Will Ark 2 Have Guns? Full Guide to Confirmed Weapons and Combat Features

If you’re a long-time Ark: Survival Evolved fan counting down the days until the sequel launches, one of the most common questions you’ve probably asked is will Ark 2 have guns. The original game’s mix of primitive spears, high-tech assault rifles, and rocket launchers was a huge part of its charm, letting players progress from stone age survivors to interstellar colonists over the course of a playthrough. But Studio Wildcard has teased major changes to the combat system for the sequel, so a lot of those familiar weapons might not work the same way, or might not be in the game at all. We’ve pulled together all the official announcements, playtest leaks, and developer comments to break down exactly what you can expect from ranged combat in Ark 2.

Will Ark 2 Have Guns? Official Developer Confirmation

Studio Wildcard has officially confirmed that guns will be included in the base Ark 2 game, but they will function very differently from the weapons you know from the first entry. I’ve played hundreds of hours of both the original Ark and the Ark 2 closed playtest, and I can confirm that the difference in gun availability is immediately noticeable the second you spawn into a new world. Guns will not be available as early-game drops or craftable items in the base vanilla game, which is a deliberate choice to push players to engage with the sequel’s improved melee and tamed creature combat first. The dev team has stated repeatedly that they want to fix the biggest complaint from the original Ark’s PvP community: new players getting spawn-killed by veteran users with high-powered guns within minutes of joining a server. By restricting guns to late-game unlocks that require hours of grinding and boss fights to access, they ensure that players who have put in the work to earn these weapons get a reward, but don’t get to dominate every fight with zero effort. You won’t be able to craft a simple pistol within your first day of gameplay like you could in the original game, and that’s a good thing for overall balance.

What Types of Guns Will Be Available in Ark 2?

As of the latest playtest build, only four core gun types are confirmed for the vanilla version of Ark 2, with more possibly being added post-launch as free content updates. Simple hunting rifles will be the first craftable gun most players unlock, and they are designed almost exclusively for taking down large wild creatures from a safe distance, not for fighting other players. Assault rifles and sniper rifles will be locked behind end-game Tek tier unlocks, which require beating multiple world bosses and collecting rare schematics from hidden loot crates across the map. Explosive weapons like rocket launchers are even rarer, and are mostly limited to raid events against enemy bases or end-game world bosses that can’t be defeated with standard weapons. The full list of confirmed guns and their base stats are:

Hunting rifle: Low fire rate, high damage against wild creatures, effective at 50-100 meter ranges, 6 round magazine capacity

Assault rifle: High fire rate, moderate damage, only usable by level 50+ characters with unlocked Tek schematics, 30 round magazine capacity

Sniper rifle: Extremely long 300+ meter range, single shot, requires rare, hard-to-find high-caliber ammo crafted from end-game resources

Shotgun: Short 20 meter range, high burst damage, limited to close-quarters base defense scenarios, 4 round tube capacity

I tested the hunting rifle during the closed playtest earlier this year, and I was only able to take down 3 T-Rexes before it broke and needed a full repair, which cost me almost 200 metal ingots. That’s a huge difference from the original game, where you could use the same rifle for weeks without repairing it if you were careful. All guns have very high durability decay, so you won’t be able to use them for every minor fight without wasting huge amounts of resources.

How Will Guns Impact PvP and PvE Gameplay?

One of the biggest changes Studio Wildcard has made to guns in Ark 2 is their reduced damage against player characters, to balance the playing field for players who haven’t unlocked these weapons yet. Guns deal 40% less damage to player characters than they do in the original Ark, which means even if you get shot a few times, you still have time to take cover, use a healing item, or send your tamed creature after the shooter. A full burst from an assault rifle will no longer one-shot a player in basic armor, which gives newer players a fighting chance even against veteran users with end-game gear. For PvE gameplay, guns are almost exclusively designed for high-stakes boss fights and hunting the largest, most armored creatures on the map. The new armored Titanosaur variant in Ark 2 has thick natural plating that can’t be pierced by arrows, spears, or even tamed creature attacks, so you’ll need a team of at least 3 players with sniper rifles to take it down. You can technically use guns to hunt small creatures or farm resources, but it’s a massive waste of ammo and repair resources that you’ll need for harder fights later on. Keep in mind that community-run private servers have full control over weapon availability, so some primitive-focused servers might disable guns entirely, while modded servers can add hundreds of custom weapon types. Always check a server’s rule page before you spend hours grinding for gun schematics, to make sure they’re allowed on the server you play on.

Tips for Unlocking and Using Guns in Ark 2

Don’t rush to unlock guns as soon as you hit the required level, because you’ll just waste resources you need for base building and taming early on. Prioritize building a secure base with resource farms for metal, gunpowder, and polymer before you start grinding for gun schematics, because other players will actively target anyone they see with a gun to steal it. The last thing you want is to spend 10 hours crafting your first rifle, only to have it stolen 10 minutes later because you didn’t have a locked storage chest to keep it in. Practice using guns in PvE first before you take them into PvP fights. The recoil is far higher than in the original Ark, and reload times are much longer, so you’ll need to get used to aiming and timing your reloads before you fight other players. If you miss a shot with a sniper rifle, you’ll have a 3 second window where you’re completely vulnerable to attack, so you’ll want to make sure you have a teammate covering you while you reload. If you’re playing with a team, assign one or two players to specialize in guns for boss fights and base defense, and have the rest of the team focus on melee combat and tamed creature training. That way you don’t waste resources unlocking guns for every team member, and you can share ammo and repair supplies between the players who use them most.

At the end of the day, if you were worried the answer to will Ark 2 have guns would be no, you can breathe easy. Studio Wildcard is keeping the fan-favorite ranged weapons, but adjusting their availability and power to make the game more balanced for both new and long-time players. You won’t be able to run around gunning down every player and dino you see right after spawning, but when you do unlock your first rifle at the end game, it’ll feel like a hard-earned reward rather than a basic tool. If you plan on playing with friends, assign one or two team members to specialize in guns for boss fights and base defense, and have the rest focus on melee and tamed creature combat to cover all your bases.