With the release of Astraeos, the German modder Nekatus has further established himself as a key figure in the ARK community. Following his successful work on Valguero, Fjordur, and Svartalfheim, he is now launching his first official, paid map for ARK: Survival Ascended. But how did the development process unfold? What makes Astraeos special, and what plans are there for the future?
This is only needed in rare cases where a server mod wants to access a library (DLL) xaudio.dll and this is not present in an installation like https://github.com/mschnitzer/ark-survival-ascended-linux-container-image with Docker/Proton. Because usually a server does not require audio functions!
In such a situation, the server crashes immediately after starting; the following is visible in crashcallstack.txt (excerpt):
The wait is over – Astraeos, the stunning map by Nekatus, sponsored by Nitrado, is officially released as a partner DLC! Originally planned as our premium map surprise for June, we are bringing you this mythical world earlier than expected. Starting today, it is available for $14.99 as a fully integrated DLC – instead of a premium mod.
A new cluster "bukanier.org" for ARK Survival Ascended is in preparation. It will be a rather small cluster with The Island as the home map (PVE for now, as no safe base shield is available) and the PVP maps Scorched Earth, Aberration, and Extinction. Additionally, DLC maps like Center and other future maps will be available in a daily rotation.
Whether a second future map (e.g., Ragnarok or Astraeos) will be defined as a home map in addition to The Island will be reviewed at the appropriate time (also meaning +20 EUR per month).
Butch is a passionate gamer from England who now lives in Scotland and dedicates his free time to producing exciting gaming videos. With his humorous style, he captivates his audience as he navigates through survival games, MMOs, FPS, and horror games. Butch loves adventure, especially when he can turn his experiences into compelling stories.
Now, in the year 2025, I see things from a slightly different perspective. The primary reason for the switch was the release of the map Extinction along with the DLC Wasteland War. This made my key maps from The Island to Extinction available. Sure, I still really miss the DLC maps like Ragnarok, Valguero, Crystal Isles, Lost Island, and Fjordur. And what about Genesis 1 and Genesis 2?
Our cluster has been around for 2–3 years now and was open to friends and new players. I have invested a total of 12k play hours in ARK since November 2015 (from Singleplayer, Official, BlackGoatGaming, Arkkovia to here on bukanier.org). However, in recent weeks and days, I have been increasingly considering switching to ASA.
The topic of Offline Raid Protection (ORP) is currently difficult to implement – either with the standard vanilla settings or with the help of mods. Until early November, we had Simple ORP activated, which had some weaknesses (e.g., the ORP function was no longer active after a server restart, and the configuration was problematic). The vanilla ORP also comes with limitations: once a player is offline, all structures and creatures of that player become invulnerable across the entire map.
Welcome to Olympus, once the home of the mighty gods of antiquity. It has been many years since they ruled over this world, and time has not been kind. Explore the wilderness of this once-great civilization, uncover its secrets, and find out if you have what it takes to rise and stand shoulder to shoulder with those who came before you!
