Summary
Mods have become a core part of theArk: Survival Ascendedexperience and while these fan-mad additions have previously been exclusive to PC,Studio Wildcard and Overwolf are breaking new ground by bringing some of the best creations to consoles. It’s not often that a development studio allows talented fans to sell their mods but the team behindSurvival Ascendedhas worked out a tidy system that allows users to market their most impressive projects. In doing so, the cash is split 50/50 between the studio and the creator, incentivizing high-quality mods.
Studio Wildcard announced via a flashy trailer onYouTubethatArk: Survival Ascendedwill be the first game ever to enable professionally created mods to be sold on consoles.
Xbox Series X|S players can now purchase a variety of popular fan-made add-ons, including hits likeEnclave: Survival Skyward,ARK: Survive The Night, and even the massive procedurally generatedArk: Omega Ascended. Premium Mods, which can cost anywhere between $2 and $10, effectively function as unofficial expansions toArk, providing gameplay experiences that could never be achieved in the vanilla version of the game.
10 Biggest Differences Between Ark: Survival Ascended & Survival Evolved
Ark: Survival Ascended is a graphical revamp of Survival Evolved using UE5, but questions of what else has changed are worth exploring.
A Taste Of The Premium Mods Life
From Fun Twists To Game-Changing Tweaks
While only being able to choose between nine Premium Mods at the time of launch, it’s a safe bet that more will be added in the coming months. The mods on offer are certainly compelling and will likely keep the Xbox community busy for hundreds of hours. Perhaps most impressive of the included experiences isReverance, a transformative add-on that changes theArkmap with “towering mountain peaks, lush plains, thick jungles, and ancient ruins” that exist both above and below the ground.
Some of the smaller Premium Mods that don’t overhaul the game but instead build upon its foundations includeGaia: Potions Pluswhich introduces 52 customizable consumable potions into the games, allowing players to brew their own unique drinksto gain whatever buffs they might require. Those Xbox players looking to expand the roster ofArk’s bizarre faunashould check out Anomalocaris, a mod that simply adds the titular underwater beast into the game. The shallows-dwelling hunter can be vicious though so best come prepared to tackle its venom, mimicry, and parasitic attacks.
Ark: Survival Ascendedmay be breaking downbarriers between players on PC and Xboxbut those PlayStation users eager to purchase some Premium Mods won’t need to wait too much longer.The feature will be added to Sony’s system by the end of May, ensuring that every major platform will have access to the popular marketplace. Be warned though, after one installs mods, it becomes very difficult to play without them.
