ARK: Survival Ascended

ARK: Survival Ascended is a highly anticipated expansion to the popular action-adventure survival video game ARK: Survival Evolved (2017), offering a new level of adventure with enhanced graphics, a wider variety of creatures and environments, and more complex gameplay options.



It provides a primitive survival experience with dinosaurs and introduces new layers of complexity, depth, and challenge that allow players to craft their adventures in a highly dynamic sandbox environment.

The game places players on a mysterious prehistoric island, where they must hunt, harvest resources, craft items, grow crops, research technologies, and build shelters to withstand the harsh elements.

While many similar games of this genre are focused on solo player experience, this franchise is again fully oriented on providing a dynamic MMO experience where online players can meet, form alliances, fight against each other, and craft a new thriving civilization under a prehistoric sky.



The expansion entered the Early Access testing stage in late 2023 on the PC platform, with a plan to finish up the final version of the game for PC and home consoles during 2024. The fully featured sequel Ark 2 is scheduled for an Early Access release in late 2024.

Key Features

• Ambitious Expansion – The continuation of the highly popular and innovative prehistoric survival game.
• Enhanced Graphics – Realistic graphics with immersive environments, including enhanced graphical details and improved performance.
• New Creatures and Environments – Find new adventures with whole new biomes of dangerous creatures, useful items, and stunning locations.
• Complex Gameplay – Become immersed in a world ruled by new creatures and dangers, introducing new layers of gameplay complexity, depth, and challenge.
• Survive at all Costs – Be either a solo survivor or create a tribe with friends to surpass challenges together.

Installation and Setup

The Windows version of this game can be easily installed on any modern gaming PC by visiting its official Steam page and purchasing the Early Access version of the game, which will automatically grant access to the full version of the game when it is released in 2024 or beyond.



Since the title is in active development, Steam clients will regularly push automatic updates that will bring new content, balance changes, new gameplay options, online stability improvements, and much more.

How to Play

Similar to the first game, players in this game must navigate the prehistoric island, hunt for resources, and build shelters to survive.



The game offers a highly realistic survival experience that is greatly enhanced by the presence of dinosaurs and other iconic gigantic creatures and introduces new layers of complexity, depth, and challenge to the formula that made its predecessor title so popular.

Powered by the latest technologies of Unreal Engine 5, players can witness highly realistic physics interactions, realistic lightning, and stunning levels of detail.

User Interface

The user interface allows for easy navigation and control of the game, enhancing the overall gameplay experience.

Similarly to the original game, the players are still tasked to directly perform many actions, with UI that helps them better organize collected resources, facilitate crafting, and prepare for combat.



The game is playable on both keyboard/mouse and controllers, with full support for button configuration and re-mapping.

FAQ

What is this ARK: Survival Ascended?
It is an ambitious expansion of the popular MMO survival title ARK: Survival Evolved, offering enhanced graphics, new creatures, and more complex gameplay in a new stunning prehistoric island environment.

Is it safe?
The game is available on reputable digital platforms such as Steam and is safe to play.

What future DLC packs are announced for the ARK franchise?
Ambitious expansions Aberration, Extinction, Genesis Part 1, and Genesis Part 2 will provide immersive stories to millions of players before the eventual release of Ark 2.

Alternatives

Conan Exiles – A survival game set in the world of Conan the Barbarian, featuring a vast open-world environment, intense survival mechanics, and brutal combat.

Rust – A popular multiplayer survival game where players must scavenge for resources, build shelters, and survive against other players and environmental threats.

The Forest – A highly effective survival horror game set in a dangerous forest where players must fight not only environmental threats but also against aggressive cannibalistic mutants.

Pricing

This is a fully-priced expansion pack that players can purchase without owning the original Ark title.

The developers currently do not offer any demo or free trial access.

System Requirements

Due to its focus on the latest rendering technologies and a high degree of detail, this expansion requires quite strong PC hardware to be fully enjoyed.

Minimal system requirements are as follows:

• OS: Windows 10/11
• CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 2600X, Intel Core i7-6800K
• GPU: AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT, NVIDIA GeForce 1080
• Memory: 16 GB RAM (32 GB recommended)
• Storage: 70 GB of free space (SSD recommended)
• Network: Broadband Internet connection

PROS

• Ambitious expansion with lots of new content.
• Enhanced graphics and immersive environments.
• New creatures and environments for a fresh gameplay experience.
• More complex gameplay with added layers of challenge.

CONS

• Early Access status can result in occasional performance/networking issues.
• Unknown release of the full version.

Conclusion

ARK: Survival Ascended for PC offers an expanded and enhanced experience compared to its predecessor, providing players with a visually stunning and more complex gameplay experience.

While the game is in Early Access, it promises to deliver a new level of adventure with its enhanced graphics, new creatures, and more challenging gameplay on the road to the release of the fully featured sequel Ark 2 maybe even as late 2024.