ARK Tides of Fortune — Pirate Expansion, Ships, Tidepup, Karl Urban
⏰ 26 days until Tides of Fortune launches.
What is Tides of Fortune?
Bob's True Tales: Tides of Fortune is a paid story expansion for ARK: Survival Ascended releasing on 25 June 2026 — the same day as the free Genesis Part 1 map. It's pirate-themed, non-canonical to the main ARK storyline, and centred on physical sailing ships that operate on the new Genesis Part 1 ocean biome.
What does Tides of Fortune add?
Ships
The headline feature. Tides of Fortune introduces physical, modular sailing vessels — not the old simulated rafts. Ships:
- Have mountable cannons on the sides
- Support modular customisation (deck modules, sails, hull upgrades)
- Operate on the full map-scale ocean biome introduced in Genesis Part 1
- Support multi-crew combat (multiple players on one vessel)
Studio Wildcard has described the system as borrowing mechanics from their other game Atlas, refined for ARK's ecosystem.
The Tidepup creature
Tides of Fortune ships with a creature exclusive to the paid expansion: the Tidepup.
- Starts as a small shoulder-pet that sits on the player
- Evolves based on how you raise it — evolution paths are permanent
- Goes dormant instead of dying — significantly more forgiving than other tames
- Eventually grows into a large amphibious mount, bridging land and sea
- Acts as a mobile medic — heals players and tames
Pirate fortresses and structures
The expansion adds pirate-themed building structures, decorations and fortifications. These can be placed both at sea (on islands) and on the mainland biomes.
Bob's storyline — Karl Urban returns
Karl Urban reprises his role as Bob, the iconic survivor character he first voiced in ARK: Lost Colony. Tides of Fortune extends Bob's character arc into a full storyline, with new voice performances driving the pirate narrative.
Is Tides of Fortune required to play Genesis Part 1?
No. Genesis Part 1 (the map + Palaeoctopus) is free for all ASA owners. Tides of Fortune is an optional paid expansion layered on top. You can play the Genesis map, tame the Palaeoctopus, and explore the new ocean biome without ever buying Tides of Fortune.
What you'll miss without it:
- Tidepup taming
- Pirate ship crafting / sailing
- Bob's True Tales storyline + Karl Urban performance
- Pirate-themed structures
How will Tides of Fortune work on BG Gaming's cluster?
This is the question we're still finalising — depends on Wildcard's cross-map compatibility on launch:
- Ships — likely ocean-only on the Genesis map at launch. We'll confirm if they transfer to other maps.
- Tidepup transfers — should work cluster-wide like any other paid-DLC creature. Players who own Tides of Fortune can transfer Tidepups freely between BG Gaming's maps.
- BG-specific tuning — we'll review ship build costs and Tidepup taming times against our 5x rates and adjust as needed for a fair PvE experience.
Watch this article for updates after the 25 June launch — we'll post our cluster's specific Tides of Fortune setup within 48 hours of release.
Tides of Fortune at a glance
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Release date | 25 June 2026 |
| Required | ARK: Survival Ascended base game |
| Type | Paid Bob's True Tales story expansion |
| Pairs with | Genesis Part 1 (free map, same release day) |
| New creature | Tidepup |
| Headline mechanic | Physical sailing ships + ocean combat |
| Voice cast | Karl Urban returns as Bob |
| Story canon | Non-canonical to main ARK storyline |
Sources
- Tides of Fortune — ARK Official Community Wiki
- Karl Urban Reprises Role of Bob — GamesPress
- Tidepup — ARK Official Community Wiki
- ARK Ascended News — Tidepup First Look (X / Twitter)
Article last updated 2026-05-27.