Changing bases in Ark: Survival Evolved can be necessary for a bunch of different reasons. Maybe a nasty neighbor has moved in next door and there’s not enough room for the two of you. Maybe you’ve outgrown your current location and want to move to a more sizeable location.

Whatever the case, moving bases can be a big ordeal, especially if you’ve been located in one location for long enough that you’ve accumulated a lot of crafting materials and dinosaurs. Not only that, you’ve got to consider the dangers that lurk outside your walls. Enemy tribes, vicious dinos and tough terrain can all cause you to lose your cargo, setting you back to square one.

Scouting the Path

Before you even start packing your base up, it’s a good idea to scout the path to your new location thoroughly. Make not of any tough spots you’ll need to cross like water, swamps, or especially rocky areas where dinosaurs can get hung up.

When the moving begins you should have one of your tribe scouting ahead for the stuff you can’t plan for like dino spawns and other players. The spyglass is a great tool for getting a sight on distant enemies and dinos.

Creatures that are the most well-known for taking out convoys of dinosaurs are Megapirannha that stalk almost every body of water, rogue Carnos, and enemy tribes. Wherever you are, move as quickly as you can and get your initial walls setup to provide a safe haven for your dinos.

Pick the Best Dinosaurs

Certain dinosaurs make better pack animals than others. Ideally you want to go for dinos that have a lot of health and carrying capacity like the Bronto, Mammoth, or Trike. Just be sure you have their aggression stance turned to passive so they don’t go running off chasing other dinos.

Large carnivorous dinosaurs also make good pack animals, but usually can’t carry as much as the large herbivores. If you really want to move in style though, you’ll want to get your hands on a Quetzal.

The giant birds are capable of carrying large amounts of weight, plus you don’t have to deal with all of the dangers the ground holds. They are a bit of an investment to tame, but are capable of moving most large bases on their own in just a few trips.

Pack Light

That’s not to say pack less, but rather pack more efficiently. Often crafted goods like walls and foundations weigh less put together than their individual materials, so craft them before loading them onto your dinos for transport.

You should also make sure not to overburden your dinosaurs. The more overweight they are the slower they’ll move, which means instant death if you get caught out by a rex or spino.

Protect the Convoy

Ideally you should have multiple tribe members watching the convoy as you travel, but if you’re playing solo or only have one other person things can get a little trickier. To protect yourself (and your dinos if you get killed) you should be mounted on the strongest dino you have.

Carnos or even raptors are good for running convoy defense because they pack a punch and can move to the trouble spots quickly. If you can’t get one of those you’ll want to get one of the heavy hitting herbivores like the Trike or the Steggo. Saddle them up and lead the rest of the herd to your new home.