Ark Survival Ascended Guide | Top 15 Best Ratholes and Hidden Base Locations (Genesis Part 1)

Ratholes are still the safest way to hold ground in PvP on Genesis Part 1, and ARK: Survival Ascended hides most of the good ones underwater in the Ocean Biome, where creatures cannot follow you in. Others sit on top of mission areas, which give free protection because nobody can build there. These are the fifteen worth claiming.

At 4, 92.5 there is room for one or two people and beds work, but the wide entrance lets most creatures in. At 8.4, 92.5 the entrance is far tighter, with space only for a couple of Cryofridges, a Teleporter, and storage. At 4.3, 92.5 you get more room and a small entrance leading straight down, which makes it easy to knock attackers off their tames.

The hole at 62, 68.4 is vertical and must be built from the top down. Its entrance only fits a person, so no creature gets in, and every station fits except the Tek Replicator. Nearby at 66.8, 69.9 is the first large spot, a deep cut you swim into with a back wall made for turrets. Tek Replicators, Industrial Forges, and breeding all fit, but the entrance is easy to swim through, so cover it heavily.

At 64.1, 71.5, the hole is small and cramped, though the narrow entrance blocks creatures. The spot at 67.7, 41.5 holds a tribe of three or more, and creatures cannot pass the second section of its entrance. One thin wall lets meshers drop in, so keep batteries in your turrets.

The best is 18.3, 20.5, where the entrance stops every creature, the surrounding mesh is layered and hard to break, and there is space for beds, turrets, and Vacuum Compartments.

Mission Pillars and Hidden Tree Bases

The metal structure at 94.5, 64.3 sits above a mission, so nobody can drop a base beneath you, and half the pillar falls inside the no-build zone, so attackers cannot build their way up. Cover it with Tek Turrets from bottom to top and add Cliff Platforms for living space.

The tree at 89.2, 75.4 works the same way. Put turrets on the trunk, then place a foundation to find the edge of the mission box, because a few gaps still allow a single enemy foundation. The small pillar at 56.8, 79.2 is the early-game option, protected from tunneling by another mission.

Lunar Biome World Border Spots

The spot at 31, 0.5 uses the world border itself. Build a Cliff Platform on the rocks as deep as you can, since anything below it gets teleported to the surface, then place further platforms outside that barrier and refuel your generator from range.

The spot at 7.7, 45.7 is better covered from above, making it harder to raid but also a late-game project, and 2.1, 35.7 and 12.2, 0.7 are identical setups further out.

The hole at 18.3, 20.5 is the strongest rathole in ARK: Survival Ascended Genesis Part 1, since no creature can enter and the layered mesh resists meshing.

FAQ

Q. Can you build inside a mission area?

A. No, which is why the pillar and tree spots are so strong. Press H for the extended HUD, and the no-build zones show as orange and purple boxes.

Q. Are there good ratholes in the Arctic or Volcanic Biome?

A. Not right now. Only mesh holes, which get patched quickly, so stick to the Ocean Biome and the mission pillars.

Q. Do beds work in these ratholes?

A. Beds work in most of the ocean spots, including 4, 92.5, 18.3, and 20.5, so you can respawn inside.