Ark Survival Ascended confirms exact release date of its most ambitious expansion yet and unleashes a new beast

After years of remasters of old Ark expansions, it's time for something truly new. Sure, they're classics that Ark fans loved from the Survival Evolved days, but Ark Survival Ascended has been crying out for some proper originality - especially given that Ark 2 still feels like a long way off. However, Lost Colony will finally provide the goods. A star-studded, all-new expansion that tees up the narrative stakes for Ark 2, Lost Colony was initially meant to launch in November before being nudged into December. Now, Studio Wildcard has confirmed the exact date it'll arrive, and has also unleashed its final portion of drip-fed teaser content into Ark Survival Ascended.

In the build-up to the next expansion, Ark Survival Ascended players have been able to test out some of the new content thanks to the Lost Colony Expansion Pass. A paid add-on that also grants you access to the full expansion when it drops next month, it has allowed players to try out Lost Colony's new skill trees, tames, base building tools, and more ahead of time. Today, one of the best survival games drops its final morsel for Expansion Pass owners - the Ossidon.

This new beast is essentially a giant prehistoric primate that can swipe you with its huge claws, throw lethal icicle spears, and make you feel like you're in that boulder scene from Indiana Jones. The Ossidon can roll up huge balls of mud and snow that it will then bowl at players, so try and outrun it if you can.

You'll be able to find, battle, and hopefully tame Lost Colony's new creature in the cold biomes of Ragnarok, Valguero, and The Center until the expansion releases.

Speaking of, Studio Wildcard has now provided a firm date that we can put in our calendars. The full Lost Colony DLC and its new map will hit Ark Survival Ascended on Tuesday, December 16.

As was confirmed earlier in the year when I got to speak to Studio Wildcard co-founders Jesse Rapczak and Jeremy Stieglitz, Lost Colony will see the introduction of NPC thralls to Ark Survival Ascended alongside everything it's rolled out so far. A long-requested feature, it will let you "sway" NPCs to "assemble an army" in a way Ark has never attempted before. Multiple stars of the Netflix show, Ark The Animated Series, will also reprise their roles for narrative beats in Lost Colony. That means you'll hear voiceover from the likes of Michelle Yeoh and David Tennant.

Both from a narrative and gameplay perspective, Lost Colony is a big stepping stone to Ark 2. While the highly anticipated sequel should be out by now, based on Studio Wildcard's past release windows, I learned from Rapczak and Stieglitz that it's now aiming to get it in players' hands "hopefully within the next two years."