ARK: Survival Evolved spin-off series ARK: The Survival of the Fittest, prototype is now available for testing. In this spin-off, 60 combatants face off against each other in a fast-paced, action-packed battle for survival.
As this version is a prototype, it’s been released to test the new gameplay, and you can provide feedback to help develop the game. Details of the updates available in the prototype were obtained from an official Steam post, and we’ve included all the changes below. Be sure to check out our Latest News section for more great content!
ARK: The Survival of the Fittest Prototype
ARK: The Survival of the Fittest is a unique game as it’s a Battle Royale that focuses on large-scale creature-army confrontations combined with a special Real Time Strategy overlay. You’ll need to use tactics and strategies to assemble a team that will survive.
What’s great about this intense competition is that there are many familiar battle royal aspects. For example, you’ll fly towards an island aboard a giant Quetzal before you glide to your starting location, which is very similar to Apex Legends. From there, you can decide if you want to fight right away, run and hide, or search for creatures to tame and build your army. There’s also a birds-eye view mode so you can see more effectively, and there’s also a ring of death that will force you to move closer together over time.
For Survival of the Fittest, the team decided to introduce several technical, quality of life, and balance changes to the game mode so that it would be different from ARK: Survival Evolved and the original version of Survival of the Fittest. They hope that with these changes, players can experience a more streamlined and accessible game that is empowering and doesn’t require a steep learning curve to play.
Details of the updates available in the prototype include:
- ARK was re-designed from the ground up, focusing on fast-paced gameplay and intense combat around large-scale creature battles
- A whopping 88 dinosaurs and creatures at launch!
- A simplified version of The Island from ARK: Survival Evolved
- Solo and Tribe based game modes
- Overhaul UI/UX Experience to communicate only what is essential and gamepad friendly.
- Inventory Management has been completely removed for a simpler and quicker gameplay experience.
- Looting-focused design – Harvesting has been removed and replaced with tier-based supply crates where items are rewarded to all members of your tribe or killing dinos for your additional resources.
- Weapons and armor have been modified and rebalanced for the ultimate fast pace experience and uncomplicated player progression.
- New timing system: kill creatures for tokens and then spend those tokens on taming new wilds or stealing downed tames from your enemies!
- Commander Mode. A birds-eye-view mode that can be entered at any time of the game, allowing you to control your army of dinosaurs (RTS style) more effectively, directly possess individual creatures within your arsenal, and issue commands to your team as the ultimate strategist (including an ally-driven fog of war). Thus after a player has died, they can still participate in the match as a commander and continue to control and possess the team’s Dinosaur – they can continue to play and benefit their team! A team is only fully defeated once they have had all their Players AND their Dinosaurs destroyed.
- Dino Tier System – Dinos are rewarded for their kills with EXP to advance them to a new tier providing them with fixed statistical benefits and eliminating dino-level RNG.
- Dynamic “ring of death” unique to each round enabling emergent gameplay and unpredictable advantages
- An intelligent Pinging System to help communicate within teams
- Custom-Painted “War Banners” enable Tribes to show off their team spirit on Flags across their army of Dinosaurs!
- Summon bosses of the ARK to strengthen your arsenal in this ultimate Dino Army experience
- A custom live-orchestrated soundtrack was written by award-winning composer Gareth Coker of Ori and the Blind Forest and ARK: The Animated Series.
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