Next ‘ARK: Survival Evolved’ Xbox One Update Includes Giant Beavers, Performance Improvements

The ARK: Survival Evolved 732 update planned for the week of Monday, February 29, will bring more content than originally reported. Studio Wildcard updated the patch notes for the open-world dinosaur survival game to reveal additions such as the Giant Beaver from PC patch 236 will be included. Another round of performance optimization is in the cards, as well.

If the new Xbox One patch notes hold up, the console version of ARK: Survival Evolved will be on par with the PC version content-wise for the first time since it was released to the Xbox Game Preview Program in December. It likely won’t last long, as the PC will always be the first platform for any updates to the game, but it demonstrated the fast turn-around time that Studio Wildcard originally promised for console update is coming to fruition.

The updated patch notes shared on the ARK website state the Xbox One version of the game will receive all PC content up through the 236 patch. This includes the inclusion of the Terror Birds, Tribe Alliances, and Grappling Hook, as previously reported, plus the Giant Beaver and Handcuffs.

Furthermore, the developer has made more performance improvements to ARK: Survival Evolved. The new update promotes a 20 percent performance increase. That’s in addition to the 20 percent performance improvement with the last console update. There’s no mention yet on if the tether range for non-dedicated servers and local split-screen play has been increased.

The previously promised additional options for server settings is also included. The updated patch notes state all options will be exposed including custom lists of Engrams and Dino Multipliers. This is only listed for dedicated servers, however, implying these settings will not be available on non-dedicated servers and local play.

The notes also state there is more to be announced, so there’s hope for more tweaks to split-screen play. Hotfix patch releases after the last ARK: Survival Evolved content update fixed the most pressing issues, but other bugs have been reported by players since then and there is still the issue of the menu text in split-screen being sometimes agonizingly small.

Here are the complete patch notes as posted by Studio Wildcard.

• All PC Content up thru PC version 236 (Terror Bird, Grappling Hook, Handcuffs, Giant Beaver, Tribe Alliances, etc etc)
• Approximately 20% performance increase! Woohoo thanks Microsoft
• All options exposed for dedicated servers, finally! Even custom lists of Engrams & Dino Multipliers, etc!
• Numerous crash fixes

If Studio Wildcard does get the content from version 236 in with this next Xbox One update, that is great news for console owners of ARK: Survival Evolved. The timing of the release of the patch is said to be towards the end of the week, according to a Reddit post by Community Manager and Associate Producer Jat Karunakaran.

As covered in the taming guide, the Giant Beaver is an incredibly useful utility animal. It harvests wood and thatch at prodigious rates, plus will harvest on their own if left to wander. The large furry creatures also have a carry bonus that makes wood, thatch, and fiber weigh only 20 percent of their normal weight, and stone 50 percent of its normal weight.

The real utility, though, comes from the Castoroides Saddle. This allows the Giant Beaver to double as a mobile Smithy. Note that the unlock requirements for the saddle are pretty high, currently costing 50 engrams once level 65 is reached. ARK players will also need 290 Hide, 200 Fiber, 100 Metal Ingots, 180 Thatch, and 140 Cementing Paste just to craft the saddle in a Smithy.

The Beavers are surprisingly strong fighters, as well. Their speed and base attack are both solid enough that they can hold their own with all but the largest carnivores in ARK: Survival Evolved. They also move even faster in water, making them capable of getting to the underwater loot in the game.

Even wild Giant Beavers are of great use. Aside from the fact they build dams packed with useful loot, they also provide Pelt when killed. This makes them the only creature found outside of the brutally cold Whitesky Peak to do so.

ARK Guides:

• Understanding Status Indicators and Effects
• Xbox One Tips and Tricks
• How To Tame and Use the Gallimimus
• How to Tame and Use the Dung Beetle
• How to Tame and Use the Dimetrodon
• How to Tame and Use the Giant Beaver

[Image via ARK: Survival Evolved]