The Story of ARK Genesis Part 1
Genesis Part 1 was released on February 26, 2020, and is the latest expansion to the dino hit ARK: Survival Evolved. The story is not told directly but takes several detours.
There are no more Explorer Notes, instead, we are accompanied by the drone HLN-A, created by the ascended Helena. In Genesis Part 1, players are in a simulation and must take tests. HLN-A feeds you information about the events during this time.
This is like in Avatar
Relatively early in Genesis Part 1, HLN-A tells you that you are in a simulation. Your real body is in a capsule, and your mind is merely connected to a cloned body. Similar to the movie Avatar, you only control a foreign body to interact in the simulation.
You are in the simulation for pure testing purposes. You are being tested and trained to prepare for “The Arrival.” However, the simulation is not free of errors, as not all survivors respawn, and glitches occur. Someone is trying from the outside to sabotage the system and shuts down the Master AIs – bosses in the Genesis simulation. However, there is still one left, the underwater boss Moeder.
HLN-A is Hacked, Rockwell is Back!
Regularly, HLN-A tells which information she has found in the glitches. Occasionally, however, it happens that it is not HLN-A speaking to you, but a malicious distorted voice. It sounds familiar, and it should. It is Rockwell, who survived the crash of the Aberration ARK.
He tries to take over the Genesis simulation and raises the difficulty above what was intended. Also, the element, which marked the downfall of civilization, appears much more frequently than the simulation intended.
The survivors who do not respawn are corrupted by Rockwell. For what purposes, however, is not yet clear.
Your Task as a Player
Your task in Genesis Part 1 is clear: Survive the simulation and complete all tasks.
The tests are the missions that you can find in all biomes. These include easy tasks like Dino races, but also harder ones like Hide and Seek, where you go on a trail of dangerous creatures and have to defeat them. The first underwater boss Moeder is also part of the missions and is the last remaining Master AI in Genesis. Previously, there were 5, which Rockwell shut down.
If you complete enough missions, you can use your HLN-A drone to start the last mission and challenge the Master Controller.
You emerge from the cryo capsule in the last cutscene and find yourself on a colony ship in space. HLN-A greets you, but no other people are visible outside the capsules. The other survivors are still trapped in the simulation and are being infested by the element.
HLN-A hands you a TEK equipment, and suddenly the alarm sounds. A huge tentacle grabs you and pulls you away. That was Rockwell, whom you have already fought in Aberration.
The adventure continues with Genesis Part 2 at the end of 2020.
