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ARK Survival Ascended's release has left players wondering about the differences between the game and its predecessor, ARK Survival Evolved. Survival Ascended is essentially a remastered and expanded version of the original title, which includes the base game of Survival Evolved. However, it also adds The Island, Survival of the Fittest, and various DLC maps that will be released over time.
Thanks to Unreal Engine 5, the remastered version has seen a significant upgrade in graphics, making the overall visual experience much better. The gameplay performance is also better in the recently released title. Apart from these upgrades, there are numerous quality-of-life improvements in the game.
ARK Survival Ascended vs Evolved: 5 differences between the games
1) Graphics
While the original game was no slouch, ARK Survival Ascended undeniably outshines its predecessor in terms of graphics, thanks to its use of the new Lumen Global Illumination lighting system.
The title brings you breathtaking landscapes and even more stunning improvements to the look of both survivors and creatures. The ARK now features high-detail assets, with intricately textured environments, lifelike trees, and incredibly realistic physics, complete with death animations and animations for incapacitated creatures.
2) Creatures
Of course, a new game version means new creatures for players to tame. Studio Wildcard introduced various creatures in ARK Survival Ascended, and they'll each be found on specific maps.
Here's a quick overview: Dreadnaughts will be roaming around on Extinction, the Fasolasuchus is set to prowl Scorched Earth, the Gigantoraptor will strut its stuff on Ragnarok, the Shastasaurus will be making waves on The Center, and the Yi Ling will become a part of the ecosystem in Aberration. The release of these creatures goes hand in hand with the launch of the new maps.
3) New map
ARK Survival Ascended brings a fresh map system to the table, allowing players who have the full version of the game to access all maps. This is quite different from the previous setup, where you had to purchase maps or season passes, which often included pricey DLCs.
In ARK Survival Evolved, maps were bundled together, making it a costly and less flexible choice. The updated map system is a more user-friendly option, particularly for players who have already invested in previous maps.
4) Photo Mode
The remastered version brings a truly amazing Photo Mode, catering to players who have an eye for the visual aesthetics of the game. This mode gives you a ton of creative control, allowing artistic fans to capture images and create videos. It offers a range of camera features, including focal length, depth of field, and tracking.
To use the new Photo Mode in Ark: Survival Ascended, simply press the ESC button to bring up the menu and then select Toggle Photo Mode.
In this mode, you'll find various settings to fine-tune your shots, organized into Camera, Movement, Targeting, Motion Control, and Miscellaneous options. This lets you tweak elements like the time of day, the appearance of the sky, and weather conditions, and even enable slow motion for those perfect landscape shots.
5) Tracking system
Many players were unaware of the tracking system in the previous game, and it wasn't as functional as it could be. The tracking system is primarily designed to help players keep an eye on the taming progress of partially tamed dinosaurs, even from a distance.
The new tracking system comes with several major enhancements. When you start taming a dinosaur, it automatically starts tracking that creature, displaying the taming progress and consciousness bars directly on its waypoint.
The tracking menu also allows you to mark dinosaurs as favorites and add a Point of Interest (POI) to the map for their location. You can also access information about each tracked dinosaur.
