Image source: Studio Wildcard
With a grand total of over 140 dinos and creatures already roaming the vast landscapes of ARK: Survival Evolved, the arrival of ARK: Survival Ascended marks the introduction of five new creatures, each with distinctive mechanics that promise to infuse this enduring classic with fresh experiences. Let’s go over all the new dinos in the game. This article has been updated over time to include dinos added to Ascended post-release.
Meet the New Dinos in ARK Survival Ascended
If you’ve played ARK before then you’ll know that dinos aren’t just enemies. They can also serve as your companions, laborers, and sources of vital resources. From providing you with essential materials like meat, hide, and eggs to serving as reliable mounts for easier exploration and resource gathering, these prehistoric and fantastical beings are indispensable for your survival. The arrival of all-new ones is a big deal for ARK.
ARK: Survival Ascended introduces five new creatures, each endowed with innovative game mechanics and unique features. Additionally, one new creature is integrated into the base game. Furthermore, ARK: Survival Ascended engages the community by inviting them to choose the new creature for each DLC. Here’s a glimpse of the newcomers:
Gigantoraptor
In the latest update for ARK: Survival Ascended, the Gigantoraptor was introduced with Patch 1.035.011, notable for its protective behavior towards its offspring and an untamable nature for adults. To add a Gigantoraptor to your collection, activate its mod through the Ark Mod list menu by installing the Gigantoraptor mod created by StudioWildcardMods, enabling its spawn in your world. Additionally, the mod can be downloaded from CurseForge. Once activated, Gigantoraptors can be found in the lush forest areas near water on The Island.
Taming involves a unique method of distracting the adult to interact with its baby in the nest, involving a mini-game where players mimic the baby’s emotes. Although adult Gigantoraptors cannot be tamed, they can be trapped to facilitate interaction with the babies, utilizing eggs as a distraction.
Dreadnoughtus (Extinction DLC)
- Availability: Extinction
- Tameability: Unknown
- Diet: Herbivore
- Temperament: Unknown
Fasolasuchus (Scorched Earth DLC)
- Availability: Scorched Earth
- Tameability: Yes
- Diet: Carnivore
- Temperament: Aggressive (Ambusher)
Gigantoraptor (Ragnarok DLC)
- Availability: Ragnarok
- Tameability: No
- Diet: Omnivore
- Temperament: Territorial
Shastasaurus (The Center DLC)
- Availability: The Center
- Tameability: Yes
- Diet: Carnivore
- Temperament: Curious
Yi Ling (Aberration DLC)
- Availability: Aberration
- Tameability: NA
- Diet: Omnivore
- Temperament: Aloof
Rhyniognatha
- Tameability: Yes
- Diet: Omnivore
- Temperament: Aggressive
Clearly, many of these new dinos only draw inspiration from the paleontological record, and most are made up entirely. Still, there’s no denying they look pretty damn cool, and veteran ARK players won’t argue with new content being added to the experience. In our experience so far, each creature brings a new dimension to the game.
