One of the first things people do when they crash on a deserted island is build a hut, so the wind and rain don’t make them miserable or worse. You should do the same sort of thing in Ark: Survival Evolved, and our handy guide will tell you just how to do it.

Level Up a Bit

You should start by quickly leveling up your character to level 4, which unlocks building options such as the Thatch Wall, Thatch Roof, Thatch Doorway, and so forth. Those materials are essential to building a delightful abode. If you’re having trouble gaining the required levels, just spend more time gathering resources and fighting any of the smaller dinosaurs you happen across.

Gather Supplies

You need a few types of resource to build your house, even once you have gained the know-how to put Thatch to work for you. Fortunately, those materials are all easy to obtain. Fiber is found by uprooting the small berry bushes you find scattered around the ground, and you can get Wood and Thatch by chopping down trees. The tool you rely on to deforest the world determines the yield. Go with the Axe if you want more Wood, or the Pickaxe if you want Thatch.

Begin Crafting

When your supplies are in hand, it’s time to craft. Open up your inventory menu and select the Crafting tab. You should see a few active Engrams. If there are grayed out ones, you can hover over them to see what supplies you still need to produce them. When you’re starting out, though, you’ll just want to keep things simple.

Start Small

You might go on to build a proper mansion someday, but your initial dwelling should be rather small. You can always expand it as the resources become available. At first, focus on producing a Thatch Foundation, a Thatch Doorway, a Thatch Door, and seven Thatch Wall panels. Those particular supplies let you fashion a 2x2 square home, since the door counts as one of your side panels. Then you should finish up by creating four Thatch Roof pieces, allowing you to properly enclose your hut.

Would you like some additional survival tips? If so, you might want to start by checking out our Ark: Survival Evolved guides detailing how to get food and water, or how to tame dinosaurs.