Studio Wildcard Slammed After Latest Free ARK: Survival Ascended Valguero Remastered Map
- Studio Wildcard releases Valguero Ascended for free in ARK: Survival Ascended
- Server issues causes delay of the release on Xbox and PC
- The studio is slammed by the community on social media
- Elderclaw creature added with the Lost Colony Expansion Pass
- Optimized performance now includes Steam Deck and ROG Ally X support
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A Savage New World Rises In Valguero Ascended
Studio Wildcard has resurrected one of ARK’s most beloved landscapes. The remastered Valguero Ascended map, now available free for all ARK: Survival Ascended players, but only for those who do not experience server issues similar to what plagued the release of Ragnarok by Gravity Co. in 2002.
There is currently a workaround offered by the studio in an ever growing thread on X where players are venting their frustrations. Wildcard is suggesting players to switch regions on their devices as this has been effective in some cases.
“We’re aware of an issue similar to what we saw with Ragnarok, where some players are unable to download the new map from the Microsoft or Windows Store, either without switching regions, or in some cases, not at all,” the studio said on X.
“We’re in contact with Microsoft and working together to resolve the problem. In the meantime, switching regions appears to help in most cases, so please give that workaround a try while we continue investigating.”
Xbox and PC players were not alone with having problems with loading the new update. Plenty of gamers on PlayStation also reported having issues.
“I’m on PS5 and none of my arks work. Every time I try to load into any ark my game crashes,” Michael Jones said in the comment section on X.
A Savage New World Rises In Valguero Ascended
The new map is said to deliver an expansive and dangerous ecosystem where every cliff, forest, and trench hides something with teeth. Built on modern hardware capabilities, this version reimagines a classic world as a more lethal and beautiful wilderness.
Covering more than 39 miles (63 kilometers) of land and sea, Valguero Ascended features ten biomes, from frozen tundras that conceal death under beauty to radiant oceans where the Aberration Trench waits below. It is a map that rewards curiosity but punishes recklessness, an experience that sits perfectly in ARK’s ongoing experiment in survival storytelling.
The Megaraptor and Deinonychus Join The Hunt
No ARK update would be complete without a few new nightmares, except for server issues which seems to be a recurring theme. The community-voted Megaraptor, described as the apex predator of Valguero Ascended, arrives as both a threat and an opportunity.
It dominates as the ultimate boss encounter, forcing players to confront it not as a random hazard but as a deliberate challenge. Its combination of speed and stealth redefines the map’s predator hierarchy.
Alongside it, the returning Deinonychus remains a fan favorite. Agile, vicious, and able to cling to cliffs, it thrives in the vertical terrain of Valguero. Together, these two carnivores embody ARK’s philosophy of survival through fear and fascination, giving players fresh ways to die or dominate depending on their courage and preparation.
Elderclaw And The Lost Colony Expansion Pass
The release on Oct. 7 also introduced Elderclaw, a new creature available free to those who own the Lost Colony Expansion Pass. This towering forest guardian is part protector, part predator, designed as both companion and weapon. Players without the pass will still be able to acquire Elderclaw later, expanding the creature roster even further.
The Lost Colony itself marks ARK: Survival Ascended’s first fully original adventure. It follows Mei Yin, voiced by Michelle Yeoh from ARK: The Animated Series, on a journey through a frozen world filled with ancient secrets.
Survival Ascended Grows Sharper And Faster
Alongside new content, Studio Wildcard has optimized ARK: Survival Ascended for smoother performance across hardware, from NVIDIA’s GeForce GTX 1080 series to handheld systems like Steam Deck and ROG Ally X. This improvement makes ARK’s enormous worlds more accessible to players who prefer survival on the go.
Valguero Ascended joins a lineup that already includes Scorched Earth, Aberration, Extinction, and both parts of Genesis. With the addition of this remastered map, ARK: Survival Ascended strengthens its position as a constantly evolving survival ecosystem where danger never sleeps, even after a decade of being live.
Studio Wildcard’s History Repeating Itself
ARK 2 was initially announced in 2022 but saw multiple delays until it was finally released in late 2024. The issue then was the adoption of Unreal Engine 5 within the studio which called for changes to the workflow in the company.
Before ARK 2 there was the delayed release of the remaster of ARK: Survival Ascended. It was supposed to premiere in August 2023 but was pushed to October the same year due to critical issues in the multiplayer setting.
MZM expressed their thoughts on the ongoing server issues on X and questioned the competence of Studio Wildfire’s programmers.
“ARK programmers look like children playing trial and error. The server is garbage, freezing and crashing. They turn it off. It comes back, and the same problem. Incompetence,” they said.
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