As one of the premiere survival games of yesteryear that keeps coming back into relevance through sheer persistence and perseverance, Ark: Survival Evolved is a bit of a must-play. Thing is, though, that the base game is just the start, and there’s a wealth of DLC to choose from, too.
To be a tad more specific, Ark: Survival Evolved has two tiers of DLC to choose from: the map DLCs are free, while the actual expansion packs are feature-rich and content-heavy in most ways that matter. As comparing maps with actual expansion packs is fairly challenging in most senses, that’s not what we’re interested in. Instead, below you’ll find a more in-depth summary of the paid expansion packs’ respective feature sets and value propositions, with a dedicated map shortlist featured at the end. Have fun!
Ranking the Ark: Survival Evolved DLCs from worst to best
#5: Genesis – Part 1
Ark: Survival Evolved – Genesis is a standout DLC for the game, in both of its respective parts. Part 1, specifically, massively changed the game by partially pivoting away from the original experience’s free-form survival sandbox to dedicated missions. The shift in focus is visible primarily in the way players attain items: they complete the aforementioned missions to earn currency which is, in turn, traded in for blueprints, gear, and other assorted goodies. You cannot grind for these items, and the shift from barebones survival to full-fledged sci-fi doesn’t help either.
So, Genesis – Part 1 is the worst Ark DLC in our book, but that’s not to say it’s totally unredeemable. Indeed, this DLC is extremely visually interesting and comes with an immense roster of cool creatures to fiddle around with. So, there’s merit in playing it for sure.
#4: Scorched Earth
Scorched Earth is infamous for two reasons: the fact that it was a $20 DLC released during the game’s Early Access stint, and its introduction of full-blooded fantasy creatures into Ark: Survival Evolved. Remember: before Scorched Earth came out, Ark was far more rooted in “reality,” with prehistoric animals that were, broadly, parallel to what we had in the real world. Then, in comes Scorched Earth with dragons, manticores, phoenixes, and more.
The thing about Scorched Earth, though, is that it’s perfectly in line with the baseline Survival Evolved gameplay loop. Unlike the two Genesis DLCs, it’s a solid offering that simply gives you more of a challenge – if you want it. Plenty of variety to speak of, too, considering the biome shift.
#3: Genesis: Part 2
Genesis: Part 2 is, in all the ways that count, a direct follow-up to the original Ark: Genesis release, except substantially better. This DLC, too, leans extremely heavily towards Ark‘s deeper science-fiction lore, mutant creatures, and (arguably) overdesigned technology, but the core gameplay loop is much, much better however you look at it.
As the first Genesis DLC’s progression, specifically, was a major point of contention, Part 2 allows players to begin missions from anywhere on the map, use flying creatures to move around the map, and enjoy a wide variety of assorted quality-of-life fixes. In practice, the end result is that you can safely skip Part 1 in lieu of Part 2, provided that you don’t care much about Ark‘s lore, of course.
#2: Extinction
Ark: Survival Evolved – Extinction is the best story-heavy DLC the game has. Its biggest draw is that Extinction takes place on Earth, rather than the Ark itself, which is a phenomenally engaging sandbox to survive in. All the fan-favourite creatures get variants with bumped-up, endgame-tier stats (Corrupted variants), and you can even tame bosses if you’re really skilled and/or lucky. Wild stuff.
The Extinction DLC is also loaded with oodles of handy blueprints and other assorted goodies. Essentially an endgame-tier DLC, Extinction makes it really easy to gear up and stock up on useful gear and dinosaurs, and though it’s not too solo-friendly, it remains a high-point for Ark: Survival Evolved‘s expansion pack lineup.
#1: Aberration
Finally, Ark: Survival Evolved – Aberration is our favorite DLC for the game. Visually stunning, surprisingly well-balanced, and absolutely loaded with PvE content, Aberration encapsulates everything that matters about Ark‘s endgame in a satisfying and meaningful way. From the terrifying Reapers to the delightful Bulbdogs, Aberration‘s creature roster is a best-of selection for the game, provided that you can embrace Ark‘s core sci-fi aesthetic, instead of the more grounded early-game survival vibes.
Aberration also empowers the player in extremely meaningful ways. You get to wield climbing picks, wingsuits, ziplines, hazard suits, and loads more – all necessary to survive the game’s final trudge. Aberration‘s map, too, is a far cry from most anything that comes before, as it’s mostly set underneath a dying Ark – in its cave systems and other damp places. Things do go bump in the dark here, and if you’re only going to splurge on one DLC for Ark, Aberration best encapsulates all the high-points of the game’s endgame-tier content.
Ranking the Ark: Survival Evolved maps from worst to best
As you can freely check out any of the six Ark: Survival Evolved maps at your own pace, we felt it was best not to muddle the paid DLC ranking with these bonus pieces of content. Of course, there is a difference in value and quality from the worst free Ark map to the best, and so, our list is as follows:
- #6: Lost Island
- #5: Crystal Isles
- #4: The Center
- #3: Valguero
- #2: Ragnarok
- #1: Fjordur
The reasoning is simple, too. Whereas Fjordur successfully melds the very best features and content of Ark with a meaningfully new and interesting playing field, Lost Island is far too similar to the objectively superior Valguero map to be able to eke out a higher rank. Further, Fjordur doesn’t lean too heavily into the game’s sci-fi aspects (which you either love or hate, no two ways about it) which allows its core survivalist gameplay loop to be more pronounced. At least, in the early stages of your playthrough. Again, though, we recommend you give these maps a shot if possible, just to see what they’re all about. The odds are good that your shortlist of the best Ark: Survival Evolved maps will differ from ours to some extent, so see how you fare!
