Jun 3, 2023

Community Crunch 364: Happy 8th Anniversary, Fasolasuchus Concept, and More!

ARK: Survival Evolved - ARK: Survival Evolved

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From the very inception of ARK, we were amazed by the passionate and dedicated community that quickly formed around the game. Your enthusiasm, unwavering support, and invaluable feedback through thick and thin, and ups and downs, have played a pivotal role in shaping the ARK experience we know today.

We'd also like to acknowledge the exceptional talents that comprise our team, who pour their hearts and passion into every facet of their craft. It is their boundless creativity that has brought our game to life and fuelled its continued evolution.

As we stand at the threshold of new horizons in the ARK universe, we fondly reflect on the journey we've shared over eight remarkable years. Rest assured though, the ARK adventure is far from over. ARK: Survival Ascended, ARK: The Animated Series, and ARK 2 await!

Thank you, Survivors, here's to the years to come!

Discover the Rhyniognatha, a super-sized creature with a set of unique abilities. From producing quick-hardening resin to being capable of carrying large objects around your base, these versatile creatures provide an unparalleled enhancement to your tribe's defenses.

The Rhyniognatha has landed on The Island and Lost Island! We are overcome with excitement but also nostalgia as we welcome our last and final creature to ARK: Survival Evolved.

As you might have already noticed, we made a few changes to Rhyniognatha since you last saw the dossier. You won't need to slay Arthropleuras to gain its TEK-disruptive ability, and it can now stick itself to creatures or cargo and carry things around your base! You can check out the updates below:

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As we continue our journey towards ARK: Survival Ascended, Fasolasuchus is the first of many new additions and reveals coming your way. With over 49k votes, Fasolasuchus won the Community Creature Vote and will be the new creature added to Scorched Earth for ARK: Survival Ascended.

Let's dive into the second installment of our thrilling community voting contest - a fan-voted real-world creature that will launch with Ragnarok for ARK: Survival Ascended.

Please note that this creature will be released for Ragnarok, so make sure your real-world submissions are in theme with that map! As previously stated, we’ll be adding an additional real-world creature for each expansion pack map release on ARK: Survival Ascended.

Check out the Creature Submission Guidelines for more information on the submission process, and hop over to the Creature Submission Forum to see the current entries. The entry period will end at 1 PM Pacific on June 12th, so don't wait - get your ideas in. We are looking forward to seeing your ideas come to life!

Survivors on all platforms will be receiving an EVO Event! It will be active until Monday, June 12th.
All Official Servers across each platform will be undergoing this evolutionary change which includes:

*Note that these bonuses are multiplicative of the game's standard 1x rates.

Official Servers: 3x XP, Harvesting, Taming and Breeding (imprint, maturation, hatch/gestation), 0.5x Mating Interval, 2x hexagon
Small Tribe Servers: 4.5x XP, Harvesting, Taming and Breeding ( 4x imprint, maturation, hatch/gestation), 0.5x Mating Interval, 2x hexagon
ARKPocalypse: 5x XP, Harvesting, Taming and Breeding (imprint, maturation, hatch/gestation), 0.5x Mating Interval, 2x hexagon
Conquest: 5x XP, Harvesting, Taming and Breeding (imprint, maturation, hatch/gestation), 0.5x Mating Interval, 2x hexagon

Fan Art Gallery | Screenshot Gallery | Artist Feedback Form

Creator: Kurtis
Watch and learn as Kurtis raids two bear caves and has a very lucrative day on ARK PvP.

Creator: Kamz 25
Kamz attempts to beat Primal Fear mod from toxic dinos to Pikkon the Creator in 100 days. Will he succeed?

Handmade Dossier by u/Every_Traffic_8973

Argen by @k3zk_627

A needle felted Shinehorn by u/TheFeltingFiend

The Island by @falco_luna

Basilosaurus by @DW_ARK

Rock Drake by WillowCreates

Norman and his raptor Perseus by @OneCarno

Rhyniognatha Building by @oititukumono

End Game TEK Base by @sam_stimo

Selfie Group by Hakkai

Enjoy your weekend!
Studio Wildcard

Twitter: twitter.com/survivetheark

Discord: discord.com/invite/playark

Reddit: reddit.com/r/playark

Instagram: instagram.com/survivetheark

Twitch: twitch.tv/survivetheark

Steam: steamcommunity.com/app/346110

Youtube: youtube.com/survivetheark

Facebook: facebook.com/survivetheark

Official Wiki: https://ark.wiki.gg/wiki/ARK_Survival_Evolved_Wiki

May 5, 2023

Community Crunch 360: Community Creature Vote Reveal, ASA Comparison, and More!

ARK: Survival Evolved - ARK: Survival Evolved

This week we're taking a look at foliage that's been remastered in ARK: Survival Ascended and captured in Unreal Engine 5. Things are really sprucing up, aren't they? Keep an eye out on future Community Crunches because every other week we'll be revealing new assets so you get an artistic impression of what "Remaster" means in ARK Survival Ascended.

And while you are here, why not take a look at the Community Creature vote winner and our newest Sponsored Mods!

Where is the gameplay?
We'll be showcasing gameplay shortly before release.

Is this all you've done?
No, we've done much more, but we're just showing you a glimpse behind the curtain. You'll see more in the weeks ahead and when we launch!

With over 49k votes, Fasolasuchus will be the new creature added to Scorched Earth for ARK: Survival Ascended. We are looking forward to sharing its concept and dossier in the weeks to come!

If you are interested in seeing exactly how the voting went, check out the link below to see the results.

Community Creature Vote Results

If you are looking to change up the game, why not check out some new mods?

The ARK Sponsored mod program is currently accepting applications until June 6th. Please submit your projects here.

Grab your friends and gear up for some paintball. The Paintball mod lets you craft your own custom arenas with fast-paced action similar to older FPS arena games. This mod works on PvE as well!

Check out Paintball

TaeniaStella The RenewalAlpha is a pretty unique map that hides a lot of surprises. This map even includes several unique creatures that fit the themes of this deceptively large environment. You'll find a lot of incentive to explore and see the many sights it has to offer, but make sure you go prepared!

Check out TaeniaStella The RenewalAlpha

Nyrandil is a beautiful little map that feels a lot like a fairytale countryside. You will find a strong contrast between environments organized in both an overworld and underground Biomes.

Check out Nyrandil

There will be no EVO event this week.

Fan Art Gallery | Screenshot Gallery | Artist Feedback Form

Creator: Phlinger Phoo
Join Phlinger Phoo as he attempts to get a good start on Svartalfheim and successfully obtains his first tames of this playthrough!

Creator: Asfax
International Corner. Discover French Youtuber Asfax as he braves the dangers and the many challenges of Ark Supreme to tame an Apex Thorny Dragon, his next step into his ascension!

Equus Magnus Unicornis by LeoMitchell

The Ravagers collab by RRRAVEN & PapuArt

Creeping Shadowmane by Datwolf27

Arwenn on a Fishing trip by Umbra-Daiwrfol

Waking up by WolfTek7

Triceratops by Fagua-Art

Rock Drake by dragondrawer5

There is simply no such thing as too many Bulbdogs. by @CHipZz_Gaming

Noglin by @ARKLove9

Quality time with Catbear. by @Katala191

Apr 28, 2023

Community Crunch 359: ARK 2 Carnotaurus Saddle Concept & ASA Artwork Comparison

ARK: Survival Evolved - complexminded

While we're going to wait to reveal the gameplay of ARK Survival Ascended until it's near final-form, we want to show you how we're approaching the new game artistically. ASA is much more than a complete technology overhaul, we are also going through and revising the artwork by hand for a new conception of the worlds of ARK. Here's a first look at what "Remaster" means in ARK Survival Ascended:

Stay tuned to subsequent Crunches for more looks at the reenvisioned style of ARK Survival Ascended!

We couldn't leave you with our previous ARK 2 Carnotaurus reveal without showing an example of our new-look dino armor! The team is thoroughly enjoying designing armor to make your favorite tames both protected and eye-catching. We look forward to seeing what players do with the arsenal options!

You still have the weekend to vote for which creature will be added to Scorched Earth for ARK: Survival Ascended!
The second round of voting ends on May 1st at 4 PM Pacific.

The winner* will be announced in the Crunch Friday, May 5th 2023.

Rank the creatures in order of most preferred to least preferred
The vote is limited to 1 submission per person (duplicate entries will be discarded)

Below are the candidates that have made it into the final 10. Find out more information about the creature by clicking on the hyperlink attached to the name.

Overview of all the finalists here.

* Note that once the winner has been determined, we'll be reading through these threads and using them as inspiration for how the creature will be designed; aspects suggested may change.

Click here to vote

Survivors on all platforms will be receiving an EVO Event! It will be active until Monday, 1st of May.
All Official Servers across each platform will be undergoing this evolutionary change which includes:

*Note that these bonuses are multiplicative of the game's standard 1x rates.

Official Servers: 2x XP, Harvesting, Taming and Breeding (imprint, maturation, hatch/gestation), 0.5x Mating Interval
Small Tribe Servers: 4.5x XP, Harvesting, Taming and Breeding (imprint, maturation, hatch/gestation), 0.5x Mating Interval
ARKPocalypse: 5x XP, Harvesting, Taming and Breeding (imprint, maturation, hatch/gestation), 0.5x Mating Interval
Classic: 6x XP, Harvesting, Taming and Breeding (imprint, maturation, hatch/gestation), 0.5x Mating Interval

Fan Art Gallery | Screenshot Gallery | Artist Feedback Form

Creator: Raasclark
Watch as Raasclark begin his journey on Ragnarok with the Dino Overhaul X (DOX) mod, where every creature is ridiculously hard, and learning how to survive is a struggle.

Creator: MrMEOLA (featuring Songbird Gaming)
MrMEOLA has a visitor on his island, and they have built him a new astonishing home to live in! Visit with him this incredible base by the talented Songbird Gaming.

R-Direwolf by @k3zk_628

Desperate by @falco_luna

Ravager Sketch by LycaosX

Yeti VS Gigantopithecus by @MayaPatch89

What's let that isn't artificial here? by @Ampraeh

Wholesome Parasaur family by @Riinartist

Maewing!!! by Sakusaii

Nameless by Manatee

Paradise by Serious

Wuiiiiiiiiii by chrisrez07

Enjoy your weekend!
Studio Wildcard

Twitter: twitter.com/survivetheark
Discord: discord.com/invite/playark
Reddit: reddit.com/r/playark
Instagram: instagram.com/survivetheark
Twitch: twitch.tv/survivetheark
Steam: steamcommunity.com/app/346110
Youtube: youtube.com/survivetheark
Facebook: facebook.com/survivetheark
Official Wiki: ark.wiki.gg

Apr 21, 2023

Community Crunch 358: Community Creature Voting Opens!

ARK: Survival Evolved - complexminded

It's been a blast to check out the most recent round of submissions and see the communities creativity on display. We've had time to reminisce on previous community votes by seeing some of the popular entries return to battle it out! We can't wait to see which creature reigns victorious in the fourth Community Creature Vote!

We are excited to see which creature will be added to Scorched Earth for ARK: Survival Ascended!
Now that submissions for creatures have closed, the second round of voting begins now until May 1st at 4 PM Pacific.

The winner* will be announced in the Crunch Friday, May 5th 2023.

Rank the creatures in order of most preferred to least preferred
The vote is limited to 1 submission per person (duplicate entries will be discarded)

Below are the candidates that have made it into the final 10. Find out more information about the creature by clicking on the hyperlink attached to the name.

Survivors on all platforms will be receiving a special Easter EVO Event! During this event, 25% of wild creature spawns will be replaced with the colors from the event list. It will be active until Monday, the 24th of April. All Official Servers across each platform will be undergoing this evolutionary change which includes:

4/07 - 4/24

Red
Blue
Green
Yellow
Cyan
Magenta
Light Green
Light Orange
Light Yellow
Light Red
Black
Dark Red
Dino Light Red
Dino Dark Red
Dino Light Blue
Dino Dark Blue
Dino Light Purple
Dino Dark Purple
DragonGreen3
WyvernPurple0
WyvernPurple1
WyvernBlue0
WyvernBlue1
Dino Medium Blue
Dino Deep Blue
NearWhite
DarkTurquoise
MediumTurquoise
Turquoise
LightCement
LightPink
DeepPink
DarkViolet
DarkMagenta
MediumAutumn
Vermillion
Coral
Orange
Peach
ActualBlack
MidnightBlue
LemonLime
Mint
DarkLavender
MediumLavender
Lavender
DarkTeal
MediumTeal
Teal
PowderBlue
Glacial
Custard
Cream

*Note that these bonuses are multiplicative of the game's standard 1x rates.

Official Servers: 3x XP, Harvesting, Taming, and Breeding (imprint, maturation, hatch/gestation), 0.5x Mating Interval, 1.5x Hexagon Bonus
Small Tribe Servers: 4.5x XP, 4.5x Harvesting, 4.5x Taming, and 4x Breeding (imprint, maturation, hatch/gestation), 0.5x Mating Interval, 1.5x Hexagon Bonus
ARKPocalypse: 5x XP, 5x Harvesting, 5x Taming, and 5x Breeding (imprint, maturation, hatch/gestation), 0.5x Mating Interval, 1.5x Hexagon Bonus
Classic: 6x XP, 6x Harvesting, 6x Taming, and 5x Breeding (imprint, maturation, hatch/gestation), 0.5x Mating Interval

Conquest servers are being re-introduced for a new season by Snail Games. To kick things off, our current Classic PvP season will end, and servers will be wiped shortly before the new Conquest begins on April 25th. Classic PvP servers will wipe on April 25th, 5pm Pacific Time.

Experience gain, taming, and gathering have been tripled compared to our standard Official Servers (3x)
Breeding, hatching, and raising rates have been tripled compared to our standard Official Servers (3x)
No cave building
No tribe limit
Tribe alliances are disabled, though informal alliances are allowed
Servers have a maximum player count of 100
Excluded maps: Aberration, Gen 1 & 2, Extinction and Fjordur
The following TEK engrams/items will be available:
TEK Suit
TEK Replicator
TEK Transmitter
TEK Turret
TEK Hatchframe
TEK Door
TEK Foundation
TEK ladder
TEK Pillar
TEK Ramp
TEK Trapdoor
TEK Wall
TEK Doorframe
TEK Windowframe
TEK Window
Sloped TEK Wall Left
Sloped TEK Wall Right
TEK Staircase
Sloped TEK Roof
TEK Railing
TEK Fence Foundation
TEK Generator
TEK Trough
TEK Teleporter
Megalodon TEK Saddle
Vacuum Compartment
Vacuum Compartment Moonpool
Cloning Chamber
Tapejara TEK Saddle
TEK Fence Support
Large TEK Wall
TEK Stairs
TEK Triangle ceiling
TEK Triangle foundation

Be sure to stop by the Conquest Discord to contact the Conquest enforcement team directly.

ARKpocalypse and Beginner Servers have been wiped today!

What are ARKpocalypse and Beginner Servers?

ARKpocalypse are monthly-wipe servers with higher than usual rates.
Beginner servers are wiped periodically to help provide a fresh beginner experience for new players.

Next wipe:

ARKpocalypse: May 19th 2023
Beginner: June 16th 2023

You can join them by searching in the server browser! Happy Surviving!

Fan Art Gallery | Screenshot Gallery | Artist Feedback Form

Creator: KiahOnFire
Preparing everyone for season 4, Kiah goes over the entire storyline of the Monarky series so far. She covers the previous 3 seasons and talks about her perspective on all the special tide-turning events the Monarks have endured.

Creator: Syntac
The Caballus Series is a Syntacs Final Adventure in Ark Survival Evolved before making the switch over to ARK Survival Ascended later this year. In this series Syntac will tame, breed and mutate any creature he can get his hands on from the roster of mods such as Paleo ARK, ARK Additons and Animals of Atlas.

RIP Domino by AellosTomb

The Strongest Dilo to ever grace Ark, PICKLES! by @16Direwolf

My take on the dodo rex by u/SmilingEggLord

Art Doll handmade of Mei-Yin's Raptor by sayvaris

Paleo Kentro and his Knight! by Sai

ARK 2 Smilodon by @StudiosGoji

With a quiet grassland by 最高の栄光，勇敢なDRAGON RIDER

Fire Wyvern by u/Nub-Ninja

Nope, I think I'll just go the other way by jason4pepsi

Not dead, just Sleeping by //K//I//V//

Déjà Vu by Sumi

Enjoy your weekend!
Studio Wildcard

Twitter: twitter.com/survivetheark
Discord: discord.com/invite/playark
Reddit: reddit.com/r/playark
Instagram: instagram.com/survivetheark
Twitch: twitch.tv/survivetheark
Steam: steamcommunity.com/app/346110
Youtube: youtube.com/survivetheark
Facebook: facebook.com/survivetheark
Official Wiki: ark.wiki.gg

Apr 14, 2023

Community Crunch 357: Introducing Rhyniognatha and More!

ARK: Survival Evolved - complexminded

Spring is still in full swing, and bugs are back in town... literally! We are thrilled to reveal the Rhyniognatha dossier to the community! Peruse it, plot, and plan, as we are eager to see what you will do with this brand-new monstrous bug!
Speaking of new creatures, don't forget to submit your ideas for the Community Creature Vote before submissions end on April 21st!

Common name: Rhyniognatha
Species: Rhyniognatha antiquagenitor
Time: Early Devonian
Diet: Omnivore
Temperament: Aggressive

I swear, every new creature I come across here makes me more sure they've all had their genes tampered with. I know I'm right about this. Take this monster bug I'm calling 'Rhyniognatha antiquagenitor' -- big enough to headline a horror flick, but still light enough to fly and skate across water.

Would you believe it also makes a weirdly useful, quick-hardening resin with a variety of uses? It can thicken up its shell for a defensive boost, spray hard bullet-like globs, or squirt soft globs that harden on impact to gum up incoming predators!

These overgrown earwigs are just what you need to level up your tribe's aerial defenses! And here's a tip: if you crush up the right Arthropleura, you'll get an enzyme that makes Rhyniognatha glue as TEK-disruptive as Dinopithecus dung. Plus this bug can glue itself to creatures or cargo and carry things around your base!

That said, Rhyniognatha-raising isn't for the squeamish... Their males have a pheromone that invites egg-laying females to use them as hosts. Harvest that pheromone, and you can mark any creature for the female to lay her eggs on. The host then incubates a new generation of larvae that can reap its best traits in the process.

If some poor beast gets eggs laid on it by accident, you might still be able to save it by popping it in a cryopod and freezing out the larvae.

The community creature submissions are still underway! Don't miss out on an opportunity to decide on the next ARK creature that will arrive with the launch of ARK: Survival Ascended.

Please note that this creature will be released for Scorched Earth, so make sure your real-world submissions are in theme with that map! We’ll also be adding an additional real-world creature for each subsequent canonical expansion pack map release on ARK: Survival Ascended.

Check out the Creature Submission Guidelines for more information on the submission process and hop over to the Creature Submission Forum to see the current entries. The entry period will end at 1PM Pacific on April 21st, so don't wait - get your ideas in. We are looking forward to seeing your ideas come to life!

4/07 - 4/24

Red
Blue
Green
Yellow
Cyan
Magenta
Light Green
Light Orange
Light Yellow
Light Red
Black
Dark Red
Dino Light Red
Dino Dark Red
Dino Light Blue
Dino Dark Blue
Dino Light Purple
Dino Dark Purple
DragonGreen3
WyvernPurple0
WyvernPurple1
WyvernBlue0
WyvernBlue1
Dino Medium Blue
Dino Deep Blue
NearWhite
DarkTurquoise
MediumTurquoise
Turquoise
LightCement
LightPink
DeepPink
DarkViolet
DarkMagenta
MediumAutumn
Vermillion
Coral
Orange
Peach
ActualBlack
MidnightBlue
LemonLime
Mint
DarkLavender
MediumLavender
Lavender
DarkTeal
MediumTeal
Teal
PowderBlue
Glacial
Custard
Cream

*Note that these bonuses are multiplicative of the game's standard 1x rates.

Official Servers: 3x XP, Harvesting, Taming, and Breeding (imprint, maturation, hatch/gestation), 0.5x Mating Interval, 1.5x Hexagon Bonus
Small Tribe Servers: 4.5x XP, 4.5x Harvesting, 4.5x Taming, and 4x Breeding (imprint, maturation, hatch/gestation), 0.5x Mating Interval, 1.5x Hexagon Bonus
ARKPocalypse: 5x XP, 5x Harvesting, 5x Taming, and 5x Breeding (imprint, maturation, hatch/gestation), 0.5x Mating Interval, 1.5x Hexagon Bonus
Classic: 6x XP, 6x Harvesting, 6x Taming, and 5x Breeding (imprint, maturation, hatch/gestation), 0.5x Mating Interval

Experience gain, taming, and gathering have been tripled compared to our standard Official Servers (3x)
Breeding, hatching, and raising rates have been tripled compared to our standard Official Servers (3x)
No tribe limit
Tribe alliances are disabled, though informal alliances are allowed
Servers have a maximum player count of 100
Excluded maps: Aberration, Gen 1 & 2, Extinction and Fjordur
The following TEK engrams/items will be available:
TEK Replicator
TEK Transmitter
TEK Turret
TEK Hatchframe
TEK Door
TEK Foundation
TEK ladder
TEK Pillar
TEK Ramp
TEK Trapdoor
TEK Wall
TEK Doorframe
TEK Windowframe
TEK Window
Sloped TEK Wall Left
Sloped TEK Wall Right
TEK Staircase
Sloped TEK Roof
TEK Railing
TEK Fence Foundation
TEK Generator
TEK Trough
TEK Teleporter
Megalodon TEK Saddle
Vacuum Compartment
Vacuum Compartment Moonpool
Cloning Chamber
Tapejara TEK Saddle
TEK Fence Support
Large TEK Wall
TEK Stairs
TEK Triangle ceiling
TEK Triangle foundation

Fan Art Gallery | Screenshot Gallery | Artist Feedback Form

Creator: Python
Join Python as he begins his ultimate journey! There is no limit to what is possible during this playthrough, his goal is to have as much fun as possible.

Creator: Veno (featuring Raasclark)
Veno and Raasclark take on another challenge in their Dingle Cup Season 2! Today they will be taming creatures based solely on their dossier's description. Can you guess the creature before they do?

The kitten is watching you by Ariz

Yutyrannus by @k3zk_627

Sakuramochi by @falco_luna

Battle for Eden by @TekARK3

Fjordhawk by mendozian

Tropeognathus by @DW_ARK

Hostiles Approaching by @WolfTek7

Just finished casually farming metal at the best location in the game by @BeyPlays

The view from my house by u/NahDontLook

The Doedicurus by Manatee

Enjoy your weekend!
Studio Wildcard

Twitter: twitter.com/survivetheark
Discord: discord.com/invite/playark
Reddit: reddit.com/r/playark
Instagram: instagram.com/survivetheark
Twitch: twitch.tv/survivetheark
Steam: steamcommunity.com/app/346110
Youtube: youtube.com/survivetheark
Facebook: facebook.com/survivetheark
Official Wiki: ark.wiki.gg

Apr 7, 2023

Community Crunch 356: ARK Roadmap Update, Rhyniognatha Concept, and More!

ARK: Survival Evolved - complexminded

Hey Survivors,

We appreciate your patience as we digested the feedback and consulted with our partners to revise our upcoming plans. As always, we’re very grateful to have such a passionate player base, and we hear and understand your concerns. We've decided to make some changes and provide additional information as to why we’re taking this approach, so please bear with us as we address some points.

Price Point and Bundle

First things first, we are scrapping the ARK Respawned Bundle. Our intention behind this was to provide a package where you essentially got two products for the price of one. In hindsight, not the best move. Our bad; we recognize how combining ARK Survival Ascended with ARK 2 and requiring further DLC upgrades wasn’t optimal, especially since you wouldn’t be able to judge ARK 2 as no gameplay or content would be available yet. Here are our new plans:

ARK: Survival Ascended will now be a standalone package released on every platform (PC Windows/Steam, Xbox Series S/X, and PlayStation 5) at $59.99. The package will include the following pieces of content built-in (not sold separately), with each remastered and altered for the next-generation:

The Island (Released at Launch)
Survival of the Fittest: The Island & Scorched Earth map variants (Released at Launch)
Scorched Earth (Released at Launch)
Aberration (Released by Q4 2023)
Extinction (Released by Q1 2024)
Genesis Part 1 (Released by Q1 2024)
Genesis Part 2 (Released by Q2 2024)
All the community-created maps are also to be released over time in 2024 (Fjordur, Ragnarok, The Center, Lost Island, Valguero, Crystal Isles)

No longer a backward-compatible free update?

Initially, when we had first considered doing an Unreal 5 upgrade, we planned just to port the Switch version of the game and undo the ‘graphical’ limitations required for that hardware. We weren’t going to maximize the potential of the new technology, we weren’t going to introduce new gameplay changes, and we weren’t going to make critical design changes that would have had an impact on existing save data.

After carefully considering what would be the best outcome for those who enjoy ARK: Survival Evolved and would want to continue to enjoy it in the years to come, we decided that our initial plan would not be sufficient. We want to provide you with an evergreen classic ARK experience, one that can continue to grow over time on a cleaned-up code base, making use of the new technological advancements not only in the industry but also in what we are working on with ARK 2.

We weren’t trying to mislead you with earlier comments; our plans and overall intentions changed. So you're probably asking, why don’t we make these upgrades to the original ARK: Survival Evolved (ASE)? Frankly, it would not be viable. Many of the changes we’re making in ARK: Survival Ascended will touch a lot of aspects of the game; it’ll invalidate save data, some mods may not be functional, some things may not play the same way as they did before, and we didn’t want to change that experience for those who prefer it or are unable to upgrade.

This also impacted our decision to sunset the ASE Official Network offline on August 31st, shortly before the ASA launch. Despite ASE Officials representing the minority of players on ARK, it’s an invested and passionate group with attachments to their bases, tames, and characters, and seeing that go away can’t be easy. While we know it’s not the same, we hope making the saves available for unofficial use helps diminish the loss. Our reasoning behind the decision is that those servers are essentially based on old technology and require significant development resources and time for our teams to operate & maintain. In some cases, the issues aren’t as easily solvable without an overall upgrade. Additionally, we know that those resources could be better utilized on fundamentally new technology to further enhance the overall game experience for all players.

ASE will still be available to play for those who choose to; that includes multiplayer through unofficial/player-hosted sessions, the endless amount of mods on the Steam workshop, and all the game content as you currently know it. All of that is going to remain, but after 8 years of development, we have to make the difficult decision of sunsetting ASE and the Official Network in order to provide that truly long-term and evergreen version of the game through ARK: Survival Ascended. We’ll be sending off ASE with one final content update for our 8th anniversary this June, releasing the fan-elected creature: Rhyniognatha! (Keep an eye out next week for its Dossier)

We plan to support ARK: Survival Ascended with new features (including at launch), content drops, creatures, items, structures, and DLC. Our roadmap covered some of those planned changes, and we said there would be more, and here’s another preview:

Dynamic navigation mesh and creature pathfinding overhaul (AI pathfinding)
Photo Mode
Nvidia DLSS
Dino/Baby Management QOL
Wild Babies
Snap point improvements (new snaps, logic improvements)
Character creation & customization improvements
Cross-platform Multiplayer & Full Blueprint Modding (I know we mentioned this before, but we’re serious, it’s happening on PC and Consoles at launch, and we’ve got it working internally with Overwolf technology – this dramatically changes the nature of the console experience).

And this list is not exhaustive. We’re hoping to get even more done, and the only reason we aren’t covering all of those details right now is that we’re still working on them. It’s taking a significant amount of resources and time at the studio, and we don’t want to commit to other particular features unless we’re sure we can get them in for launch. And yeah, we may miss our deadline on certain aspects, but they’ll come in over time as we continue to support this next generation of ARK.

At the end of the day, these are just words and, frankly, may not mean so much. That’s okay; we understand what will really convince you is seeing screenshots and a gameplay trailer, and you will in time. We know there are going to be more questions, and we’ll be sharing more details over time. We’re not quite ready to pull back the curtains just yet, so we hope you’ll hang in there with us, Survivors. It’ll be worth the wait!

Studio Wildcard

Let’s kick off the first piece of major new content for ARK: Survival Ascended - a fan-voted real-world creature that will launch on Day 1.

Please note that this creature will be released for Scorched Earth, so make sure your real-world submissions are in theme with that map! We’ll also be adding an additional real-world creature for each subsequent canonical expansion pack map release on ARK: Survival Ascended.

Check out the Creature Submission Guidelines for more information on the submission process and hop over to the Creature Submission Forum to see the current entries. The entry period will end at 1PM Pacific on April 21st, so don't wait - get your ideas in. We are looking forward to seeing your ideas come to life!

4/07 - 4/24

Red
Blue
Green
Yellow
Cyan
Magenta
Light Green
Light Orange
Light Yellow
Light Red
Black
Dark Red
Dino Light Red
Dino Dark Red
Dino Light Blue
Dino Dark Blue
Dino Light Purple
Dino Dark Purple
DragonGreen3
WyvernPurple0
WyvernPurple1
WyvernBlue0
WyvernBlue1
Dino Medium Blue
Dino Deep Blue
NearWhite
DarkTurquoise
MediumTurquoise
Turquoise
LightCement
LightPink
DeepPink
DarkViolet
DarkMagenta
MediumAutumn
Vermillion
Coral
Orange
Peach
ActualBlack
MidnightBlue
LemonLime
Mint
DarkLavender
MediumLavender
Lavender
DarkTeal
MediumTeal
Teal
PowderBlue
Glacial
Custard
Cream

*Note that these bonuses are multiplicative of the game's standard 1x rates.

Official Servers: 3x XP, Harvesting, Taming, and Breeding (imprint, maturation, hatch/gestation), 0.5x Mating Interval, 1.5x Hexagon Bonus
Small Tribe Servers: 4.5x XP, 4.5x Harvesting, 4.5x Taming, and 4x Breeding (imprint, maturation, hatch/gestation), 0.5x Mating Interval, 1.5x Hexagon Bonus
ARKPocalypse: 5x XP, 5x Harvesting, 5x Taming, and 5x Breeding (imprint, maturation, hatch/gestation), 0.5x Mating Interval, 1.5x Hexagon Bonus
Classic: 6x XP, 6x Harvesting, 6x Taming, and 5x Breeding (imprint, maturation, hatch/gestation), 0.5x Mating Interval

Fan Art Gallery | Screenshot Gallery | Artist Feedback Form

Creator: NaturalCauzes
Primal Fear is an Ark mod filled with terrifying creatures, majestic unicorns, and exploding dodos. NaturalCauzes has 100 days to beat Pikkons Revenge!

Creator: pterafier
Pterafier shows you the different ways to tame the creatures you see around you. In this helpful and captivating guide, he will help you to understand advanced crafting using mortar and pestle, tranq arrows, narcotics, saddles, passive taming, and more.

The concept of a fiery place by @VELUKO1

Untitled by @MayaPatch89

Megalo in the night by Sai

Space Mosas by N4STYR4BBiT

Pteranodon handmade art doll by sayvaris

Reaper Riders by Azany

New tricks by terrortantrum

The Island cave exploration by @maMe_buDo

"You won't take this new world, but I will grant you rest, Edmund" by @BlockBeam101

Me and Cubed Ice flying over Valguero by u/MelonLord97

Inspired by Hogwarts by @ARKitects_Ark

Enjoy your weekend!
Studio Wildcard

Twitter: twitter.com/survivetheark
Discord: discord.com/invite/playark
Reddit: reddit.com/r/playark
Instagram: instagram.com/survivetheark
Twitch: twitch.tv/survivetheark
Steam: steamcommunity.com/app/346110
Youtube: youtube.com/survivetheark
Facebook: facebook.com/survivetheark
Official Wiki: ark.wiki.gg

Mar 31, 2023

Community Crunch 355: ARK Roadmap, EVO Event, and More!

ARK: Survival Evolved - complexminded

Hey there Survivors!

We’re ready to reveal ARK's roadmap for the next year, covering various game-related initiatives, new platforms, and media. The community’s support continues to be incredibly humbling and inspiring for the team, and that enthusiasm helps drive us toward creating the ultimate survival franchise. What we’ve planned has changed due to many shifting factors, but we believe it will ultimately provide the most fun and excitement for everyone who enjoys ARK.

We know you’re eager for the lowdown on our plans and more transparency regarding what’s behind the curtain, what’s evolved, and what has sprung anew, and we’re ready to share that with you… But before starting, we want you to meet our new friend!

And now, for the roadmap…

After careful consideration, we have decided to delay the sequel's launch to the end of 2024, when it will still launch exclusively on Xbox, Game Pass, and Windows distribution platforms (Steam/PC). We’ve put much thought into delaying ARK 2 for the betterment of the final product and the team's well-being. This news will be disappointing to many - we feel it too - but we’re confident this heavy decision is the right one.

So why the delay? Our goal is to make ARK 2 the best game it can be and provide a truly exceptional and rewarding experience for players. Unreal Engine 5 is incredibly new technology to us (and all developers), and we aim to use this cutting-edge tech to its fullest potential while creating a game with never-before-achieved scope at Studio Wildcard. As we learn more about the engine and develop the sequel, we have adapted our workflows and adjusted our pipelines to accommodate this new next-generation paradigm, and because of everything that involves, we need more time for development.

We sincerely apologize for this delay and genuinely appreciate your understanding. Your support and passion are vital to us, and we will continue to work intensively to deliver the ultimate next-gen dinosaur survival experience. With that in mind, we do not plan to showcase any gameplay/screenshots/videos of ARK 2 this year; however, we intend to keep you informed and engaged in the development process by regularly showcasing more ARK 2 assets in the months ahead, leading to our gameplay reveal next year.

But! Our desire to push the boundaries of what ARK 2 is on a next-generation platform has led us to the decision to create an intermediary Unreal Engine 5 ARK product utilizing some of the new technology we are building, allowing us to further our mastery of the new engine and ultimately battle-test some of our riskier technical advancements. We’ll gain a deep understanding of how well the rendering and lighting techniques work on console, what performance will be like, whether we can optimize and deliver interactive water and foliage on a widescale basis, and much more. We will deliver cross-platform modding, cross-platform multiplayer & a new account system, informing us about other changes we should consider for ARK 2. Due to the scope of all the technical and QOL changes required for such a next-gen experience, it is not feasible to make this new version of ARK backward compatible, which led us to conclude that this would need to be a separate product.

We also recognize that ARK 2 has some pretty significant design changes from the original game, which may not make it as appealing to everyone (looking at you, Souls-like combat, primitive-only weaponry, and strict third-person mechanics – and an overall “very serious” tone), which is why we feel it is essential to provide players with a fully next-gen version of the original experience to ensure that fans can continue to enjoy the ARK they know for years to come.

We’re thrilled to share this new ARK journey with you this year -- bringing players from PC, Xbox, and PlayStation together in a next-generation version of the game you love, topped off with revolutionary cross-platform modding.

ARK: Survival Ascended is a next-generation remaster of our beloved ARK: Survival Evolved, harnessing the power of Unreal Engine 5. It will be released on Xbox Series S/X, PC (Windows/Steam), and PlayStation 5 by the end of August 2023. The base game will include The Island, SOTF, and all the “Non-Canon” DLC maps (which will be added to ASA over time).

Xbox Series S/X and PC players will only be able to get it via an ultimate-value bundle known as the ARK Respawned Bundle. This bundle includes ownership of both ARK: Survival Ascended AND ARK 2 and will be priced at $49.99. This bundle will be available to purchase from the end of August for up to 1 year (after which ARK: Survival Ascended and ARK 2 will be sold separately). Additionally, the bundle will provide players access to an exclusive 1-month closed-beta to ARK 2 in 2024 before the rest of the general public can play ARK 2.

PlayStation 5 users will be able to get their hands on ARK: Survival Ascended as a standalone next-gen game at launch in August 2023 for $39.99.

All the expansion packs will be sold separately on all platforms:

$19.99 for Explorer’s Pass, which includes Scorched Earth, Aberration (Q4 2023), and Extinction (Q1 2024).
$19.99 for Genesis Pass, which includes Genesis Part 1 (Q1 2024) and Genesis Part 2 (Q2 2024).

At ARK: Survival Ascended’s launch, players will have access to The Island, Scorched Earth, and the new revamped game mode, Survival of the Fittest.

In addition to many other new features, ARK: Survival Ascended will feature the following improvements and enhancements:

Unreal Engine 5 Overhaul with Nanite, Lumen and RTXDI
Nanite Rendering Engine
Dynamic Water
Interactive Foliage
Unreal Engine 5 performance gains: instanced-rendering (large-bases etc.), threaded server networking, and native physics engine
Cross-platform Multiplayer: This includes cross-platform accounts and cross-progression, cross-voice chat & friends, etc. No matter what platform you start playing on, you can access your account, character, dinos, and items on a different platform for the ultimate cross-platform experience.
Cross-platform Anti-Cheat
Art Assets are being upgraded throughout the entire game
Newly-designed holiday events take advantage of the next-gen pipeline, released as mods, so they’re always available to play!

Cross-platform Modding:

We recognize the power of giving players the tools and capability to define their survival experience, so we want to take cross-platform one step further by working with Overwolf to introduce an industry-first cross-platform modding experience where mods created on PC are delivered directly to end-users’ consoles from a custom modding backend.
The modding capability will include FULL blueprinting support ;), stacked mods, and maps. Everything that is currently possible on the Steam version of ARK: Survival Evolved and more will be possible on the new system and be available for end-users to play on consoles in all modes.
Premium Mods: Reviewed by Overwolf and Wildcard for quality control and value, Mod authors will optionally be able to specify price points for their Mods (with 50% of the price point going to the Mod author). This is necessary to pay for the custom infrastructure required for Overwolf to support, administrate, and deliver Mods to the console.
We plan on streamlining the process of upgrading legacy ARK: Survival Evolved mods to the next-generation platform. We plan to reach out to current/former sponsored modders in preparation for the launch of ASA with the tools they need to get their mods ready before the launch.

Survival of the Fittest:

SOTF will be integrated into the main product as a new fully-supported game mode. It will have a dedicated team that will continue to work on more gameplay changes, mechanical improvements, quality of life, maps, and balance adjustments. The initial mode will be revamped with an exclusive ARK: Survival Ascended update, including:
Upgraded to Unreal Engine 5 with complete cross-platform and cross-modding support (the SOTF UE5 source content will be released for modders to utilize as they wish within ASA)
Scorched Earth SOTF Map
Matchmaking queue
Character and Creature customization with cosmetics
Local Lobby where you can group up with your friends, configure the look of your survivor and dinos, and queue up for lobbies together
Lots of bug-fixes and balance and functionality improvements

New content, QOL improvements, balance, and gameplay changes, including but not limited to:

Updated mini-map (pan, zoom, pings, etc – similar to the SOTF mini-map)
New structures (display cases, smaller TEK Teleporters) & building QOL improvements (snap fixes, increased foundation support, foundation height adjustments, and more)
Queueing System
New third-person camera (with the option to opt out)
Directional Sprinting and Walking
Ping system
Gamepad cursor
Chibi Slot and Skins Tab
Balance passes (e.g. Cave Entrances, MEKs, Aberration Creatures, more breedable creatures, etc)
…and more! (seriously, a lot more, this list isn’t exhaustive, but it’ll get super long if we list everything, and there’s more we’ll decide to do between now and launch too)

We understand there will be questions regarding LiveOps for the product, so we’ll review some key areas now.

Final Content Update: In June for ARK’s 8th Anniversary, we’ll release ARK: Survival Evolved’s final content update, which includes the fan-voted Rhyniognatha!
Cross-platform: It’s important to note that ARK: Survival Evolved (ARK:SE) and ARK: Survival Ascended (ASA) will coexist but will not support crossplay between the two games. ASA will have undergone profound functional changes which prevent it from being compatible with the previous game.
Holiday Events: We plan to develop and release ASA-exclusive holiday content that takes advantage of the next-gen pipeline released in mods, so they’re always available to play!
Official Servers: With the launch of ASA at the end of August, we will be taking down all Official Servers on Xbox, PlayStation, and PC for ARK: Survival Evolved – at that time, the final save-datas from the ARK: Survival Evolved Official Servers will be uploaded for players to re-host on their own servers or play in singleplayer/non-dedi, as well as slightly earlier snapshots. You will still be able to play on single-player, non-dedicated, player-dedicated, and unofficial servers. ARK: Survival Ascended will have it's own fully supported Official Network for all platforms.
Feature Sunset: With the launch of ASA, we will be ending official support for Primitive+, Split Screen, and Procedurally Generated Maps. These aspects of the game will not be ported to the new Unreal Engine 5 version.
We will look into releasing the source files for Primitive+ for those that wish to repurpose aspects of it for mods.
ARK: Survival Ascended Updates: The remaster will have regular updates to resolve bugs, introduce new content, balance changes, and quality-of-life improvements for years to come.
ARK: Survival Evolved Updates: will be limited to crashes and critical bug fixes.

We plan to release a new canonical-story expansion pack for ARK: Survival Ascended that will be available in Q4 2023. This DLC will feature four new creatures, which we’ll share more details about later this year!

ARK: The Animated Series has completed the animation and cast recordings of all its 14 initial episodes, which are currently in post-production (VFX, sound mix, etc.). We're delighted with how the show turned out -- it's an epic melodramatic love letter to dinosaurs, fantasy/sci-fi, and of course ARK itself -- though we have not placed it yet with any platform, hence the lack of news in that area. So as soon as there's more to report, we will let you know!

Thank you everyone for reading through this substantial write-up, and stay tuned for more information on the ARK: Survival Ascended in the months ahead toward its August launch!

Studio Wildcard

Experience gain, taming, gathering have been tripled compared to our standard Official Servers (3x)
Breeding, hatching, and raising rates have been tripled compared to our standard Official Servers (3x)
No tribe limit
Tribe alliances are disabled, though informal alliances are allowed
Servers have a maximum player count of 100
No Aberration map
All other maps excluding Gen1&2 and Extinction will be available.

The following TEK engrams/items will be available:

TEK Replicator
TEK Transmitter
TEK Turret
TEK Hatchframe
TEK Door
TEK Foundation
TEK ladder
TEK Pillar
TEK Ramp
TEK Trapdoor
TEK Wall
TEK Doorframe
TEK Windowframe
TEK Window
Sloped TEK Wall Left
Sloped TEK Wall Right
TEK Staircase
Sloped TEK Roof
TEK Railing
TEK Fence Foundation
TEK Generator
TEK Trough
TEK Teleporter
Megalodon TEK Saddle
Vacuum Compartment
Vacuum Compartment Moonpool
Cloning Chamber
Tapejara TEK Saddle
TEK Fence Support
Large TEK Wall
TEK Stairs
TEK Triangle ceiling
TEK Triangle foundation

Survivors on all platforms will be receiving an EVO Event! It will be active until Monday, the 3rd of April.
All Official Servers across each platform will be undergoing this evolutionary change which includes:

*Note that these bonuses are multiplicative of the game's standard 1x rates.

Official Servers: 2x XP, Harvesting, Taming and Breeding (imprint, maturation, hatch/gestation), 0.5x Mating Interval, 2x Hexagon Bonus
Small Tribe Servers: 4.5x XP, Harvesting, Taming and Breeding (imprint, maturation, hatch/gestation), 0.5x Mating Interval, 2x Hexagon Bonus
ARKPocalypse: 5x XP, Harvesting, Taming and Breeding (imprint, maturation, hatch/gestation), 0.5x Mating Interval, 2x Hexagon Bonus
Classic: 6x XP, Harvesting, Taming and Breeding (imprint, maturation, hatch/gestation), 0.5x Mating Interval

Fan Art Gallery | Screenshot Gallery | Artist Feedback Form

Creator: Sypher Sam
In this speed build tutorial, Sypher Sam teaches you how to build an Elven-style PvE house inspired by the Lord of the Rings' architecture. No mods were used. Plus, it can be built on consoles & PC!

Creator: Raasclark (featuring CaptainFatdog)
In this short, Raasclark and Captain Fatdog attempt to knock out a wyvern with a mantis! Will they succeed?