ARK Lost Colony - Gothic Horror DLC with Apex Predator Ossidon

ARK Lost Colony is the first paid story DLC for Survival Ascended. Released December 18, 2025 for $29.99. Gothic horror map Arat Prime featuring Ossidon - a brutal apex predator with cryogenic mucus abilities. 13+ new creatures, 70+ skills across three specializations, Thrall armies (first-ever NPC followers), MAPPA anime cutscenes. Bridges the gap between Extinction and ARK 2. Nitrado servers on sale.

What Is Lost Colony

Lost Colony connects the storyline between Extinction and Genesis - the first DLC showing Arat Prime, the location where all ARKs originated.

You awaken in the Necrocene - a post-apocalyptic era where Earth's southern pole is plunged into eternal night. The Lost Colony metropolis survives beneath energy shields powered by radioactive Red Element.

Core Details:

• Release: December 18, 2025 (Steam, PS5, Xbox Series X|S)
• Price: $29.99
• Requirements: ARK Survival Ascended base game
• Type: Paid canonical expansion
• Developer: Studio Wildcard (Unreal Engine 5)

New Apex Predator - Ossidon 🦍

Ossidon (Cryopithecus dominus) is an engineered primate pumped full of Red Element. Looks like a fusion of gorilla, boar, and something straight from nightmares.

Abilities:

• Cryogenic Mucus - generates freezing slime
• Ice Wrecking Ball - rolls massive ice spheres at enemies
• Frost Spikes - shoots cryogenic projectiles
• Frame Shifting - physically morphs based on stats (health = larger crest, damage = longer fangs)

According to lore, Ossidon was originally a "mutation gone wrong," but the Lost King transformed it into an Apex Protector - guardian of Arat Prime. Each specimen displays different physical traits based on its strongest attributes.

💡 Pro tip: Ossidon was temporarily available on Ragnarok, Valguero, and The Center in November for Expansion Pass owners. Now permanently available on Lost Colony map.

Arat Prime - 7 Gothic Horror Biomes

The Arat Prime map is the most ambitious environment in ARK franchise history:

The Lost City - Gothic metropolis guarded by Thrall armies, dark alleyways perfect for urban combat Tundra - Arctic wasteland scarred with craters and debris from a crashed ARK Twilight Forest - Bioluminescent boreal forest reacting dynamically to Auroras Craggy Peaks - Rocky summits and knife-edge cliffs Twisted Woodland - Warped forest serving as gateway to dangerous zones Volcanic Crater - Collapsed crater functioning as the city's power core Aberrant Crash Sites - Toxic locations with corrupted fauna

13+ New Creatures

Lost Colony introduces the largest roster of new creatures in a single DLC:

Skill System - 70+ Abilities

Lost Colony introduces a progression skill tree with 3 specializations:

Wayfarer Path 🏃

• Temporal Retreat - rewind your position
• Bloodlust - speed boost on kills
• Siphoning Rounds - heal from damage dealt

Beastmaster Path 🐺

• Sacrificial Power - sacrifice HP to frenzy mount
• Spirit Beasts - summon spirits into battle
• Husk's Resilience - empower possessed Thralls

Utility Path 🔧

• Wisp of Industry - build in hard-to-reach locations
• Cold Blooded - extended spoil timers
• The Midas Touch - convert resources to gold

Thrall Armies - First-Ever NPC Followers

Biggest innovation: Lost Colony adds NPC Thralls - ARK's first true AI companions.

How it works:

• "Sway" NPCs to join you
• Assemble an army
• Command them in combat
• Lost King has his own Thrall forces

Thralls function similarly to Conan Exiles - you can equip them, assign positions, use them as garrison or assault units.

Celebrity Voice Acting

Lost Colony features the highest voice acting budget in ARK history:

• Michelle Yeoh - Mei Yin (reprising role from ARK Animated Series)
• Madeleine Madden - Helena Walker
• Auli'i Cravalho - Meeka
• David Tennant - Edmund Rockwell
• Keith David - The Lost King (main villain)
• Katee Sackhoff - Diana Altaras
• Karl Urban - Bob (reprising role)

MAPPA Studio (Attack on Titan, Jujutsu Kaisen, Chainsaw Man) created the 2D anime cutscenes.

New Equipment and Mechanics

Gothic Engineering:

• Fabricated Crossbow - advanced ranged weapon
• Tek Spear - melee + tech hybrid
• Cursed Weaponry - dual trait weapons
• Base Templates - prefab structures
• TEK Bunkers - fortified bases
• War Bench - crafting station
• Arctic Armor - cold protection gear

Resource Caches:

• Airdrops containing valuable supplies
• Race against Neophytes and wild creatures
• Defend locations during collection

Nitrado Servers - Special Offer 🖥️

Nitrado currently has a promotion on ARK Lost Colony servers. If you want to host your own world with a community, this is the perfect timing.

Nitrado Benefits:

• ✅ Instant setup - server running within 60 seconds
• ✅ Full control - mods, rates, settings
• ✅ DDoS protection
• ✅ Automatic backups
• ✅ 24/7 support

Promotion available for limited time - details at nitrado.net.

System Requirements

Lost Colony runs on Unreal Engine 5 - expect higher demands than base game.

Minimum:

• Windows 10 64-bit
• Intel i7-9700K / AMD Ryzen 7 3800X
• 16 GB RAM
• GTX 1080 / RX 5700 XT
• 150 GB SSD

Recommended:

• Windows 11 64-bit
• Intel i9-12900K / AMD Ryzen 9 5900X
• 32 GB RAM
• RTX 3080 / RX 6800 XT
• 200 GB NVMe SSD

⚠️ Important: Lost Colony is the most graphically demanding ARK content. Gothic metropolis with real-time lighting and shadows demands significant performance.

Editions and Pricing

Expansion Pass provided early access to Ossidon in November + bonus creatures. If you purchased it earlier, you automatically receive Lost Colony.

Connection to ARK 2

Lost Colony is the story bridge between Extinction/Genesis and ARK 2 (releasing 2028).

What this means:

• Concludes the original ARKs storyline
• Shows Arat Prime - origin of all ARKs
• Explains the Reseed Protocol
• Introduces technology for ARK 2
• Bob's True Tales (2026) will be additional bridge content

ARK 2 was delayed from 2024 to 2028. Lost Colony maintains the hype during the wait period.

Community Reviews

After 24 hours from release, Lost Colony has Mixed reviews (48% positive on Steam):

Positives:

• ✅ Amazing gothic horror atmosphere
• ✅ Ossidon is brutal fun
• ✅ Thrall system works well
• ✅ MAPPA cutscenes are outstanding
• ✅ 70+ skills add depth

Negatives:

• ❌ Performance issues (expected with UE5)
• ❌ Bugs - stuck Thralls, ice balls damage friendlies
• ❌ $30 is steep for DLC (same as Bob's Tall Tales)
• ❌ Story requires knowledge of previous ARKs
• ❌ Grind is brutal even by ARK standards

Starting Strategies

First hours in Lost Colony:

1. Spawn in Tundra - safest area for beginners
2. Priority: Cold protection - you'll freeze without Arctic Armor
3. Avoid the city - Lost City is endgame territory
4. Tame Veilwyn ASAP - fox familiar helps survival
5. Farm Red Element - currency + power source
6. Unlock Wayfarer skills - Temporal Retreat will save your life
7. Don't attack Thralls unprepared - they're stronger than they appear

For advanced players:

• Rush Ossidon tame - requires 2+ people
• Build in Volcanic Crater - geothermal energy
• Gloon tame = broken for PvP (invisibility + lasers)
• Aureliax mind control = crowd control boss fights

FAQ

Q: Do I need ARK Survival Ascended base game?
A: Yes. Lost Colony is DLC, not standalone. Ascended costs $44.99.

Q: Is this canon story?
A: Yes. First new canon expansion since Genesis Part 2 (2021). Bridges Extinction and ARK 2.

Q: Can I transfer my character from other maps?
A: Yes, ARK allows character transfer between maps (if server permits).

Q: Is Ossidon the strongest creature?
A: It's the apex predator of Lost Colony, but strongest in all ARK? Giga, Titans, and Wyverns remain competitive.

Q: How many hours of content?
A: Solo story playthrough: 30-40 hours. Full completion with all creature tames and max skills: 100+ hours.

Q: Is it better than Aberration/Scorched Earth?
A: Subjective. Lost Colony has the best story and cutscenes, but Aberration has superior level design. Scorched Earth was free, this is $30.

Q: Can my PC handle it?
A: If base ARK Ascended runs 60 FPS on Medium, you can handle Lost Colony on Low-Medium. Gothic city drops FPS by 15-20%.