‘ARK: Survival Evolved’ Patch 248 Brings Procedural Maps, 3 New Dinos, And More


The PC version of ARK: Survival Evolved was updated to version 248 late Thursday night following a few delays. The latest update to the open-world dinosaur survival game from Studio Wildcard brings three new tameable creatures, Explorer notes, the ability to use weapons while riding mounts, and more. The biggest new feature, however, might be the ability to create procedurally generated maps similar to Minecraft.

Procedurally generated maps will allow ARK: Survival Evolved players to generate and play on randomly created maps that revolve around certain parameters. Players will be able to customize “landscape options from the heights of mountains, depths of valleys, and the number of lakes, rivers or oceans, to the kinds of each biome they want.” These maps can be played locally, shared with others, or hosted on player-run private servers. The game will even allow for multiple world saves, as previously covered.

[Image by Studio Wildcard]

Explorer Notes have been an oft-delayed feature. These have finally been added to The Island and the Scorched Earth expansion. ARK Survivors can begin searching for 130 treasure chests across both maps. These notes contain the stories of previous inhabitants of the island and provide the background story for the game world. They also provide a temporary XP buff for those that collect them.

A much-requested feature has also been added to ARK: Survival Evolved. Players can finally wield weapons while riding their tamed dinosaurs and beasts. It will take some skill to maneuver the tame and accurately aim at the same time, but the community has often wondered why the gameplay doesn’t match the box art.

On the new dinosaur front, the alligator-like Kaprosuchus brings the phrase “leaping lizards” to life. The swamp-dwelling beast is much faster than its cousin, the Sarcosuchus, and will leap out of the waters to attack unsuspecting prey.

There is also the Chalicotherium. This four-legged beast may look like a giant docile mammal that walks on its knuckles. However, it is capable of digging into the dirt to create boulders to fling at targets. This makes it into a walking artillery piece for those able to tame it.

The Diplocaulus is another new ARK: Survival Evolved creature that substitutes the functionality of crafted gear. In this small amphibian’s case, it allows players to suck oxygen in from a membrane so they can stay underwater longer without the use of SCUBA gear.

A Diplocaulus. [Image by Studio Wildcard]

Another welcome performance improvement is also included with this release. Studio Wildcard has improved the performance of rendering in structure heavy areas by approximately 20 percent.

The complete patch notes for ARK: Survival Evolved PC update 248.0 via the official website is below. It’s worth noting some previously listed features did not make into these patch notes. This includes the dynamic-length bridges, phase three breeding, and the Megalosaurus did not make the cut past QA testing for now.

  • You can now wield your weapons when mount-riding certain Dinos. The ARK Box Art is for reals
  • New Feature: Procedurally Generated ARKs! EXPERIMENTAL INITIAL TEST!
  • New Mechanic: Explorer Notes
  • New Dino: Kaprosuchus!
  • New Dino: Diplocalus!
  • New Dino: Chalicotherium!
  • Render batching optimization for ~20% perf in structure-heavy areas
  • Tree Platforms now have +70% HP and +50% resistance to explosive damage
  • Neuter/Spay option for Tamed Dinos (irreversible!)
  • Radial Wheel Menu text size now scales with number of entries (to avoid Diplodocus overload, etc)
  • Spectators can now see player-talking moving lips & hear voice chat when in range
  • Fixed player collisions onto big dino ragdolls
  • Non-Drop-In Supply Crates (Cave/Underwater crates etc) no longer have decreasing Health over time (no longer auto destroy), but they can also not accept Inventory anymore and cannot be used to generate Boss Tribute Portals.

The Xbox One should receive this patch in the next couple of weeks.

The Chalicotherium. [Image by Studio Wildcard]

The Halloween event, Fear Evolved 2, is still scheduled to launch on October 29. This adds the DodoWyvern to Scorched Earth, brings the DodoRex back for The Island and The Center maps, and allows players to turn into vampires or werewolves. While the PC is confirmed to receive it so far, there’s been no confirmation of an Xbox One release.

[Featured Image by Studio Wildcard]

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