Summary

• aberrations
  DLC introduces Yi Qi, a ranged DPS unit with helpful debuffs.
• A cosmic spider can collect webs, slow targets, and strike like a superhero.
• Cosmo’s pay-to-win potential in PvP is a cause for concern given recent trends.

Ark: Survival Ascended adds two new creatures in the upcoming aberrations DLC, one of which could introduce a great new mechanic. The aberrations DLC leads survivors to a broken and irradiated ark where mutated dinosaurs run amok. One of aberrationsThe new creature is the Yi Qi. This prehistoric winged dinosaur serves a mixed role as a ranged DPS unit that comes with a handful of helpful debuffs.

The other new addition is the Cosmo Spider, which came second in votes after Qi Yi. However, this playful little creature brings with it two major controversies that are causing problems in AscendedFirstly, this is another creature that you have to buy from a small DLC pack, for which the studio has already received a lot of criticism. Secondly, Cosmo is strikingly similar to the jumping spider Maevia Eureka created by Sovira.

What cool mechanic does Cosmo bring to Aberration?

The all-round shoulder animal

Although the details of Cosmo have not yet been finalized, the developers have given a glimpse of the abilities of this small creature. Once tamed, Cosmo rides on the player’s shoulder and gradually collects the webs of larger spiders. With this “ammunition”, Cosmo can Shoot nets that slow down targets, grab items from a distance or “swing around like a spider-themed superhero”. This combines many of the everyday items from ark into an adorable shoulder pet.

Cosmo’s most striking feature is probably its swing. While this is possible with the grappling hook item, being able to do this without a set item is a huge advantage. There’s also the possibility that Cosmo’s momentum could be improved in some way. Even without upgrades, it should provide a fun and easy to use locomotion system.

How Cosmo could be pay-to-win

An amazing addition locked behind a paywall

Aside from the controversy over its resemblance to a modified creature, the other problem with Cosmo is the possibility of a pay-to-win aspect. When Cosmo combines the bola, grappling hook, and other items into a tame animal, and a tame animal that can ride on another’s shoulder while riding another tame animal, that’s worrying.This shouldn’t impact PvE too much, even though these DLC creatures can only spawn under certain conditions. However, it would have the biggest impact on the PvP player base, where every little advantage can make a big difference, especially if someone doesn’t have to switch weapons to slow or knock an enemy away.

Overall, what Cosmo does would be a practical and extremely fun quality of life improvement if it were available for free to everyone. While it is a paid DLC, which points to a worrying trend, Cosmo will likely still be an excellent taming game for the players who get to experience it. That’s all because the Cosmo Spider adds some great new mechanics Ark: Survival Ascended.