ARK: Survival Ascended — Valguero Map Guide
Valguero is one of the largest free expansion maps for ASA — a 63 km² remaster released October 2025 across Steam, PS5, and Xbox. It bundles snow deserts, chalk cliffs, volcanic ridges, lush valleys, an Aberration-style underground zone, and a unique enclosed underground ocean called The Abyss. Two ASA-exclusive creatures launched with it: Megaraptor and Elderclaw.
The Three Farming Zones
Valguero plays best when you treat it as three distinct farming zones, each with a different risk-reward profile:
Zone 1: Chalk Hills (Beginner-Friendly Powerhouse)
The single richest entry-level zone in the game. Resources here:
- Metal — surface and node deposits across the hill faces.
- Crystal — abundant on cliff edges and chalk outcrops.
- Obsidian — found in the volcanic seams running through the chalk.
- Cactus Sap — desert-edge plants near the southern hill base.
- Sand — the southern desert transition.
Combine chalk hills with the supply-drop loop overhead — drops cluster here, so you can run a metal+crystal+drop circuit per Argentavis loop.
Zone 2: Aberration Trench (High-Risk Specialty)
An underground biome modeled on the Aberration map. Radiation hazard requires Hazmat suit.
- Gems (Red, Green, Blue) — required for many late-game crafts.
- Element Dust from Earth Elementals.
- Specialty resources — Aberration-only creatures and drops.
Tames you bring need to be Aberration-compatible (Rock Drake, Reaper, Ravager). Most regular dinos refuse to enter.
Zone 3: Lake + Cave Network (Mid-Game Sweet Spot)
The central lake plus its connected cave system gives:
- Oil — submerged nodes around the lake floor.
- Pearls — same area; pair with Megalodon or Basilosaurus for safe gathering.
- Crystal — cave walls along the network.
- Fast progression resources — black pearls in the deeper cave segments.
Unique Map Features
| Feature | What's There |
|---|---|
| Wyvern Trench (double) | Ice Wyverns above, Fire Wyverns below. Egg-run paradise; high risk for unprepared players. |
| Aberration Trench | Underground biome with radiation. Aberration creatures only. |
| The Abyss (underground ocean) | Enclosed late-game ocean with Megalodons + Tusoteuthis spawns. Pearls, oil, black pearls. |
| Forsaken Oasis (triple-boss arena) | Endgame fight against three bosses simultaneously. Full tribe coordination required. |
| Rock Elemental variants | Unique color/biome variants distributed across hills + lava ridge. |
ASA-Exclusive Creatures
- Megaraptor — fast, pack-aggressive, mid-tier mount. Launched with Valguero ASA.
- Elderclaw — large crustacean variant, ASA-exclusive, found around the lake/cave network.
Recommended Path Through Valguero
- Spawn on the chalk hills for safer early-game and easy resource access.
- Tame an Argentavis within the first week for chalk-hills metal runs.
- Push to the lake + cave network for oil and pearls before crystal scarcity hits.
- Hazmat → Aberration trench for gems once you can craft the suit.
- Wyvern eggs → Wyvern trench at level 60+ with a fast flyer.
- Forsaken Oasis boss with full tribe gear at level 80+.
Hazards by Region
| Region | Hazard |
|---|---|
| Chalk Hills | Wyverns spawn on edges; alpha Carnos roam south. |
| Snow Deserts | Cold debuff (fur armor required); Yuty packs. |
| Aberration Trench | Radiation (Hazmat); Reapers; nameless ambushes. |
| Volcanic Ridges | Heat damage; alpha spawns. |
| The Abyss | Pressure damage at depth; Tusoteuthis grab; cold zone. |
Common Mistakes
- Going into the Aberration trench without a Hazmat suit — radiation kills in 30 seconds.
- Trying to fly into the cave system — most flyers can't reach the deeper sections.
- Skipping the chalk hills for snow biome metal — chalk hills give comparable yield with half the risk.
- Tackling Forsaken Oasis solo — three bosses simultaneously will wipe even high-level tames.
Run a tribe on Valguero. Host an ASA Valguero server with Supercraft and grind 63 km² without lag spikes.