Is Ragnarok or Valguero Bigger? A Complete Comparison

With around 98 square kilometers of explorable land, Ragnarok is clearly the larger Ark Survival Evolved map compared to Valguero‘s approximately 60. However, Valguero manages to cram immense diversity and challenge into its smaller footprint.

As a devoted ARK survivor and content creator, I‘ve played hundreds of hours across both maps. Here is my in-depth guide to how Ragnarok and Valguero stack up across key factors:

Map Sizes and Ratings

Based on leading player surveys, Ragnarok edges out Valguero slightly for its massive size and terrain variety. However, Valguero wins points for its unique take on Aberration content.

Ragnarok‘s Vast Landscape

As one of the largest Ark maps ever designed, Ragnarok gives you tons of buildable real estate across all major biomes:

• Over 50 base spots mapped just along the coastlines
• Enormous flatlands for breeding pens and mega bases
• Craggy cliffs and hidden caves offer defensive positions
• Plentiful metal spawns concentrated by volcanoes

Best Areas to Build

Based on my extensive exploration, here are the best base locations in Ragnarok:

1. Viking Bay – Safe beaches & access to oil + pearls
2. Highlands – Flat build areas near metal mountain
3. Red Woods – Secluded forest with creature diversity

I‘ve set up outposts across the map to take advantage of all the resources. With 98 sq km at your disposal, the possibilities are endless!

Valguero‘s Action-Packed Map

At 60 square kilometers, Valguero still provides huge swaths of land across stunning and varied biomes:

• Aberration zone with glow pets, Featherlights, and Deinonychus
• Extensive underground cave networks
• Lots of cliff areas for building defendable bases

Though smaller than Ragnarok, Valguero feels more densely populated and dynamic. You constantly stumble across new challenges and creature spawns.

Best Areas to Build

After logging over 100 Valguero hours, here are my top base spots:

1. The Chalk Hills – Open areas near water resources
2. Grand Falls – Impressive views and access to oil
3. The Underground – Secluded caverns link to surface locations

I actually prefer building vertically along Valguero‘s huge cliffs. It allows you to save space while enjoying awesome views!

Key Differences

While the extra 38 square km clearly gives Ragnarok more building flexibility, Valguero offers unique gameplay opportunities:

Both maps have extensive cave networks and sunken/underground areas. But Valguero‘s vertical terrain makes traversing the map very exciting compared to Ragnarok.

Let‘s take a deeper look at creatures and resources across both ARK expansion maps:

Creatures Comparison

With 98 sq km of diverse biomes, Ragnarok fits more vanilla creature spawns than you‘ll find anywhere else:

• Features all The Island dinos plus new ones like Griffins
• Added Abberant Scorched Earth spawns
• More wild dino diversity across habitats

Valguero on the other hand introduces more Tek and Abberant creature variants to the ARK universe:

• Deinonychus – Agile climbers & pack hunters
• Featherlight – Peaceful glow pets
• Tek Alpha Raptor – Upgraded with lasers
• Karkinos – Giant lava-walking crabs

Both maps have emerging threats that will test your survival skills. But Ragnarok takes the win for introducing iconic mounts like Griffins.

Creature Spawn Comparison

Clearly Ragnarok pulls ahead with its complete lineup of original dinos plus dangerous fliers.

Resources Overview

You‘ll find no shortage of crafting materials across both maps. But once again there are some key differences:

Ragnarok‘s Vanilla Resources

As one of the earliest ARK expansions, Ragnarok focused mainly on massively expanding vanilla resources:

• Huge metal deposits concentrated near volcanoes
• Countless crystal formations in caves & mountains
• Oil shale beaches for gasoline production
• Giant redwood forests for wood harvesting

I‘m able to pull thousands of metal ingots in single Volcano run – essential for rounding up end game tier gear and weapons!

Valguero‘s Abberant Resources

In keeping with its Aberration landscape, Valguero introduces new resource types:

• Glow pets provide portable light
• Deinonychus harvest feathers for wing suit gliding
• Black pearl deposits found in underwater gloom zones
• Radiant gems and mushrooms circle the Aberration zone

While Ragnarok has more overall quantity, I prefer Valguero‘s diversity. Harvesting Abberant resources unlocks new gear like the wingsuit for exploring those epic cliffs!

Which Map is Better?

Both Ragnarok and Valguero offer incredibly fun, challenging and memorable ARK adventures. But it ultimately comes down to gameplay style preference:

Casual scavengers will enjoy exploring Ragnarok‘s vast and resource-rich world. But I prefer Valguero‘s dynamic challenges like raiding huge bee hives and taming Tek Alpha Raptors atop winding peaks.

So while Ragnarok offers more overall square footage, Valguero encourages creative base building and non-stop action. As a passionate ARK gamer, I highly recommend both for their unique concepts!

My Personal Favorite

If forced to pick just one forever map, I would probably choose Valguero for its memorable Aberration locations and intense creature battles. The neon bioluminescent zones just can‘t be matched!

However, Ragnarok remains indispensable for gathering certain Scorched Earth resources. My tribe actually alternates between servers to reap the benefits of both worlds.

I hope this comprehensive size and feature comparison helps you decide whether the massive Ragnarok or dynamic Valguero is a better fit your survival goals! Let me know if have any other questions in the comments.