Lower South Cave

Lower South Cave is referred to as "Cave in the South" in ARK: Survival Evolved Mobile

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Cave in the South of the Island

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Interior Map

Location

Map

The Island

Location

80.3° Lat, 53.5° Lon

Climate

Biome

Jungle

Temperature

50F

Loot

Artifact of the Hunter
83.5° Lat, 56.0° Lon

Artifact level

40

Loot quality

Green

This cave is in the south-central part of the Island, just north of the sandy cove. It can easily be reached on foot from the eastern bank of the river just west of the cove. Begin your trek at approximately (81.2, 49.5) and head east into the small ravine. Cave entrance is in the right cliff wall, a few hundred meters from the beach.

The Lower South Cave is one of the easiest caves on the island, though it is still significantly more dangerous than anything in the nearby surface environment. Multiple creatures will slow and tranquilize the survivor as they swarm to the fight, and narrow, twisty passages can make a hasty retreat difficult.

Dangers

Cold, though not enough to cause hypothermia (50F inside the cave)
Looping, similar-looking paths can cause disorientation
Ambushes from cave creatures lurking in crevices and dropping from holes in the ceiling - watch your back!
Torpidity induced by Arthropluera, Pulmonoscorpius, Titanoboa, and Araneo
Mega Rabies from Megalania attacks
Web attacks from Araneo will slow the survivor
Significant risk to armor from Arthropluera's acid attack
Surprise attacks from sleeping Megalosaurus if you stay in the cave as day turns to night
Waters full of Sarcosuchus and Piranha

Creatures

Resources

Loot Drops (Items & Blueprints)

See: Loot Tables/The Island/Caves

in the section Generic Caves, Green - Level 10

Recommended Equipment

The equipment recommendations below are likely sufficient for a single trip through the cave, without carting out all of the metal, obsidian, and crystal. If you plan on looting the cave completely (or returning often), you may want to bring supplies to build a Smithy within the cave to repair armor.

The cave contains limited quantities of plants for Fiber and various berries, but no trees (so no Wood or Thatch). You will be able to harvest mass quantities of Raw Meat, Raw Prime Meat, and Raw Fish Meat while in the cave, so a Campfire can be handy to replenish food supplies.

Chitin Armor, Fur Armor or better
- SCUBA Armor or a mountable swimming tame such as Beelzebufo for underwater loot crates
3 × Torch
Pike
3 × Bug Repellant
30 × Cooked Meat
5 × Medical Brew
20 × Stimulant or 100 × Stimberries to counteract Torpor-inducing attacks
Bow, Crossbow, Shotgun, or Pump-Action Shotgun
60 × Stone Arrow or 60 × Simple Shotgun Ammo
2 × Water Jar or 2 × Waterskin or Canteen
10 × Standing Torch to aid in navigation

Tips

Using Bug Repellant will make it easier to avoid Araneo and Arthropluera, however they are usually palling around with Titanoboa so you may have to do careful aggro of the snakes to draw them away
If cave navigation is a concern, place Standing Torch on the left side of cave paths as you descend; when exiting, keep the torches on your right to be sure you are heading in the correct direction
You can speed-run to the Artifact and back by going left at the first T, then left in the first large room and dropping off the cliff (into a nest of creatures, beware!). Escape back up the cliff using a Grappling Hook or by riding a Beelzebufo. On Mobile version you can climb up the cliff by jumping on the left corner of it (there is a small natural rim there, may take a couple tries)
The lakes have only small "beach" areas where you can safely exit the water; do not jump into a lake without knowing where the "beach" is!
Non-flying tames following you on Neutral or Aggressive will launch themselves off cliffs to defend you and may occasionally stumble down a cliff even if not aggro'd; tell them to Stop well back from any cliff before you walk up to it
Since one can farm a lot of Chitin and Hide (not to mention Experience) from the creatures in the cave, it's a good idea to wear Chitin Armor while farming. If Arthroplueras break your armor, all you need is fiber (available from plants within the cave) and a nearby Smithy or Castoroides to repair it!
A full looting of the cave (including lakes) will net several stacks of Metal and Crystal and a few stacks of Obsidian (most of this is in the lakes)
There are several Crystal nodes (but no Metal or Obsidian) which can be encountered before you reach points where creatures spawn
Of the eight cavedrop/loot crate locations shown on the map, only two will be active at a time. Don't forget to check the lakes: three of the potential drop locations are underwater! Note: No loot crate on Mobile.
There is a cul-de-sac at the bottom of a spiraling ramp near the entrance to the cave where creatures can be led and trapped and shot at from above. This area is very safe for taming, being far away from the areas where creatures begin to spawn, yet deep enough into the cave that a battle with surface predators or enemy tribe members at the entrance to the cave likely won't disturb a tame.
At night, a Megalosaurus is the safest choice for a mount inside the cave. Not only is it too big to be grabbed by other active Megalosaurs, it also lifts the rider above the level of an Arthropluera's spit attack. Just don't forget to leave before morning!
Allosaurus is the largest creature that can enter the Lower South Cave, which means you can ride an Allosaurus into the cave and cave creatures will ignore you if you don’t attack them.
Take caution, as Megalania will deal Mega Rabies, leaving most players below 300HP to die a slow and annoying death. Bring healing items! Note: Not on Mobile.

Compatible Tamed Creatures

This table is incomplete.
You can help us by adding the tamed creatures you know can enter the cave. If the creature can't enter, please exclude it.

Accessibility Ratings:

Excellent: Full-Cave Access (Entrance-to-Artifact)
Limited: Can Access Portions of the Cave Safely
Not Recommended: Can Get Stuck/Unable to Leave Cave

Creature	Accessibility	Rideable	Notes
Allosaurus	Limited	Yes	Cannot enter the final room, sometimes, during leaving the cave, you have to mine crystal in order to access
Archaeopteryx	Excellent	No	Can be carried in and out by player.
Argentavis	Limited	Unofficial/ Single-Player	Can explore most of the cave, but can become stuck near the artifact and unable to leave.
Arthropluera	Not Recommended	Yes	Will be unable to leave cave.
Baryonyx	Limited	Yes	Cannot enter the artifact room.
Beelzebufo	Excellent	Yes	Finicky to get it through the smaller artifact chamber opening; recommend leaving it outside or going long way around to the taller opening. (Verified Xbox v790.19)
Carbonemys	Excellent	Yes
Carnotaurus	Limited	Yes	Cannot enter final room.
Castoroides	Excellent	Yes	Can be used to repair armor and weapons.
Chalicotherium	Excellent	Yes	Can explore majority of the cave and is effective against enemies.
Coelacanth	Limited	No	Can be brought in using a Fish Basket . But can only be released in into the water in the cave.
Compy	Excellent	No	Can keep one on shoulder or bring a whole pack.
Daeodon	Excellent	Yes
Dilophosaur	Excellent	No	Can bring one in or bring a whole pack.
Dimetrodon	Excellent	No
Dimorphodon	Excellent	No	Can keep one on shoulder or bring a whole flock.
Diplocaulus	Excellent	Yes
Direbear	Limited	Yes	Cannot enter artifact room. Mining of crystal deposits near entrance is sometimes necessary to exit smoothly.
Direwolf	Excellent	Yes	Can mount and ride one or bring a whole pack.
Doedicurus	Excellent	Yes
Dodo	Excellent	No	Can be carried in and out by player.
Dung Beetle	Excellent	No	Can be carried in and out by player.
Enforcer	Limited	Yes	Cannot enter the artifact chamber.
Equus	Excellent	Yes
Gallimimus	Excellent	Yes
Gigantopithecus	Excellent	Yes
Hesperornis	Excellent	No	Can be carried on shoulder.
Hyaenodon	Excellent	No	Can bring one in or bring a whole pack.
Ichthyornis	Excellent	No	Can be carried on shoulder.
Iguanodon	Excellent	Yes	Can not enter final room.
Jerboa	Excellent	No	Can be carried by player.
Kaprosuchus	Excellent	Yes
Kairuku	Excellent	No	Can be carried in and out by player.
Kentrosaurus	Excellent	No
Lystrosaurus	Excellent	No
Megaloceros	Not Recommended	Yes	Can enter but will hit an 'invisible wall' further in that prevents entry.
Megalosaurus	Limited	Yes	Can reach all rooms but the artifact chamber. Can get stuck in lakes if not ridden out.
Megatherium	Limited	Yes	Can enter but have problems with exit. It's possible but difficult.
Mesopithecus	Excellent	No	Can keep on shoulder or can bring a whole troop.
Microraptor	Excellent	No	Can keep on shoulder or bring a whole flock.
Moschops	Excellent	Yes	Really good for killing Araneos.
Onyc	Excellent	No
Otter	Excellent	No	Can be carried on shoulder.
Oviraptor	Excellent	No
Ovis	Excellent	Yes
Pachy	Excellent	Yes
Pachyrhinosaurus	Excellent	Yes
Parasaur	Excellent	Yes
Pelagornis	Excellent	Unofficial/ Single-Player
Pegomastax	Excellent	No	Can be carried on shoulder.
Phiomia	Excellent	Yes
Piranha	Limited	No	Can be brought in using a Fish Basket . But can only be released into the water in the cave
Procoptodon	Excellent	Yes
Pteranodon	Excellent	Unofficial/ Single-Player	Official Servers: Cannot mount in cave. Unofficial/Single-Player: Requires server setting -ForceAllowCaveFlyers to mount.
Purlovia	Excellent	No
Raptor	Excellent	Yes	Can mount and ride one in or bring a pack.
Ravager	Excellent	Yes
Sabertooth Salmon	Limited	No	Can be brought in using a Fish Basket . But can only be released into the water in the cave.
Sabertooth	Excellent	Yes	Got changed, invisible wall is gone.
Sarco	Limited	Yes	Can't make it down the first narrow path
Scorpion	Excellent	Yes	Can leave cave, tested 257.48
Spider	Excellent	Yes
Terror Bird	Excellent	Yes	Can mount and ride one in or bring a flock.
Therizinosaur	Not Recommended	Yes	Can not enter it's head also get stuck in the ceiling at the entrance of the cave.
Thorny Dragon	Excellent	Yes
Thylacoleo	Limited	Yes	You will have to do some jumping to get in and out and it can't get in the artifact room.
Titanoboa	Excellent
Triceratops	Not Recommended	Yes	Can get in, but gets stuck. Charge into first area, then reverse.
Troodon	Excellent	No	Can bring one in or bring whole a pack.
Vulture	Excellent	No	Can keep on shoulder or bring a whole flock.

Notes

Considered one of the easiest caves, very good for farming experience. The green area where the tunnel forks in a "T" leading down to the areas with the Explorer Notes and the area with the Artifact of the Hunter marks the start of where creatures begin to spawn, but beware: they may chase players to areas closer towards the entrance!
As of version 242.x, there is still a bug just inside the entrance to the cave at approximately 82.3 52.9 that will teleport you to the surface or fall through the world. Try to attempt one or more of the following as a workaround:
- Run and jump through the teleportation point.
- Crawl (prone) through the teleportation point.
- Walk along the left wall (without touching the wall).
- Remove any items from your hands (or hotbar).
There are two dossier notes in this location; one for Kaprosuchus and one for Leeches.
Apparently, Allosaurus is the largest creature that can fit this cave.

Gallery

Cave Entrance
Inside the Cave
The Great Hall inside the Cave
old Cavelayout prior to 254.0