Oct
22
2023
0
ASE (2015) vs. ASA (2023)
Listing of the known differences between ARK Survival Evolved (abbreviated ASE; from the year 2015) and the new updated version ARK Survival Ascended (abbreviated ASA; from the year 2023).
NOTE: Since ASA will only be released at the end of October 2023, this comparison is still a work in progress and should be taken with caution (22. Oktober 2023)! Further notes, tips & tricks can be mentioned in the comments! Happy Hunting!
| Property | ASE | ASA |
|---|---|---|
| Release Year |
2015 | 2023 |
| Game Engine (Still based on Unreal) |
4 | 5.2 |
| Game Version |
358.17 | 1 |
| Number of Players on Steam (Maximum / ~2023) |
247k / 74k | ? |
| Price on Steam (Full version with all DLCs; in CHF) |
38.55 | 45 |
| Cross-Platform Multiplayer (for XBOX, PS5, and available for Steam-PC starting December) |
- | (X) |
| Game Content | ASE | ASA |
| Available Official DLC Maps (Not available initially for ASA, later all maps) |
6 | (6) |
| Available Official Maps (Initially, only "The Island" for ASA, later all maps) |
6 | 1 (6) |
| Number of Creatures (including variations like Aberration, R, etc.) |
196 (299) | 112? |
| Base Engrams (Initially, only native "The Island" Engrams for ASA) |
477 | ??? |
| Maximum Player Level (conditional, as only Tek-Cave, Notes + Chibbi available on ASA) |
205 | 135? |
| New Creatures Since 2023 (one new creature planned for ASA per map in 2023/2024..) |
1 | 12 |
| Mods Also Available for Consoles (via Overflow, including commercial mods :-/ ) |
- | X |
| Existing Mods Can Be Used (no backward compatibility for mods and maps on ASA) |
X | - |
| Game Mechanics | ASE | ASA |
| Wild Babies (Wild babies in nature, not only for tamed creatures) |
- | X |
| Player Speed (not adjustable in ASA) |
X | - |
| Creature Speed (not levelable in ASA) |
X | - |
| Cryopods (not available at the beginning of ASA) |
X | - |
| No Mutation Cap (Maximum 255 points in ASE) |
- | X |
| Graphics | ASE | ASA |
| Dynamic Water (more beautiful/realistic depiction of water surfaces) |
- | X |
| Interactive Foliage (representation and interaction with plants, trees, and vegetation) |
- | X |
| Optimized Character Creation |
- | X |
| Various Optimizations from Unreal 5 (e.g., support for NVIDIA's DLSS) |
- | X |
| Miscellaneous | ASE | ASA |
| Revamped Dynamic Navigation Network (Improved creature pathfinding) |
- | X |
| Improved MiniMap (Zoom function, player indicator, etc.) |
- | X |
| Redesigned Structures (with S+ modder Orionsun) |
- | X |
| Technical Optimizations (Instance rendering for large bases, threaded server networking, and native physics engine) |
- | X |