ARK: Lost Colony
With ARK: Lost Colony, Survival Ascended ventures into completely new territory for the first time. The map takes players to a place that has existed in ARK lore for years only as a whisper in scattered data fragments: Arat Prime.
What at first sounds like just another map quickly turns out to be a connecting link between the known ARKs, the Genesis simulation, and the distant colony ship storyline. Lost Colony is intended to tie all these threads together – and at the same time expands ASA with new creatures, mechanics, and speculation that are already sparking discussion.
The planned release date is still 16 December 2025 (for Europe, based on experience, 17 December). The DLC can be purchased on Steam (https://store.steampowered.com/…) or PS5 (https://store.playstation.com/e…) or XBOX (https://www.xbox.com/de-CH/game…).
More Infos in the future on the official Wiki of ARK Survival Ascended: https://ark.wiki.gg/wiki/Lost_C…
Arat Prime – Myth, technology, and eternal night
Arat Prime lies on the dark side of the Earth – the half that, in the state of a motionless, shattered world, never sees sunlight. While Sanctuary in Extinction is constantly flooded with glaring light, the opposite side is shrouded in perpetual twilight. This is where the most mysterious facility in ARK lore is located.
The name itself is a clue: Arat Prime → "Primus Aratra" → "The First Plow".
Together with the known reseed protocols of the ARKs, the picture starts to make sense: Arat Prime functions as a preparation system that "plows" the devastated planet before the ARKs are deployed as biological seeds. It is not just a laboratory or a control center – it is the foundation of all terraforming rebirth.
Numerous encrypted messages that could be read in Extinction with a Tek helmet point to dramatic events:
- "Arat Prime is locked down. Emergency launch initiated."
- "Arat Prime has gone silent. Launch was not confirmed."
These radio messages fit perfectly with the revelation from Genesis: Part 1 – the simulation on a colony ship that is already on its way to a new star system. Arat Prime may have been the launch point for this ship, or even the technology that beams human consciousness into the simulation and creates new bodies there.
According to HLN-A, Diana and Mei-Yin reached Arat Prime in person. There, Helena was transferred into the Genesis simulation, where she eventually became HLN-A.
The facility may also have been the source of the ability to control Element corruption, direct troops, and unleash artificial Element constructs. Lost Colony now seems, for the first time, to show the world that exists around Arat Prime – a region of tectonic scars, ancient facilities, watch posts, ruins, and flooded biotopes. A blend of sci-fi, post-apocalypse, and mythological origin.
The new creatures of Lost Colony
Malwyn – Shadow in the mist
The Malwyn is an aggressive, artificially advanced creature that evolved from Veilwyn companions and has been infused with a strange substance. It is one of the most relentless threats Lost Colony has to offer: a cold-hearted hunter that appears as a majestic but merciless mount.
Its abilities weaken, slow, and mark prey – ideal for targeted eliminations in the dark zones around Arat Prime. The Malwyn is not interested in exploration or play: it identifies a target, destroys it, and moves on. As a mount, it is clearly designed for threat elimination.
Solwyn – Light from within
From the frozen wastes rises the Solwyn – the radiant answer to the Malwyn. This creature was shaped by the same forces, but in the direction of protection, light, and control. Solwyn glides across ice fields, creates fleeting paths, and moves through frozen hazards with remarkable precision.
Its primary principle is clear: to protect its bonded rider. Solwyn acts like a personal guardian that shields the player from the darkness that follows behind. In practice, it will likely function as a support and utility mount – as a light source, path-maker, and defensive asset in Lost Colony’s harsh climate.
Ossidon – The cryogenic titan of Arat Prime
Ossidon arrives even before Lost Colony: since 18 November it has been temporarily spawning in cold biomes on Ragnarok, Valguero, and The Center. It is part of the Lost Colony Expansion Pass and therefore available to owners even before the final drop on 16 December.
From a lore perspective, Ossidon is a monstrous, demon-like mammal: Cryopithecus dominus, a primate-like colossus of raw endurance and cryogenic Element power, adapted to the life-hostile frozen regions around Arat Prime. It originates from "Project Ossidon", in which creatures were systematically infused with Red Element.
Every variant of Ossidon wears its role visibly on the outside: the most resilient specimens sport imposing crests, the deadliest display exaggerated fangs. Its trademark is the enormous production of cryogenic mucus – a thick, freezing substance that can be used as an ice projectile, a destructive rolling ice ball, or a wide-area frost barrage. In the saddle of an Ossidon, you feel less like riding a mount and more like commanding a living siege engine.
In Lost Colony, Ossidon takes on the role of an "apex protector": guardian figure, weapon, and symbol of the violent symbiosis of technology, Red Element, and biology on Arat Prime.
Red Element?
More and more clues point to a new form of Element: Red Element – a pulsing, unstable material, presumably more dangerous and reactive than the Element we know so far.
- Fuel for new Tek mechanics
- Resource for advanced weapons
- Mutation catalyst
- Potential trigger for global events
Since Arat Prime was intended as a control point for Element distribution, Red Element fits seamlessly into the story: as a tool, a weapon – and a possible source of some of the nightmares roaming Lost Colony.
Vampires on Arat Prime?
The hints at vampires on Arat Prime are particularly intriguing. At the end of the trailer, Explorer Note icons for Rockwell and Diana appear – and a symbol that looks like an implant or Overseer with bat wings attached. This matches the theory that a portion of Arat Prime’s human population, or clones originating from there, forced their own “evolution” in eternal darkness: away from daylight, toward an Element-corrupted, vampire-like existence.
The idea is that, in order to survive in a permanent night zone, the last colonists experimented with Element, corruption, and cloning technology. What began as an adaptation ended in a new, nocturnal species that resembles classic vampire myths more than Terran humans – reinforced by the Gothic setting, the architecture, and the red light sources around Arat Prime.
The “vampire” in the trailer could be a descendant of these people – or the result of a misguided clone line that can no longer control Element corruption. It is also possible that we are seeing the leader of this “Lost Colony”, whose perspective we hear in voice-overs – and who eventually faces us as the map’s boss, similar to Rockwell on Aberration.
In practice, Lost Colony could introduce a new day/night survival dynamic: exploration and building during the day, hunts and sieges at night by vampire-like enemies that make targeted use of light, Red Element, and weather effects. Whether we will only face them with stakes and shotguns, or gain temporary “vampire abilities” ourselves, remains to be seen – but one thing is clear: Arat Prime will be far more than just another dino playground. It is a stage on which ARK’s lore finally merges horror, sci-fi, and classic monster mythology.
