Winter Wonderland Update for Steam and Xbox/PS4 ARK Players Unleashes Raptor Claus + Unique Holiday Gifts! Additional Steam Content Delivers 5 New Dinos to Capture, Two New Underwater Caves
Seattle, WA – Ho-Ho-holy smokes, it’s that most wonderful time of the year again! ARK: Survival Evolved (Steam, Xbox and PS4) prepare for the arrival of Raptor Claus and his load of gifts, both naughty and nice. In the Winter Wonderland 2 event beginning today, ARK survivors will chase the scaly gift-giver around the world as he drops loot, coal and a few new goodies, all of which can be used to craft holiday-themed items. The holly-jolly team at Studio Wildcard also adding a very special surprise holiday item to the PC version of the game…what could it be? The only way to find out is to play (or to watch the new trailer to the end)!
Don’t own ARK yet? Here are the ways to play:
- The Steam’s Winter sale is now live and new players can grab ARK: Survival Evolved on PC/Mac/Linux for a 60% discount, and the Scorched Earth Expansion Pack for 33% off.
- Download ARK: Survival Evolved and its Expansion Pack Scorched Earth now on Xbox One!
- ARK: Survival Evolved recently launched worldwide on PlayStation 4. Grab your bundle of the main game and Scorched Earth now!
Along with the Winter Wonderland 2 update, Studio Wildcard has released the v253 update for Steam players – which includes two new full-scale underwater caves and setting loose five new creatures: Cnidaria, Troodon, Tusoteuthis, Pegomastax, and the Therizinosaurus.
Watch the ARK: Survival Evolved Patch 253 and Winter Wonderland 2 Trailer:
New Dinos and Creatures!
Cnidaria Omnimorph: A combination of everything good and bad about various species of Jellyfish, the Cnidaria is too simple to tame or train, but tribes keep schools of them around for their bioluminescence and their ability to sting. Containing them in pools around a camp is a great way to make a barrier of swimming, stinging security that also illuminates the night. They also drop a special biotoxin which can be used to create shocking torpor darts and is 2x as powerful as regular ones.
Troodon Magnanimus: Outside of human beings, the Troodon might just be the most clever creature on the islands. You don’t “tame” a Troodon, you earn its loyalty through its social nature and love of the hunt. While Troodon is considered a smaller relative of the island’s Raptors, they are no less dangerous, especially with their love of hunting at night.
Pegomastax Fructarator: Life ain’t easy when you’re at the bottom of the food chain on carnivore-filled islands, just ask the Pegomastax. This is a relatively harmless herbivore who prefers to live alone and gorges on just about any plants it can find. Far from the definition of “pretty”, Pegomastax features a nasty looking beak (with tusks for extra effect!) and feathers, making him a unique sight on the island. Some tribes keep a few Pegomastax around, as they are excellent scavengers who collect an extraordinary quantity of seeds and berries, while also handily gathering the rare Flowers, Mushrooms, and other ingredients necessary to cook up unusual concoctions.
Tusoteuthis Vampyrus: A monstrous relative of the vampire squid, Tusoteuthis bares a closer resemblance to giant squids. It may be slow, but the aquatic Tusoteuthis is a horrific threat to anyone who dares get too close, using its tentacles to first grab, then crush…and then syphon the blood out of, its hapless victims. Tribes will sometimes tame this nightmare of the deep in order to extract its unique ink, which contains oils that can be processed into fuels.
Therizinosaurus Multiensis: Built like a T-Rex, but completely tameable and an herbivore to boot, the Therizinosaurus is one of the strangest dinosaurs on the islands. Its claws allow it to perform both brute-force or delicate actions; from taking down enemies (though it would prefer to just leave them alone) to plucking leaves from a particularly tasty bush. Because of this ability, Therizinosaurus are always handy to have around for harvesting specific resources, or, when needed, decimating enemies in combat.
ARK: Survival Evolved is in development for Xbox One via the ID@Xbox program, PlayStation 4 with VR support, and Steam PC. The game is currently playable in Microsoft’s Game Preview on Xbox Oneand Steam’s Early Access program, which includes Oculus Rift VR support and an integration of Steam community features such as Steam Economy and Steam Workshop for custom maps and mods. Players can host private/LAN servers and have access to a custom-built version of the Unreal Engine 4 Editor for creating mods. The world of ARK is designed to be modder-friendly and ever-expanding!
Related: ARK: Survival Evolved Arrives on PS4 Today
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