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We have a lot to share in this week's Crunch, so let's dive straight in!

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Expand your exotic menagerie with the first season of Fantastic Tames for ARK: Survival Ascended! These extraordinary oddities are forged from the ARK’s most mystical anomalies in defiance of nature.

Each Fantastic Tame brings its own wondrous array of abilities to your tribe, with Fantastic Tames Season 1 granting access to three new additions: the Burrowbuck, Cerberax, and Enigmasaur.

The Enigmasaur is no ordinary master of disguise. It doesn't simply imitate other species, it becomes them, blending in so convincingly that even their own kind may be none the wiser.

Every creature it mimics has something to offer, and the Enigmasaur has a remarkable way of holding on to what it learns. Even after slipping into an entirely different form, some familiar tricks may still be lurking beneath the surface. A Rex with a scorpion's sting? That's just one of the surprises this shapeshifter might have in store.

Of course, convincing something that can become almost anything to join your tribe is its own unusual challenge.

Available now!

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Giganotosaurus is now stepping up for its turn in the TLC spotlight!

Thanks to your Extra Life vote, the ground is beginning to shake again.

Once upon a time, the Giganotosaurus was the undisputed king of the ARKs. Few creatures could stand against it, and hearing its roar in the distance was enough to send even seasoned Survivors scrambling for safety, and taming one was a milestone few ever forgot.

Gone are the days of simply finding a safe vantage point and stocking up on tranquilizers. Getting a Giga's attention will mean proving yourself against some of the ARKs' fiercest threats. And once you've caught its eye, you'll have to survive a confrontation where pushing the beast to its limits is just as vital as knowing your own.

Those who manage to overcome that challenge will earn themselves a formidable ally with a force capable of rallying an entire tribe into battle. Just remember that there's a fine line between fighting alongside an enraged Giga and standing in its way.

Thank you again to everyone who supported Extra Life and helped bring this TLC to life!

We've already shared a few exciting reveals for ARK: Dragontopia, but there's still plenty more to discover!

The next two reveals are just around the corner! Tune in to HillbillyWilly's stream tomorrow, November 7, starting at 7 AM Pacific, for a first look at two more additions to Dragontopia.

And we're not stopping there! GP will round things out with the final two reveals in a special video coming to his channel on Monday, November 9.

Keep your eyes peeled, Survivors. Dragontopia still has a few secrets left to share!

Crystalline order and venomous ruin, bound in dark balance.

Safe keeping for a fragile spark.

Not everything in the sky has wings.

Download all images in full resolution

Built to take the blow. Born to detonate.

Over $107,000 raised for Extra Life and counting! Thank you, Survivors, for rallying for the kids. Let’s keep that total climbing!

Year after year, Extra Life shows how much good the ARK community can do together. As we head into our twelfth year, we’ve raised over $1.2 million to help kids in need, thanks to your generosity. It’s a tradition we’re proud to share with you, and we’re ready to build on it once again in support of Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals and the children and families in their care.

This year, we’re going all-in on that shared goal: raising funds to help kids get the care they need, while unlocking something special for the future of ARK: Survival Ascended along the way.

Our Dino TLC community milestones are back! For every $40,000 raised, you’ll unlock a TLC for a classic creature, up to four in total, with your votes deciding which familiar faces get some extra love. Rally behind your favorites, help spread the word, and let’s make this year’s campaign count.

All donations to Team Wildcard go directly to UF Health Shands Children’s Hospital. The hospital provides expert care across more than 20 pediatric specialties and is home to the UF Health Shands Pediatric ER, the community’s first dedicated children’s emergency department.

When donating to anyone on the Studio Wildcard Extra Life Team, not just Studio Wildcard directly, include a message with your chosen creature’s full first name preceded by a hashtag, like this (we’ll do our best to identify typos, but try to spell them correctly!):

• #Giganotosaurus
• Hello #Giganotosaurus
• Please give #Giganotosaurus a TLC!

If no hashtag vote is included in the donation message, the donation will still count towards the TLC total, but it won’t advance any particular dino’s voting tally.

• Every $1 donated = 1 vote
• A $50 donation with #Giganotosaurus = 50 votes for Giganotosaurus
• Five $10 donations with #Giganotosaurus = 50 votes for Giganotosaurus (10 x 5)

To keep the vote balanced and consistent, eligible creatures must meet the following criteria:

• Araneo
• Argentavis
• Dire Bear
• Direwolf
• Gigantopithecus
• Giganotosaurus (release Nov. 5)
• Mammoth
• Megalosaurus (upcoming)
• Parasaur
• Procoptodon
• Quetzalcoatlus (upcoming)
• Raptor
• Therizinosaurus
• Tyrannosaurus Rex
• Sabertooth
• Sarcosuchus
• Spinosaurus
• Stegosaurus
• Triceratops

• November 13 – First Winner
• November 20 – Second Winner
• November 27 – Third Winner
• December 4 – Final Winner

Donate now to the Wildcard Team or any other team member listed here to ensure your vote counts!

Extra Life Game Day is in full swing and the support has been incredible. Together we’ve already passed 90k raised and unlocked two creature TLCs to make their way into ASA. Thank you so much to everyone donating, cheering, streaming, and showing up. This is the power of gaming communities when we come together.

We want to thank all the members of our team, big and small, for their incredible effort toward raising more for the Children's Miracle Network!

Let’s keep the energy going. For the kids.

Join HillbillyWilly on November 7 at 7am Pacific for an Extra Life stream packed with raffles, giveaways, and TWO more exclusive ARK: Dragontopia reveals!

Tune in, join the fun, and help us raise funds for the kids at Children's Miracle Network Hospitals!

Watch on Twitch or YouTube

Join LoadedCrysis on Saturday, November 7 at 7am Pacific for Extra Life: Hot Ones Edition 2! Expect increasingly spicy sauces, ARK chat and plenty of chaos as we raise money for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals.

Watch here

Join Mystic on Ark for an Extra Life to remember. Starting November 7 at 8am Pacific, 5 brave survivors, Mystic, Svala, Frodo, Scandi, and Prep, will attempt to race across The Island, which is now home to many terrifying Ark creatures.

Donations made through Mystic on Ark's Extra Life page can either help them or make them respawn. Which survivor will make it to the finish line first?

At 11am Pacific, Mystic, Lance, and Capt. Fatdog will be attempting to bring your ideas to life. Three rounds of building... which one will end up the BEST builder in Ark? All donations go to an amazing cause, but don't forget to use your #DinoNameHere in the message to get your votes in for the TLC creatures!

Watch here

This Sunday November 8 at 11am Pacific, Sanyxs is diving into Lost Colony for the first time for Extra Life! He’s playing completely blind, but there's a catch: His fate is in your hands. There are donation milestones that let you sabotage his run in real time! Want to make him drop his best gear in the middle of a fight, kill his best tame, or even start over?

Watch here

Join Phlinger and the Phoo Phighters on Sunday November 8 at 1pm Pacific as they engage in some Modded Shenanigans while Eating Spicy Food and Doing the Hot Ones Spicy Sauce Challenge. The More Donations for ExtraLife, the Spicier it gets!

Watch here

Starting November 13th through November 23rd, we’ll be rolling out a selection of the community’s favorite dino colors on the official network, along with a sweet twist in place of the traditional boosted donation rates.

• Taming Cake Slice
• Breeding Cake Slice
• Imprint Cake Slice
• EXP Cake Slice
• Harvesting Cake Slice

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• ID5 Cyan
• ID 94 Teal
• ID68 DeepPink
• ID36 Dino Albino
• ID96 Glacial
• ID4 Yellow
• ID6  Magenta
• ID84  Mint
• ID95 PowderBlue
• ID76 Peach
• ID57 DarkTurquoise
• ID67 LightPink
• ID58 MediumTurquoise
• ID91 Lavender
• ID2 Blue
• ID92  DarkTeal
• ID19 Dino Light Red
• ID53 Dino Medium Blue
• ID50 WyvernPurple1
• ID54 Dino Deep Blue
• ID11 Light Yellow
• ID88 LeafGreen
• ID59 TurquoiseafGreen
• ID27 Dino Dark Green

We’ve turned up the saturation for Extra Life—more colors, more variety, and more chances to spot rare shades roaming the wild. Expect your world to be brighter, bolder, and packed with some of the community's favorite hues! 💙

Some of ARK’s most surprising adventures begin with a modder asking, “What if?” With the Unreal Engine 5.8 update comes another opportunity to bring those ideas to life!

We’re teaming up with CurseForge for Arkathon 2: Season of the Hunt! The ARK: Survival Ascended modding contest is putting your creativity to the test with a $30,000 total prize pool across 44 winning entries, split into two main tracks:

• Gameplay ($10,000 pool): Create new mechanics, challenges, tools, and features inspired by hunting, exploration, and survival.
• Custom Cosmetics ($10,000 pool): Give Survivors, creatures, structures, equipment, and more an original look

Prize breakdown:

• Grand Prize: 20 main category winners sharing $20,000.
• Community Favorites: 4 community-voted winners sharing $8,000.
• Mid-Contest Spotlights: 20 early submission winners sharing $2,000.

Submissions open November 11, so now’s the time to gather your ideas, find your collaborators, and start planning your next creation. We can’t wait to see what you bring to the ARKs!

Visit the contest website for full entry guidelines and terms.

Hey Survivors, after careful assessment, we've opted to begin the process of sunsetting a selection of our inactive official servers. Our goal is to ensure that we're always delivering the best experience possible, and official servers exist as a way for the community to play together without having to host their own. When we launch fresh content, typically, we put up more servers than we need in the long term to match the peak in user capacity; over time, these servers become ghost towns as players have dropped off and are waiting for the next major content release.

As part of this process, the servers will be renamed with the “SUNSET” prefix, following the same approach we’ve used in the past. Please note that once renamed, these servers will be removed from the in-game Favorites list, so you’ll need to search for them manually to reconnect.

On November 29th, we'll be sunsetting these inactive Island servers.
Click here to see the updated detailed list.

We still intend to provide capacity at launches as much as possible to meet the higher need during those periods.

We’re working with our partner at Nitrado to offer these saves after the scheduled sunset through Nitrado’s interface. Please stay tuned for more details.

Conquest, introduced to ARK: Survival Ascended by Snail Games, focuses on large-scale PvP, with increased rates, and other changes listed below. The increased rates will allow tribes to set up and establish themselves quickly and enable them to rebuild after potential losses instead of being wiped completely.

The official Conquest servers are open for PC, Xbox and PlayStation.

If you need any support during the Conquest season, join the Conquest Enforcement's Discord.

Server Settings/Rules

• XP rate: 5x (Event rates: 7x)
• Harvesting rate: 5x (Event rates: 7x)
• Taming rate: 5x (Event rates: 7x)
• Imprinting rate: 5x (Event rates: 7x)
• Maturation rate: 5x
• Hatching rate: 5x (Event rates: 7x)
• Breeding rate: 5x
• Gestation rate: 5x
• Mating interval: 0.5x
• Max players per server: 75
• Rotation: 2 separate clusters.
  • 1 month wipe servers
  • 2 month wipe Servers

• Transfers: Open on launch for each cluster internally - 1 month wipe will not be able to transfer to 2 month wipe Clusters and vis versa.

• Formal Alliances are not allowed.
• Maximum tribe size: By cluster
  • 1 month Servers - 10 player tribe limit
  • 2 month Servers - 25 player tribe limit

• Rat-hole building is not allowed.
• No cave building.

1-month wipe servers 12 servers

• The Island: 4 servers
• Ragnarok: 3 servers
• Astraeos: 2 servers
• The Center: 3 servers

2-month wipe servers 12 servers

• The Island: 3 servers
• Ragnarok: 3 servers
• Astraeos: 3 servers
• The Center: 3 servers

The Official Network will be receiving bonus rates! It will be active until Wednesday, November 11.

• PVP/PVE: 2x Harvesting, Taming, and Experience, and Breeding
• Small Tribes: 4.5x Harvesting, Taming, and Experience + 4x Breeding
• ARKpocalypse: 5x Harvesting, Taming and Experience, and Breeding

Fan Art Gallery | Screenshot Gallery | Artist Feedback Form

Build somewhere no Survivor would want to spend the night.

Our Haunted Homestead contest has come to a close, and wow, did you Survivors deliver! From eerie hideaways to elaborate haunted mansions, we were blown away by the creativity, atmosphere, and attention to detail that went into your builds.

A huge congratulations to our winners, and a heartfelt thank you to everyone who participated! We also heard your feedback and will be keeping it in mind as we plan our next community building contest.

And while the screenshots are impressive, some of these haunted creations are even better explored in motion! We encourage everyone to check out the build walkthroughs shared on our Discord through the links below. There's plenty of spooky inspiration waiting to be discovered!

Fear Ascended may be behind us, but don't put those building tools away just yet. We have a feeling something a little more merry might be on the horizon...
Winners will be contacted over the next week via Discord to claim their prize.

First place — tenmillionfireflies

Second place — aby2895

Third place — kse

Runner Up — xtiank11

Runner Up — militem20

Special Mention — eiensaki

First place — the.handyman.builds

Second place — bubu_0815

Third place — seikuri

Runner Up — chasun_den

Runner Up — azabelle

Special Mention — w_yvern

v97 - Major version for Servers and Clients - 11/06/2026

New Content and Features

Engine Upgrade 5.8 Release

• Upgraded to Unreal Engine 5.8, optimizing rendering to reduce GPU workload and improve performance. Foliage and distant vistas are also improved across all platforms. Lumen Lite is currently enabled with select PC graphics settings, with broader support planned soon.

Fantastic Tames Season 1: Enigmasaur is now live!

• The mysterious Enigmasaur closes out ARK Fantastic Tames: Season 1 with extraordinary shapeshifting abilities, allowing Survivors to mimic other creatures, combine their unique powers, and adapt to almost any challenge the ARKs throw their way!
• The Enigmasaur has been added to the following maps:
  • The Center
  • Scorched Earth
  • Aberration
  • Ragnarok
  • Extinction
  • Valguero
  • Lost Colony
  • Astraeos

Giga TLC is now live!

• The king of the ARKs roars back with a challenging new taming experience, devastating new attacks, and a fearsome rage that empowers nearby allies in the heat of battle!
• Visual & Animation Update
  • Fully updated model and animations
  • Added an additional color region

• New Passive - Wounded Fury
  • Giganotosaurus becomes increasingly powerful below 75% health, reaching up to:
    • 50% increased damage
    • 30% increased damage resistance

  • Wounded Fury’s visual and audio effects intensify as its strength increases
  • Wounded Fury remains at maximum strength while Enraged
• Wounded Fury - Ally Buff
  • Nearby allied non-Giganotosaurus creatures receive 50% of the Giga’s current Wounded Fury bonuses
  • Added a toggleable rider display identifying allies currently receiving the buff

• New Ability - Heavy Stomp/Tail Slam
  • Added a directional area attack that knocks back smaller creatures and briefly slows affected targets
  • Looking forward or to the sides performs Heavy Stomp
  • Looking backward performs Tail Slam

• Enrage Update
  • Added a dedicated Rage bar for riders and visual indicators showing the Giga’s Rage buildup to other players
  • Simultaneous damage instances, such as shotgun, can no longer immediately trigger Enrage
  • Reaching maximum Rage now begins a short Regain Control window:
    • Landing attacks reduces Rage and can cancel Enrage
    • Failure to regain control causes the rider to be dismounted and Enrage to activate as normal

• New Taming Method - Apex Challenge
  • Giganotosaurus is no longer tamed through a standard knockout encounter
  • Carry an Apex Offering, crafted using Alpha trophies, near a wild Giganotosaurus to initiate an Apex Challenge
  • During the challenge, attacks landed by the Giga increase its Torpidity
  • Torpidity is initially capped at 50%; Enrage the Giga and survive until its Enrage ends to remove the cap
  • Once Torpidity reaches 100%, the Giga becomes unconscious and can be fed

Changes & Balance

General

• Added the in-game Mod Browser to PC

Lost Colony

• Added Tek Spear blueprints to Thrall Outposts
• Added Gigadesmodus Saddle blueprints to Thrall Outposts

Creature Balance

Aureliax

• Reduced base health and health gained per level by 20%
• Reduced movement speed by 30% while carrying a player or creature
• Prevented Aureliax from picking up new player or creature targets while underwater
• Capped saddle armor at 75 on Official servers

Astrocetus

• Reduced Bomb damage scaling

Basilisk

• Reduced Spit damage scaling by 30%

Dreadnoughtus

• Increased Cannon Ball ability cooldown by 50%
• Increased damage received from Auto Turrets, Heavy Auto Turrets, Tek Turrets, and Tesla Coils by 50%

Gloon

• Reduced damage dealt to players by 50%

Karkinos

• Reduced health gained per level by 20%

Umbra & Lumina

• Reduced Umbra’s Plasma Projectile damage by 30%
• Reduced Umbra’s Plasma Projectile homing strength against players and tamed creatures by 50%
• Reduced Umbra and Lumina’s Projectile Burst damage by 30%

Gacha

• Tribes with more than 100 deployed Gachas now receive a Gacha feeding interval penalty:
  • At or below the limit, Gachas eat every 20–30 seconds
  • Above the limit, Gachas eat every 60–90 seconds

• The penalty is removed once the tribe returns to 100 or fewer deployed Gachas
• Added tooltip information displaying the tribe’s current deployed Gacha count, limit, and any active penalty
• Added the following Game.ini configs for Unofficial servers:
  • NumGachasPerTribeForPenalty=100
    • Set to -1 to disable the limit

  • GachasOverTribeLimitPenalty=3

Structure Balance

Tesla Coil

• Tesla Coils now use the same incoming damage multipliers as Tek structures

Platform Saddles

• Platform-saddled creatures are now limited to one placed Tek

Replicator

• Added the following Game.ini config for Unofficial servers:
  • LimitReplicatorsPerSaddle=1
    • 1 allows one Tek Replicator per platform saddle
    • 0 prevents Tek Replicators from being placed
    • -1 allows unlimited Tek Replicators

• Official servers now limit tribes to 10 Tek Cloning Chambers within a 1,000-meter radius
• Official servers now have a tribe-wide limit of 50 deployed Tek Cloning Chambers
• Added the following Game.ini configs for Unofficial servers:
  • LimitCloningChambersRange=10000
  • LimitCloningChambersInRangeNum=10
    • Set to 0 to prevent placement or -1 for unlimited

  • LimitCloningChambersInTribeNum=50
    • Set to -1 for unlimited

Genesis Balance

Lunar Biome

• Fixed an issue that prevented creatures from being affected by knockback in the Genesis Part 1 Lunar biome

Ocean Biome

• Reduced Feral Ocean creature levels to the standard wild-creature level range
• Reduced the chance of dangerous Feral Ocean creatures spawning

Bug Fixes

• Fixed: Explorer notes for ??? are now correctly categorized on maps.
• Fixed an issue that could cause loss of mission progress on Genesis 1 when doing missions on Lost Colony while possessing a thrall
• Fixed cape bunching up after dismounting a fast, wall attaching dino
• Fixed: Rockdrake can now be painted with a brush in the live game.
• Fixed typos in the ratings section of the mod browser.
• Reduced the volume of Allosaurus’ vocalisations
• Fixed inherited traits no longer disappearing when Ferox transforms to a larger form and back
• Fixed flickering colors on BattleRig cars when teleporting away and back
• Players can now transfer DLC items between inventories without owning the DLC, but will receive a confirmation dialogue if trying to equip them
• Fixed the Pink Ranger bow displaying incorrect damage and durability values when applied to a compound bow
• Fixed Therizino chibi using old model and animations.
• Fixed market not allowing accessing the Hexagon Exchange Store on maps that are not Genesis
• Fixed the Fire Wyvern's breath attack to trigger from a distance, no longer requiring the player to be right next to the target
• Fixed unable to scroll through mods pages with gamepad
• Fixed texture issues appearing on characters, creatures, and structures on PS5 in Lost Colony map
• Fixed pixilated squares appearing and expanding in the sky in Lost Colony (PS5)
• Fixed cursed weapons ignoring 5% of armor without the Cursed Ruin skill
• Fixed occasional square artifacts appearing on the landscape in Lost Colony on PS5.
• Fixed client crash rendering player structures with mods on PS5
• Fixed unable to save VSync setting on console.
• Fixed flickering on snow in Lost Colony on Xbox
• Fixed white background flash in mod browser and uninstall all mods on Xbox/PS5.
• Fixed Cursed Ruin skill sometimes dealing more damage than intended
• Fixed an exploit that allowed players to use a ferox during Genesis gauntlet missions
• Fixed an exploit
• Fixed multiple crashes

Enjoy your weekend!
Studio Wildcard

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Official Wiki: ark.wiki.gg