Big news for the weekend from ARK Survival Ascended. In the last Community Crunch, they announced that the ARK Additions dinosaurs are going to be added to the base game – meaning they will be added one by one to the normal game as we know it without you having to use the mod.
That’s a big step for the modder Garuga to have their work implemented into the game. We have seen that before in ARK Survival Evolved when Orionsun’s content from S+ was partially added to the base game. The first dino to be added will be the Ceratosaurus, which will be added in mid-May. We do not have any info on which maps it will be added to, so it’s probably worth staying tuned for further announcements. Next week for the Community Crunch, we will also get more info on the next dinosaur to be added.
Having new creatures added is always exciting as it mixes up the game meta again and opens more possibilities for players to compete with each other or create new strategies to play the game.
The Center Release
Aside from the additions of the Ceratosaurus and the other creatures that will be added one by one, we’re also expecting The Center to drop next month. While there is still a likelihood for it to be delayed, because we never take a planned date for granted, I think especially the PvP players will be excited for this one.
What is Bobs Missions?
In other news, my YouTube colleague and friend GP published an interesting video yesterday. A viewer showed him an entry in the official map list called Bob’s Missions, which was acting strangely when he was searching for available servers. We have not had any info about what Bob’s Missions might be and what it will be about. Is it a mod map, is it an unannounced project? GP is speculating a few different explanations for the entry. I find it interesting to see how it has been appearing and disappearing from the menu over the last 24 hours. What do you think this is all about?
Nekatus new Greek Map
Next are some news from German Modder Nekatus who just released Svartalfheim as a premium mod for ARK Survival Ascended. He announced via his Twitter account that his next map, influenced by Greek mythology and culture, is going to be the biggest ARK map so far, 50% bigger than Ragnarok. We have yet to see footage of what he is working on. He won’t hold the title for too long though, because Appalachia, which was announced as the first mod map for ASA, might beat every other ARK map in existence since it was announced to be 90,000 square kilometers big, while Ragnarok is “only” 144km². How this is going to work out in ASA? I am just as curious as you are.
New Monetization Rules For ASA Modders
And while we’re on the topic of modding, modders are soon free to decide which monetization model they are using in the future. That means servers that use premium mods are not locked out to people who don’t own the mod if the modder decides against it. The modder is also supposed to have the freedom to decide how much people can interact with premium content when they don’t own the mod. This is most likely due to server owners avoiding premium mods because every player had to buy the mod to play on a premium mod server before, making it almost not worth setting up a server with premium content. Similar to the adventure packs in ASA that are partially usable by people not owning them, mods will be able to allow a similar approach. In my eyes, the only right step to make premium mods a viable thing to be used in a multiplayer setting.
Tell me what do you think about these news? Which ARK Additions creatures do you want to see in the game as soon as possible? What could Bob’s Missions be, and have you bought a premium mod already or are you considering? Jump into the comments and let me know!