ARK: Survival Evolved releases from early access today, and that means day-one patches have become available across PC, Xbox One and PS4. If you’re looking for patch notes that detail all the specific changes, you’re in luck.
Current PC Version v266 [Release Version Going Live Now, Notes May Change]
- Full story content with proper ending
- Ragnarok Hotfixes
- Implemented initial upload timer for dupe prevention
- Created blocking volumes for key areas in PvE servers (not enabled on Legacy Servers)
- Rafts can be demolishable across all servers after a period of time.
- Implemented new Host UI
- Marked designated servers as Legacy, check the Legacy filter if you cannot find your Official PC Server.
- Resolved 2 server crashes related to structure placement
- Turrets can now shoot through ragdolls you are dragging
- Fixed a rare issue where local profiles would sometimes corrupt
- Primitive+ now has its own save directory
Xbox One & PS4 Updates
- Full story content with proper ending
- New Expansion ARK map, Ragnarok and new creature: the Griffin
The main focus for launch, of course, is that past and present players will finally be able to get their hands on ARK’s story content and true ending. The multiplayer sandbox has been fun to explore over the past few years, but now there will be actual context behind it. Where is this island that houses all these massive creatures? Why are the survivors there? It’s only a matter of time before the public finds out.
While these updates have become available across each of the game’s respective platforms, it’s worth noting that official servers are still being prepared for launch. In other words, you may be able to download the above mentioned content updates, but it will be impossible to play online in the most popular places. Support staff at Studio Wildcard has noted that it may take a full 24 hours for everything to come online as intended.
Once the released version of ARK is up and running, servers will be divided into two subcategories: Legacy and official. As the name implies, Legacy servers will essentially mirror the early access ones for folks who aren’t ready to move on from the progress they’ve made over the past several months. For the true day-one players, official servers will be segmented into seven game modes: standard, non-TEK, Primitive+, Hardcore, Isolated Clusters, NoTaming, Extinction and ORP. This means the existing ways to play will still be available, but past progress will be wiped on these new official servers.
While ARK’s release month has been solidified since its E3 announcement in June, the fact that there are some post-launch stumbles today isn’t exactly surprising. The title’s arrival was delayed from its promised launch on Aug. 8 to offer additional QA, major updates arrived later than expected and communication from the team has been more than a little disjointed. This Aug. 29 launch looks like a development buzzer beater, but we have faith Studio Wildcard will eventually deliver.
ARK: Survival Evolved is available now on PC, Xbox One, PS4, OS X and Linux.
What are your thoughts on ARK’s launch so far? Did you expect these day-one updates to be bigger? Tell us in the comments section!
- Lots of Dinos to encounter and tame
- A thriving online community
- A game that truly rewards time and dedication
- Server stability issues
- The grinding gets tedious
- Terrible console UI
