AsArk: Survival Ascendedgears up for the release ofRagnarok, many are hoping for one major change to Obelisks in the DLC. First released as a player-made mod forArk: Survival Evolved, a reimagining ofRagnarokis the next DLC scheduled forASA. Per theArk: Survival Ascendedroadmap,Ragnarokis due out in September 2024 - this month - but withAberrationfreshly releasedafter a two-month delay,Ragnarokis still probably a ways away.
Either way, it’s the next DLC expected to be released forASA, barring any major surprises. While most DLC maps have been left intact during the transition (with the occasionalnew creatures and features),some players have called forRagnarokto make a major change to howArkworks as a whole.
Massive Ark: Survival Ascended Feature Update Could Make ASA Worth Checking Out
Studio Wildcard is tempting players back to Ark: Survival Ascended with the announcement that the next update will add a complex new environment.
ASA: Ragnarok Needs To Ban Obelisk Camping
A Frustrating Trend
As addressed in a post by Reddit userkinghumptyyy,Obelisk camping hasremained a prevalent problem inASA. They shared a screenshot of a player-built base in-game that completely surrounds and isolates an Obelisk, making it functionally useless to anyone except the player who built the base.
Players are frustrated about this issue, as Obelisks are an important part ofArk’s core gameplay loop. They’re one of very few features common to every single official map. By nature, Obelisks are visible from almost anywhere on the map, so reaching them and defeating their bosses quickly becomes an aspiration for new players. Beating them unlocks rare materials and new crafting recipes, sohaving access to them is basically required for progression.
New Ark: Survival Ascended Creature Is Secretly OP & Surprisingly Easy To Find
One new creature in Ark: Survival Ascended from a popular mod is an important tame to know about due to how overpowered it can be.
However,Obelisk camping has been going on for some time, and was even a frequent sight inASE. The reasoning is understandable: boss battles are a huge part of theArkexperience, and many players choose to farm these bosses in order to gain a sufficient supply of Element, or to increase their chances of obtaining rare drops. Building a base near an Obelisk is good practice, but building on top of one and restricting everyone else’s access is another issue entirely.
Each officialASAmap has three Obelisks: red, green, and blue. While the different colors mostly just serve to make it easier for players to distinguish one from the other, some bosses are also exclusive to certain color Obelisks.
To make matters worse,certain bosses are exclusive to certain Obelisks. That may include one who unlocks a crafting recipe, or an exclusive crafting material that can’t be found anywhere else. This can grind a player’s progress to a halt, preventing them from crafting what may be a necessary item, or simply experiencing everything a map has to offer. At that point, the player’s only option to preserve their progress is to migrate servers - a process that also requires an Obelisk.
There’s no particular reason whyRagnarokespecially needs to ban Obelisk camping. It’s just a trend that needs to stop, andRagnarokis probably the next timeASAwill get a major update, so the timing is right. Plus, many officialASEservers did ban Obelisk camping onRagnarok, withlarge no-build zones established in a circle around them. Hopefully, this change will carry over this feature, preventing Obelisk camping from taking root in the new DLC - and maybe institute it in some official servers for other maps, too.
Other Options For Avoiding ASA Obelisk Camping
Some Unofficial Servers Ban Obelisk Building
As an alternative, though,many players in the original Reddit thread suggest finding an unofficial server that bans building around Obelisks. These are fairly common, but do have their disadvantages: unofficial servers may be more likely to experience frequent downtime, or have lower player counts. Still, with a little experimentation, it is possible to find a reliable server that bans Obelisk building. It is also possible to summon bosses from transmitters, but that takes much longer than using Obelisks, and can be a difficult proposition for new players.
Ark: Survival Ascended Gets 400 New Dinos Thanks To Huge DLC-Sized Mod
Ark: Survival Ascended players looking to spice up their game should check out this massive mod which adds hundreds of new dinos to The Island.
Even so, banning Obelisk building on some official servers would be a worthwhile endeavor. It’d be nice to have the option to play on an official server without others taking over Obelisks completely, giving players the best of both worlds. It’s a necessary change forArk: Survival Ascended, and there’s never been a better time to institute it than in the next DLC.
Ark: Survival Ascended
ARK: Survival Ascended is a reimagined version of the 2017 action-adventure survival MMORPG by the developers at Studio Wildcard and Grove Street Games. Built in Unreal Engine 5, players will return to ARK to build tribes, fight and tame dinosaurs, and brave the elements as they battle to survive in a unique sandbox where crafting and resource management is essential.
