Okay, let’s talk about mapping out Fjordur in ARK. It’s a big map, lots to see, lots to grab.
Getting Started – The Why
So, I’d been playing on Fjordur for a while. Great map, really enjoy the different realms. But finding specific resources consistently? Man, sometimes it felt like a chore. You know how it is, you need metal, like, a lot of metal, or maybe some crystal or obsidian for the fancy stuff. Flying around randomly hoping to spot nodes gets old fast. I looked at some maps online, sure, but they either didn’t feel quite right or weren’t detailed in the spots I cared about. I figured, why not just make my own? Keep track of the good spots I find myself. Seemed like a practical thing to do.
The Exploration Grind
First step was just… flying. A lot. Grabbed my trusty Argentavis – good carry weight, decent speed, can fight off most annoyances. I started systematically, kinda grid-by-grid, in Midgard initially. Flew low, keeping my eyes peeled. When I saw a decent cluster of nodes, say metal or crystal, I’d land.
I started taking notes, old school style at first. Just jotting down rough descriptions: “big metal cluster on the snowy mountain peak near the green obelisk,” or “obsidian down in that volcano cave entrance.” Sometimes I’d take screenshots with the in-game coordinates visible, that helped later.
This took time. Days, really. Covered Midgard’s main areas, then ventured into the other realms:
- Asgard: Flew around the floating islands, checked the valleys. Different vibe, different dangers.
- Vanaheim: Explored the forests and those big tree areas. Resources felt a bit more spread out here.
- Jotunheim: The cold one. Had my fur gear ready. Lots of good stuff but harsh conditions.
I focused on the main things most people need: Metal, Crystal, Obsidian, Oil (both nodes and underwater), Silica Pearls, later adding things like Black Pearls and specific rare spawns if I stumbled on reliable spots.
Putting it on a Map
Okay, so I had all these notes and screenshots. Now I needed to actually make the map visual. I grabbed a clean, high-res image of the Fjordur map itself to use as a base. You can find these easily if you search around a bit.
Then, I opened it up in some basic image editing software. Nothing fancy, just something that lets you draw dots or place icons. I started translating my notes onto the map image. I decided on a simple color code:
- Yellow dots for Metal
- White dots for Crystal
- Black dots for Obsidian
- Blue dots for Silica Pearls
- Maybe a different shape or color for Oil, like a darker grey maybe.
It was painstaking work. Comparing my screenshots, trying to pinpoint the exact location on the base map image. Sometimes I’d have to fly back in-game to double-check a spot. “Was it this hill or the next one over?” That kind of thing happened quite a bit.
Refining the Mess
After the first pass, it looked a bit chaotic. Just dots everywhere. So, I went back over it. If I found a really dense area, like a mountainside just packed with metal, instead of ten tiny dots, I might use a slightly larger dot or circle the area to show it was a rich zone. Cleaned it up visually.
I also tried to mark some of the trickier spots, like cave entrances that led to resources. Maybe added a small ‘C’ marker or something near the dot.
The Result – My Own Go-To Guide
So, after all that flying, note-taking, and pixel-pushing, I ended up with a pretty decent resource map of Fjordur. It’s tailored to the spots I found reliable. It’s not perfect, I’m sure there are nodes I missed, but it covers the big ones and the important clusters really well for my needs.
Now, when I need, say, a quick metal run, I just glance at my map, pick the nearest or richest spot I’ve marked, and off I go. Saves a ton of time just aimlessly searching. It was a bit of a project, took longer than I thought, but totally worth it for the convenience. Just sharing how I went about it, in case anyone else feels like making their own personalized guide.
