Patch 257: Giant Bee, Daeodon, Liopleurodon, Kentrosaurus, Tek Cave & Ascension!

Patch v257 finds its way buzzing onto the ARK with hives worth of content, featuring four new creatures, TEK cloning chamber, advanced TEK warfare in the form of a new turret, a TEK saddle, and a grenade; not to mention a UI overhaul, updated music tracks, the volcano redesign, the TEK Cave, Ascension for end game progression, TheCenter mega update, and many more magical things! 

As we get deeper into ARK's TEK Tier, today's update introduces the following new element powered gear and structures:

TEK Megalodon Saddle! Do we really need to say anything? Your sharks can now shoot lasers, all our childhood dreams have come true.

TEK Turret and TEK Grenades! Enhance your combat and defensive abilities. The TEK Turret, is an updated and upgraded version of the Auto Turret, shooting much more powerful laser blasts at your opponents, as well as advanced TEK AI which will allow for much more targeting options. The TEK Grenade, an updated and upgraded version of the Grenade granting it the ability to stick to a target and deal explosive damage after a short time.

TEK Cloning Chamber! Survivors now have the ability to clone their favourite creatures for the cost of Element Shards. Creatures will retain their level, appearance, and stats. 

TEK Tier content is a wave of sci-fi-themed, end-game features that reward hard-working Survivors with awesomely futuristic gear and guns. Players wanting TEK Tier loot will need to gather the newly introduced Element resource, which is granted after successfully completing Boss Arenas, or it's finer version Element Shards, which can be obtained via crafting at a TEK Replicator or grinding Element. Each Boss has three difficulty levels (Gamma, Beta, Alpha) and after defeating the respective Boss are awarded unique TEK Knowledge engrams, element and other general Boss Rewards. Collect the Element, then use the TEK Replicator to craft all TEK items!

Apis Lithohermaea, more commonly known as the Giant Bee, never stray far from their nests which can be found high in the Island's Redwoods, the rocky cliffsides, and uncommonly in the Canyons of Scorched Earth. The drones can be seen swarming around the nest in groups, but to get a look at the Queen Apis, survivors would need to crack open the nest itself. The untamable drones themselves are quite territorial and will do whatever it takes to protect the Queen. A tamed Queen will lay new drone eggs, and construct a hive which survivors can farm for honey. The honey is a sweet and delicious resource which creatures of the ARK find irresistible. It has commonly been used by hunters to bait their traps and lure them in for slaughtering or taming.

Daeodon Comedentis, is the largest known species of Entelodont, an omnivorous family of ancient mammals that are sometimes referred to as "Hell Pigs". Not one of the friendliest creatures of the ARK, they are known to have a very territorial attitude to any survivor that wanders too close to their feeding grounds. Often spotted around the Island's dry grasslands, as well as the sandy beaches. Many tribes have made excellent use of the Daeodon, due to its unusually high metabolism it has the remarkable ability to heal itself and even more extraordinarily, this rapid regeneration is known to affect nearby allies. Therefore it is often a choice for raiding, boss, and hunting parties. This special ability has certainly made its high rate of food consumption worth the upkeep.

Liopleurodon Magicus, is a very interesting specimen. There are rumours circulating the tribes of The Island claiming that this beast has magical properties, however, the sightings have been rare so it's hard to decipher old tribe tales from the actual truth. Whatever the case, this mythical creature has been said to have the ability to reward the adventurous survivors who tame it, the special attribute of luck. Treasure hunting tribes who have encountered the beast have used this magic to obtain loot beyond their wildest dreams. You're probably wondering why these claims are tales, well it's said that the Lucky Liopleurodon's magic is so powerful, it cannot be kept under control, and after some time, it harnesses this power to get away.

Kentrosaurus Aethiopicus, a considerably smaller herbivore than its close relative, the Stegosaurus Regium. However, what it lacks in size, it certainly makes up for in formidability. In fact, it is argued that this creature is the pound for pound champion of not only the Stegosauria, but when fighting in close-knit encounters, it ranks atop the Island's herbivorous dinosaurs in general. Survivors have seen little success in their attempts to ride the Kentrosaurus, owing to its spike and hot-headed temperament. Nonetheless, a tamed herd of Kentrosaurus can defend a compound as well as take on many larger carnivores. One swing of its deadly tail can impale creatures, as well as the risks involved in fighting such a spiky foe, are unavoidable.

The Volcano Redesign and the TEK Cave!

As of Patch 257, The Volcano finally receives its long overdue, scorching redesign!

Upon arriving at this key destination on The Island, survivors will see a dormant volcano, as well as the entrance to the TEK Cave.

It will be no small feat to make it through this blisteringly difficult cave, where the ARKs deadliest foes are known to live. Upon completing the cave (with its multiple difficulties), survivors will Ascend.

..There's so much in this patch that we haven't gone through yet! In addition to everything above, here are the rest of the notes:

- More UI overhauls
- New Hairstyle and Facial Hair
- Approximately 20+ New Explorer Notes
- 15 new music tracks, per-biome and situational
- Full Gamepad input pass (i.e. console gamepad functionality)
- Fixed issue with Cave spawns not functioning properly in singleplayer
- The Center mega-update!
- New Emote
- Engram Tree Revamp
- Alpha Megalodon
- All Alphas have their own APEX Items

ARK: Evolution Event Weekend!

Survivors across ALL Platforms will be receiving a special Evolution Event perk this weekend! It will go live once the patch has released and will last until Monday the 8th at 12 PM EST. All Official Servers will be undergoing this evolutionary change which includes:

1.5x Harvesting Rate
1.5x Taming Rate
1.5x EXP Rate

The patch will be releasing later today, it's a few hours out still. Once we've got a more specific ETA, we'll let you know! Be sure to follow us on @survivetheark for all the latest information!

Thank you Survivors! We hope you enjoy the update!