The next expansion Genesis Part 1 for ARK: Survival Evolved was released online on February 26. New content keeps players entertained, but our author Sascha Asendorf is disappointed with the Genesis map.
I was really looking forward to Genesis. Finally new content, dinos, and a cool new map. The release on February 26 was not entirely smooth as expected from Wildcard. Nonetheless, a few hours later it was time to start, and my character entered the swamp land.
As a long-time survival player, I have played and followed ARK since the start of Early Access. All DLCs had their strengths and weaknesses, but there is one thing that particularly bothers me about Genesis.
Oh boy – the Genesis map is really small
On a private server, I was able to use a flying command to take a closer look. What does the new map look like, where are the coolest spots to build, and what dangers are there? Questions I wanted to answer for myself.
But the disillusionment came quickly. Genesis is divided into 5 biomes, each enclosed by an energy cube. The individual areas: swamp, volcano, snow, and water, as well as the moon, are beautifully designed but offer poor building opportunities for various reasons.
- The areas are relatively small
- No large spaces to build
- Resources are scarce
- There are creatures wanting to kill you at every corner
New players are likely to have problems here, so I cannot recommend starting in Genesis. Get to know the game on The Island, level up your character, and wait until you enter Genesis.
Where has the Open World gone?
ARK offers a quite open world with its otherwise large areas, but Genesis breaks with the norms. The biomes are not connected and can only be traveled through teleportation. While this is part of the new quest design, it takes away the feeling of an open world for me personally and does not encourage exploration at all. I can switch regions at any time without having to pay a penalty.
Just imagine you have set up beds everywhere on The Island, between which you can teleport. Normally you lose all your gear in the process, but not in Genesis. Thanks to the drone HNL-A, you can travel back and forth for a few hexagons.
This may seem useful for some players, but I simply find it boring.
What I would have liked
Aside from the fact that the really cool story of ARK is not continued from where it left off, I expected simply more from the map.
A large open world with different biomes that you can travel through old school. Teleportation would have been a nice addition, but not a must. Different islands, connected by the sea and with a steadily increasing level of difficulty.
After all, we were on Earth with Extinction and freed ourselves from the simulation as well as the Arks. Even the wiki stated that Genesis is largely covered by water, so it sounds like Earth. Why the hell are we now again in a simulation, trapped like lab rats? I hope Wildcard will answer this question for me in the coming months, when more notes or chronicles are added to the game.
But the dinos are really cool!
Even though the map design bothers me negatively in this regard, there are also great things in Genesis. The new creatures are all impressive and a lot of fun. Especially the Bloodstalker is versatile and makes movement through the world an action spectacle.
The biomes are beautifully designed, and I wish for natural disasters like volcanic eruptions or avalanches in the other ARKs.
I will continue to try to make my mark in Genesis, also to follow the story further. Sooner or later, I will certainly return to The Island and inhabit the beautiful beaches.
