History VideoGame / ARKSurvivalEvolved

[[caption-width-right:319: This could be you, riding a dino.]]

'''''ARK: Survival Evolved''''' is a SurvivalSandbox game developed by Studio Wildcard using Unreal Engine 4.

** Special mention goes to Troodons who are designed specifically to kill humans making them great at killing unsuspecting raiders.

* EarlyGameHell: Starting off in Ark is ''extremely'' painful. Surviving long enough to get even a basic thatch shelter up is actually quite difficult alone and you have almost no way of defending yourself from the more dangerous creatures. However, the difficulty drops sharply once a player gets their first combat-capable pet (generally a Raptor) which can fend off threats ''much'' easier than a player can until ranged weapons become available. This trope is averted if you encounter a helpful high level player, who is willing to provide you with the helpful necessities to give you a stable start, such as metal tools, materials to build a basic shelter or even some low level dinos. If you are really lucky, you might even get invited into a well established tribe, essentially allowing you to skip the entire EarlyGameHell.

%%* FantasticNatureReserve: Maybe...

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[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/8cdd5620ff39a53fd32e3c2d10f49e9a.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350: This could be you, riding a dino.]]

! ARK: Survival Evolved provides examples of:

** Most boss fights spawn swarms of high level creatures to attack the players.

*** Rock drakes -- ''Draconis obscurum'' -- are from the Aberration DLC, and live primarily BeneathTheEarth.
*** The managarmr -- ''Draconis auragelus'' -- is a dragon from the Apocalypse map, has a vaguely mammalian head and breathes ice.

NOTE: These scientific names are not factual. While most of Ark's creatures correspond to real-life animals, they have fictional species names and unique appearances to make them better suited to video games. Some are relatively similar to the real-life versions, some differ drastically, some are fusions of more than one animal, and some of these animals are purely fictional, having never existed at all and being invented solely for the game. Ark is a great way to introduce yourself to the scientific side of prehistoric animals, so if you see one you're interested in, hop on the internet and do some research!

* ApocalypseHow: [[spoiler: A class 6, as revealed by ''Extinction'': a world war waged with element-based technology contaminated the Earth with element, which began to spread and corrupt living creatures. By the time you reach the surface of the Earth, the only remaining living species are those engineered by the Arks, and the Titans created by the element.]]

* BerserkButton: Stealing eggs is this for the wild dinosaurs (and other egg-laying creatures) on the island. Even species that normally run away after being attacked will fight anyone daring to steal one of their eggs.

The game was released for UsefulNotes/{{Steam}} Early Access on 2nd June 2015, and the full version was released on 29 August 2017 on UsefulNotes/PlayStation4 and UsefulNotes/XboxOne as well as Steam. Several DLC expansion packs like ''The Center'', ''Scorched Earth'', ''Ragnarok'', ''Aberration'', ''Extinction'', ''Valguero'', ''Genesis: Part 1'', and ''Crystal Isles'' have been released, an expansion called ''Genesis: Part 2'' is in works, as well as a spinoff called ''ARK: Survival of the Fittest''. Another spinoff called ''ARK Park'' was released by Snail Games and Peacock Studio. A ''VideoGame/Minecraft''-inspired voxel-based spinoff called ''VideoGame/PixARK'' by Snail Games USA was released in Early Access. Both base Ark and ''[=PixARK=]'' have been announced for the UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch.

** ''Arctodus dirus'', or [[BearsAreBadNews Direbear]]

The game was released for UsefulNotes/{{Steam}} Early Access on 2nd June 2015, and the full version was released on 29 August 2017 on UsefulNotes/PlayStation4 and UsefulNotes/XboxOne as well as Steam. Several DLC expansion packs like ''The Center'', ''Scorched Earth'', ''Ragnarok'', and ''Aberration'' have been released, another expansion pack called ''Extinction'' has been announced, as well as a spinoff called ''ARK: Survival of the Fittest''. Another spinoff called ''ARK Park'' is being developed by Snail Games and Peacock Studio. A ''VideoGame/MineCraft''-inspired voxel-based spinoff called ''VideoGame/PixARK'' by Snail Games USA was released in Early Access. Both base Ark and ''[=PixARK=]'' have been announced for the UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch.

* BaseOnWheels: The ''Brontosaurus'' and to a lesser extent, ''Paraceratherium'', can function as a walking base via platform saddles if not used as an assault platform, able to house all the essentials like generators, walls, beds, and crafting stations. The ''Mosasaurus'' and ''Plesiosaurus'' can function as a marine version of this with their platform saddles. The ''Titanosaurus'' is an even greater example, basically a base built atop a {{Kaiju}}, but is a temporary tame unless on mods or edited server rules.

** All four of the light-emitting shoulder pets in ''Aberration'' count as cute in some way, from the boggle-eyed and overly affectionate Bulbdog to the prancing Shinehorn.

* NobodyPoops: Averted. All creatures -- including the player character -- eliminate regularly. Feces can be used as fertilizer to help grow crops, or fermented by a compost bin or a dung beetle into a superior fertilizer.

* BearsAreBadNews: The ''Direbear''.

** ''[[SeldomSeenSpecies Purlovia]] maxima''

*** Wyverns -- ''Draconis vipera'' -- appear in the Scorched Earth, Ragnarok and Extinction [=DLC=]s. They resemble smaller versions of the dragons without front legs and come in lightning, acid, fire, ice and forest variations variations. They can only be tamed by stealing an egg from their nests and raising the chick (assuming the angry parent doesn't kill you first).

* AmazingTechnicolorWildlife: The animals found on the island come in a variety of colors. Blue mammoths are apparently a thing.

* AnimalJingoism: As per DinosaurMedia, ''Triceratops'' is described as having a hostile animosity with ''Tyrannosaurus''.

* Unobtanium: Element, which is used to both build and power a wide variety of futuristic devices. It has the nasty side effect of creating monsters [[spoiler: and also causing the apocalypse.]]

** ''Phiomia''. Looking like a combination between a warthog and an elephant, its saddle is the first one players can unlock, but it does not offer anything useful as a mount. Especially compared to other rideable creatures. The only use this create has in long term gameplay is its excrement, which can be used to fertilize your garden.

* HeadButtingPachy: For the most part seems to [[AvertedTrope avert this trope]]; with any combat excused to this for easily being [[JustifiedTrope justified]] due to the limited [[GameMechanics gaming mechanics]], and then you discover that ''pachycephalosaurus'' can knock trees over by ramming them.

* BubblegloopSwamp: A large, waterlogged swamp snakes through the island's river system populated by crocodiles, BigCreepyCrawlies, piranhas, ''Titanoboa'' (giant snakes), ''Beelzebufo'' (giant frogs), and leeches. Unique plants (some poisonous) also abound in the biome, encouraging players to enter and collect necessary ingredients for various recipes.
* ''Aberration'' has several of these, with bonus bioluminescence!

* HerbivoresAreFriendly: Averted. Most of the herbivores in the game will fight back when attacked. ''Therizinosaurus'' and ''Titanomyrma'', which are described as herbivores, are also stated to be aggressive.

** Adding further to the island's mystery are explorer notes which suggest previous human inhabitants of the island all came from not only different places but also different time periods as well.

* SpaceWhale: The ''Astrocetus'' is a massive flying whale-like creature found in the Genesis Luna Biome that has the power of {{Teleportation}}.

* TropicalIslandAdventure: The game takes place on the titular ARK, a tropical island full of dinosaurs and other giant beasts.

** Killing anything in the swamp will likely cause ''Meganuera'' to employ this attack style as well, as they are carrion feeders, who do not like to be disturbed during their meals.