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ARK: Survival Evolved reaches new heights with the Grappling Hook

As part of ARK: Survival Evolved's next PC update, players are about to get a new way to explore the massive world around them.

Ozzie Mejia

February 5, 2016 10:49 AM

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ARK: Survival Evolved has offered no shortage of ways to traverse its landscape. Riding dinosaurs appears to be the most common way to get around. And if you can walk through something, simply jump over it. But now Studio Wildcard is offering another quick movement option, one that will change ARK as players currently know it.

The Grappling Hook is a new item that allows for players to quickly scale cliffs, allowing them to reach higher areas that felt out of reach before. They can also use this tool in more clever ways, such as using it to hitch a ride on a pterodactyl or some other flying creature. And of course, the Grappling Hook can be used to latch onto distant items and drag them over, Bionic Commando-style.

The next ARK update is also introducing another new dinosaur called the Phorusrhacidae Rapidesultor, or the Terror Bird. This is a flightless bird that makes up for its more grounded nature with high speeds and short glides. In fact, Studio Wildcard is comparing this guy to this ostriches seen in the arcade classic Joust. It stands 8 to 12 feet tall, so it may take some work to tame it, but it might be worth it to get a swifter mount.

Both the Terror Bird and the Grappling Hook can be seen in action in the video below. The update is expected to hit PC later today, so if anyone wants to pick up ARK: Survival Evolved on Steam Early Access, it should be noted that it's on sale until next week.

Ozzie Mejia

Senior Editor

Ozzie has been playing video games since picking up his first NES controller at age 5. He has been into games ever since, only briefly stepping away during his college years. But he was pulled back in after spending years in QA circles for both THQ and Activision, mostly spending time helping to push forward the Guitar Hero series at its peak. Ozzie has become a big fan of platformers, puzzle games, shooters, and RPGs, just to name a few genres, but he’s also a huge sucker for anything with a good, compelling narrative behind it. Because what are video games if you can't enjoy a good story with a fresh Cherry Coke?