The Hunted
The Hunted must be the first mod in your mod order list. No exceptions.
This mod will likely challenge your early go-to survival strategies! Rushing a powerful tame is now a very difficult prospect. Beware!
The prehistoric inhabitants of Ark no longer operate independently of one another, waiting to be eaten by a rampaging predator. Adult and adolescent parasaurs alike now watch for and flee from both venomous dilos and humans with sharp sticks. Iguanodons will challenge small carnivores with sufficient allies, while fleeing at the sight of a massive, hulking Allosaurus. Many herbivores now travel in tightly-knit packs, aware that there is greater safety in numbers, than to wander the jungles alone. No longer are they easy targets, reacting accordingly to any threat. And beware of the most fearsome and armored of herbivores, for they will not tolerate wayward carnivores nor curious humans daring to venture too close.
As is fitting of such tyrant lizards, carnivores fail to tolerate one another’s presence in their own perceived domain. Expect to watch as feuding Raptor and Deinonychus clans clash over territory and the rights to prey while the fearsome Tyrannosaurus struggles to maintain its rule, violently defending its birthright as the Ark’s apex predator from the likes of Spinosaurus and Yutyrannus. And fair warning, never forget to keep an eye on the sky, ever watchful for the predatory masters of the wind, always in search of their next meal… be it dodo, human, or a fresh corpse…
Gone are the days when a survivor could merely beat an animal into submission, place a harness on them, and assume full, autonomous command. You must now start young, hatching dinosaurs from eggs stolen from carefully guarded nests or lure in curious pups, willing to taste the offered morsel in your palm, just beyond the watchful gaze of their fearsome mother. All tamed animals now start at Level 1 (which can be disabled via server settings), much like you, needing your protection and careful guidance as they learn and grow within the same dark, unforgiving world of Ark at your side. Losing a tamed companion is no longer just an inconvenience, but rather, a substantial loss of invested time, energy, and emotion.
There is a list of current tameable dinos here.
As you first awaken on that beach, you will immediately realize just how vulnerable you truly are. No longer do you start as a hero of legend, capable of Herculean feats of strength and speed, healing almost instantaneously from any wound, no matter how grievous. Every step must be taken carefully and purposefully, the risks and rewards weighed for every action taken. But when victory is claimed, the rewards are immense. A well-planned hunt can result in an abundance of workable hide and days, if not weeks worth of food, so long as you have the means to preserve the hundreds of pounds of raw, boneless meat. But do not linger for long… the scent of blood carries far and lures all manner of monsters…
There is a more detailed breakdown of the features here.
The crafting of saddles is now a more involved, yet meaningful process. As you navigate the hazards of the Ark, you will learn how to construct a Saddle Crafting Kit, unlocking six tiers of base saddles. No longer will each animal require its own, individual and unique engram. However, as an added challenge and to increase the value of mounts, each saddle requires an implant of its own, much like the one on your wrist. Not only will the implant allow you to synchronize your nervous system with that of your mount, but it will give you near total control over their behavior and actions. But finding these implants requires searching the Ark for fallen survivors less fortunate than you, and repurposing these pieces of alien technology. Yet, most are deactivated, requiring a unique code to unlock it in the form of DNA, ranging from human to the most fearsome of predators found on the Ark…
Over 100 dinos have been remapped, with significant changes in harvesting components, inventories, and features. However, most dinos have identical combat stats compared to their vanilla counterparts. It must be loaded first for it to function properly. After installing the mod on a server that was already being played on, you should execute a wild dino wipe to get the correct dinos.
This mod is designed with most of the standard and DLC maps in mind, including The Island, Scorched Earth, The Center, Ragnarok, Valguero, and Crystal Isles. The mod uses the inherent spawns of the game, so in theory, can be used safely on almost any map, but will not play nice with any mod that seeks to do the same. The mod does not yet support Aberration or Genesis content.
There are a number of configuration options you can use to adjust your play experience. More will be added over time as the mod continues to be developed. Check out the discussion here.
Any mod that adds new items, structures, decorations, or dinosaurs will work with The Hunted. However, any mods that touch existing vanilla Island dinos or the player pawn will not function properly. At this stage, only the Island animals and most of Scorched Earth animals are being supported. This mod is not touching any of the mythical animals, so you can still use your favorite wyvern and unicorn mod alongside if you please!
According to early reports, the following mods which fit in nicely with the theme of The Hunted seem to be relatively compatible. The Hunted must still be loaded first. Please report back any strange experiences:
Becoming a sponsored mod is extremely exciting and I am very appreciative of the support of Wild Card. As is the nature of being a sponsored project, however, this mod is very much in development. It is not feature complete. There are many planned improvements and expansions. I have made the mod’s road-map publicly available here[docs.google.com] if you are curious.
If you would like to take on a more active role in the development of the mod, please join the conversation with us on Discord!
[discord.gg]
