Lost Colony: Arat Prime and Zombies

Sep

11

2025

0

By Louis Bang Bang

Lost Colony - Zombies - by Wildcard

With Lost Colony, the first completely new expansion pack for ARK: Survival Ascended will be released on December 16, 2025. Instead of a revamped classic like The Island or Scorched Earth, the community can expect a completely new adventure this time – including new gameplay mechanics, story content, and a fresh setting: Arat Prime, the legendary birthplace of the ARKs.

What is Lost Colony?

Lost Colony is a canonical expansion pack for ARK: Survival Ascended that bridges Extinction to Genesis and ultimately to ARK 2. The focus is once again on Mei Yin, voiced by Michelle Yeoh, whose story is told through cinematic anime sequences from the renowned studio MAPPA (including Attack on Titan, Jujutsu Kaisen, Chainsaw Man).

The DLC combines classic survival gameplay with new role-playing elements, an expanded building system, and a dark story heavily influenced by Dark Fantasy and Gothic Fiction. The goal is to expand the familiar ARK loop of exploring, surviving, and building with fresh mechanics and a stronger narrative layer.

Arat Prime

The centerpiece of Lost Colony is Arat Prime, a frozen metropolis that has long been described in the lore as the mysterious origin of the ARKs. With this DLC, this location is experienced directly for the first time.

There were already hints of Arat Prime in Extinction – as the last bastion of humanity and the place where the fate of the ARKs was to be decided. Now, this chapter finally opens up and reveals how the experiments with Element spiraled out of control. Entire factions were corrupted, their bodies grotesquely distorted and transformed into living weapons.

Players will encounter corrupted survivors, zombie-like creatures, and monstrous experiments that directly remind one of Rockwell's abysses. Arat Prime thus becomes not only a backdrop but a threat in itself – a city where survival becomes a constant struggle between life, death, and damnation.

Story

In addition to the classic survival aspect, the narrative dimension takes a more prominent role. Mei Yin is this time the central focal point, with her struggle being continued in cinematically staged cutscenes.

The plot directly connects to the events from Extinction, where the downfall of Earth and Rockwell's rise were prepared, and seamlessly ties into the simulations from Genesis 1 & the colony ship from Genesis 2. This creates a continuous narrative that links the past of the ARKs with the future of humanity – ultimately forming the narrative transition into the world of ARK 2.

Especially the cinematic presentation is intended to provide a new experience: MAPPA relies on anime sequences that make ARK lore and characters visually tangible for the first time. For many fans, this is likely the most ambitious attempt yet to deepen the story of the ARK universe while also exciting new players about the complex lore.

Future

Everything indicates that Lost Colony is not just another DLC, but represents a turning point in the development of ARK. With new progression systems, expanded building and taming mechanics, and a stronger lore integration, Wildcard is moving away from pure "remastering" and daring first innovations.

Arat Prime thus becomes the touchstone for whether the ambitious innovations are viable – and how they prepare the way for ARK 2. For the community, this means: Those who want to understand the connections between Extinction, Genesis, and the upcoming new era cannot overlook Lost Colony.

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