ARK: Survival Ascended has made it onto Xbox Game Pass, and has two new expansion updates out today. The first, a reimagined Scorched Earth map, and the second, Bob’s Tall Tales, features the voice talent of Karl Urban telling some ARK history to young Meeka (Auli’i Cravalho) in new episodic adventures.
Bob’s Tall Tales is also rolling out its first part today. ARK veteran Bob is telling some tales of his adventures and some history in a series of episodic updates. These Tall Tales will feature new creatures and vehicles. The first, Frontier Showdown, is out today, and offers opportunities to build up some Western style buildings, like a saloon, and more to suit frontier living. Find buried treasure, explore, and go tame some creatures. A new addition, the Oasisaur, is described as a large, “gravity-defying” island creature and can even function as an airborne sanctuary with reported curative talents.
There will be additional episodes to come, each with their own themes. Steampunk Ascent is set for Q4 2024, with a customizable ship and retro-futuristic style gadgets in an underworld adventure. Finally, Wasteland War will release in Q1 2025 and pit rival tribes and you against each other in a post-apocalyptic wasteland setting where Studio Wildcard promises lots of vehicle action to come.
The Scorched Earth map features six desert biomes and is a reimagined in Unreal Engine 5. This is reimagined but also new, as these new biomes–featuring badlands, dunes, mountains, canyons, ruins, geysers, and caves–offer a completely new land to explore and master. Look out for the Fasolasuchus, a new dino that can move through sand as if it were swimming, capable of surprise ambushes, and even creating sand whirlpools. Yet, if you can manage taming one, they can be helpful when they’re thrashing sand with their tails into your enemies’ eyes.
Team up with others to explore the terrain, survive the obstacles and rough lands, and travel between the desert and the Island.
