New Paid Ark: Survival Ascended Creature Causes Worry About The Future
The new Pyromane has caused backlash due to it being the first solo paid creature and the possibility that this practice will continue into Ark 2. It is part of the new Fantastic Tames DLC that seems to add a series of fictional creatures, each needing to be purchased individually. The Pyromane costs $5 and cannot be accessed or tamed without purchase.
The Pyromane is a fascinating new addition to the franchise, capable of being extremely powerful. Firstly, it can shift into a small cat form and ride around on the player's shoulder. In this form, it can be utilized as a mini flamethrower. In its base form, the Pyromane can traverse lava without taking damage and setting enemies on fire with melee or dash attacks. Lastly, it can absorb flames to reach a threshold and evolve into its final form.
Latest Ark: Survival Ascended Updates Point To Disturbing Trend For Ark 2
The latest Ark: Survival Ascended DLC, The Center, has been released with one worrying trend that could be a bad sign for Ark 2. The highly anticipated sequel is expected in late 2024, but little news has been shared on its progress. Ascended was released as an upgraded version of the original game to hold the community over. However, Ascended has a high specification requirement and has often been criticized for the lack of availability to potential players.
Ascended's The Center DLC is the next challenging new map for players to explore. This map is made up of every biome in Ark while having a series of caves and deep ocean systems to explore. The DLC also added a few new powerful dinosaurs to tame. Two amazing aquatic options are the aggressive scrapper Xiphactinus and the prehistoric submarine Shastasaurus. Overall, The Center is a great content update but has begun a potential practice that could be a bad sign for Ark's future.
The Good & Bad Of Standalone Paid Creatures
With the release of the Pyromane, two stances have been taken regarding the practice of releasing standalone paid creatures. The good side of it is the minimal cost of them, and that the purchase goes toward supporting the developers. This is important since Ascended is a one-time purchase and the DLC, unlike in Evolved, is all free. Thus, these small Microtransactions give the team some form of added funding while the majority of their resources go to Ark 2.
However, the bad side of this is worrying about the impact it can have on gameplay. While in PvE, not having access to Pyromanes is negligible, but they could prove to be a huge advantage in PvP. The ability to easily traverse lava and control larger areas with fire could easily prove to be unfair for those without Pyromanes. It should be said that this can be accomplished with other mounts, though to varying levels, but anytime there is an unfair difference in power between players it gets to be a tricky line to balance.
Why Microtransaction Creatures In Ark 2 Is A Horrible Idea
In a game like Ark, where PvP servers are a large part of the appeal, adding Microtransactions that are Pay-to-Win is a fast way to kill the game. Even if the price is on the cheaper end, some will not have the ability or want to purchase more than what they already have. The question will also arise about why these new creatures could not have been wrapped up into a bigger DLC that players are willing to spend on.
The other large argument against creature microtransactions is the balance of the game. A case can be made that the Pyromane is not strong enough to warrant any outcry, but that doesn't mean all future additions will be like that. These creatures need to be appealing and powerful, so players want to buy them. This creates an unequal balance where some could feel like the game is pointless to play if they constantly run into others with stronger dinosaurs they do not have access to.
Ark: Survival Ascended Explained
Ark: Survival Ascended is a reimagined version of the 2017 action-adventure survival MMORPG by the developers at Studio Wildcard and Grove Street Games. Built in Unreal Engine 5, players will return to ARK to build tribes, fight and tame dinosaurs, and brave the elements as they battle to survive in a unique sandbox where crafting and resource management is essential.
The game is quite popular and has earned a great deal of positive reception. It is considered to be one of the best survival games available on the market. As new additions are added to the game, it will continue to develop and offer players a fascinating world.
