Everyone here at Studio Wildcard has been eagerly awaiting the opportunity to reveal the second part of the Ark: Survival Evolved Genesis saga, which is launching March 2021. And this weekend at the annual Extra Life charity event, where the Ark community raised over $180,000 for the kids, we finally did just that and revealed quite a bit of what’s coming!
Continuing the story of ARK: Genesis, the second installment takes place on a huge contiguous new world packed with mysterious biomes, story driven missions, and otherworldly creatures. Set on an enormous colony ship travelling through deep space, survivors will join the spritely HLN-A in a final confrontation against her archnemesis Sir Edmund Rockwell. Drawing on all your previous Ark experiences will be key to overcoming this challenge!
This expansion pack is our largest yet and has game-changing additions for every kind of Survivor. Say hello to convenience with new structures that improve quality-of-life, such as the Egg Incubator, which lets you view all the statistics and mutations of your eggs, incubating them at an optimal temperature while hatching them at your leisure. Or the Ammo Box which automatically fills all nearby turrets (mounted or automatic) with the ammunition they need. Not to mention the Loadout Mannequin, which enables players to quickly change loadouts via a single-press full-equipment and hotbar swap. Convenience and utility are a big part of many of the Genesis Part 2 items!
And of course, it wouldn’t be an Ark expansion without more fantastical creatures! We’ll be adding in a brain-controlling “Noglin,” the group-cloaking chimerical prowler “Shadowmane,” the ever adaptable giant mechanical “Stryder,” the veritable starfighter “Astrodelphis,” and more to be revealed!
Whether you’re zooming around doing radical tricks on the new skateboard-like Hoversail, managing and viewing your base remotely with TEK Security Cameras, or materializing arrows on the fly with the new TEK bow, Genesis Part 2 has a bit of something for everyone!
As we gear up for this conclusion to the epic story, we’ll be welcoming new voiceover talent to the ARK universe! The role of the villainous Sir Edmund Rockwell will be played by David Tennant (“Doctor Who,” “Good Omens”), and Madeleine Madden (“The Wheel of Time,” “Picnic at Hanging Rock,” “Dora and the Lost City of Gold”) will be playing your loyal robotic AI companion HLN-A/Helena Walker!
In addition to discussing what’s to come, we must also not forget the here and now: the newly released “TLC Update #3” has marched onto the Ark, providing tender loving care for some old friends! The Woolly Mammoth and Stegosaurus have received powerful new abilities and visual refinements, along with the addition of Insect and Wyvern breeding, a versatile new taming interface, and more QoL changes!
We’re also excited to remind all Xbox players that Ark’s original DLC Expansion Packs launch into Xbox Game Pass on November 17, and that Ark’s beautiful Xbox Series X Enhancement Upgrade is available now, which includes features like 4K Output at 30-60 FPS, Max Texture Resolution, Tetherless Non-Dedicated Hosting, Tetherless Splitscreen, 100-player Dedicated Server Hosting, 7x Faster Loading and more.
Finally, we’re forever grateful to our community who have supported us since launch and pushed Ark to new heights! So, what’s next? Well, please tune into The Game Awards on December 10, where we’ll have some very special Ark announcements! Until then, happy surviving everyone!
ARK: Survival Evolved
Studio Wildcard
TAME, TRAIN, BREED & RIDE DINOSAURS, IN A LIVING ECOSYSTEM
Over 50 creatures can be tamed using a challenging subdue-&-protect process. Weaken a feral creature to knock it out, and then nursing it to health. Once tamed, you can issue commands to your Pet, which it may follow depending on how well you’ve tamed and trained it. Pets continue to level-up and consume food, and carry Inventory and Equipment. Fly a Pteranodon over the mountains, race through the jungle with a pack of Raptors, or chase down prey on a T-Rex! Experience a dynamic ecosystem with its own predator & prey hierarchies. Breed Pets through successive generations to generate the best traits. Or put more simply, breed & raise Dino Babies!
FOOD, WATER, TEMPERATURE AND WEATHER
Eat and drink to survive, with different foods having different nutritional values (including human meat!). All actions drain food and water, and long-distance travel is draining. Inventory weight slows you down, and the day/night cycle and weather alter the environment. Craft clothing, build shelter, and use fire to protect yourself against damage & the elements.
HARVEST, CRAFT, AND PAINT ITEMS
Harvest trees, ore, and more to become a master crafter. Use your hands, a Smithy, or a Fabricator to craft increasingly complex and powerful gear. Build a massive base using modular pieces–ranging from Thatch, to Wood, to Stone, to Metal. Customize your base by painting it and placing signs that you can actually draw on. Weapons, clothing, & armor gear can also be painted to express your own visual style.
SUMMON THE ULTIMATE LIFE FORMS
Bring rare items to special Summon locations to awaken the ARK’s mythical creatures, who arrive ready for battle. These monstrosities provide an end-game goal for the most experienced Tribes and their Pets, and yield valuable items if they are defeated.
RPG STATISTICS
Level-Up your survivor by gaining experience through in-game actions to learn new crafting Engrams, or find higher level item Blueprints in the most dangerous parts of the ARK. Customize the look of your character with a complex character creation system.
HARDCORE MECHANICS
Items have durability and wear out with use if not repaired. When you leave the game, your character remains “sleeping” in the persistent world. Your inventory also exists in the persistent world, vulnerable to theft. Death means permanent loss, and you can even enslave other players for your own purposes.
LARGE WORLD PERSISTENCE
On the 70+ player servers, your character, everything you built, and your pets stay in-game even when you leave. Special themed events will occur in the world with corresponding limited-run items!