'ARK' TLC 3 Update Detailed With New Abilities for Mammoth & Stegosaurus

ARK: Survival Evolved has gone quiet recently as developers prepare the Genesis Part 2 expansion for its March 2021 release, but there are still more patches to come in the wake of the Crystal Isles console debut. Chief among them is October's TLC 3 patch, which features major visual and functional overhauls for the Woolly Mammoth and Stegosaurus. In the latest Community Crunch blog post. Studio Wildcard detailed precisely which adjustments both creatures will soon get. We've listed those teaks below.

Woolly Mammoth

• A visual update, seen above.
• War Drum Saddle and buff: The special saddle has an extra passenger seat and a war drum that must be played to get an AoE buff. It improves the creature's stamina and makes them immune to fear.
• Tusk Sweep: Sweeps tusks to gather thatch.
• Trunk Trumpet: A roar with an AoE debuff to creatures in range.
• Foot Stomp: Stomps on the ground to knock enemies and gather wood.
• Trunk Grab: Can grab, hold and release small targets.

Stegosaurus

• A visual update, seen above.
• A backplate that's buffed and has three modes:
• Hardened Plated: Damage reduction buff that prevents dismounts and helps with wood harvesting.
• Heavy Plate Mode: Applies a slow when attacking with tail whip and increases thatch yield.
• Sharpened Plate Mode: Applies armor penetration to the tail whip as well as a berry harvest increase.
• Impaling Tail Whip: Immobilize and impale smaller creatures.

In our estimation, it's the Stego tweaks that are by far the most interesting addition to TLC 3. Even though the Dino wasn't exactly abandoned in the current meta, the use cases listed above sound truly awesome. With its different modes, the backplate of the Sego makes the creature a jack-of-all-trades in resource harvesting and combat alike. The Stego has always been a great early-game tame, and TLC 3 makes that claim all the more true. Once this update arrives, there will be few creatures more versatile and powerful than the Stegosaurus.

On the other side of the spectrum, however, the Woolly Mammoth definitely became an underused creature as more options were added. This is precisely why all the adjustments due alongside TLC 3 make the ancient beast more formidable. While we would've liked to have seen a buff to health as opposed to stamina, there's a lot to like about having a big elephant that can effectively barrel through anything. Both the Stego and Mammoth encapsulate the entirety of ARK's forthcoming TLC 3 update, which means those looking for more overhauls, like the Quetzal for instance, will have to wait for another patch. A release date for ARK TLC 3 has not been announced, but Wildcard has said fans can expect the update to release in October.

ARK: Survival Evolved is available now on PC, Xbox One, PS4, Switch, Mac and Linux.

What do you like most about ARK's TLC 3 update? Are you happy with the focus on the Mammoth and Stego? Tell us in the comments section!