With the release of Ragnarok on 12 June 2017, ARK: Survival Evolved reached a new high point. After the merciless heat of Scorched Earth and the mystical verticality of The Center, this expansion thrust players into a land of extremes: ice and fire, deserts and glaciers, volcanoes and deep valleys. Ragnarok unites all the biomes and moods of earlier maps and forges them into something grand — a map that is not only larger, but also more complex, more beautiful and more dangerous than anything that came before.
As with The Center, Ragnarok first emerged from the community. A team of modders calling themselves the “Ragnarok Dev Team” worked for months on a map that Studio Wildcard eventually adopted officially. This collaboration marked another milestone: once again ARK proved that the best ideas often spring from the passion of its players.
Ragnarok is more than a map. It is an epic — a world that is not just a habitat, but a legend.
ARK Ragnarok map: size, biomes and transitions
Ragnarok impresses with its sheer size. At roughly 144 square kilometres of playable area, it is almost twice as large as The Island and blends elements of every previous map. You will find everything here — burning deserts, fertile plains, arctic glaciers, volcanoes, caves, beaches and jungles.
The real magic, however, lies not in the quantity but the quality of its transitions. While other maps clearly separate their biomes, on Ragnarok they flow naturally into one another. In a matter of minutes a rider can travel from scorching dunes into a frozen tundra, and the shift never feels artificial.
At the centre of the map rises a colossal volcano, its rivers of magma reaching all the way to the coastal plains. Within it lurk bosses and rare resources. To the north tower icebergs; in the west, a mighty waterfall thunders into a valley that looks as if it were lifted from a fantasy illustration.
Ragnarok is not merely a game map, but a stage for stories — a world that evokes Norse myth, of endings and new beginnings alike.
ARK Ragnarok landmarks: Highlands, Viking Bay, caves
Every region of Ragnarok has a character of its own. The “Highlands” evoke Scottish moors and fields, while the “Murder Snow” zone challenges even veteran players with lethal cold. The southern “Desert Region” brings heat, sandstorms and new creatures.
Among the best-known landmarks is the monumental “Green Obelisk Canyon”, whose narrow ravines thread through the map like veins. Another highlight is “Viking Bay”, a majestic coastal area with villages, shipwrecks and waterfalls that serves as a spawn region and a beloved home for many players.
The map is dotted with secrets: hidden caves, underground ruins, lava channels, ice grottos and boss arenas. One of the most fascinating discoveries is the “Cave of the Deathworm Queen” — a labyrinthine tunnel network where gigantic worms lie in wait.
The underwater world has also been expanded. Submarine caves and ruins, some with air pockets, allow for base building beneath the surface. This blend of grandeur and fine detail makes Ragnarok one of the most immersive maps in the entire game.
ARK Ragnarok boss fight: Dragon Arena with Dragon and Manticore
Ragnarok introduced a spectacular new boss fight: the Dragon Arena. Here you face multiple foes at once — the Dragon, the Manticore and a horde of lesser creatures. This combination challenged even seasoned clans and is still regarded as one of the toughest fights in the game.
The arena is as impressive as it is perilous: a searing battleground with lava pools, smoke and thunderous blows. Every moment is a race against time, heat and chaos.
The rewards are commensurate — rare materials, blueprints and access to powerful engrams. This boss fight embodies what makes Ragnarok special: epic challenges in a world forever poised between beauty and destruction.
ARK Ragnarok creatures: Griffin, Ice Wyvern and variants
Ragnarok added several unique creatures that have since become fixtures of the ARK world.
Foremost is the Griffin — a majestic hybrid of lion and eagle. The Griffin was the first creature in the game able to fly, dive and perform devastating swoop attacks. Its speed and versatility instantly made it one of the most popular mounts. The moment a Griffin drops into a dive and tears up the ground with a resounding crash ranks among ARK’s most striking sights.
New climate-adapted variants of familiar creatures also joined the roster. Wild horses roam the Highlands, swift raptors stalk the desert, and in the ice regions seabirds such as Pelagornis skim across frozen lakes.
Another highlight was the introduction of Wyvern nests in new variants — including Ice Wyverns, which first appeared on this map. This made Ragnarok appealing even to players who did not own Scorched Earth, as Wyverns and their eggs could be found here as well.
Ragnarok thus became the map that opened ARK to everyone — regardless of which DLCs they owned.
ARK Ragnarok base building and resource locations
The map offers countless spots for base building, from idyllic coastlines to hidden caves. Particularly popular are the highland plateaus, the wide grasslands and the valleys surrounding Viking Bay.
Ragnarok remains one of the best maps for creative building. Its varied landscapes and clear topography invite bases that blend seamlessly into their surroundings.
Resource management also saw improvements. Metal, crystal and obsidian are evenly distributed, and thanks to the diverse climates you can obtain almost every resource type on a single map. That makes Ragnarok ideal for players who want everything in one place without hopping between maps.
ARK Ragnarok weather and volcano events
Dynamic weather effects are another hallmark of Ragnarok. Snowstorms, thunderstorms and volcanic eruptions influence gameplay. The active volcano is especially dramatic — when it erupts, lava floods the valleys and the earth trembles.
Ecosystems respond believably to these extremes. Some areas become oases after rain; others are scarred by fire. This cyclical nature gives the impression that Ragnarok is a living world, existing independently of the player.
ARK Ragnarok lore: ruins, runestones and secrets
Ragnarok weaves in subtle narrative elements that later fed into ARK’s ongoing story. Ancient ruins, runestones and murals hint at forgotten kingdoms. Some caves reveal age-old technology reminiscent of the ARKs themselves — a nod to the origins of these artificial worlds.
Players began to collect and interpret these clues, sparking a vibrant community culture. Fan theories about the links between Ragnarok, Scorched Earth and The Island continued to shape the game long after release.
ARK Ragnarok soundtrack, atmosphere and visual style
Ragnarok’s soundtrack ranks among the series’ finest. Orchestral themes with Nordic flavour accompany exploration, while boss battles swell with dramatic percussion and choirs. The music heightens the sense of living out a heroic saga.
Visually, the map pairs realistic textures with a storybook palette. Sunsets over the Highlands, mist shrouding glaciers, the glow of lava at night — together they form an aesthetic reminiscent of fantasy cinema.
ARK Ragnarok community: PvP, RP and servers
Ragnarok was — and remains — one of the most popular maps in ARK’s history. It offers everything the game is about — exploration, challenge, creative building and epic combat — in a single, coherent world.
Server communities especially love Ragnarok for the breadth of scenarios it allows: PvP clan wars across varied biomes, RP settlements in a Viking style, or colossal cliffside bases carved into the rock.
For many players, Ragnarok is the “ultimate ARK experience” — a world that delivers it all without artificial limits.
Conclusion: ARK Ragnarok as a community masterpiece
Ragnarok is what happens when passion meets craft. It is the legacy of a community that understands ARK as deeply as its developers do.
The map balances beauty, danger and scale in equal measure. It is demanding yet fair; wild yet ordered. Step onto it and you immediately feel a world built to tell stories.
On a dedicated ARK server from 4Netplayers, Ragnarok reveals its full splendour. Broad plains, lava-choked mountains and icy peaks provide space for endless adventures — whether solo, as a clan or as a community. With stable performance, full control and flexible configuration, every session becomes a saga.
Ragnarok is not just a place — it is a myth, forged from fire and ice. And in the hands of players, it becomes what its name promises: a new beginning after the end.
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