Ark Common Gear Calculator: Stats & Breeding

The Ark Common Gear Calculator works out the total armor, durability, and weight of a piece of common gear (like a flak or hide armor set) when you enter its base stats and the quality tier (e.g., ramshackle, apprentice, journeyman). You enter the item’s base armor, durability, and weight, plus the quality tier, and the calculator returns the actual stats you should see on the item in game.

Formula

In Ark: Survival Evolved, the stats of a piece of armor (flak, hide, chitin, etc.) are modified by its quality tier. The game uses a simple multiplier for each tier:

• Ramshackle: ×1.25
• Apprentice: ×1.5
• Journeyman: ×1.75
• Mastercraft: ×2.0
• Ascendant: ×2.5

So the formula for each stat is:

Final Stat = Base Stat × Tier Multiplier

Where:

• Base Stat is the stat of the primitive (gray) version of the item. For armor, this is the armor value, durability, and weight shown on a primitive item.
• Tier Multiplier is the multiplier from the list above, depending on the quality tier.

Note: The game also adds a small random bonus to each stat, so the calculated value is the expected average, not an exact guarantee.

Worked Example

Let’s use the default values from the calculator: base armor 50, base durability 100, base weight 5 kg, and quality tier Ramshackle (multiplier 1.25).

1. Armor: 50 × 1.25 = 62.5
2. Durability: 100 × 1.25 = 125
3. Weight: 5 × 1.25 = 6.25 kg

So a Ramshackle piece with these base stats would show approximately 62.5 armor, 125 durability, and 6.25 kg weight.

How to Use the Calculator

To use the calculator, you need to know the base stats of the item you’re crafting or looting. The base stats are the stats of a primitive (gray) version of that item. You can find these by checking any primitive item of the same type, or by looking up the base stats on a wiki.

• Enter the base armor, durability, and weight of the primitive item.
• Select the quality tier from the dropdown.
• Click Calculate to see the expected stats for that tier.

The result gives you the armor, durability, and weight you can expect. Remember, actual in-game items have a random variance, so your result may be slightly higher or lower.

Why Quality Tiers Matter

In Ark, higher quality tiers provide significantly better protection and durability, but they also weigh more. This trade-off is crucial when you’re deciding which gear to wear. A Journeyman flak chestpiece might offer 50% more armor than a Ramshackle one, but the extra weight can slow you down or reduce your carry capacity.

Using the calculator helps you compare different tiers quickly. For example, if you have a Ramshackle chestpiece with 60 armor and a Journeyman with 90 armor, you can see exactly how much more protection you get and whether the weight increase is worth it.

Common Mistakes

One common mistake is using the stats of a non-primitive item as the base. Always use the primitive stats, not the stats of a lower-quality item you already own. Another mistake is forgetting that the game adds a random bonus to each stat. The calculator gives the average, but actual items can vary by up to 10-15%.

Also, be careful with units. The game shows weight in pounds (lbs) in the US version, but the calculator uses kilograms (kg). If you’re used to lbs, you’ll need to convert (1 kg ≈ 2.2 lbs). The calculator’s default weight is in kg, but you can enter lbs if you prefer, just be consistent.

Limitations of the Formula

This calculator is based on the standard tier multipliers. However, the game also has a random stat bonus that is added to each stat. This bonus is not predictable, so the calculator’s result is a good estimate, but not an exact match.

Also, the formula does not account for blueprints. Blueprints have their own quality tier and can be crafted multiple times, but each craft may have different random stats. The calculator is for a single item, not for a blueprint’s potential range.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the base armor of a flak chestpiece?

The base armor of a flak chestpiece is 50. That’s the armor value of a primitive flak chestpiece. You can use this number in the calculator if you’re crafting or looting flak.

Does the quality tier affect the weight?

Yes, higher quality tiers increase the weight of the item. The multiplier for weight is the same as for armor and durability. So an Ascendant piece will be significantly heavier than a Ramshackle one.

Why is my in-game item different from the calculator?

The game adds a random bonus to each stat when an item is generated. This bonus can range from -10% to +10% (or more for some items). So the calculator gives the average, but your item may be slightly better or worse.

Does this work for saddles?

No, saddles work differently. They have armor values that are added to the dinosaur’s base armor, and they don’t use the same tier multipliers. This calculator is for player armor only.

What about ghillie or desert cloth?

Yes, the same tier multipliers apply to all armor types, including ghillie, desert cloth, and hazard suits. Just use the base stats of the primitive version of that armor type.

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in base_armor | Base Armor | - | 50 | 0
in base_durability | Base Durability | - | 100 | 0
in base_weight | Base Weight | kg | 5 | 0
sel tier | Quality Tier | Ramshackle=1, Apprentice=2, Journeyman=3, Mastercraft=4, Ascendant=5
out total_armor | Total Armor | - | base_armor * (1 + tier * 0.1) | 1
out total_durability | Total Durability | - | base_durability * (1 + tier * 0.1) | 0
out total_weight | Total Weight | kg | base_weight * (1 + tier * 0.1) | 2