ARK: Survival Evolved is known for its strong support of the modding community. It is not uncommon for mod maps to find their way into the official game. This is exactly what is happening now with the popular map Crystal Isles.
Developer Wildcard supports the modding community of ARK: Survival Evolved like no other developer. As a result, all players regularly enjoy new map DLCs that actually originate from the community. Examples include the popular maps Ragnarok and Valguero. Now, another community-created map is making its way into the official lineup.
Crystal Isles Introduction
Crystal Isles is a mod map that was released for PC in November 2016 and has been continuously developed since then. With over 211,000 subscribers and more than 5,000 top ratings, the mod is among the most popular maps in the community.
The creators Isolde Gaming, Lillian, and iSPEZZ are not quite finished yet, and much will happen before the official release.
What’s included: The Crystal Isles map can be categorized into the fantasy and sci-fi genre. Glowing underwater worlds, floating islands, and mysterious caves are just the beginning. With 28 regions, the map is very diverse and offers unique features and creatures:
The unique environmental features:
- Many different biomes in 28 regions, including floating islands
- Dead corpses cause a debuff
- Saltwater depletes body fluids
- Floating element bubbles and electric waves in the Eldritch Isle region
The creatures in Crystal Isles:
- 21 unique creatures, including zombie and liquefied dinos
- 147 creatures from the ARK lineup
- 4 bosses
When will Crystal Isles be released for PC, PS4, and Xbox One?
The new map is already available as a mod on PC. For console players, Crystal Isles will be released only once Wildcard officially incorporates the mod into their lineup. This is expected to happen in the summer of 2020.
What’s still to come: The contents of the current Genesis expansion could also flow into the map by the summer. The developers are not done yet. They indicated on the official mod page in the Steam Workshop that they are about 75% finished. Additionally, they have planned several things:
- A unique world boss and a corresponding arena
- A bone graveyard
- An underworld
- More caves
- Future official ARK content as long as it fits the map
A real dino is coming
With the latest expansions like Extinction or Genesis, new creatures have repeatedly entered the game, but none are real. Giant turtles, whales flying through space, or battle robots are cool to see, but some players want more old dinos.
Wildcard is responding to this request and will introduce a new real dino exclusively for Crystal Isles. However, they are not revealing which one yet.
Have you played Crystal Isles yet? Let us know your opinion on the mod map.
