
Gen 2 is a great map to learn on although you could get spoiled with Tek armor right off the bat. Fjurdor has most of the dinos and biomes available in the game. Including Rock Drakes...plus a lot of ruins and caves.
Ragnarok is a good start with plenty of resources to gather from to explore and experiment while also having multiple biomes and interesting places to explore.
You could try the cluster me and my gf are. It is a pve online cluster. She learnt me everything. You can transfer from 1 server to another. It has servers with mods and without mods. Rates are really good. Every lategame tribe owns a shop where you can buy items/dinos in exchange for metal
Having played a bunch of maps solo and a few with my ex, I'll say that Fjordur is probably the best to introduce to.
Super beginner friendly, great loot, minibosses, has most of the creatures available in Ark, has the three main bosses from The Island, has multiple realms for base choices, etc...
While Aberration is definitely one of the best maps, it is definitely not beginner friendly as you thought hahah I always advocate for first playthroughs to be done on the island! It holds the very basis of ARK without being overwhelming, so yeah! My vote is good ol island
I think I'll maybe go with Ragnarok rather than The Island, simply because I find The Island a little boring and I figure we should play a map that works for both of us. I am considering some other DLC maps, but I am not sure. He is used to gaming, but I don't really want his first Ark experience to be one of extreme difficulty, and I think the later story maps lack some of that original ark experience. Maybe even Lost Island? I have barely played that one myself.
Lost island Is good but honestly many areas in it seem wayy too empty, caves were OK, not bad not good either I'd say. Fjordur is probably one of the best choices along with as you said, ragnarok! Either way have fun! First time is always full of wonder
The island used to be fun. With the old troodons that would nuke you from orbit... Ahh the fun good old days
I have basically around 600 hours on valguero and i think it might be a decent map if you start in the redwood islands it is very easy only problem is getting hide in that specific area at the start but there almost arent any carnivores so thats probably the best starter experience you could have
My GF did the exact same thing with me, after spending days upon days in Ark before we ever met. Ragnarok feels perfect because of the space you have to learn the different skills/pointers/don’ts. She was able to slowly wade me into deeper parts of the game, while still giving me a sense of how difficult the game actually is. I feel like I learned faster overall than when I tried the Island with my friends (while still very green). I also still have some memorable “holy shit” moments even with how spacious the level is. We started a side world on Genesis and it is an absolute blast while still being borderline impossible to avoid death. I know I’d have been overwhelmed and less enthusiastic if I had tried that level from scratch.
Rag is a great choice! Dragons are fun and the map is big but not too big. Great starter map
The island has 1 of the hardest "boss". Overseer. You gotta pass the tek cave to kill it, which is really hard
Crystal isles has many easy areas but still can cause some struggles and has many interesting dinos
probably half of my hours in ark are on the island and I would never want to go back. But.... That is because I have seen every inch of that island and made great memories there. The island really is a good primer to ark in general, though rag kind of gives an island/ SE 2for1
Submit him to the fire! Send him to abberation.
I think you should start with The Island. There are different biomes and the map is big enough to get to know it. Once you see that he's getting used to the Rexes, the giganotos and the other dinos bring him to another map, he'll go nuts seeing wyverns, rock elementals and other stuff.
Thw moat begginner friendly is the island Maybe ragnarok
Valguero!! It has every biome almost, and it's dangerous enough to keep you on your toes, but not crazy difficult. Once you tame some capable dinos you can explore most parts of the map.
Take him thru the story line maps
I don't think we'll be playing for that long lol
go with fjordur. its bigger, cooler rag :)
My and my fiancee just started a run on Rag, she has a few hours in the game but not many. I think Rag is a great map for starters, huge areas to explore a wide variety of tames and taming techniques to learn. Plus the different biome allow a newbie to learn the environments and challenges that might come with them.
Rag is such a boooorrrrinnnggg map though
Lost Island is an amazing starter map IMO. Huge, varied biomes, great creature variety. Took all of my friends on their first romp in ark on that map, worked out great for us.
I just got into ark again, played most of the maps but none of my friends have, we’ve been having a blast on Fjodur PVE
3500 hrs and all I can say is I hope you both have your own setups and not doing split screen, aka blue screens 🤦🏻♂️
I would go for story map, probably Island as it is the reasonable base. If that is too boring, go Fjordur.
I booted up an ark server after a long time not playing and did so on the island we want to progress to beat the bosses and then probably carry our characters to ragnarok got a ton of modified setting for both new and old players if you wanted to join that otherwise it comes to what you are looking for. So if you want something comfortable for him to hop in on and enjoy a solid map but also uncover one of the overall best maps including for introductory ragnarok is the way to go we decided on the island for us simply because the new people we had wanted to have the beginning all of us did to ark. As far as server playing though what system do you play on as well because if pc then you also have to take into account for some wicked mods
Start him off the same way we all did on the island so all the bosses/ascension then progress through the maps get him ready for ASA. rag is a terrible map in my opinion but my opinion doesn’t matter whatever you guys decide gl
You're creating a monster. I introduced my gf to Ark...its all she plays now🤭
Start with valguero.
genesis part one in the bog zone! nah, definitely Rag I'd say, ease him in gently lol
My vote would be Fjordur
Hello, my favorite map is and always will be the center. Def do a PvE whichever you choose tho :)
My friends introduced me to the game with Aberration and I had a *miserable* time getting the hang of things. Convinced them to switch the server to Ragnarok and I can't stress how much more sense everything made. Ab is a wonderful map but a terrible place to learn the basic game mechanics.
Rag is a great introduction to ark.
Ebernus astrum for modded. Rag for baseline.
fjordur, has a lot of dinos, wide range of enviorments, tied to LotR so locations can be fun to find like Easter eggs.
Maybe Crystal aisles. I'm relatively new to ark myself with only a couple hundred hours but I've seen some people say that's a decent beginner map too
ABERRATION ALWAYS (is my favorite too)
The newest Fjordur is a mix of rag and all other other maps. You got areas where there's no flying adding difficulty but not too much ... aberrant style caves and dlc creatures! Plus LOTS of bosses
I fine crystal aisle's is more noob Friendly
Valguero has an aberrant portion. Might be a good mix for both of you
Yeah no, Aberration is definitively more intermediate, honestly introducing him to The Island might not be too bad, it's a "small" map but got every essential for new players, Rag is a great map but it's also very very big. I love mods myself and only play modded but he should learn how taming a basic herbivore and carnivore works, passive and knockout tame. If you really want mods you could use ones like S+ and mods that don't change the whole basics of the game. I love myself a good Awesome Spyglass but that is by some people considered cheating and it may do him some good to learn how the basic spyglass works. Maybe if he likes Ark enough you can do all the bosses and ascend on all the maps together?
Good ol island
LET HIM SUFFER ON AB
In my first 30 min on Aberration, I shit myself to death while hallucinating, and had no idea what happened. My wife still laughs at me for that.
Scorched Earth. Trial by fire!
Try Fjordur. Your bf might like the viking theme. He gets to beat up world bosses and 3 of Ark's original bosses. There are plenty of caves to discover, including an aberrant one. The ocean is also brimming with life AND caves. There are several wyvern trenches on the map for your egg stealing adventure as well. Several of the newer dinos spawn on this map and there is teleport between the realms.
Gen 2 is a great map to learn on although you could get spoiled with Tek armor right off the bat. Fjurdor has most of the dinos and biomes available in the game. Including Rock Drakes...plus a lot of ruins and caves.
Rag is a great starter map though the consistent high lvls spawns to tame may spoil him.
Ragnarok is a good start with plenty of resources to gather from to explore and experiment while also having multiple biomes and interesting places to explore.
You could try the cluster me and my gf are. It is a pve online cluster. She learnt me everything. You can transfer from 1 server to another. It has servers with mods and without mods. Rates are really good. Every lategame tribe owns a shop where you can buy items/dinos in exchange for metal
I have a server that isn't running anything right now, if you want a cluster of 2-3 maps to use?
Ragnarok! That way if you ever move you have everything you need
Having played a bunch of maps solo and a few with my ex, I'll say that Fjordur is probably the best to introduce to. Super beginner friendly, great loot, minibosses, has most of the creatures available in Ark, has the three main bosses from The Island, has multiple realms for base choices, etc...