New Ark: Survival Evolved Update Out Now On PC, Here's What It Adds

The developer behind Ark: Survival Evolved continues to support the game with new content, and the most recent patch is a big one. Available now on PC, Update V257 adds gear, creatures, a cave, and a bunch of tweaks and changes. You can check out the trailer for the patch above.

The update is "one of the largest to date," according to developer Studio Wildcard. Headlining the update are a number of changes to the game's TEK Tier, sci-fi endgame content. Players can now create a TEK cloning chamber to clone creatures, a TEK saddle to ride Megalodons, a TEK turret that's an enhanced auto-turret, and a TEK sticky grenade.

In addition, the update adds a high-level cave in an active volcano. By traveling to this cave, players can access the Ascension mechanic, another addition in this update. The Ascension mechanic is essentially a way of leveling up to make the game's world more difficult. Players must beat every boss, complete the cave, and defeat a final boss to Ascend.

Gallery

Four new creatures are also added to the game. The Apis Lithohermaea is a giant bee which wields its stinger as its main weapon; the Kentrosaurus Aethiopicus looks like a smaller, more dangerous stegosaurus; the Liopleurodon Magicus grants luck if players can tame it; and the Daeodon Comedentis is described as a "Hell Pig." You can see a gallery of the new creatures above.

A list of added features is below, and you can read the full patch notes here:

• Structure: TEK Cloning Chamber
• Structure: TEK Megalodon Saddle
• Structure: TEK Turret
• Weapon: Tek Grenade
• TEK Cave and Volcano--The Volcano finally receives its long overdue, scorching redesign--and now leads to the entrance to the TEK Cave.
• Ascension Game Progression
• More UI overhauls
• New Hairstyle and Facial Hair
• Approximately 20+ New Explorer Notes
• 15 new music tracks, per-biome and situational
• Full console-style gamepad functionality (i.e. same as console versions)
• Alpha Megalodon and APEX Loot for all Alpha creatures.

The patch is currently only available on PC, but the developer says that a version for PS4 and Xbox One is coming soon. You can read about the details of the previous patch, which was another substantial content update, here.

Although the game has done well on PC and consoles, it doesn't look it'll be released on Nintendo Switch any time soon. The developer said in February: "We don't have any current plans for the Nintendo Switch, though I will be closely watching how that console does in its launch."

List of new features :