Quick Facts
- New Content: Lumina, a radiant flying creature, is now available in ARK: Dragontopia.
- Free Access: ARK: Survival Ascended is free to play on Steam starting July 10.
- Conquest Servers: Season 8 is now live for PC, Xbox, and PlayStation with 18 Genesis Part 1 maps.
- Upcoming Event: The Summer Bash event is teased for next week's Community Crunch.
Studio Wildcard has announced the latest expansion to the ARK: Dragontopia experience with the arrival of Lumina. As the radiant counterpart to the previously released Umbra, Lumina offers players a new way to navigate the skies, promising enhanced speed and a strategic edge in aerial combat. The developer notes that the two creatures share a unique bond, adding a new layer of spectacle to the game's creature roster.
Updates on Technical Fixes and Character Restoration
Beyond the new creature, the development team has provided an update on ongoing maintenance. Character restoration is currently in progress, with the team confirming that the majority of affected characters have been successfully recovered. Work continues on the remaining cases, and players are encouraged to check the official ARK website for specific restoration updates.
A major version patch has also been deployed, addressing various post-launch stability issues and gameplay balance adjustments. Studio Wildcard stated that they are monitoring player feedback closely and plan to roll out a steady cadence of additional patches throughout the coming weeks.
Conquest Season 8 Now Live
The official Conquest servers for ARK: Survival Ascended have entered their eighth season. This competitive mode is now open across PC, Xbox, and PlayStation, utilizing a cluster of 18 Genesis Part 1 maps. The season features 5x rates to help tribes establish themselves more quickly and recover from potential losses.
While Tek tier items are generally enabled, the following are currently restricted:
- Tek Grenade
- Tapejara Tek Saddle
- Megalodon Tek Saddle
- Rock Drake Tek Saddle
- Mosasaur Tek Saddle
- Tek Railgun
Transfers between the two server clusters are scheduled to open on July 17th at 10 AM PT.
Community and Future Content
Players looking to expand their game can now access a variety of new custom content, including maps and creatures, via the in-game mod browser. The latest spotlight features works such as Moro's Supercephalosornis, the Shanty structure set, and various cosmetic additions. Additionally, the studio is partnering with Alienware and Intel Gaming to host a giveaway for a custom-skinned Alienware Aurora 16X Gaming Laptop. Fans can enter by interacting with the official announcement post on social media and sharing their best tame alongside the #TidesofFortune hashtag.
Looking ahead, the studio teased that the forecast includes "sun, fun, and a little prehistoric chaos" with the upcoming Summer Bash event, with more details expected in next week's Community Crunch.