ARK: Survival Evolved Dino TLC PC Update Release ETA Moved Up

ARK: Survival Evolved will get its PC Dino TLC update earlier than expected. The current release ETA has shifted to Feb. 10, a week before the expected date. The Dino TLC update is all about bringing new looks and increased functionality to creatures that could stand to be more useful.

We’ve already posted a recap of the major changes, but here’s another refresher. All fixes here also involve new skins:

• Direbear : Improved honey gathering skills but is a larger target for bee attacks
• Procoptodon : Reduced fall damage, increased carry weight and can carry small Dinos in its pouch
• Gigantopithecus : Will do more damage to armor durability, can jump to ziplines and carry small Dinos on its shoulder
• Direwolf : Pack buff works on a timer but attracts stronger wolves. Other will wolves will howl when the alpha does, and a new smell ability finds weak Dinos, hiding Dinos and Explorer Notes.
• T-Rex : Improved movement. Roar will make the enemy poop but both effects operate on a cooldown.

Here’s a look at some of the finer balance changes we haven’t talked about:

CREATURE-SPECIFIC BUGS AND BALANCE

• Dragon's Fire Breath direct impact damage reduced by 50 percent
• Fixed a bug that caused Rock Drake and Wyvern eggs to sink below their nests over time
• Added Rock Golem Saddles to Scorched Earth Loot Table
• Added Basilisk and Krakinos Saddles to Aberration Loot Table
• Uploaded Creature stats now display Movement Speed and Melee Damage
• Fixed a case where certain creatures would get stuck under the map/inside the map when colliding with larger creatures (most noticeably seen the Rock Drake and Basilisk)
• Fixed an issue that was causing a desync with the Reaper's collision
• No longer need pheromone to claim Reaper Kings
• Moschops will no longer flee when told to harvest dino corpses.
• Fixed a bug where some creatures would not be able to attack at low server FPS
• Bronto's and Paracer's breeding time have increased by 50 percent (equivalent to Quetz).
• Reduced Bronto HP gain per level by 33 percent
• Reduced Bronto base HP by 10 percent
• Reduced Paraceratherium base HP by 10 percent
• Reduced Paracer HP gain per level by 25
• Reduced Tuso Base HP by 20 percent
• Reduced Tuso HP gain per level by 25
• Reduced Dunky resistance to bullets to 40 percent
• Reduced Dunky other resistances to 60 percent
• Stego Plate Resistant reduced to 30 percent
• TEK Tapejara no longer inflicts raid damage (how you inflict torpor on titan, krab and golem).
• General AI Option for Dinos to only attack conscious targets
• Skittish Stance added to tamed dinos
• Fixed a case where the Pela could use more weapons than just the fishing rod
• Fixed fishing rod no longer working on the Pela
• Tamed and Wild Karkinos no longer get stuck in a floating state by medium/big sized dinos.
• Gigantopithecus can now use the teleporter.
• Fortitude now provides some resistance versus the effects of the Rex Roar, and this resistance carries onto player-ridden dinos too. Enough fortitude can prevent player-ridden dinos from being poopstunned.
• Increased the amount of food Achatina receives from cake to 500
• Direbear and Gigantopithecus have been added to Aberration.
• Removed the ability to place Plant Y and Bear Traps while riding a dino
• Reduced Titanosaur walk speed by five percent and run speed by 20 percent
• Corrected bigfoot's socket for Desert Goggle headgear
• For creatures with targeted jumps, pressing jump again in midair will result in the tame falling straight down (to prevent erroneous cases where the dino may unintentionally bounce awkwardly).
• Basilisks now damage foliage on movement to prevent them from getting stuck in trees, and the accuracy of their poison shot has been improved.
• The Giga is no longer raged by fall damage.
• The Giga's rage mechanic is now based on damage taken before reduction from external sources (saddles, yuty).
• Reduced the respawn rate of Basilisk and lowered the Nearby Player check
• Fixed a case where the Rock Drake would not correctly uncloak
• Increased the Phoenix's health, stamina and weight
• Adjusted The Center's Gorilla boss so it now matches The Island.

GAMEPLAY

• Creative Mode building (an admin command you can trigger on yourself/another player that removes weight restrictions, crafting requirements and unlocks all the engrams. Allowing you to freely craft items to your heart's content. Must relog to disable the effect).
• Server option to disable fog. (?DisableWeatherFog=true)
• ARK will now scan your Steam achievements and update your local profile accordingly to restore any lost skins/hairstyles.
• Add messages to tribe logs with information about uploading and downloading creatures
• Made a respawning player not targetable by Wild AI.
• Option to hide learned engrams
• Players can now directly go from Proning to Crouching position.
• Ambient Sounds have their own volume slider.
• Right-click context option added to folders to equip everything insider, allowing for rapid gear switching
• Created a "Use Last PIN Code" so players can quickly access secured structures
• Server option that makes the Silencer hide the name of the player who has killed you from the kill message and tribe log (enabled by default on Console, disabled on PC Official PvP servers)
• Server Option to make Supply Crates random (?RandomSupplyCratePoints=true)
• Option to enable NVIDIA Ansel on Servers (-ServerAllowAnsel)
• Prevented specific graphical flags from being invited via .ini files
• AxisMapping is now taken into account when underwater.
• Cooldown added to tribe's changing their name
• Five-second character and base immunity added to ORP servers when first logging in
• Fixed a collision issue affecting some dino gates that allowed unintended entry
• Fixed multiple unintended mechanics
• Fixed an issue where the Tek Teleporter built on pillars/ceilings would push players and creatures beneath it
• Fixed a crash caused by using ForceTame when riding a Dino
• Improved Red Crystal collision so they can be harvested more efficiently by Anky
• Corrected the Aquatic Mushroom description
• Removed collision from glowsticks that would cause movement problems with certain creatures
• Fixed multiple client/server crashes
• Fixed an issue where some zip line anchors were outside of replication range, preventing them from being used.
• Fixed a case that would allow players mounted on certain creatures to throw/place C4 a lot further (e.g. Stego)
• Corrected an incorrect icon with the Seeker Dossier
• Fixed a case where teleporting outside of a large base with the TEK Teleporter would show foliage that was harvested
• Fixed multiple map issues (holes and collision)
• Fixed a case where some foliage would not replicate appropriately on Aberration
• Turrets now respect enemy foundation placement rules, and there is a 30-second spin-up time when being powered by a battery.
• You can now scroll the chatbox using a game controller by holding down the BACK Action Wheel and selecting the Scroll Chat Box option. This will highlight the chatbox. To exit this mode, just press back button on your controller (B/Circle).
• You can now enable the retroactive turret hard limit by enabling this setting in your game.ini under ShooterGameMode.
• Tribe Log now displays when people have been kicked, promoted, demoted, claim, unclaim, upload and download a creature.
• Players are automatically expelled from tribes when they die in hardcore.
• Large underwater rock features on the island can now be built on.
• Reduced cloning costs by approximately 40 percent across the board
• Providing players with the option to flip their tribe log, so that they can either select to have the most recent messages at the top or bottom
• Torches will work similarly to Flame Arrows versus Plant Y Traps.
• Distinguish the sound effect for smoke grenades and poison grenades when hitting the ground
• Reduced TEK Tier vacuum crafting requirements, increased their damage resistance and made it so that metal hatchframes are snappable to them
• Spyglass now functions correctly on Tamed Reapers.
• Tribes can now see the demo timers of their own structures.
• Added an option checkbox for 'Toggle Extended Hud Info' that will make 'H' function as a toggle rather than a hold

This is one of the biggest free patches ARK has received since its retail release last August. Even if there’s not a specific Dino TLC change by way of an updated skin, Studio Wildcard is putting in lots of energy toward making sure all creatures in the game are properly balanced. It’s unlikely that all of these changes will work to the game’s benefit, but the sheer scope of this update shows the team's commitment to ensuring its prehistoric playground never feels stale.

The best part is, these upcoming Dino TLC changes are just the beginning. In the weeks to come, the Argentavis and Spinosaur will be getting a second pass as well. We also imagine this is when some changes from this week’s update will be retweaked. While Feb. 10 is the current release ETA for the first phase of Dino TLC, Studio Wildcard tradition suggests that date might be off by a day or two. The main thing to know is that the Dino TLC update is coming early.

ARK: Survival Evolved is available now on PC, Xbox One, PS4, OS X and Linux. The Dino TLC changes will likely come to console a few weeks after their PC debut.

Will the Dino TLC update keep you interested in ARK: Survival Evolved? Which tweak are you looking forward to most? Tell us in the comments section!