ARK: Survival Ascended moves to Unreal Engine 5.8 and gives the Giganotosaurus a major rework
ARK: Survival Ascended has moved to Unreal Engine 5.8 in an update that also gives the Giganotosaurus new attacks, an updated model and a different taming challenge. Studio Wildcard says the engine upgrade is intended to reduce graphics workload and improve performance.
The update is available now. Its lighting changes include Lumen Lite on selected PC graphics settings, while the developer says broader support is planned.
The engine upgrade changes more than the version number
In its version 97 notes, Studio Wildcard says it optimised rendering to reduce GPU work and improve performance. It also describes improvements to foliage and distant scenery across platforms.
Image: Studio Wildcard
Those are the developer's stated goals, not a guarantee of a particular frame-rate increase. Players will need to check the result on their own hardware and settings, especially as Lumen Lite is initially enabled only with selected PC settings.
The Giganotosaurus has new ways to fight and support allies
The creature's model and animations have been updated, and its taming encounter has changed. The studio says earning its attention now involves confronting other formidable creatures before surviving a fight with the Giga itself.
Image: Studio Wildcard
A passive ability called Wounded Fury makes the creature stronger below 75% health. Nearby allied creatures other than Giganotosaurus can receive half of its current bonuses, and a rider display can show which allies are affected.
It also gains a directional stomp or tail slam that knocks back smaller creatures and briefly slows affected targets. The complete notes cover further creature and balance changes.
Image: Studio Wildcard
The update also introduces the Enigmasaur as the final creature in Fantastic Tames Season 1. That is part of the separately sold Fantastic Tames content, so players should check ownership before expecting access to the new creature.
