When will ARK Ascended Genesis DLC Release?

As the conclusion of ARK Survival Evolved approached, Studio Wildcard, the developers, launched the Genesis DLC. This expansive expansion featured a new map, mechanics, dinosaurs, and additional content. With ARK Survival Ascended now in full swing, players are curious about the return of Genesis and the fresh content it brings.

Luckily, the developers have provided insights into these queries. If you're interested in learning more, read on. We will cover the release date, content additions, new mechanics, dinosaurs, and all other relevant details regarding the arrival of the Genesis DLC in ARK Survival Ascended.

When will the Genesis DLC be released in ARK Survival Ascended?

Important Update - Do keep in mind that the release date listed here is most likely going to be delayed. For context, the ARK Survival Ascended Abberation DLC was scheduled to launch in July 2024, but was pushed back to September 2024. This will no doubt have a knock on impact for the remaining DLC maps schedule to launch in 2024 and 2025.

Although we don’t have an official release date, the ARK Survival Ascended roadmap - which is subject to change - expects the Genesis DLC update to launch in February 2025.

This is still quite far off from release, but thankfully, other DLCs will be released in the interim to keep us going while we wait for Genesis. This date could also change based on delays or other reasons by the devs, so we will endeavor to keep you updated with the latest details on the release date for Genesis.

Will the Genesis Map Be Free for ARK Survival Ascended?

As with all the other DLCs coming to ARK Survival Ascended, the Genesis DLC and map will be completely free for owners of the base game. This is to ensure that all players who owned the DLCs in Survival Evolved won't have to pay for them again, as well as giving full access to new players who picked up Ascended from day one.

There will likely also be paid-for cosmetics available for purchase based on the introduction of cosmetics and the Frontier Adventure pack coming to the Scorched Earth, which is purchasable. We don't know exactly how the paid model could look for Genesis since it's a larger and more narratively driven DLC, but we'll be sure to update you as soon as more information on this is made available.

What to Expect from The Genesis DLC in ARK Survival Ascended

The Genesis DLC is unique in that it is essentially a simulation spread across five different biomes that players can teleport to using the HLN-A Biome Teleportation menu. These five biomes are split into the Arctic, Bog, Lunar, Ocean, and Volcanic biomes, each with its challenging terrain to overcome, creatures to fight and tame, as well as some special features such as the oxygen vents in the Lunar biome for launching yourself to explore scattered asteroids and rock and landslides in the Arctic and Volcanic biomes.

However, the main thing you'll likely be doing in this DLC is completing the narrative missions that each biome has, which range from defeating creatures to escorting baby dinos to their parents and everything in between. Completing these missions grants players items, and XP though if the same setup is used for the DLC in Ascended, these missions might change, and so could the rewards.

When it comes to creatures, each biome will have its own set of creatures that suit its theme, but across all of the biomes, you'll also see a new type of dino variant called X-Creatures, which have unique patterns and boosted stats compared to their normal counterparts.

Some creatures will only appear during missions such as specific bosses, as well as TEK dinos, which also have boosted stats and a TEK aesthetic to their design. Of course, any of these features could change when the DLC finally arrives, but this is a good baseline for what we can expect to see.

ARK Survival Ascended Genesis Creature Vote Winner

At the time of writing, the voting for the new creature to come to the Genesis DLC has not opened yet, which makes sense given how far this DLC still is from release. As such, we don't know what the creature vote winner is just yet, but based on the previous rare creatures (of which each biome had 1, the Magmasaur, Ferox, Megachelon, Astrocetus, and the Bloodstalker) we think each biome might get a new exclusive dino, or at least one of them will, but of course, we'll cover that once we know more.

Will Genesis's New Dinos Come To The Island?

Based on the system from previous DLCs, we expect that the way dino transfers will work in Genesis is that players can transfer over base creatures (including X-Creature variants) via TEK transmitters, Obelisks, or console commands to spawn them. However, DLC-exclusive creatures such as the Magmasaur and Astrocetus are locked into their respective biomes DLC as a whole. Of course, this could change as Ascended has made many changes to the game's mechanics, and this might be one of them, so we'll just have to wait and see.

And there you have it, a comprehensive look at everything we expect from the Genesis Pt. 1 DLC coming to ARK Survival Ascended. Of course, the information above is subject to change, and with the time we have before Genesis's arrival, we're sure some things will, so be sure to bookmark this page for the latest news regarding the Genesis DLC for ARK Survival Ascended.