Community Crunch 529: Ghouls Just Wanna Have Fun

Darkness creeps once more across the ARK...

Fear Ascended returns from October 28th to November 11th, bringing with it a fresh wave of ghostly creatures and plenty of new ways to get into the Halloween spirit. From eerie coffin-inspired furnishings and pumpkin decorations to some spooktastic plushies, there’s plenty to give your base a proper haunting makeover!

Fear Ascended is almost upon us once more, Survivors! Let the haunting begin!

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• 10/28/2025 to 11/11/2025

• PVP/PVE: 2x Harvesting, Taming, and Experience, and Breeding
• Small Tribes: 4.5x Harvesting, Taming, and Experience + 4x Breeding
• ARKpocalypse: 5x Harvesting, Taming and Experience, and Breeding

• Ghost Tidepup (Both forms) *new*
• Ghost Burrowbuck *new*
• Ghost Gargantar *new*
• Ghost Bloodstalker *new*
• Ghost Therizino *new*
• Ghost Megaraptor *new*
• Ghost Cat
• Ghost Gigantoraptor
• Ghost Ankylosaurus
• Ghost Ceratosaurus
• Ghost Angler
• Ghost Veilwyn
• Ghost Drakeling
• Ghost Yi Ling
• Ghost Argentavis
• Ghost Spinosaurus
• Ghost Megalodon
• Ghost Otter
• Ghost Deinonychus
• Ghost Snow Owl
• Dodo Wyvern
• DodoRex
• Ghost Direwolf
• Ghost Basilisk
• Ghost Bulbdog
• Ghost Mantis
• Ghost Rex
• Ghost Surface Reaper King
• Skeletal Bronto
• Skeletal Carnotaurus
• Skeletal Giganotosaurus
• Skeletal Jerboa
• Skeletal Quetzal
• Skeletal Raptor
• Skeletal Rex
• Skeletal Stego
• Skeletal Trike
• Skeletal Wyvern
• Zombie Fire Wyvern
• Zombie Lightning Wyvern
• Zombie Poison Wyvern
• Zomdodo
  • All creatures will spawn on their native maps.

• Ghost Tidepup Costume *new*
• Ghost Burrowbuck Costume *new*
• Ghost Gargantar Costume *new*
• Ghost Bloodstalker Costume *new*
• Ghost Therizino Costume *new*
• Ghost Megaraptor Costume *new*
• Ghost Cat Costume
• Ghost Gigantoraptor Costume
• Ghost Ankylosaurus Costume
• Ghost Ceratosaurus Costume
• Ghost Angler Costume
• Ghost Veilwyn Costume
• Ghost Drakeling Costume
• Ghost Yi Ling Costume
• Ghost Argentavis Costume
• Ghost Spinosaurus Costume
• Ghost Megalodon Costume
• Ghost Otter Costume
• Ghost Deinonychus Costume
• Ghost Snow Owl Costume
• Ghost Basilisk Costume
• Ghost Bulbdog Costume
• Ghost Direwolf Costume
• Ghost Mantis Costume
• Ghost Reaper Costume
• Ghost Rex Costume
• Dino Witch Hat
• Scary Dino Pumpkin Helmet Skin
• Skeletal Giga Costume
• Skeletal Quetz Costume
• Skeletal Raptor Costume
• Skeletal Rex Costume
• Skeletal Stego Costume
• Skeletal Trike Costume
• Skeletal Wyvern Costume

• Weapon
  • Cleaver (Sword)
  • Crowbar (Pick)
• Armor
  • Dragon Costume *new*
  • Araneo Swim Short Skin
  • Araneo Swim Bottom Skin
  • Reaper Swim Short Skin
  • Reaper Swim Bottom Skin
  • Jack-O-Lantern Swim Short Skin
  • Jack-O-Lantern Swim Bottom Skin
  • Vampire Dodo Swim Short Skin
  • Vampire Dodo Swim Bottom Skin
  • Onyc Swim Short Skin
  • Onyc Swim Bottom Skin
  • Araneo Swim Top Skin
  • Basilisk Ghost Costume
  • Bulbdog Ghost Costume
  • Clown Mask Skin
  • Dino Witch Hat Skin
  • Direwolf Ghost Costume
  • DodoRex Mask Skin
  • DodoWyvern Mask Skin
  • Headless Costume Skin
  • Hockey Mask Skin
  • Jack-O-Lantern-Print Shirt Skin
  • Jack-O-Lantern Swim Top Skin
  • Mantis Ghost Costume
  • Onyc Swim Top Skin
  • Reaper Ghost Costume
  • Reaper-Print Shirt Skin
  • Reaper Swim Top Skin
  • Rex Ghost Costume
  • Scary Pumpkin Helmet Skin
  • Skeleton Costume
  • Skele-Print Shirt Skin
  • Strawman Costume
  • Snow Owl Ghost Costume
  • Tentacle-Print Shirt Skin
  • Vampire Eyes Skin
  • Vampire Dodo Swim Top Skin
  • Werewolf Mask Skin
  • Witch Hat Skin
  • ZombDodo-Print Shirt Skin
  • Zombie Wyvern-Print Shirt Skin
  • Werewolf Costume
  • Arrow-Head Hat
  • Sword-Head Hat

• Coffin Storage — Vault *new*
• Coffin Bookshelf — Bookshelf *new*
• Coffin Closet — Large Storage Box *new*
• Coffin Chest — Small Storage Box *new*
• Pumpkin Carving Station — Smithy *new*
• Pumpkin Chandelier — Small Decor Box *new*
• Pumpkin Lamp — Omni Light/Lamp Post *new*
• Coffin Campfire — Campfire *new*
• Pumpkin Cauldron — Cooking Pot *new*
• Coffin Forge — Forge *new*
• Coffin Fireplace — Fireplace *new*
• Coffin Cooker — Industrial Cooker *new*
• Coffin Bench — Wooden Bench *new*
• Coffin Table — Wooden Table *new*
• Coffin Chair — Wooden Chair *new*
• Coffin Bed — Simple Bed *new*
• Plushies – Small Decor Box *new*
  • Pumpkin Plushie
  • Frankenstein Plushie
  • Ghost Plushie
• Crackable Pumpkins — Small Decor Box *new*
  • Jack-o’-lantern
  • Dodo
  • Trike
  • Rex
  • Jack 2
• Pumpkin Stacks — Decor Boxes *new*
  • Small: 1 pumpkin
  • Medium: 2 stacks
  • Large: 1 stack
• Horror Species X
• Festive Dino Candy (Dino Candy Corn)
• Pumpkin
• Scarecrow
• Stolen Headstone

• Chibi-Grendel *new*
• Chibi-Megaraptor *new*
• Chibi-Gigadesmodus *new*
• Chibi-The Witching Owl
• Chibi-Anglerfish
• Chibi-Araneo
• Chibi-Spooky Bulbdog
• Chibi-Vulture
• Chibi-Skeletal Brontosaurus
• Chibi-Skeletal Carno
• Chibi-Skeletal Giganotosaurus
• Chibi-Skeletal Jerboa
• Chibi-Skeletal Quetzal
• Chibi-Skeletal Raptor
• Chibi-Skeletal Rex
• Chibi-Skeletal Stego
• Chibi-Skeletal Trike
• Chibi-Skeletal Wyvern
• Chibi-Ghost Basilisk
• Chibi-Ghost Direwolf
• Chibi-Ghost Mantis
• Chibi-Ghost Rex

• Play Dead *new*
• Trick or Treat
• Howl
• Sniff
• Evil
• Panic
• Scare

• ID69 DarkViolet
• ID83 LemonLime
• ID80 MidnightBlue
• ID1 Red
• ID75 Orange
• ID90 MediumLavender
• ID89 DarkLavender
• ID82 Light Grey
• ID31 Dino Dark Purple
• ID79 ActualBlack
• ID3 Green
• ID86 PineGreen
• ID14 Black
• ID49 WyvernPurple0

• From the Main Menu, select the mod tab.
• Search for Fear Ascended in the ARK Mod list and Install it. Mod ID: 877752
• After it's installed, go back to your game setup screen and select 'Mod Settings'
• You will see Fear Ascended and any other mods you've downloaded in 'Available Mods'
• Select Fear Ascended and activate it.

• If you would like to enable Fear Ascended on your private servers, please add the mod ID to your server command-line launch arguments (-mods=877752). No other changes should be necessary to activate the event.

Work on the Unreal Engine 5.8 upgrade is moving full steam ahead, and the feedback coming out of the Public Test Realm (PTR) has been instrumental in helping us squash the remaining batch of technical issues introduced by the engine update.

While we’re making great headway, a few lingering issues need just a bit more time in the oven before we’re ready to push the build live to everyone. To ensure the launch goes smoothly, we’re shifting our target release date to November 5.

On the modding front, we’ve made substantial progress on compatibility: 99.9% of mods have now been successfully recooked and validated for UE5.8, leaving only a small handful of edge cases (~10) to iron out ahead of launch.

A massive thank you to everyone who has been jumping into the PTR, putting the new build through its paces, and submitting reports. Your hands-on testing is helping us refine performance and get this update in top shape for the entire community. We’ll keep you posted as we lock in the final steps toward November 5!

In the meantime, something considerably larger is preparing to make its presence felt across the ARKs.

The Giganotosaurus TLC arrives November 5th alongside the elusive Enigmasaur, and the king of the food chain is getting ready to remind everyone why it earned that title in the first place.

With a renewed presence, a ferocious new approach to combat, and a taming experience that will put even seasoned Survivors to the test, the Giga is coming back with plenty to prove.

So whether you're preparing to face one in the wild or hoping to add this formidable predator to your tribe, you won't have much longer to wait.

We've been working behind the scenes on a major refresh for the ARK website and forums, and we're aiming to roll out the update next week.

Scheduled Maintenance: To deploy the update, the website and forums will be offline for maintenance on Monday October 26 from approximately 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM Pacific Time.

Alongside a sleeker, modernized design, the new website has been overhauled under the hood to offer a smoother, faster, and more reliable experience. We've focused on improving overall performance and stability, reducing lag, and making the site more enjoyable to navigate.

One important change to keep in mind: Once the new website goes live, you'll need to sign in using the email address associated with your account rather than your username.

We're looking forward to sharing the refreshed website with you, Survivors, and we'll keep you posted as we get closer to the rollout!

Year after year, Extra Life shows how much good the ARK community can do together. As we head into our twelfth year, we’ve raised over $1.2 million to help kids in need, thanks to your generosity. It’s a tradition we’re proud to share with you, and we’re ready to build on it once again in support of Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals and the children and families in their care.

This year, we’re going all-in on that shared goal: raising funds to help kids get the care they need, while unlocking something special for the future of ARK: Survival Ascended along the way.

Our Dino TLC community milestones are back! For every $40,000 raised, you’ll unlock a TLC for a classic creature, up to four in total, with your votes deciding which familiar faces get some extra love. Rally behind your favorites, help spread the word, and let’s make this year’s campaign count.

All donations to Team Wildcard go directly to UF Health Shands Children’s Hospital. The hospital provides expert care across more than 20 pediatric specialties and is home to the UF Health Shands Pediatric ER, the community’s first dedicated children’s emergency department.

1. Brontosaurus
2. Ankylosaurus
3. Titanosaur
4. Mosasaurus
5. Pulmonoscorpius
6. Carnotaurus
7. Thylacoleo
8. Arthropluera
9. Pachycephalosaurus
10. Megalania

When donating to anyone on the Studio Wildcard Extra Life Team, not just Studio Wildcard directly, include a message with your chosen creature’s full first name preceded by a hashtag, like this (we’ll do our best to identify typos, but try to spell them correctly!):

• #Giganotosaurus
• Hello #Giganotosaurus
• Please give #Giganotosaurus a TLC!

If no hashtag vote is included in the donation message, the donation will still count towards the TLC total, but it won’t advance any particular dino’s voting tally.

• Every $1 donated = 1 vote
• A $50 donation with #Giganotosaurus = 50 votes for Giganotosaurus
• Five $10 donations with #Giganotosaurus = 50 votes for Giganotosaurus (10 x 5)

To keep the vote balanced and consistent, eligible creatures must meet the following criteria:

• Must be a creature from The Island
• Must be tameable
• Must be rideable or a shoulder pet
• Must not have previously received a TLC pass
  The following creatures have already had a TLC pass and are not eligible:
  • Araneo
  • Argentavis
  • Dire Bear
  • Direwolf
  • Gigantopithecus
  • Giganotosaurus (release Nov. 6)
  • Mammoth
  • Megalosaurus (upcoming)
  • Parasaur
  • Procoptodon
  • Quetzalcoatlus (upcoming)
  • Raptor
  • Therizinosaurus
  • Tyrannosaurus Rex
  • Sabertooth
  • Sarcosuchus
  • Spinosaurus
  • Stegosaurus
  • Triceratops

• November 13 – First Winner
• November 20 – Second Winner
• November 27 – Third Winner
• December 4 – Final Winner

Donate now to the Wildcard Team or any other team member listed here to ensure your vote counts!

Starting November 13th through November 23rd, we’ll be rolling out a selection of the community’s favorite dino colors on the official network, along with a sweet twist in place of the traditional boosted donation rates.

• Taming Cake Slice
• Breeding Cake Slice
• Imprint Cake Slice
• EXP Cake Slice
• Harvesting Cake Slice

• ID5 Cyan
• ID 94 Teal
• ID68 DeepPink
• ID36 Dino Albino
• ID96 Glacial
• ID4 Yellow
• ID6 Magenta
• ID84 Mint
• ID95 PowderBlue
• ID76 Peach
• ID57 DarkTurquoise
• ID67 LightPink
• ID58 MediumTurquoise
• ID91 Lavender
• ID2 Blue
• ID92 DarkTeal
• ID19 Dino Light Red
• ID53 Dino Medium Blue
• ID50 WyvernPurple1
• ID54 Dino Deep Blue
• ID11 Light Yellow
• ID88 LeafGreen
• ID59 TurquoiseafGreen
• ID27 Dino Dark Green

We’ve turned up the saturation for Extra Life with more colors, more variety, and more chances to spot rare shades roaming the wild. Expect your world to be brighter, bolder, and packed with some of the community's favorite hues! 💙

Hey Survivors, after careful assessment, we've opted to begin the process of sunsetting a selection of our inactive official servers. Our goal is to ensure that we're always delivering the best experience possible, and official servers exist as a way for the community to play together without having to host their own. When we launch fresh content, typically, we put up more servers than we need in the long term to match the peak in user capacity; over time, these servers become ghost towns as players have dropped off and are waiting for the next major content release.

As part of this process, the servers will be renamed with the “SUNSET” prefix, following the same approach we’ve used in the past. Please note that once renamed, these servers will be removed from the in-game Favorites list, so you’ll need to search for them manually to reconnect.

On November 29th, we'll be sunsetting these inactive servers:

We still intend to provide capacity at launches as much as possible to meet the higher need during those periods.

We’re working with our partner at Nitrado to offer these saves after the scheduled sunset through Nitrado’s interface. Please stay tuned for more details.

Conquest, introduced to ARK: Survival Ascended by Snail Games, focuses on large-scale PvP, with increased rates, and other changes listed below. The increased rates will allow tribes to set up and establish themselves quickly and enable them to rebuild after potential losses instead of being wiped completely.

The official Conquest servers are open for PC, Xbox and PlayStation.

Big things are in the works for Conquest! The team has started working on a revamp of the mode, and we're turning to the players who know it best to help guide future seasons.

Over the coming weeks, we'll be releasing a series of questionnaires in the Conquest Discord covering what's working, what isn't, and what you'd like to see next. The team will review every response, and your answers will play a direct role in where Conquest goes from here.

Hop into the Discord to catch each questionnaire as it drops, and rally your tribe, because the next era of Conquest starts with you.

The new season of conquest will begin in early November!

Join the Conquest Enforcement's Discord.

Build somewhere no Survivor would want to spend the night.

We’ll have the full details on Fear Ascended for you soon. In the meantime, start plotting how to turn your corner of the ARK into something considerably less welcoming.

Build us your best haunted home, cursed castle, creepy cabin, graveyard, ritual site, abandoned outpost, monster lair, or whatever else your nightmares can come up with.

• Official
• Unofficial / Single Player

Submit your build in #haunted-homestead with:

• 3–5 screenshots showing the finished build.
• An optional short video walkthrough.
• Your category: Official or Unofficial / Single Player.
• Your platform.

Your build must:

• Clearly feature Fear Ascended content as part of the overall design.
• Be created during the competition period.
• Follow Official building restrictions if entered in the Official category.

Any mods are allowed in the Unofficial / Single Player category.

One entry per person/category.

We'll be judging the overall design, creativity, atmosphere, use of Fear Ascended content and how well everything comes together as a Halloween build.

This isn't just about who can place the most decorations. We want to see what you can do with them.

Entries accepted until November 3rd.

Winners will be revealed in the November 6th Community Crunch.

Prizes will be awarded separately in each category.

First Place

• ARK: Dragontopia Key
• ARK Fantastic Tames Season 1 Key
• $100 Steam/Xbox/PlayStation Giftcard

Second Place

• ARK: Dragontopia Key
• ARK Fantastic Tames Season 1 Key

Third Place

• ARK: Dragontopia Key
• ARK Fantastic Tames Season 1 Key

Two Runners-up

• ARK: Dragontopia Key

Special Mention

• ARK Fantastic Tames Season 1 Key

The winning builds from both categories will be featured in the Community Crunch.

Submitted entries may also be featured or shared across official ARK social channels and the Community Crunch with credit to creators.

This weekend, the Official Network will be receiving bonus rates! It will be active until Monday, October 26.

• PVP/PVE: 2x Harvesting, Taming, and Experience, and Breeding
• Small Tribes: 4.5x Harvesting, Taming, and Experience + 4x Breeding
• ARKpocalypse: 5x Harvesting, Taming and Experience, and Breeding

Fan Art Gallery | Screenshot Gallery | Artist Feedback Form

Creator: Frodo the Dodo

Frodo explores 5 interesting facts you might not already know about the Tidepup's abilities!

Creator: Etholdir

Etholdir built a modern base on Ragnarok!

Managarmr by LilacBeetle

Giga by xdubya.

I can't wait for the Halloween event. by takeritaketakeko

Creature Icons Part 1 by nezuyu

Flightless by chesme

ARK Hatzegopteryx Kukulkan (Mod by. Tweee) by dragon0415sk

On the night of the DodoRex darkness will reign by cazadornj

Big Ammonite Base by tsukumono01

Photo Mode by flobs.

Photo Mode by matt08543

Photo Mode by kaybyme.

Photo Mode by melphine13

Enjoy your weekend!
Studio Wildcard

Twitter: twitter.com/survivetheark
Discord: discord.com/invite/playark
Reddit: reddit.com/r/playark
Instagram: instagram.com/survivetheark
Twitch: twitch.tv/survivetheark
Steam: steamcommunity.com/app/346110
Youtube: youtube.com/survivetheark
Facebook: facebook.com/survivetheark
Threads: threads.net/@survivetheark
Official Wiki: ark.wiki.gg

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