Divisive dinosaur survival game Ark: Survival Ascended is now in the process of bringing over its expansions and major updates from the original Ark: Survival Evolved. Unfortunately for those who have made the leap to the Unreal Engine 5 remaster positioned as a learning experience for developer Studio Wildcard ahead of the upcoming Ark 2, it seems we have another delay on the cards, as we await the arrival of new map The Center and the upcoming Scorched Earth expansion pack.
Ark: Survival Ascended currently sits at a ‘mixed’ Steam rating of 58% positive reviews. While it’s certainly something special to look at, it’s understandable that some might balk at the prospect of buying a slightly shinier version of a game they’ve played for years and that is still in the process of bringing over most of its lifetime of expansions and DLC, especially with plenty of exciting new survival games such as Enshrouded, Palworld, and Nightingale launching of late.
The most imminent of those updates due to make its way across from Survival Evolved is The Center, a user-created map that became official free DLC. A unique environment packed with diverse biomes from jungles and ice peaks to crystalline caverns, The Center was originally planned to arrive in the dinosaur game at the end of February. Unfortunately, Studio Wildcard now says it’s had to push back this date.
“We’ve made the decision to postpone The Center as it wasn’t on track to launch with the level of quality we require,” Studio Wildcard writes in its latest community crunch blog post. “Our dedicated partners – who have been working on The Center while we focus on Scorched Earth – need more time to make sure it meets our expectations and yours. We’re sorry for this change in plans but we know it will be well worth it when The Center launches.”
It’s not all bad news, however; The Gigantoraptor, a powerful new creature and potential companion that won Ark’s fifth creature vote in June 2023, is going to be released for all survivors to find. Originally planned to arrive alongside The Center, the Gigantoraptor will now be released on Wednesday, February 28 to give you something exciting to play with while we wait for the new map to be finished.
The team also shares a look at another new dinosaur making its way to the game soon, and it’s colossal. The Oasisaur will be included as part of the optional Frontier Pack DLC set to arrive alongside the Ark Survival Ascended Scorched Earth release date. This vast behemoth is basically a floating island, and if you’re able to tame one you can use the oasis found upon its back to great effect.
The Oasisaur’s giant plateau “carries soil on its back so fertile that anything planted in it will flourish, even if practically ignored.” Perhaps even better, the oasis found there has the ability not only to cure bathers of nearly any illness or affliction, but also to reincarnate lost pets. That makes them quite the powerful addition – and perhaps the most tempting element of the Frontier Pack that we’ve seen so far.
That’s all for this week’s update, although Studio Wildcard notes that if you haven’t yet checked out the Love Ascended event, it has now been extended to run until Monday, February 26 on all official servers – so you’ve still got a little time left if you’re quick.
While we await the Gigantoraptor’s appearance and prepare for the arrival of Scorched Earth, you can find plenty more dinosaurs and other handy additions among the best Ark Survival Ascended mods. We’ve also picked out the best Ark servers to play on in 2024, so you don’t have to search around for places to play.
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