ARK: Survival Ascended Set to Add a Free Desert Map and DLC Starring Karl Urban’s Bob

ARK: Survival Ascended, the action-adventure game with added domesticated battle dinosaurs, first appeared in Early Access in October 2023, and has been introducing new and returning players to the remade world of ARK: Survival Evolved ever since. Building on the original’s mix of action, crafting, and combat, ARK: Survival Ascended uses the power of Unreal Engine 5, the variety of modding and the utility of cross-platform play to offer an upgraded way to experience the open-world exploration experience.

Now Snail Games is bringing more to the ARK: Survival Experience with the Scorched Earth Expansion Map and Bob’s Tall Tales DLC. Fans who have checked out the ARK: Animated Series on Paramount+ can also enjoy special in-game content based on the spinoff, with animated skins based on the show’s characters.

Bob’s Tall Tales DLC Brings Karl Urban and Auli’i Cravalho

Adding The Boys star Karl Urban to an adventure is never a bad idea, and the new Bob’s Tales DLC is no exception. This premium DLC stars the iconic ARK legend Bob (voiced by Urban) and tells the story of his “incredibly true adventures.”

ARK fans know that in the brutal world of the game, Bobs are the noobs of the universe (the original default character name in ARKs of the past) and despite his boasts, this Bob is no exception. As you find his animated Explorer Notes he’ll relay his tales of triumph to Meeka (voiced by Moana’s Auli’i Cravalho) giving you the chance to hear his story.

The expansion will take you to The Island, Scorched Earth, Aberration, and Extinction to play through three themed stories. The first to go live is Frontier Showdown – a chance to saddle up and stake your claim on the Scorched Earth. Players can build new Western-style structures like a rootin’ tootin’ saloon complete with piano and even hop aboard a chugging steam train to see the badlands in style. The Frontier Showdown story also adds a new dinosaur, the Oasisaur, a protective creature with perks all its own. When you’re near an Oasisaur, you’re shielded from environmental threats and hostile creatures. Sadly, it won’t protect you from other players but its rejuvenating pools can revive fallen pets.

The Frontier Showdown adventure launches on April 1, with more stories – Steampunk Ascent and Wasteland Wars – following in the future to give you the full scope and bombastic nature of Bob’s true adventures across The Island, Scorched Earth, Aberration, and Extinction.

The Scorched Earth Expansion Map Takes Players to an Unforgiving Desert Waiting to be Conquered

The Scorched Earth Expansion Map is free for all ARK: Survival Ascended players, and will go live on April 1, 2024. The searing sands it brings with it are no joke though, challenging players with an unforgiving land prone to sandstorms and new beasts to conquer. Prepare to meet the Fasolasuchus, a crocodile lookalike from the Late Triassic that can swim through sand like it’s taking a break in a hotel pool and can launch a surprise attack from beneath the dunes. Tame it though and you’ll get a powerful desert steed to help you survive the death worms and dangerous landscapes of the Scorched Earth.

ARK: The Animated Series on Paramount+ brings its colorful characters to ARK: Survival Ascended.

ARK: The Animated Series is available right now on Paramount+ in the US and Canada and will arrive in all other Paramount+ international markets starting Friday, April 19. Telling the story of 21st-century paleontologist Helena Walker (Madeleine Madden) who finds herself suddenly in a land of prehistoric beasts, it features the talents of Michelle Yeoh, Gerard Butler, David Tennant, Madeleine Madden, Jeffrey Wright, Elliot Page, Karl Urban, Devery Jacobs,

To mark the occasion special animated costumes for the characters Helena, Bob, Dodo, and Scary the Parasaur can be unlocked in ARK: Survival Ascended by hunting down special Dear Jane notes. New notes, and new unlockable costumes, will be added in the coming weeks.

You can play ARK: Survival Ascended right now on PC, Xbox Series X/S, and PS5 in Early Access. Jump in and you’ll find adventure, survival and combat, as well as user generated mods (even on console) and a world created with the help of Unreal Engine 5. Studio Wildcard recreated and redesigned its artwork and worlds from ARK: Survival Evolved and UE5 allows ARK: Survival Ascended to take advantage of high-end graphics, next-gen lighting tech that lets light realistically bounce off surfaces, advanced mesh streaming Nanite system that gives unbelievable detail to everything from your player to that terrifying giant lizard that’s about to eat your whole party, and so much more.

Unreal Engine 5 support is just one of many reasons to play ARK: Survival Ascended, and you can check out the top 10 reasons you should be playing this right now to learn more.