Iron Man-like supersuits of power armour are coming to Ark: Survival Evolved [official site], developers Studio Wildcard have announced, as part of the end-game ‘Tek’ tech tier. You might begin the multiplayer survival sandbox wearing grubby underpants and waving rocks and sticks, but eventually players will be supersprinting, jetpacking, superpunching in power armour, and riding dinosaurs caked in cyberguns like Dino-Riders toys. But it’s not all punching dinosaurs in the face; the Tek tier will also bring new buildings like undersea bases. Have a butcher’s at cyberdinos in this trailer: … [visit site to read more]
Soon, Ark: Survival Evolved will finally attempt to make good on those futuristic floating obelisks in the sky by introducing the Tek Tier, the first of many updates on its path to version 1.0 early next year. Watch the trailer above for a quick peek.
For a complete preview of what's coming next, be sure to check out the next issue of PC Gamer, but here s a basic breakdown. The Tek Tier is a new endgame technology tier in Ark s crafting system that rewards the survival sandbox s most stalwart players with some off-brand Power Rangers and Starship Troopers gear to mess with. Among the items to drop in the first update, which should land in the coming weeks, Ark will get the Tek armor, the Tek rifle, and the Giga Helmet that rad laser cannon tyrannosaur headpiece.
Every new piece of Tek tech has a powerful ability or two to make them desirable for more than their looks. The Tek helmet comes with a handy hud that can highlight creatures and other players, and color them based on whether they re hostile, neutral, or friendly. A night vision mode rounds it out, making viable at any hour. Tek gauntlets pack a powerful super punch that can send men flying, the chestpiece has a jetpack that does what jetpacks do, and those shiny metallic pants let you speed boost across entire maps in no time, even through destructible materials. But as a sucker for fashion, I think my favorite feature is the ability to choose the armor and LED highlight colors.
Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of the Tek Tier rollout, especially for longtime players of Ark, will be the underwater bases. Those are coming in another update early next year as part of the Tek Tier, but in the meantime, ogle this lovely original art and fill in the blanks with your imagination. I can see it now, an angry teen calling me something unrepeatable and capturing me from the back of their Mosasaurus outfitted with cybernetic armor. I ve always wanted to live in a cage, underwater. But really, it s a feature that was on the launch list for Ark, and it s good to know it s on the way.
As cool as it is, the new Tek tech can t be used with reckless abandon. Every ability and function requires Element, a rare resource you can only get by completing endgame challenges. And there are plenty more coming in the next six months or so.
To learn more about the Tek Tier, how underwater bases will work and when they re coming, and the complete roadmap for Ark s final stretch before leaving Early Access, be sure to pick up the next issue of PC Gamer. All and more are revealed in Surviving Early Access, our cover story featuring some interesting reveals from Ark devs Jeremy Stieglitz and Jesse Rapczak, and their plan for the dino survival sim s present and far flung future.
Take a peek at the cover below before it ships out to UK subscribers today and US subscribers on the 18th. If you re not subscribed to PC Gamer yet, give it a shot, or find the issue out in the wild on November 17 in the UK and December 6 in the US. Then tame it and give it a cool laser helmet.
The Dead have returned and for the next week the ARK is undergoing a spooky seasonal change where the air is cooler, the days shorter and the nights longer, and a Blood-Moon shines brightly as zombies, living skelesaurus, and terrifying creatures of the night appear above ground.
Running from Friday October 28 through Sunday November 6 on Steam, Fear Evolved 2 will have ARK survivors witness the ARK transform into a dark, eerie landscape teeming with ghoulish graves, overgrown pumpkin patches, and Halloween festivities. Prepare for the ultimate Dino-Ween event, Fear Evolved 2!
Survivors should take care when exploring the ARKs as the mythical DodoRex stomps across the land with an army of blood-thirsty zombie dodos in tow and is joined by its flying friends, the daunting DodoWyvern, its zealous ZombieWyvern horde, and a variety of re-animated Skelesaurs roam the world.
For those brave enough to face their fears, there will be a number of new items to collect including the mythical DodoWyvern Mask, the haunting Vampiric eyes, the terrifying Clown mask, the beastly Werewolf mask, and of course don’t forget to be on the lookout for more spooky Skelesaurs in the form of; Giganotosaurus, Quetzalcoatlus, Jerboa, and Wyvern!
Not to mention, some old festive goodies will be making a return in the form of thatch-rich scarecrows, custom Jack-o-Lantern carvings, Skelesaur Costumes, Candy-Corn loot drops, Witch Hats, Masks! You’ll also be granted the opportunity to tame endlessly-rejuvenating Zomdodos and ZombieWyverns!
We’re also running a little Fear: Evolved contest! The first two survivors to post a video of them killing both the DodoRex and the DodoWyvern on Official PvP Servers will win a 100$ Steam Wallet Giftcode! (they can be working with other Players/Tribe of course, but we'll only have one code to send to the player who actually posts the video). You can send us a tweet with the link to your video on @survivetheark
A Message from Studio Wildcard
In regards to some of the missing Halloween content, unfortunately we weren’t able to deliver on what we had intended to do for this holiday release. Both Jeremy and Jesse (the founders and captains of our team) had to unexpectedly take care of some work out of the country which affected the development and release, as well as the content we were hoping to provide. The special attributes/effects related to Werewolves and Vampires will not be a part of this holiday event. We are hoping to be able to release these special effects in a future event, as we understand a lot of players were looking forward to experiencing it.
We always try to include everything that mention in the patch notes and sometimes things occur outside of our control, in this case it was losing two star players - going forward we’ll be working hard to ensure that our Christmas Holiday patch will have a simultaneous release across all platforms, and include the content we intend for it - there’s a lot to look forward to and we’ll do our best to make it up to you guys!
We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience and disappointment caused by th missing content on PC. We understand the frustrations but we do hope that you enjoy the rest of the Fear Evolved Patch.
Evolution Event Weekend!
Through the weekend the Official ARK Network will be affected by an Evolution Event! Survivors playing this weekend will get to experience the following bonuses:
2x Harvesting Rate 2x Taming Rate 2x EXP Rate
So be sure to log in and enjoy the increased rates whilst you can! The change will take place on Friday the 28th of October at 12pm ET and will return back to normal on the Monday the 31st of October at 12pm ET.
Steam Sale!
For this spooky festive period, players are in for an additional treat, begining Friday the 28th of October at 1PM ET until Tuesday November the 1st at 1PM ET, ARK: Survival Evolved will be discounted on Steam by 50% and Scorched Earth will also receive a 33% discount! Get it whilst you can!
The Dead have returned and for the next week the ARK is undergoing a spooky seasonal change where the air is cooler, the days shorter and the nights longer, and a Blood-Moon shines brightly as zombies, living skelesaurus, and terrifying creatures of the night appear above ground.
Running from Friday October 28 through Sunday November 6 on Steam, Fear Evolved 2 will have ARK survivors witness the ARK transform into a dark, eerie landscape teeming with ghoulish graves, overgrown pumpkin patches, and Halloween festivities. Prepare for the ultimate Dino-Ween event, Fear Evolved 2!
Survivors should take care when exploring the ARKs as the mythical DodoRex stomps across the land with an army of blood-thirsty zombie dodos in tow and is joined by its flying friends, the daunting DodoWyvern, its zealous ZombieWyvern horde, and a variety of re-animated Skelesaurs roam the world.
For those brave enough to face their fears, there will be a number of new items to collect including the mythical DodoWyvern Mask, the haunting Vampiric eyes, the terrifying Clown mask, the beastly Werewolf mask, and of course don’t forget to be on the lookout for more spooky Skelesaurs in the form of; Giganotosaurus, Quetzalcoatlus, Jerboa, and Wyvern!
Not to mention, some old festive goodies will be making a return in the form of thatch-rich scarecrows, custom Jack-o-Lantern carvings, Skelesaur Costumes, Candy-Corn loot drops, Witch Hats, Masks! You’ll also be granted the opportunity to tame endlessly-rejuvenating Zomdodos and ZombieWyverns!
We’re also running a little Fear: Evolved contest! The first two survivors to post a video of them killing both the DodoRex and the DodoWyvern on Official PvP Servers will win a 100$ Steam Wallet Giftcode! (they can be working with other Players/Tribe of course, but we'll only have one code to send to the player who actually posts the video). You can send us a tweet with the link to your video on @survivetheark
A Message from Studio Wildcard
In regards to some of the missing Halloween content, unfortunately we weren’t able to deliver on what we had intended to do for this holiday release. Both Jeremy and Jesse (the founders and captains of our team) had to unexpectedly take care of some work out of the country which affected the development and release, as well as the content we were hoping to provide. The special attributes/effects related to Werewolves and Vampires will not be a part of this holiday event. We are hoping to be able to release these special effects in a future event, as we understand a lot of players were looking forward to experiencing it.
We always try to include everything that mention in the patch notes and sometimes things occur outside of our control, in this case it was losing two star players - going forward we’ll be working hard to ensure that our Christmas Holiday patch will have a simultaneous release across all platforms, and include the content we intend for it - there’s a lot to look forward to and we’ll do our best to make it up to you guys!
We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience and disappointment caused by th missing content on PC. We understand the frustrations but we do hope that you enjoy the rest of the Fear Evolved Patch.
Evolution Event Weekend!
Through the weekend the Official ARK Network will be affected by an Evolution Event! Survivors playing this weekend will get to experience the following bonuses:
2x Harvesting Rate 2x Taming Rate 2x EXP Rate
So be sure to log in and enjoy the increased rates whilst you can! The change will take place on Friday the 28th of October at 12pm ET and will return back to normal on the Monday the 31st of October at 12pm ET.
Steam Sale!
For this spooky festive period, players are in for an additional treat, begining Friday the 28th of October at 1PM ET until Tuesday November the 1st at 1PM ET, ARK: Survival Evolved will be discounted on Steam by 50% and Scorched Earth will also receive a 33% discount! Get it whilst you can!
I am delighted every time a new Ark: Survival Evolved [official site] update turns a dinosaur into a wacky gadget. From Archaeopteryx hang gliders to sauropods you can build mobile fortresses upon, the sandbox survival game has a fascinating and violent Flintstones> logic. Procedurally-generated worlds are probably the biggest feature in last week’s update but I’m more interested in its new giant salamander. Can you guess what it’s useful for? Oh, y’know, you can ride it underwater and use it as a mobile oxygen tank by sucking air from bladders inside its head. Of course you can. … [visit site to read more]
Ark: Survival Evolved's feature-filled journey through Early Access has seen the open-world survival 'em up receive a fair few updates the latest of which marks number 248.
Besides three new creatures and a new Explorer Note system, the most recent patch brings with it "infinite" procedurally generated maps, where "players can determine a myriad of landscape options", including the heights of mountains, depths of valleys and specific choice of biome.
On the creatures front, patch 248 welcomes the water-based, high-speeding, solitary-hunting Kaprosuchus; the territorial, however otherwise peaceful, herbivore Chalicotherium; and the swamp-dwelling, oxygen-giving, amphibian Diplocaulus. Scattered across 130 chests throughout the island, the new Explorer Note System is a catalogue of diary-like stories from the archipelago's past inhabitants that also serve to buff XP upon discovery.
"These 3D Explorer and Story Notes are punctuated with powerful personalities from a Roman Centurion to an Ancient Chinese Warrior to an Egyptian Priestess, each one chronicling their experiences on ARK and unveiling kernels of the story secrets they have uncovered," reads a Steam Community post.
The update also adds a slew of less significant, although welcomed, adjustments for example, you're now able to directly wield your weapons when mount-riding smaller dinosaurs, which is handy all of which can be found here.
In separate Ark news, the somewhat controversial Scorched Earth DLC which developer Studio Wildcard has since addressed is currently on sale alongside the update, should that be something you're interested in checking out.
Patch 248 expands ARK: Survival Evolved today in many ways, with the arrival of Infinite Procedurally Generated Maps, players can determine a myriad of landscape options from the heights of mountains, depths of valleys, and the number of lakes, rivers or oceans, to the kinds of each biome they want, and more!
Also, the ARK “Explorer Note System” finds its way into both the main Island and ARK: Scorched Earth. Found within 130 treasure chests and available now, these chests contain the stories of actual inhabitants who have previously lived on the isle, as well as provide a temporary XP buff to those Survivors who collect them.
These 3D Explorer and Story Notes are punctuated with powerful personalities from a Roman Centurion to an Ancient Chinese Warrior to an Egyptian Priestess, each one chronicling their experiences on ARK and unveiling kernels of the story secrets they have uncovered. What will they reveal about the mysteries that surround the ARK?
Three new creatures join the fray with the prey-grabbing Kaprosuchus, the boulder-tossing Chalicotherium, and the oxygen-giving Diplocaulus making their debut.
The Kaprosuchus is a water-based carnivore primarily found among swamps and capable of high speed running on land or in water. It is a solitary hunter that picks off small to medium creatures, especially those isolated from their packs.
Kaprosuchus are patient hunters and when the time is right, they will leap out of the water and use their powerful jaw to drag their victims beneath the water surface.
The Chalicotherium, found in small numbers in colder regions, is a primitive creature with simple behaviors. While normally a peaceful herbivore that prefers to spend its days lazing about or playing with its family, it is very territorial, and the entire family, young and old, will turn against an encroaching creature at just the slightest provocation.
It’s believed that Chalicotherium is best used as a trained mobile artillery, as its unique playtime habit delivers a devastating long-range assault tactic when it is given boulders to throw!
The Diplocaulus, at home mainly on the island's swamps, is a small amphibian residing at the middle-bottom of the ecosystem. Tamed Diplocaulus are often used by survivors as an oxygen bag. They air in the bladders of their head, divers can suck from these bladders to take deep breaths while submerged, supporting long-term underwater exploration without the use of external gear.
Diplocaulus’ unique capability to retain vast quantities of oxygen allows to effectively remain submerged for hours at a time, usually outlasting even other amphibious creatures that might otherwise prey upon it.
Update v248 also includes the following features and changes:
Neuter/Spay option for Tamed Dinos (irreversible!)
Tree Platforms now have +70% HP and +50% resistance to explosive damage
Directly wield your weapons when mount-riding smaller Dinos!
Radial Wheel Menu text size now scales with number of entries (to avoid Diplodocus overload, etc)
Spectators can now see player-talking moving lips & hear voice chat when in range
Fixed player collisions onto big dino ragdolls
Non-Drop-In Supply Crates (Cave/Underwater crates etc) no longer have decreasing Health over time (no longer auto destroy), but they can also not accept Inventory anymore and can not be used to generate Boss Tribute Portals.
Patch 248 expands ARK: Survival Evolved today in many ways, with the arrival of Infinite Procedurally Generated Maps, players can determine a myriad of landscape options from the heights of mountains, depths of valleys, and the number of lakes, rivers or oceans, to the kinds of each biome they want, and more!
Also, the ARK “Explorer Note System” finds its way into both the main Island and ARK: Scorched Earth. Found within 130 treasure chests and available now, these chests contain the stories of actual inhabitants who have previously lived on the isle, as well as provide a temporary XP buff to those Survivors who collect them.
These 3D Explorer and Story Notes are punctuated with powerful personalities from a Roman Centurion to an Ancient Chinese Warrior to an Egyptian Priestess, each one chronicling their experiences on ARK and unveiling kernels of the story secrets they have uncovered. What will they reveal about the mysteries that surround the ARK?
Three new creatures join the fray with the prey-grabbing Kaprosuchus, the boulder-tossing Chalicotherium, and the oxygen-giving Diplocaulus making their debut.
The Kaprosuchus is a water-based carnivore primarily found among swamps and capable of high speed running on land or in water. It is a solitary hunter that picks off small to medium creatures, especially those isolated from their packs.
Kaprosuchus are patient hunters and when the time is right, they will leap out of the water and use their powerful jaw to drag their victims beneath the water surface.
The Chalicotherium, found in small numbers in colder regions, is a primitive creature with simple behaviors. While normally a peaceful herbivore that prefers to spend its days lazing about or playing with its family, it is very territorial, and the entire family, young and old, will turn against an encroaching creature at just the slightest provocation.
It’s believed that Chalicotherium is best used as a trained mobile artillery, as its unique playtime habit delivers a devastating long-range assault tactic when it is given boulders to throw!
The Diplocaulus, at home mainly on the island's swamps, is a small amphibian residing at the middle-bottom of the ecosystem. Tamed Diplocaulus are often used by survivors as an oxygen bag. They air in the bladders of their head, divers can suck from these bladders to take deep breaths while submerged, supporting long-term underwater exploration without the use of external gear.
Diplocaulus’ unique capability to retain vast quantities of oxygen allows to effectively remain submerged for hours at a time, usually outlasting even other amphibious creatures that might otherwise prey upon it.
Update v248 also includes the following features and changes:
Neuter/Spay option for Tamed Dinos (irreversible!)
Tree Platforms now have +70% HP and +50% resistance to explosive damage
Directly wield your weapons when mount-riding smaller Dinos!
Radial Wheel Menu text size now scales with number of entries (to avoid Diplodocus overload, etc)
Spectators can now see player-talking moving lips & hear voice chat when in range
Fixed player collisions onto big dino ragdolls
Non-Drop-In Supply Crates (Cave/Underwater crates etc) no longer have decreasing Health over time (no longer auto destroy), but they can also not accept Inventory anymore and can not be used to generate Boss Tribute Portals.
