Chitin
cheat giveitemnum 11 1 0 0
or
cheat gfi Chitin 1 0 0
or
cheat giveitem "Blueprint'/Game/PrimalEarth/CoreBlueprints/Resources/PrimalItemResource_Chitin.PrimalItemResource_Chitin'" 1 0 0

Chitin (Ky-tin) is a resource in ARK: Survival Evolved. It's a polymer and characteristic component of exoskeletons, radulae, beaks, shells and various other physical structures in organisms throughout history.
Gathering
Chitin can be acquired by harvesting corpses with most tools and dinosaurs.
![]() | |
---|---|
Creature / Tool | Gain per action |
![]() | ★★★★★ |
![]() | ★★★★★ |
![]() | ★★★★★ |
![]() | ★★★★☆ |
![]() | ★★★★☆ |
![]() | ★★★★☆ |
![]() | ★★★★☆ |
![]() | ★★★☆☆ |
![]() | ★★★☆☆ |
![]() | ★★★☆☆ |
The most efficient way to harvest Chitin is by using a tamed Megatherium,
Direwolf,
Sabertooth or
Therizinosaur (headbutt with delicate collection leveled up) with high melee damage. A tamed
Diplocaulus can also be used to gather Chitin by killing
Trilobites. Another highly efficient tool for harvesting it is the
Metal Hatchet with the metal pike yielding similar efficiency. The pike holds the advantage of more precise hits against small chitin-droppers like
Meganeuras. Chitin can be harvested with a
Stone Hatchet and
Picks as well; other low level items will only occasionally harvest Chitin.
Another efficient way to farm Chitin seems to be killing scorpions and spiders in caves with a Direwolf skilled on melee damage. A
Sabertooth will gather just as efficiently but has lower base damage. This method can grant up to 500 Chitin in 10 minutes. Another good way to farm Chitin is to kill
Trilobites,
Meganeuras or
Titanomyrmas at the beach and surrounding areas, harvesting them with a
Hatchet or a
Sabertooth. If you are in a forest or swamp, you can also kill a random dinosaur and leave the corpse. Often a swarm of
Meganeura will come to the corpse, and you can kill them all at once to gather chitin. Farming
Karkinos on Valguero or Aberration can be an effective way of gathering large amounts of Chitin, so long as you have a strong enough tame.
Another way to farm Chitin is to kill a creature, and let the corpse rot without harvesting it. In some regions, this will attract insects. Using a Beelzebufo to kill/harvest the insects will not only result in a much more Chitin, but your frog will also directly produce a sizable amount of cementing paste as well.
Additionally, in Crystal Isles, Chitin can be harvested from Anthills in large quantities, as well as from the Titanomyrma and
Dung Beetles that spawn around them.
Weight Reduction
The following creatures reduce the weight of Chitin by the listed amount while it is in their inventory:
Creature | Reduction |
---|---|
![]() | 50% |
![]() | 50% |
Dropped by
Chitin drops from the following creatures:
Achatina
Araneo
Arthropluera
Beacon
Bloodstalker
Diseased Leech
Dung Beetle
Dunkleosteus
Eurypterid
Glowbug
Insect Swarm
Karkinos
Leech
Lymantria
Mantis
Meganeura
Oil Jug Bug
Pulmonoscorpius
Titanomyrma
Trilobite
Water Jug Bug
Crafting
Chitin can be used to craft the following items:
Bladewasp Hive
Chitin Boots
Chitin Chestpiece
Chitin Gauntlets
Chitin Helmet
Chitin Leggings
Aerial Symbiote
Chitin can also be used as an alternative to Keratin to craft the following items:
Araneo Saddle
Argentavis Saddle
Blood Extraction Syringe
Carcharo Saddle
Cementing Paste
Gacha Saddle
Gasbags Saddle
Kaprosuchus Saddle
Lymantria Saddle
Managarmr Saddle
Pelagornis Saddle
Pteranodon Saddle
SCUBA Flippers
Silencer Attachment
Snow Owl Saddle
Velonasaur Saddle
Video
Notes/Trivia
- Chitin is a polysaccharide of N-acetylglucosamine, a derivative of glucose (a common sugar).
- Normally Chitin is colorless. The known browning (as well as the strength) of the shells of insects is caused by sclerotin, a structural protein.
- The shells of crustaceans and mollusks are formed of a composite of chitin and calcium carbonate.
- Chitin is also used as food to tame the Archaeopteryx
Changelog
Patch | ![]() |
---|---|
252.8 | Chitin can be placed in Feeding Troughs |
309.4 | Insect swarms now give chitin instead of hide |
329.27 | Added Chitin to the Meat Plants in the Corrupt Cave |