Astraeos Boss Hydra
The map Astraeos, developed by modder Nektatus, received its largest update to date (Client Version 83.x) on February 25, 2026.
As an official non-canonical DLC for ARK Survival Ascended, Astraeos has already established itself with its setting inspired by Greek mythology. The upcoming update drastically expands the playable area.
Map Introduction
Astraeos features a design that combines classic ARK elements with ancient mythology. The map consists of several massive islands like Korinthos and Therokis, each offering its own biomes and challenges. Players will encounter tailored spawns and specific bosses that challenge the end-game. Previous highlights include unique arenas like that of the Medusa and a strong focus on exploration through vast oceans and vertical terrain structures.
The Update in Detail
The developer's patch notes and teasers list extensive new features. Each core element of the update brings specific changes for both PvE and PvP players.
New Landmass: Pyranthos and Phylakion
Pyranthos is a gigantic new desert region that reaches nearly half the size of the official map Valguero. Alongside endless dunes and extreme weather conditions lies Phylakion, a massive city that offers countless intact houses as new base locations. Beneath the sand lurk deadly dangers like Deathworms and new desert creatures that can quickly overwhelm unprepared players.
New Boss Fights: Hydra, Manticore, and Minotarchos
With "Hydraskos the Unbroken," a multi-headed Hydra is integrated into the game. This tactically demanding fight requires targeted action against the individual heads and unlocks the coveted dragon TEK engrams upon completion. Additionally, the Manticore is introduced as another main boss, and the Minotarchos as a new miniboss, significantly expanding the late-game offerings of the map.
New Creatures and Enemies
The fauna of Astraeos is enhanced by the tamable Grand Tortugar, as well as familiar creatures like Oasisaur, Phoenix, Rock Drakes, and Megaraptors. In the dunes of Pyranthos, gigantic, untamable Scorpion Kings and Queens roam, dropping valuable venom upon defeat. Furthermore, new skeleton enemies guard treasure chests in the desert, creating a direct incentive for ground combat.
Cave Systems and Artifacts
The update adds around 20 new cave systems to the map, located in both new and older areas. Among them are five new artifact caves where players must recover a total of seven new artifacts. For the PvP community, over ten new building caves have been implemented, with entrances designed to be as narrow as the Wildcard development kit allows, ensuring maximum defensibility. Ocean players also receive new moonpool caves for underwater bases.
Visual and Audio Overhaul
Astraeos receives a complete upgrade of its lighting and weather systems, drastically changing the atmosphere and visibility in all biomes and caves. This is accompanied by a complete overhaul of the combat music. Older areas like Korinthos also receive higher-resolution trees, seamlessly replacing the old models without damaging existing player structures.
OSD (Orbital Supply Drop) Rebalancing
The Orbital Supply Drops have been completely rebalanced, now rewarding defenders with TEK structures and high-tier saddles for creatures like Giganotosaurus, Carcharodontosaurus, and Rock Drake. On the island of Therokis, high-tier OSDs will now spawn more frequently. Players must also prepare for a new threat from the Lightning Giga with legendary drops.
Performance and Bug Fixes
In addition to content updates, the patch delivers much-needed technical optimizations. Numerous mesh holes on the map have been closed, and client performance has been significantly improved. Specific bugs, such as missing spawns of Spring Drakelings or faulty textures in the bee cave, have also been fixed.
Official Patch Notes (v83)
The complete list of structural changes, new content, and bug fixes for the Astraeos update, as well as general system fixes.
New in Astraeos
- New gigantic desert landmass: Pyranthos
- New boss fight: Manticore
- New boss fight: Hydraskos the Unbroken
- New creature: Grand Tortugar
- New miniboss: Minotarchos
- New weather system + complete overhaul of lighting
- Added: Phoenix, Oasisaur, Armadoggo, Desmodus, Megaraptor, Rock Drakes, Scorpion King & Queen, Astral & Scorpion King/Queen, Deathworm, new skeleton enemies
- 5 new artifact caves added
- Rhyniognatha drone nest cave added
- Ossidon & Megaraptor saddles added to miniboss loot pool
Changes
- Ocean spawns switched to custom ocean dino spawn entries: DinoSpawnEntries_Ocean_Generic_Ast
- Ice materials changed in the snow biome
- Lighting in the Medusa arena revised
- Lighting adjusted in almost all caves
- Combat music adjusted for the entire map
OSD Changes in Astraeos
- Lightning Giga added as a possible opponent for legendary OSDs
- Giga, Carcha, Rockdrake, Megalodon, Tuso, Mosa, Helicoprion, Megaraptor, and Deinonychus saddles added to OSDs
- Tesla coil, Tek turret, Tek replicator, Tek transmitter, Tek teleporter, Tek vacuum chamber, Tek frame (small & large), Tek tower (small & large) added as possible drops
- Amount of cryo drops reduced
- Stone-tier structures removed
- OSD difficulty distribution rebalanced on Therokis to allow more high-tier OSDs to spawn
- Deinotherium spawns in grassland reduced
Bug Fixes (Astraeos)
- Fixed a bug where Spring Drakelings did not spawn
- Corrected incorrect materials in the bee cave
- Corrected incorrect landscape color on the northern islands
- Closed holes in supply crate meshes
Game Fixes & Other Maps
- Game Fixes: Fixed a bug where the parachute skeleton mesh followed character bone scaling. Corrected brush strokes in the spotlight painting. Fixed a bug in the gene scanner where the first modded creature had no text. The scout camera is no longer inside the scout's body.
- Scorched Earth: Three older cave no-fly zones no longer allow players to briefly sit down.
- Aberration: Closed some mesh holes.
- Extinction: Gacha now plays the correct spin/aim animation when charging.
- Ragnarok: Closed some mesh holes. Fixed flickering waterfall.
- Lost Colony: Fixed a bug where thralls occasionally did not display weapons in boss fights. Fixed a bug where the boss fight would hang if everyone died. Resolved performance issues with cryo hospitals at high numbers. Fixed some exploits.
Links
- Official Wiki: https://ark.wiki.gg/wiki/Astraeos
