Ark Extinction: How to get Element Dust and tame Enforcers

The latest DLC for Ark: Survival Evolved brought with it a ton of new creatures to tame and items to scavenge - but some of these toys require new resources to craft. Here’s where to find and farm Element Dust in Ark Extinction.

How to get Element Dust in Ark Extinction

Element Dust isn’t just a one-trick-pony, it’s a vital resource that has a variety of uses throughout Ark’s new Extinction DLC. First off, it powers the cool new drone - the Scout - which lets you scour an area from above, highlighting the life below.

Secondly, Element Dust is needed to craft certain blueprints that you loot from Enforcers. You can take these blueprints to a City Terminal, where you can then make an Enforcer for yourself. Once you’ve made an Enforcer, you’ll have to keep its inventory stocked with Element Dust instead of food.

Enforcer blueprints require a heck of a lot more Element Dust than just powering your scout, especially as their quality increases. They go from Primitive through Ramshackle, Apprentice, and Journeyman to Mastercraft and Ascendant just like other items in Ark.

Higher level wild Enforcers drop better quality blueprints, and this is the only way you can tame them.

There are two main methods for collecting Element Dust in Ark Extinction.

If you’re only after small amounts for things like powering your scout, then you can hit the lampposts in the Great City with your pickaxe or axe to collect some Element Dust.

For farming larger amounts of Element Dust you’re going to have to get it from killing Enforcers themselves. They drop it in addition to blueprints, which makes sense really, seeing as they’re powered by it.

We’ve also seen reports of players getting Element Dust from the new Orbital Supply Drops.

Extinction is the final DLC that will be released as part of Ark’s season pass, with developer Studio Wildcard celebrating the milestone by making the base version of Ark free-to-play until November 11.