ARK: Survival Evolved has released its first expansion pack, an unusual move for a game still in Early Access. Available today on both Steam Early Access and Xbox One Game Preview, Scorched Earth gives players a desert-themed ARK with new biomes, creatures, and gameplay mechanics.
Unlike the base game, ARK: Scorched Earth is “completely finished” and “polished” with a $19.99 sticker price on both PC and Xbox One. Players interested in trying out ARK: Scorched Earth must already own ARK: Survival Evolved, which is usually $29.99 but is on sale this week for $17.99 here on Steam and here on Xbox One. If you already own ARK: Survival Evolved , you’ll still need to pay for the expansion pack.
In a press release, the ARK: Survival Evolved team elaborated on Scorched Earth’s key features:
Where’s the Water?: Players must re-learn what it means to survive and thrive in a harsh desert environment depleted of water resources.
Explore a New World: Scorched Earth is an entirely new map, composed of seven unique, desert themed biomes – dunes, high desert, mountains, canyons, badlands, oasis and the ever-dangerous dragon trench – each with their own aesthetics, resources and ecosystems, and littered with ruins, geysers, and intricate ancient cave systems.
Craft More Than 50 New Items : Discover new outfits and structures to protect from the heat, and new tools to help survive in the harsh environment. Carry temporary shelter with you using tents, employ whips, boomerangs and flamethrowers for ‘defense,’ wind turbines to generate clean power, and water wells and oil refineries to harvest scarce resources, among many new mechanics!
Tame New Creatures: The desert’s biomes are filled with fantastical new creatures, many of which can be tamed. Lead a caravan of the camel-like Morellatops, or rain fire down on your enemies from the back of a Wyvern. Just mind your step in the vast desert, or you might attract a Death Worm!
Conquer New Challenges: Prepare yourself for dangerous electrical storms, blinding sand storms, befuddling heat stroke, and unleash the power of the Obelisks to come face-to-face with ARK’s deadliest boss creature to date – the ferocious Manticore!
Travel Back to the Island: Take characters, favorite creatures and items from Scorched Earth back to the Island, standing out from the crowd and making your Island-dwelling friends jealous with all of the amazing new goodies and secrets you find in the Desert.
Xbox One players also receive access to update v739, which includes two new creatures, Pelagornis miocaenus and Allosaurus therotribus. It also includes the following:
New Item: Fishing Rod and Fishing Mechanic! Be a pro fisherman as you apply varied bait, cast the line, wait for a fish to become ensnared, and then succeed at a mini-game to reel the fish and claim copious rewards!
New Structure: Industrial Grinder that grinds items into a portion of their crafting resources, then converts resources into simpler resources
New Structure: Spiral Staircase (Stone/Wood/Metal)
New Mechanic: Optional Hitmarkers for ranged attacks (server can toggle them, as well as client if the server allows it)
Building Attack/Destruction TribeLogs
Will you be purchasing ARK: Survival Evolved’s complete and polished Scorched Earth expansion? Feel free to let us know in the comments section below.
