Today developer Studio Wildcard announced that its hit game Ark: Survival Evolved, has received a brand new update. This patch, titled v258, adds a myriad of new features to the game.
First off, and possibly most importantly, v258 adds five new creatures into the title. Hyaenodon Dirus is a carnivore found in the mountains and the tundras, and are an incredibly intelligent species. Megatherium Formipavor is a large herbivore that's interested in eating the many insects found on the Island (yes, you heard that right). Megalania Muruspede has incredibly strong claws which allow it to scale up the sides of the cave systems found on the Island. Hesperornis Avenatantes is a bird that can be found in the rivers and lakes on the island. It primarily consumes flesh. The last creature we have is the Yutyrannus Saevus, which is a feathered creature that's possibly related to the T-Rex.
Secondly, the new update introduces toilets into the game for the first time. When players use the toilet they will get gain a "refreshing buff" which will give the user an experience boost.
Finally, there's a brand new vehicle and a new weapon. The weapon is a new motorized speed boat, while the weapon is a harpoon, which of course can be used underwater.
The full patch notes can be found below:
* New Weapon: Harpoon Gun (& Tranq Bolts for the Harpoon Gun)
* New Dino: Hyaenodon
* New Dino: Hesperonis
* New Dino: Megatherium
* New Dino: Megalania
* New Dino: Yutyrannus
* New Vehicle: Gas-powered speedy Motorboat
* New Structure: Interactive Toilet
* 2 New Hairstyles
* Memory reductions, texture memory & mesh optimization.
* Greater Achievement set, with various cosmetics, hairstyles, & emotes unlocked as you get Achievements.
* New client Options to disable giving cosmetics on respawn, and to disable menu music tracks.
* Re-added the ATV vehicle as work-in-progress "easter egg" for singleplayer and custom servers
* Massive update to Primitive+
* Fixed various gameplay exploits and edge cases.
* Direwolf now has pack logic with pack buff
* Fixed bug where Alpha Wild creatures were sometimes improperly buffing enemy (tamed) creatures
* Updated various new UI's to the new style
* 66 new Explorer Notes! (between The Island and ScorchedEarth)
* Ballista/Harpoon Bolt now has significant piercing properties akin to the Composite Arrow
* Redid The Island's ambient sounds and various gameplay sound effects
* Explorer Notes subtitle option button, Explorer Notes translations are WIP
* Tek Projectiles now will not do any damage if they collide with a Structure after 5000 units distance (to balance against Auto-Turrets)
* Various misc map fixes
You can find a brand new trailer, as well as screenshots for the update at the end of this article.
In addition to the update, the developers also announced that the Steam version of the title will be on sale. You'll find that the base game is 68% off, bringing the price down from $29.99 to $9.59, while Ark Survivors Pack bundle, which includes the game and the Scorched Earth Expansion Pack has been discounted by 73%, bringing the price from $49.98 all the way down to a measly $13.58.
Ark: Survival Evolved was released as a part of Steam's Early Access Program on June 2nd, 2015, while an Xbox One version launched as a part of the Xbox Game Preview Program on December 16th, 2015, and a PlayStation 4 version of the game was released on December 6th, 2016.