Ark Survival: Ascendedhas seen a massive year of updates and gameplay expansions from Studio Wildcard throughout 2024. The survival game full of dinosaurs and other incredible beasts has seen some visual improvements and expansion in maps unavailable in the originalArk: Survival Evolved. With several delays in releases, there is some uncertainty about whereSurvivalAscendedis heading and the long-awaited sequel,Ark 2. Since this has been the first full year of release forSurvivalAscended, there is still a lot of progress on the remastered title that would allow more quality of life and expanded gameplay mechanics.
What can players expect to be on the cards next for Studio Wildcard and their plans related to the series? Since theExtinctionexpansion was releasednearly two months after its planned date, it is completely possible that there might be an additionalArk 2delay, leaving players waiting perhaps an entire additional year for the new game. There have been some updates on theSurvival Ascendedroadmapthat was initially said to outlay all the update plans, but not much. For now, players should revel in theExtinctionexpansion instead of looking too far forward.
More News On Ark 2
Could A Release In 2025 Happen?
While there has not been much news onArk 2, there are some jokes in the larger community that it may never be released. So far, the premise ofArk 2follows the story of Santiago and his journey to protect his daughter Meeka, with these characters being voiced by Vin Diesel and Auli’i Cravalho respectively. Knowing that these two will be the primary voice actors for the game does promote a higher set of expectations forArk 2, butthere has not been much news regarding the current status of the project.
Studio Wildcard has confirmed that the game is being made in Unreal Engine 5, “incredibly new technology” to the developer, according to the officialArkwebsite. It would be a logical explanation for the delay ofArk 2to be attributed to the continued exploration of the development engine, since Wildcard has said that it wants to use UE5 to “its fullest potential” to increase the project’s quality. Since the studio hasSurvival Ascendedto focus on honing its skills, it would be the best decision to focus on creating a more functional game. Despite the supposed late 2024 release date,there is no officially confirmed release date forArk 2.
More Content For Ark: Survival Ascended
New Expansions Throughout 2025
The expected release roadmap forSurvival Ascendedhas been followed loosely by Studio Wildcard. It is thought there will be plenty for Wildcard to improve over the course of the remainder of the expansions. The latest expansion pack that has been released forSurvival Ascendedis theExtinctionpack that puts players in a post-apocalyptic world that involves new creatures and the dregs of an advanced civilization.Extinctionwas released nearly two months late, calling into question whether the rest of the roadmap will be followed as closely as it was before this point.
Going forward, there areplans for additionalSurvival Ascendedcontentto be released through the last quarter of 2025.There are set to be at least six additional content updates forSurvival Ascendedin the form of maps and game expansions. These interesting maps range from captivating crystal formations, biome-specific variants, and even special colony ships. There has been no real information shared about much of the upcoming content outside the names:Valguero, Genesis Part 1and2, Crystal Isles, Lost Island,andFjordur.Hopefully, the release of the next map will not be impacted by the delays, but it will be interesting to see how developers utilize UE5 in the future.
The known expansions are the same that were released forArk: Survival Evolved; their content is expected to be largely the same in the remaster, but it’s so far unclear what differences there might be.
Ark: Survival Ascended Needs Some Big Improvements
Bug Fixes & Balance Updates Are Frequently Requested
One of the biggest complaints aboutSurvival Ascendedis that many of the bugs that were prevalent throughoutSurvival Evolvedwere never fixed. Since it has been a full year after release,many players want the progression bugs fixed above all else. There have been several bugs where single-player saves will frequently bug and cause players to lose whole sessions of progress with the click of a button. There is a big problem with different dinos spawning inside location meshes that prevent them from being looted or killed. This makes many progression factors quite tough.
Not only are we hoping that these bugs will be fixed, or at least acknowledged, in 2025, but that there will be some much-needed quality-of-life improvements while the issues are still being worked out with UE5.A revamp of some of the current traits would be a welcome addition toSurvival Ascendednext year. Adding additional combat-focused traits would be instrumental to expanding the way that these traits are utilized, especially with the addition of a “glass cannon” type trait or other simple traits. While it may seem that there is an ever-growing list of demands for Studio Wildcard, there are high hopes to be had for the next year ofArk: Survival Ascended.
Sources:Ark: Survival Ascended/YouTube,Ark
Ark: Survival Ascended
ARK: Survival Ascended is a reimagined version of the 2017 action-adventure survival MMORPG by the developers at Studio Wildcard and Grove Street Games. Built in Unreal Engine 5, players will return to ARK to build tribes, fight and tame dinosaurs, and brave the elements as they battle to survive in a unique sandbox where crafting and resource management is essential.
