Ark: Survival Ascended is preparing for what developer Studio Wildcard is calling “one of the biggest technical milestones yet” for the dinosaur survival game. It’s been almost three years since the UE5 reimagining of Survival Evolved first launched into early access, and the developer promises this latest engine upgrade will help establish a stronger foundation for what lies ahead. Arriving alongside it at the end of September is the Theri TLC, an overhaul to the iconic creature that was voted for by players, as well as two new additions to the Dragontopia and Fantastic Tames DLC packs.
“Survivors, mark your calendars because September 30 is shaping up to be a big day on the Arks,” Studio Wildcard writes in its latest Community Crunch. The update will move Ark: Survival Ascended to Unreal Engine 5.8 (an apparent change from the team’s previous plans to use UE 5.7). “Our engine team has been hard at work on the upgrade, focusing on tangible performance improvements, platform-specific fixes, and stronger technical foundations for everything still ahead.”
Studio Wildcard has decided to make a bigger event of the day, and so is accompanying the UE 5.8 upgrade with a handful of other additions. First is the TLC (Tender Loving Care) patch for the Therizinosaurus, which the developer says “will sharpen up one of Ark’s most iconic creatures, bringing new life and personality to the beloved Tickle Chicken while staying true to the harvesting powerhouse Survivors know and love.”
That’s not all, as two additional creatures will be joining the lineup for a pair of Studio Wildcard’s ASA expansion passes. The Gargantar is the latest dragon to join the Dragontopia DLC roster, and it’s described as a “hungry behemoth who views the Arks as one enormous, all-you-can-eat buffet.”
The other new face is the three-headed pup Cerberax, which is the second part of Fantastic Tames Season 1 to release (following the Burrowbuck in May). Studio Wildcard reports that it’s “more than capable of carrying a lone Survivor into battle, though those traveling with a few trusted tribemates may discover where its true strength lies.” Expect the ability to bring multiple players along for the ride, then.
Cerberax’s trio of heads are aligned to fire, electric, and poison elements, and the developer says that “each head seems to have a temperament of its own, with a peculiar way of playing off the others. Survivors who learn to work with them in tandem may find that what one head starts, another can finish with devastating results.” It’s also just hard to argue with a big dog companion, even one as monstrous as this.
The Ark: Survival Ascended update to Unreal Engine 5.8 is scheduled to release on Wednesday September 30, alongside the Therizinosaurus TLC redesign. On the same day, Ark Dragontopia owners will get access to Gargantar, while Fantastic Tames Season 1 owners get Cerberax.
If you need something to tide you over until then, the final Ark Astraeos update will introduce the Boaratos to the stunning Greek mythology island DLC this coming Wednesday August 26.