Hefty ‘ARK: Survival Evolved’ Update Hits Xbox One, Players Losing Saves And No Redwood Island

In addition to the Scorched Earth expansion released Thursday, ARK: Survival Evolved on the Xbox One and PC received some big updates. The console version, in particular, is a hefty download thanks to the combination of two patches worth of content, which features the PrimitivePlus official mod plus a visual upgrade.

ARK: Survival Evolved has been updated to version 246 on the PC and version 739 on the Xbox One. The console update weighs in at a sizeable 23 GB thanks combining the content from PC patches 245 and 246 along with other changes to the game in a single update. PC gamers have an 8 GB patch just for the 246 release.

Note that Xbox One players are reporting the loss of the single-player save content. Community Manager Jat announced on Twitter that Studio Wildcard is looking into these reports. However, some players are reporting they have lost content on official servers as well.

Unfortunately, the Redwood biome update for the Center map did not make it in with this ARK: Survival Evolved update. Map creator Ben Burkart explained via Twitter the update was delayed and is expected in mid-September. It should include the changes to the Edge of the World, as well.

Meanwhile, Primitive Plus is the official mod is available, though servers are still being brought online at the time of this article. The free add-on started as a community-created mod, as was the Center, before Studio Wildcard hired the creator.

Primitive Plus changes the ARK: Survival Evolved experience by completely removing the existing metal tier in the game and greatly expanding the number of items that can be harvested and crafted, such as Adobe-style buildings, floating bridges, honey from bees, fishing traps, and more.

A new fishing mechanic is also part of the ARK: Survival Evolved 245 update. There are benefits to crafting a Fishing Rod and catching fish as opposed to just killing them. Check out the full guide on fishing for more information.

On the creature front, the Allosaurus (guide) now stalks the Island and the Center maps in packs as another predator to be wary of. The alpha of the pack is noted by a slight orange mist along its back. It is joined by the Pelagornis (guide), a rideable bird that can both fly and float on the water.

New structures in the game include an Industrial Grinder to grind out items into their simpler components as a sort of reverse crafting method. For example, a Pike could be placed into the grinder to return the one-quarter of the Metal Ingots, Wood, and Hide that was used to create it. A Spiral Staircase was also added to provide a more decorative approach to ascending levels.

The update also attempts to address the Pillar spam issue by causing lone Pillars to decay faster than normal and auto-destruct.

The newly released ARK: Survival Evolved PC Patch 246 does not add content as much as it adds support for the Scorched Earth expansion, which costs $19.99 on the Xbox Store and Steam. It also adds the ability to transfer characters between servers via the new Gateway feature. This only transfers a character’s progression on official servers, but includes tamed animals and items on unofficial servers.

The one new item the patch adds for both PC and Xbox One is the Large Ceiling Dino Doors. These are placed on the roofs of structure to allow players with tamed flying dinosaurs to descend into a hanger.

The Xbox One’s 739 update also gives ARK: Survival Evolved a bit of a graphical boost. The in-game environment and 3D models will not be rendered at 720p while the user interface gets a much more readable 1080p resolution. This helps explain the hefty console update size as Studio Wildcard likely had to force owners to re-download updated versions of the game’s assets in addition to all the new assets from PrimitivePlus.

Unfortunately, some items did not make the cut. The Tapejara and Archaeopteryx are now targeting the next PC and Xbox One update for ARK: Survival Evolved. Meanwhile, the Large Ceiling Dino Doors have been pushed to another release in the future.

What do you think of this ARK: Survival Evolved update? Sound off in the comments below.

[Image via Studio Wildcard]