ARK expands with Scorched Earth

A new expansion pack called Scorched Earth is on its way to ARK: Survival Evolved and the Xbox One version will get a v739 update, developed Studio Wildcard have announced.

Described as "the single biggest update in its 14-month develoment cycle", Scorched Earth is a desert-themed ARK with new features to come with it. PAX West attendees can even ride on of the new creatures called the Wyvern.

"All of us at Wildcard are tremendously excited to see how these new features alter the dynamics of the long-term ARK 'metagame,'" said Studio Wildcard co-founder Jeremy Stieglitz. "While we've had Scorched Earth and future ARKs in the planning stages since the project's inception, establishing its inter-ARK travel technology was the essential reason for making this content available to players right now. We encourage everyone to grab some trustworthy tribemates, don your safari hats, layer on the SPF-1000 sunscreen, and head into the great blazing desert".

As expected of a desert, Scorched Earth will have a scarcity of water in an entirely new map made of seven unique biomes ranging from dunes to mountains. 50 new items are available to be crafted, like a boomerang, plenty of new creatures like Morellatops are included, and another boss called the Manticore also makes its way into ARK. Things can also be taken from Scorched Earth back to the main island.

Xbox One's v739 update will also bring a lot of content that PC gamers got last month as well as HD resolution upgrade too, including new structures like spiral staircases and optional hitmarkers for ranged attacks. A big part of this update is that the Primitive+ mod will become an official part of the game, including 100 new items, weapons and structures as part of the ARK Official Mods Program. The Allosaurus and Pelagornis have also been brought to life in this update as well as fishing rods and fishing mechanics.

ARK and Scorched Earth will also now support the NVIDIA Ansel as well.