ARK Ascended Scorched Earth Release Date, Time & New Dinos Guide

Note - ARK Survival Ascended's Scorched Earth DLC is now live.

At the time of writing ARK Survival Ascended has only one map at the moment, known as 'The Island' and players are eagerly waiting for the Scorched Earth DLC, which will add the Desert map to the game. Scorched Earth was originally released as a standalone DLC for ARK Survival Evolved way back in September 2016.

Naturally, fans are growing curious about how the new map is shaping up for ARK Ascended, not least how it will translate to Unreal Engine 5. Read on for everything you need to know about this map, including when it is scheduled to launch.

Latest News

If there's any news, leaks or updates on the state of ARK Survival Ascended's upcoming 'Scorched Earth' DLC, we'll drop it just below:

18 March 2024 - Studio Wildcard Reveal 'Bob's ARK Tall Tales'

Studio Wildcard's latest Community Crunch blogpost has announced 'Bob's ARK Tall Tales' which looks like it's going to act as some type of new content intended to tease the upcoming ARK 2 game.

According to the blog post: 

"Legendary ARK veteran Bob -- voiced by Karl Urban -- is ready to share his incredibly true adventures with you for the first time! Nothing can prepare you for the wonder and two-fisted action of Bob's Tall Tales!

"Piece together Bob's larger-than-life ARK saga by recovering his animated Explorer Notes! You’ll feel like you were right there with Bob from the beginning, as he describes his pivotal role in ARK’s history to young Meeka -- voiced by Auliʻi Cravalho."

Meeka, is the young girl seen in the ARK 2 trailers, but the artwork for Bob's Tall Tales' appears to be related to the upcoming map expansions in ARK Survival Ascended. 

As you can see from the artwork below, there are references to ARK Scorched Earth, Aberration, and Extinction.

So it's possible we're going to see new content - intended to tease ARK 2 - in these upcoming map expansions. For now, it's still quite unclear what this is and how it will work. That said, perhaps we'll learn more once the first animated Explorers Notes are released on March 31 (pending certification).

When Will Scorched Earth DLC Release in ARK Survival Ascended?

As per the official announcement by Studio Wildcard, Scorched Earth DLC will release on April 1, 2024. It was originally scheduled to be released after The Center DLC first; however, The Center has now been delayed indefinitely and Scorched Earth will now be coming next.

• Read More: ARK Survival Ascended Map Release Schedule (2024)

Will The Scorched Earth Map Be Free For ARK Survival Ascended?

Yes, the Scorched Earth map for ARK Survival Ascened will be free.

Previously with ARK Survival Evolvedthe developers charged fans for these new individual maps and experiences. However, they decided to include all previous DLCs for free in ARK Survival Ascended as a way of rewarding loyal fans and providing a complete experience for the new players.

The only 'paid' element will be a new themed DLC pack which will release with most new maps, providing additional cosmetic items and in-game content. For Scorched Earth, this DLC is called the Frontier Adventure Pack More on that further down).

What to Expect from Scorched Earth in ARK Survival Ascended

Scorched Earth will feature a harsh and unforgiving environment that will test the survival skills of the players. It will introduce new weather effects, such as sandstorms, heat waves, and electrical storms. Apart from this, it will also bring new creatures like the Wyvern, the Rock Elemental, and Manticore. Additionally, there are plenty of new items and resources that will be added to the game, like the Flamethrower weapon, Chainsaw tool, Wind Turbine structure, and more.

ARK Survival Ascended Scorched Earth Creature Vote Winner

In addition to several new dinos joining the game for Scorched Earth, there's also a brand new dino that was voted for by the ARK community last year.

The Fasolasuchus (seen below) achieved over 49k votes, and will join the game when it launches on April 1st.

Will Scorched Earth's New Dinos Come To The Island?

Yes, there's no need to worry. Although the Fasolasuchus and other new creatures will be added to the game as part of the Scorched Earth map, they will also transfer to the OG map, The Island.

What Is The ARK Frontier Adventure Pack?

The Frontier Adventure Pack is a new DLC that will launch alongside Scorched Earth and include a "treasure trove of desert-themed goodies that'll make you the envy of any wasteland wanderer."

For the time being it's still not clear how much the Frontier Adventure Pack will cost, or everything that players will be able to unlock. That said we do know of a few pieces of content that will only be available from the paid for DLC. 

This includes the ability to "Build train tracks that crisscross the scorching landscape" as well as some new western themed outfits (seen below in the image gallery). The devs also plan to release a new dino called 'The Oasisaur' (see below), which was revealed in a recent community crunch blog post.

The Oasisaur is described as "a gentle giant of the Earth, stands as a living sanctuary, offering protection and sustenance to all creatures in its vicinity. With its unique ability to create a safe haven, it shields players from environmental threats and hostile creatures, though it offers little defense against other players. This majestic creature offers a beacon of tranquility on this scorching earth."

That's everything we know about Scorched Earth DLC at the moment and we will update this page once Studio Wildcard announces more information, so make sure to keep your eyes peeled.