Currently, the dino survival MMO ARK: Survival Evolved is in the Genesis expansion. Our author Sascha Asendorf tells you what has happened in the ARK story so far.
The dino survival MMO ARK: Survival Evolved is known for its large number of creatures that can be tamed and ridden. Establishing tribes, building bases, and the endless gathering of resources are also part of the overall picture of the survival title.
- Update March 13, 2020: We have expanded the story with Genesis Part 1.
Who would have thought that a truly interesting story is hidden deep within the game, which runs through all the DLCs? Our author Sascha tells you what you need to know about the story to stay up-to-date.
What are the ARKs?
The ARKs in which you find yourself as a player are artificial ecosystems. They were transported from Earth into space before a global catastrophe and serve as a rescue platform for living organisms like humans, creatures, and plants.
Powering the biomes are three large obelisks. They are also connected to the Overseer towers, which maintain the force field to protect the world from the dangerous radiation in space.
The Explorer Notes for the Extinction DLC mention that the ARKs themselves are full of system errors. Helena Walker, one of the authors of the notes, believes that the worlds have thus become the deadly traps as you know them today.
A so-called “Reseed Protocol” is supposed to ensure that the ARKs return to Earth and re-fertilize it. However, due to another system error, this is currently not possible.
Events on The Island – How ARK began
Your adventure begins on The Island, the original map of the dino survival game. Here you gather the first experience points for your character, tame the first dinos, and build your base.
Scattered around the island, you will also find the Explorer Notes – notes from the people who previously lived on The Island. The most important characters accompany you throughout the entire game:
- Helena Walker, a biologist from Australia, wrote the well-known Dino dossiers in addition to some notes in 2008.
- Gaius Marcellus Nerva is a Roman centurion who concentrates primarily on dominance and unites all tribes under him.
- Sir Edmund Rockwell is a chemist from the 19th century. He focused on various experiments and is especially known for his recipes for Kibbles and the Reset potion.
- Mei-Yin Li comes from the time of the Three Kingdoms in China. She is a solo warrior and has tamed a dangerous pack of raptors over time.
These four people come from different eras but interacted in the ARK during the same time. The notes indicate that the human mind is tied to the implants you wear as a player on your arm. Your body, however, is constantly being cloned by the ARK. Thus, it is possible to bring together people from all time periods.
Helena, Nerva, Rockwell, and Mei don’t always work together in the ARK but also wage wars against each other, just like most players do. Over time, however, they have deciphered the secrets and managed to leave the ARK.
Many players faced this
Some of you may have focused on the endgame. The goal on The Island is to collect artifacts from the caves of the island to open a portal to one of three arenas at the obelisks. Up to 10 players and 20 creatures can face a guardian in a boss fight here. The most important rewards from these battles are the heads of the bosses as well as the unlocking of the first TEK engrams – recipes for technologically advanced armor, weapons, or buildings.
Once you have the three heads of the guardians, you can open the gate to a TEK cave. At the end of this challenging cave, there is another teleporter designed for up to 10 players. This will take you to the Overseer tower, where the final boss fight awaits you.
The Overseer’s Tower
A special highlight in this tower is the view. You can discover various holograms of Earth, each showing you the past, present, and future. Holograms of people and dinos let you recognize that this must be the station where everyone is cloned.
Just before the room with the final boss, you can look down at The Island through the holes in the floor and realize that you are in space.
Defeat the Overseer at the end, and a cutscene sends you across space. Only now do you see the many ARKs floating above the Earth like a web until you finally reach your destination: Scorched Earth.
