Ark: Survival Ascended recently received its Scorched Earth update, but the pricing for the new DLC that comes with it appears to have split the community.
For context, the Scorched Earth update itself, which added a new map, dinosaurs, and items, is a free download. But developer Studio Wildcard also released Bob’s Tall Tales, a DLC that throws in even more content, including the Oasisaur, a new dinosaur type you can tame and build a base on top of. This DLC costs $29.99, which is a point of contention in the playerbase.
Over on the Ark subreddit, user TheFriendlyBagel called the pricing “crazy,” specifically the price tag in Canada: $41 (roughly $30 in the U.S). They’re not alone in their frustration, with other players questioning how anyone can be okay with spending this much money on a game that already costs $45, has seen multiple content delays, and still experiences a lot of bugs and errors. Given the timing of Scorched Earth‘s release, one player compared it to an April Fool’s gag, while another wished they had “refunded this game when [they] had the chance.“
Meanwhile, plenty of players like Joshuawood98 and Shadow_Halls leapt to the DLC’s defense, arguing the amount of content justifies the price. Plus, it’s all optional and you can play the Scorched Earth update without any of it. Unsurprisingly, there’s a bit of mudslinging from both sides. Zallix called players complaining about the pricing “broke ass weirdos” who will “cry about everything that’s not free,” to which burningtoast99 called them out for “defending predatory microtransactions.”
Not everyone who was willing to pay for the DLC is happy with it either. In the official Discord channel, there’s some confusion surrounding the Oasisaur itself. At the time of writing, no one can figure out what it can eat, which has sparked assumptions that you can only tame one for a limited time before it eventually dies of starvation. It’s not exactly ideal for something you can build a base on top of that’s only available via paid DLC.
Studio Wildcard still has a lot of new content and updates in the pipeline, with an Ark: Survival Ascended roadmap spanning all throughout this year and 2025. Perhaps future DLC will prove less controversial, or perhaps players will continue to argue regardless.
