Black Pearls are a rare material in Ark: Survival Ascended that are required to craft several high-end items, so it’s wise to start collecting them early.
Lots of TEK items in Ark require Black Pearls to be crafted, while they are also the preferred food of Tusoteuthis if you opt to tame one.
As they can be challenging to obtain, I’d advise knowing how to get them early on and starting to hoard them as soon as you can—particularly as they can be a challenging item to farm.
How to get Black Pearls in Ark: Survival Ascended
There are several ways of obtaining Black Pearls in Ark: Survival Ascended, though the various methods can be challenging at times and also require a fair share of luck.
Black Pearls can be collected by harvesting dead Trilobite, Eurypterid, Tusoteuthis, Alpha Tusoteuthis, and Alpha Mosasaurs. However, only Alpha Tusoteuthis (75) and Alpha Mosasaurs (100) offer a guaranteed yield.
Trilobites can be found on the beaches across The Island, so they are the most accessible way of obtaining Black Pearls. A tamed Otter also has a chance of looting Black Pearls after harvesting fish.
However, the best approach for Black Pearl farming comes later in the game when you have access to a strong aquatic mount and can venture into the deep ocean, where you can hunt Eurypterids and Tusoteuthis.
If that is not an option yet, focus your attention on Trilobites and harvesting fish with an Otter. You should be careful with the latter, however, as it is easy for an Otter to become encumbered with raw fish and drown.