How to get to level 190 in Ark?

Reaching the max level of 190 in Ark: Survival Evolved is an epic undertaking requiring you to conquer the game‘s most brutal challenges. But the payoff is worth it – gaining 100 extra levels to become an all-powerful survivor!

This comprehensive guide will walk you through exactly how to hit the level cap of 190 in Ark:

Clear All Bosses on Alpha Difficulty

Defeating all of Ark‘s end-game boss creatures on alpha difficulty is the biggest source of extra levels, providing a whopping 145 levels. Here are the bosses you‘ll need to take down:

The Island Bosses

• Megapithecus (giant gorilla) – 15 levels
• Broodmother Lysrix (giant spider) – 15 levels
• Dragon – 15 levels

Recommended tames: Bred and imprinted Rexes with 20k+ HP and 1k%+ melee damage. Yutyrannus for courage roar support.

Scorched Earth Boss

• Manticore – 15 levels

Recommended tames: Same as Island bosses. Mantis are useful too.

Aberration Boss

• Rockwell – 15 levels

Recommended tames: Imprinted Megalosaurus, Spinosaurs, and Ravagers recommended.

Extinction Titans

• Desert Titan – 10 levels
• Forest Titan – 10 levels
• Ice Titan – 10 levels

Recommended tames: Gachas for lootdrops to get tributes. Use a Mek to activate the titan fights.

Genesis Part 1 Boss

• Master Controller – 20 levels

Recommended tames: Bred and imprinted Tek Rexes, Therizinos, Megatheriums.

Genesis Part 2 Boss

• Rockwell Prime – 20 levels

Recommended tames: Same as Master Controller. Can also use X-Dinosaurs.

As you can see, defeating all the bosses on alpha will reward you with a whopping 145 extra levels! But it requires extensive preparation and breeding to take on these epic boss fights on the highest difficulty.

Popular Ark expert Phemeto recommends having Rexes with at least 40k health and 1.3k% melee damage for the Island bosses. Imprinting and 100% melee mutations will help reach these stats. The Broodmother may require Megatheriums instead due to its spider minions.

For the Master Controller and Rockwell Prime, breeding 18+ Tek Rexes with 50k+ health and 1.5k%+ melee is advised. Therizinos, Megatheriums, and X-Dinosaurs can also work.

Always bring top-tier saddle armor too – anything less than 124+ armor will get shredded. Other useful tames are Yutyrannus for courage boosting roars and Daeodons for quick healing.

With a solid breeding program and battle-hardened super dinos, you‘ll be ready to smash the alphas and earn those sweet, sweet levels.

Collect All Explorer Notes

Explorer notes are collectible lore items scattered across all the Ark maps. Finding them provides dossiers on creatures and story background. But more importantly, collecting all notes on a map gives you a big chunk of extra levels:

• The Island – 15 levels
• Scorched Earth – 5 levels
• Aberration – 5 levels
• Extinction – 10 levels
• Genesis Part 1 – 10 levels
• Genesis Part 2 – 10 levels

That‘s 55 additional levels from explorer notes!

Here are some tips for grabbing all notes efficiently:

• Use online maps and guides to find all locations
• Unlock ALL of Aberration‘s subsurface before hunting for notes
• Tame a Basilosaurus to access deep underwater notes
• Use a Bloodstalker to access cliff areas on Genesis
• Build a chem bench before collecting Extinction notes
• Collect Genesis notes RIGHT AWAY before mission complete

Some notes are in caves or on cliffs, so prepare with good climbing picks, wingsuits, zip lines, and tames. Collecting every last note takes time but nets you tons of extra levels.

Level Up a Chibi Pet

Chibi pets are cute miniature creatures you can acquire and level up for bonuses. Leveling a chibi pet from 1-5 will grant you 5 extra levels for your survivor character.

You can get chibi pets as random loot during holiday events or by completing certain pursuits on Genesis Part 1 and 2. Once you have a chibi pet, level it up by:

• Killing creatures (dino kills give the most XP)
• Using chibi-xp potions
• Timed-use chibi xp consumables

Chibis take a while to level since they gain XP slowly. But they provide a small level bump once fully grown. Plus, who doesn‘t want an adorable shoulder companion?

Result: Max Level 190!

By completing all of the above steps – conquering bosses on alpha, finding all explorer notes, and raising a chibi – you will have earned a grand total of 205 extra levels!

Added to the standard 105 levels you get from gathering XP normally, this will bring your final survivor level to the maximum of 190!

Reaching level 190 requires an insane amount of work – you‘ll need to mutate and breed endless super dinos, craft top-tier weapons and gear, and devote yourself completely. As Ark expert Syntac says: "It‘s not gonna be easy. But trust me, the payoff is worth it!"

Here are the level breakdowns:

After hundreds of brutal boss battles and grinding every explorer note, you‘ll have joined the elite ranks of max level Ark survivors! Now get out there and start your journey to level 190!