New $5 paid shoulder pet in ARK Survival Ascended can transform into a fiery lion mount

Modified Jun 05, 2024 12:57 IST

ARK Survival Ascended paid tame — ARK Survival Ascended has its first ever shoulder-pet-come-mount (Image via Studio Widlcard)

Ark Survival Ascended: The Center has gone live with a new paid mount you can purchase for $5 (U.S. price). Going with some of the more fantastical elements in The Center's geographical features, the new creature, Pyromane, has the ability to transform from a shoulder pet to a mount at will.

Pyromane is the debut entry of a DLC series called ARK: Fantastic Tames. As the name implies, the DLC will introduce more fanciful creatures down the line.

ARK Survival Ascended The Center introduces Pyromane, the first-ever solo tame DLC as part of ARK: Fantastic Tames

The new paid ARK tame is quite strong and durable in its own right (Image via Studio Wildcard)

Except for her pocket evolution ability, Pyromane is a regular transferrable Ark Survival Asceded shoulder pet (and mount) you can find in all maps in 'biome-appropriate locations' - except for The Island.

The bigger point of interest with the release of Pyromane is the pricing model of the ARK: Fantastic Tames DLC. Instead of a bundle like the Frontier Adventure pack, this is $5 for a single tame - which is unprecedented for this franchise.

In a blog post announcing the surprise release of Pyromane alongside ARK Survival Ascended: The Center, Studio Wildcard addresses the novelty of this pricing scheme:

"We recognize that a solo paid creature is new territory for ARK, and the Fantastic Tames series helps support the development and operation of ARK: Survival Ascended. Thank you for being open to us trying new things, and most importantly, for your community participation! Your passion keeps us going, and we're excited to continue this journey with you over the years to come."

The developer has not explicitly mentioned whether future 'Fantastic Tames' will follow the same $5-per-tame model or if we can expect a bundled package deal.

At any rate, Pyromane goes on the Paid DLC shelf alongside Oasisaur, and if the trend continues, we can expect to see more 'pay-to-win' tames in Ark Survival Ascended maps.

Thankfully, there's more new stuff for players to enjoy without opening their wallets. The Center has also introduced a new unpaid tame, the community-voted Shatsaurus, and its unique submarine saddle.

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Edited by Rachel Syiemlieh