ARK: Survival Ascended Community Crunch 503 Notes

The star of Community Crunch 503 is the Burrowbuck, a horned hare cryptid that's part of the upcoming Fantastic Tames: Season 1 pack ($9.99, arriving this summer). It's rideable, has a saddle, and can dig functional tunnel networks you can fast-travel between. Enemies who try to follow you in risk dropping into a false entrance that caves in on them, which is a creative kit for PvP players who like terrain control.

On the map side, Studio Wildcard is adjusting cave entrances across Lost Colony with a focus on PvP viability. Several choke points are being narrowed to create more defensible positions and better base-building spots. Any structures sitting directly inside those choke points on PvP servers will be wiped when the changes go live on April 27th, so check your builds now.

Eggcellent Adventure has been extended to April 21st, and bonus rates are running until the same date: 2x Harvesting, Taming, XP, and Breeding on standard servers, 4.5x on Small Tribes, and 5x on ARKpocalypse.

Here's everything that changed.

You’ve already caught a glimpse of the Burrowbuck… now it’s time to dig a little deeper.

This peculiar horned hare may seem like nothing more than a fleeting shape in the dust, but those who’ve taken the time to observe it know better. There’s intent behind the way it vanishes, purpose behind every sudden tunnel and scattered trail.

Beneath the surface lies a network, a safe spot, and if you take the time to earn its trust, something you can actually use to work the terrain in your favor.

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Species: Antilolexus saxatilis
Time: Unknown
Diet: Herbivore
Temperament: Aggressively Evasive

The latest chimeric creature to cross my path is this figment of Twentieth Century North American folklore -- let’s call it a Burrowbuck (or Burrowdoe). Fantastical as it seems, this horned hare is still a prey species desperate to avoid predation. A startled Burrowbuck will kick up a faceful of blinding dirt as it tunnels away underground.

A tame Burrowbuck will let you into its surprisingly spacious hidey-holes. While useful as a temporary bunker, its warrens will soon collapse without regular maintenance. You’ll also be rewarded with a handy new travel-network that affords swift movement from entrance to exit... provided a traveler fits through those tight tunnels (sorry, Rexes!).

At no extra cost, your furry friend can also dig false entrances to discourage interlopers… Any predator or enemy that tries to enter a Burrowbuck tunnel uninvited risks dropping down a diversionary pitfall instead, that will cave in and trap them.

Befriending a Burrowbuck just takes a bit of patience. Offer up tasty snacks, and try not to take it personally when you’re wiping grit from your eyes the first few times this clever cryptid skedaddles away. Just remind yourself that their trust is worth digging in to earn.

The Burrowbuck is just one part of the upcoming Fantastic Tames: Season 1 ($9.99), with two more creatures to be revealed when the pack lands this Summer!

Dev note: We missed a a few things in the dossier. This lil guy is:

Ridable
Has a saddle
Incredibly Floofy!

We'll make sure it's properly updated & reflected on the in-game version.

Download & play new custom content created by players, including new maps, creatures, items, and game modes, through a dedicated new Mod-browser directly within the game. Enjoy an endless stream of new ARK content as the creativity and talent of the community are fully unleashed for the first time across gaming platforms, and stay tuned as we spotlight more Cross-Platform Mods each week!

This video features:

Nekatus and Creep’s Fantasy Skins by Nekatus_Modding, Creep
Spring Glider Wings by Sandi_00
Slates Medieval Helmets by TheCleanSlate
Feras Creature Reforged: Wild Seas by Fera_Spielt
ARKOLOGY: OE - Hapipalus (Content update!) by Dragonheart
ARKOLOGY: OE - Sanguivern (Content update!) by Dragonheart

We’ve been taking a targeted pass on cave entrances across Lost Colony, focused on improving their viability for PvP.
A common piece of player feedback has been that many of these locations didn’t feel worth investing in. With this update, we’re reducing the size of several choke points to create more reliable, defensible positions and open up better base-building opportunities for PvP.

As part of these changes, several cave entrances will be adjusted. We’ll list out the affected locations and coordinates below so you can check your spots ahead of time.

Please note: any structures built directly within these choke points on PvP servers will be destroyed when the update goes live. If you have anything placed in these areas, we strongly recommend moving it in advance. These changes will impact Official PvP or any Unofficial server with cave building enabled

Players on Official PvE servers will still see the updated entrances, but existing builds will not be impacted.

These changes are currently planned to go live with a major version update on April 27th.

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Eggcellent Adventure has been extended to April 21st! You now have more time to follow the trails of wild Bunny Dodos and Bunny Oviraptors and collect Bunny Eggs scattered across the ARK. These festive finds can be painted for fun or used to craft special holiday-themed cosmetics, including seasonal costumes and chibis.

Check out this post for all the details!

The Official Network will be receiving bonus rates! It will be active until Tuesday, April 21.