ARK: Survival Evolved’s Latest Update Gives You… Giant Armadillos?

ARK: Survival Evolved is currently the most popular Early Access game on Steam, and they’re giving you even more reasons to keep coming back! This time around, they’re tossing a couple of new things your way: a new pet, a mysterious plant, and a helpful painting tool.

First off, your new giant pet armadillo. Kidding! You’re getting a Doedicurus, a rolling, stone-harvesting, hard-shelled creature that’s essentially a giant armadillo. Freak it out a bit and it will retreat to its shell, but that’s not all the shell is good for; when riding the Doedicurus, you can enter “shell charge” mode and curl up into an almost-indestructible ball. Pretty handy for mowing down your enemies, or even just closing the distance between you and your target.

Next up, the new mysterious plant. They call it “Plant Species X,” and it’ll defend your base with vicious, stinging spores. Pretty badass, but we’d also really rather not be on the receiving end of that. Such a violent plant, for something so pretty.

Lastly, players will be getting the modern Spray Painting item, which will be useful for rapid bulk painting of Structures. Convenience!

These awesome updates are available now, all you’ve got to do is update your game. New to ARK: Survival Evolved? Download it on Steam. Now go, search the mountains (and maybe check the grasslands) for your own Doedicurus!