After a 14 month development cycle, Studio Wildcard has released Scorched Earth, the first expansion for ARK: Survival Evolved.

Scorched Earth promises a “completely new and different experience” from the core game, with players beginning stranded naked, dehydrated and starving on a fiery desert world. Players will need to immediately seek water, hunt for food, harvest new flora, craft new items, and build shelter from the extreme heat.

The new map is composed of seven unique desert biomes: dunes, high desert, mountains, canyons, badlands, oasis and the dangerous dragon trench.

Each biome is filled with new creatures, many of which can be tamed. These include the camel-like Morellatops, fire-breathing Wyvern and the Death Worm.

There are also more than 50 new items to craft including new outfits and structures. Carry temporary shelter with you using tents, employ whips, boomerangs and flamethrowers for defence, wind turbines to generate clean power, and water wells & oil refineries to harvest scarce resources.

Players will also have to cope with a range of new weather, including dangerous electrical storms, blinding sand storms and even heat stroke.

Wildcard has introduced the game’s fourth boss creature, too, the deadly Manticore.

A new feature called The Gateway also makes it possible for players to travel back and forth from the Scorched Earth map to the ARK: Survival Evolved main game, taking newly collected tools, weapons, and tamed creatures with them.

Scorched Earth is available now on PC and Xbox One priced £14.99. You’ll also need the core Survival Evolved game, currently available at a 40 per cent saving.

Source: Wildcard