The official 1x server rates in Ark: Survival Ascended have sparked considerable debate within the player community. For many, including myself, the current rate feels incredibly slow, transforming what should be an enjoyable game into a demanding chore. The tedium is such that players are often reduced to logging in briefly for essential tasks or waiting for server events to make meaningful progress, severely impacting the overall enjoyment of core gameplay loops like hatching and raising dinosaurs.
Historically, Wildcard has addressed player dissatisfaction with official rates, often increasing them in response to player attrition and vocal complaints. However, on ASA official servers, the challenges extend beyond just rates. Performance issues like rubber banding, frame drops, crashes, and lag are rampant. Furthermore, ethical concerns regarding player exploitation of PvE mechanics for PvP-style griefing, such as theft, generator sabotage, dino kiting, and base blocking, add another layer of frustration.
Introducing 1x rates into this already turbulent environment feels overwhelming. Ark: Survival Ascended, at times, resembles a full-time job rather than a leisure activity. Even dedicating substantial eight-hour sessions to the game, I find myself in a constant cycle of cryo-freezing juvenile and baby dinosaurs to manage the excessive time commitment required for raising them. The relentless need to check on and feed dinosaurs has become a source of stress and embarrassment, impacting personal time and relationships.
Having invested in the game and begun my ASA journey during holiday events, the stark reality of the 1x rate feels misleading. From a UX and design perspective, the time investment required for a solo player, especially after losing tribe members, is simply unsustainable. Currently, raising a single dinosaur can stretch beyond a week of real-world time.
This raises serious questions. Is Wildcard intending to supplement player income to compensate for the exorbitant time investment, or are we expected to sacrifice real-life responsibilities to play their game? The core purpose of a game is to be fun and engaging, yet the current official server rates feel punishing and disrespectful of players’ time.
The logic behind maintaining 1x rates on official servers warrants explanation from Wildcard. Why should players be forced to spend hours gathering resources for basic crafting, such as dedicating 20 to 40 hours to acquire materials for a single saddle blueprint? These conditions make attracting new tribe members or encouraging returning players exceedingly difficult.
My personal experience is echoed by many. Out of a reasonably sized gaming friend group, not a single person is willing to engage with official servers in their current state. The overwhelming feedback is consistent: “I do not have the time to spend on official servers until Wildcard permanently changes its rates.” This sentiment was shared by a significant majority of the players I personally contacted.
In short, the 1x rate is simply not enjoyable. Anecdotal evidence from server NA official 5258 suggests widespread dissatisfaction, with players expressing sentiments like “Wildcard doesn’t care. They always do this and then eventually raise rates. Just cryo everything and log in once a week until events.”
Thank you for considering this feedback and I eagerly await a response that clarifies the rationale behind the current 1x rates and potential solutions to improve the player experience.
