ARK: The Animated Series

[DinoFan2010]

After a long 3 years since the first trailer, ARK: The Animated Series has just released on Paramount+.

[Gwangi]

Wow, I forgot this was even going to happen.

[Blade-of-the-Moon]

I had almost thought it was buried.  I have Paramount now so I'll check it out.

[Carnoking]

Without any fanfare or buildup, that's just odd

[Faelrin]

Honestly the timing was great for me. I'm just about done collecting 100% of the lore notes on the original Island map, so I've definitely gotten a handle on the story now (I knew some elements from before, but kept myself blind to most of the character story stuff until encountering it in game). I still can't get over the insane cast they have together for the show.

Only watched the first episode so far, and it is off to a great start I think. Lots of little references to both in game mechanics, and pop culture (at least 2 Jurassic Park ones I caught, including one in the end credits art). 


Creatures spotted so far include the:

Spoiler

-Megalodon
-Leedsichthys (if only they did that in the game, lol)
-Dodo/Raphus
-Achatina (snail; smaller then it appears in game, except as a baby)
-Brontosaurus
-Triceratops
-Parasaurolophus
-Raptor
-T. rex
-Moschops
-Ichthyornis or Pteranodon flying at the very end?

[close]

Not sure if I forgot any, since my brother kept coming in, and I had to keep pausing it, and my short term memory is atrocious.

[dragon53]

[Faelrin]

Episodes 2 and 3 deviated from the gameplay a bit (well so did episode 1 as far some elements). I mean it is based on the lore, so that's expected I suppose. For anyone that doesn't play the game (or at least Survival Evolved, which I play. Not sure if any of the below has changed for Survival Ascended). I'll explain below, but be warned there will be some spoilers.

Episode 2:

Spoiler

The episode covered Helena meeting Mei-Yin Li, the purpose of the green artifact, and the Broodmother Lystrix boss fight. The end introduces John Dahkeya.

Now as far as the game goes, there are multiple artifacts that need to be fetched in various caves. In this show there are only three (based on the green, blue, and red obelisks, represented in the Ark logo). Like the show, and game, the artifacts are needed to summon the bosses. In the game they are done through the terminal (the thing Helena was comparing to a computer) underneath the obelisk.

While the two women were able to beat the Broodmother on their own, some blue cave goo, and using the Araneo against her, in game it is highly recommended to use a bunch of Megatherium with their bug killer buff (if not some other strong tames alongside them, like the Shadowmane, or Spinosaurus to take advantage of their hydration buff from the water in the boss arena).

When they beat the boss they were also rewarded with a Tek Rifle, which actually unlocks from another boss in game, the Megapithecus. Oh and you have to craft it first too.

Also the music for that scene in the show was definitely the music from the boss fight in the game, which was a nice touch, aside from the re-use of creature sounds from the game. While Mei-Yin was definitely right about the Arthropluera acid, they were strangely passive and smaller then they are in game.

[close]

Creatures in episode 2 (that I remember):

Spoiler

-Troodon
-Sabertooth
-Arthropluera
-Otter (dead)
-Onyc
-Araneo
-Broodmother Lysrix (boss)
-Archaeopteryx

[close]

Episode 3:

Spoiler

This episode revolved around getting the cure for John's tribe that were sick from Swamp Fever. They had to travel a mountain to gather a "giant bird's" blue egg, as it had eaten blue flowers that could treat the sickness, and the blue stuff from the flowers was transferred to the egg. The blue flowers are probably in reference to the Rare Flowers, a blue flower ingredient used in many recipes in the game, from kibble for taming creatures, taming giant queen bees and Microraptor, and also the Lesser Antidote that cures Swamp Fever, which is also a disease in the game. However the Lesser Antidote also needs a lot of other ingredients, so not quite as simple as gathering rare flowers (which ingesting on its own also tends to make all the surrounding creatures very hostile). Also the Pteranodon getting hostile after the egg was taken (or Meganeura was killed) was strange, as it really should have been the Quetzalcoatlus. In game when an egg is taken, the parent (if not others in the species, been a while since I snatched a wild egg) will become hostile.

Another minor thing I caught attention too was that they were climbing the mountain with a Metal Pick. In game there's another tool for climbing surfaces called the Climbing Pick (not the pick as in the show, but that's only unlocked on the Aberration map, so fair enough.

One thing I really liked was the tree platform bases, which is totally a thing in game, and you can make some really fun builds with them.

[close]

Creatures in episode 3:

Spoiler

-Diplodocus
-Rex
-Dimorphodon
-Pteranodon
-Meganeura
-Quetzalcoatlus
-Purlovia

[close]

[Faelrin]

Episode 4 creatures (not including reoccuring ones from previous episodes):

Spoiler

-Ankylosaurus (being used for metal runs like in the game lol)
-Stegosaurus
-Compy
-Microraptor (and something else I missed next to it)
-Dilophosaur
-Doedicurus (they did the roll like can be done in the game)
-Yutyrannus

[close]

Episode 5 creatures:

Spoiler

-Pegomastax
-Daeodon
-Megalania
-Gallimimus
-Lystrosaurus (a bit bigger then in the game from the looks of it)
-Dimetrodon
-Beelzebufo
-Kaprosuchus (true to the game, lol)
-Leech
-Piranha (also true to game, lol)
-Baryonyx

[close]

Now that I think about it Mesopithecus was in one of the previous episodes I watched yesterday, unless that was something I dreamed of? I don't know. I also forgot this when I watched it, but I realized later last night that the Purlovia was ridden in the show, despite not being able to be ridden in the game.

[Faelrin]

Not many new creatures in Episode 6, but will spoiler tag it anyways. The end of Episode 6 has a trailer for the next half of the season or season 2 (not sure), which I read is intended to release later in the year. It also includes stuff from the DLC(s), like Scorched Earth.

Spoiler

-Dung beetles (one of my favorite tames believe it or not. Just love the sounds these little dudes make).
-Giganotosaurus
-Argentavis
-Mesopithecus

[close]

Trailer had a bunch of stuff too, so here's what I remember:

Spoiler

-Carnotaurus
-Coelacanth (caught/dead)
-Jerboa
-Liopleurodon
-Mammoth
-Megapithecus
-Spino
-Tapejara
-Titanoboa
-Tusoteuthis

[close]

Creatures not yet shown in the first season and part II trailer, or I forgot about them or missed them. This does not include DLC creatures:

Spoiler

-Allosaurus
-Ammonite
-Anglerfish
-Basilosaurus
-Carbonemys
-Carcharodontosaurus
-Castoroides
-Chalicotherium
-Cnidaria
-Diplocaulus
-Dire Bear
-Direwolf
-Dragon
-Dunkleosteus
-Electrophorus
-Equus
-Eurypterid
-Giant Bee
-Gigantopithecus
-Hesperornis
-Hyaenodon
-Ichthyornis
-Ichthyosaurus
-Iguanodon
-Kairuku
-Kentrosaurus
-Manta
-Megaloceros
-Megalosaurus
-Megatherium
-Mosasaurus
-Oviraptor
-Ovis
-Pachy
-Pachyrhinosaurus
-Paraceratherium
-Pelagornis
-Phiomia
-Plesiosaur
-Procoptodon
-Pulmonoscorpius
-Rhyniognatha
-Sabertooth Salmon
-Sarco
-Terror Bird
-Therizinosaur
-Thylacoleo
-Titanomyrma
-Titanosaur
-Trilobite
-Woolly Rhino

[close]

[Blade-of-the-Moon]

Watched all the episodes over two nights. Not bad at all, felt a bit like Avatar mixed with Primal.

What was the GIANT theropod in the last episode?

[DinoFan2010]

Watched all the episodes over two nights. Not bad at all, felt a bit like Avatar mixed with Primal.

What was the GIANT theropod in the last episode?

The Giganotosaurus, it is HUGE in ARK. Here's a size comp with the Rex:

[DinoFan2010]

Episode 4 creatures (not including reoccuring ones from previous episodes):

Spoiler

-Ankylosaurus (being used for metal runs like in the game lol)
-Stegosaurus
-Compy
-Microraptor (and something else I missed next to it)
-Dilophosaur
-Doedicurus (they did the roll like can be done in the game)
-Yutyrannus

[close]

Episode 5 creatures:

Spoiler

-Pegomastax
-Daeodon
-Megalania
-Gallimimus
-Lystrosaurus (a bit bigger then in the game from the looks of it)
-Dimetrodon
-Beelzebufo
-Kaprosuchus (true to the game, lol)
-Leech
-Piranha (also true to game, lol)
-Baryonyx

[close]

Now that I think about it Mesopithecus was in one of the previous episodes I watched yesterday, unless that was something I dreamed of? I don't know. I also forgot this when I watched it, but I realized later last night that the Purlovia was ridden in the show, despite not being able to be ridden in the game.

Also, yes, Mesopithicus was in the first episode. It was in some jungle vines when Helena and Bob were walking in the jungle.

[Blade-of-the-Moon]

Watched all the episodes over two nights. Not bad at all, felt a bit like Avatar mixed with Primal.

What was the GIANT theropod in the last episode?

The Giganotosaurus, it is HUGE in ARK. Here's a size comp with the Rex:

Oh wow. That's nuts.  I thought maybe he went and bred a new Tyrannosaur or something as she mentioned to him. I know pretty much nothing about the game beyond the basic premise.  It's very Dino-Rider-ish especially with the addition of future weaponry.

[Faelrin]

@Blade-of-the-Moon Giganotosaurus. Those (and Carcharodontosaurus, a recent addition) are oversized, and the apex predators in the game. Very much late game tames. I got a breeding pair now, and they are pretty much unstoppable.

Lol I had this written earlier but forgot to post it before going back to sleep. So like I see your question has already been answered but whatever lol.

Edit: @DinoFan2010 So that's why I remembered it vaguely. It was from that one. Any others I might have missed by chance?

[Blade-of-the-Moon]

@Blade-of-the-Moon Giganotosaurus. Those (and Carcharodontosaurus, a recent addition) are oversized, and the apex predators in the game. Very much late game tames. I got a breeding pair now, and they are pretty much unstoppable.

Lol I had this written earlier but forgot to post it before going back to sleep. So like I see your question has already been answered but whatever lol.

Edit: @DinoFan2010 So that's why I remembered it vaguely. It was from that one. Any others I might have missed by chance?

No worries. Nice to know whose at the top of the food chain.  I'm hoping these other factions are pterosaur and aquatic based coming up.

[DinoFan2010]

@Blade-of-the-Moon Giganotosaurus. Those (and Carcharodontosaurus, a recent addition) are oversized, and the apex predators in the game. Very much late game tames. I got a breeding pair now, and they are pretty much unstoppable.

Lol I had this written earlier but forgot to post it before going back to sleep. So like I see your question has already been answered but whatever lol.

Edit: @DinoFan2010 So that's why I remembered it vaguely. It was from that one. Any others I might have missed by chance?

I believe the ants on the tree were meant to be Titanomyrmas, but scaled down like the Arthropluera. Also, nice job on getting 2 Gigas! I have trouble taming Carnos and stuff, but wow!

[Faelrin]

@DinoFan2010 You might be right on that. I didn't think anything of it at the time, although I did think the Achatina was on the small side (compared to game counterpart, if not the genus that inspired it). After seeing the Arthropluera being downsized, it makes sense that those are probably intended to be Titanomyrma, especially when every other creature on screen has been from the game so far.

I also have another Giganotosaurus, aside from the breeding pair I tamed. Aside from the newest Rhyniognatha, I've tamed all the base game creatures now in my current single player save. I actually have to tame another Mosasaurus again, since I wasn't close enough for the game to check it off the dossier (which I also went and collected all of those). I think I'll start a new thread for this discussion, as I really want to show some of my tames off (in case folks might be interested). Gotta get some images first I suppose.