Augmented Dodos
Let’s be honest: the humble dodo in ARK: Survival Ascended is about as useful as a wet piece of thatch. It waddles, it squawks, and it gets eaten by everything with teeth. But what if that fluffball could wear a helmet, shoot projectiles from its eyes, and lay golden eggs? That is exactly the chaos and utility that the Augmented Dodos mod brings to your island, Scorched Earth, and beyond. This isn't just a reskin; it's a full-blown dodo renaissance that turns your least-threatening companion into a versatile, hilarious, and surprisingly powerful asset.
Why Your Tribe Needs Augmented Dodos
This mod takes the core concept of the dodo and injects it with steroids, cybernetics, and a healthy dose of absurdity. The primary draw is the sheer variety of gameplay mechanics packed into one small, feathered package. Whether you are a solo player looking for a portable storage solution or a large tribe seeking a mobile artillery platform, these dodos have a niche for you.
Small Dodos: The Ultimate Utility Sidekick
The small variants are the true workhorses of this mod. They are not just for show; they are designed for convenience and survival.
- Shoulder Mounts: They can perch on your shoulder, making them the perfect travel companions.
- Key Masters: They can unlock doors, saving you from the nightmare of forgetting your keypads or running out of stone doors.
- Artifact Carriers: Like the Otter, they can hold artifacts, freeing up your inventory for more crucial loot during cave runs.
- Chef Dodos: They can craft PB&J sandwiches. Force-feed these to dinos to give them a "Dino Candy" effect, or use them as ammo for the large dodo's projectiles.
- Golden Egg Layers: There is a chance they will lay golden eggs, providing a valuable resource for trading or special recipes.
Large Dodos: The Feathered War Machine
If the small dodo is a Swiss Army knife, the large dodo is a tank. These beasts are built for combat and mobility.
- Rideable and Glideable: You can saddle up and even glide short distances, making them a fun and quirky way to traverse the map.
- Projectile Eyes: They shoot projectiles from their eyes. Use the crouch button to activate the targeting system and the alt attack to fire. (Note: The visuals are a work in progress, but the functionality is all there).
- Superior Stats: They have higher base stats than their smaller counterparts, making them viable for early-game skirmishes.
- Armored Up: All variants can equip helmets, adding a layer of protection and style to your feathered friend.
Variant Breakdown and Spawns
Augmented Dodos aren't a one-size-fits-all addition. The mod introduces several variants, each with unique stat bonuses and spawn locations, ensuring you have to work to find the best ones. The mod is designed to be compatible with the current builds of ARK: Survival Ascended, and the developer is actively updating it to ensure it works seamlessly with the latest game patches.
Standard and Aberrant
The Normal Variant is your bread-and-butter, spawning in roughly 50% of the vanilla dodo spawns. They offer a +5% melee and +3% health boost and tame with berries. The Aberrant Variant is currently in development but promises +10% melee and +6% health, spawning in the aberration zones and taming with mushrooms. For those looking to streamline their experience, using the foxygame.net launcher can help you manage your mod load order, ensuring that you can easily download Augmented Dodos and its dependencies without conflicts, thanks to its one-click install feature.
Tek, Corrupted, and Zombie
The Tek Variant is a rare find, with only a 5% chance to replace any dodo spawn. It boasts +12% melee and +4% health and requires element dust for taming. The Corrupted Variant is a survivalist's dream, with +8% melee, +8% health, and a -3% food and stamina drain, making it incredibly efficient. You will find them in the Extinction wastelands, and they tame with corrupted hearts. Finally, the Zombie Variant is a glass cannon with +15% melee but -6% health. It compensates with +5% health regen and spawns in swamps, taming with allosaurus brains. Note that Zombie Dodos are not breedable.
How to Install and Configure
Getting these augmented avians into your game is straightforward. You can download Augmented Dodos from the Steam Workshop or your preferred mod repository. To install, simply subscribe to the mod and ensure it is active in your server's mod list. If you are running a dedicated server, you will need to add the mod ID to your configuration files. For a hassle-free setup, the foxygame.net launcher provides a dedicated add-on catalog, allowing you to manage Augmented Dodos for ARK: Survival Ascended with auto-updates, so you never miss a critical fix or new feature.
One of the key features is the ability to disable the eye projectiles if you find them too chaotic. To do this, add the following to your GameUserSettings.ini file under the [AugmentedDodos] section:
[AugmentedDodos]
EyeLasersDisabled=TrueThis gives server admins full control over how the mod behaves, ensuring it fits the tone of their server, whether it's a hardcore survival experience or a casual sandbox.
Final Thoughts on the Dodo Renaissance
Augmented Dodos is a brilliant, whimsical mod that adds a surprising amount of depth to ARK: Survival Ascended. It takes a creature that is often ignored and turns it into a multi-faceted tool for travel, combat, and resource gathering. While some features like the aberrant and zombie variants are still "coming soon," the current content is polished and functional. The mod is actively supported, and the developer is open to suggestions and bug reports, which is a great sign for its longevity. Whether you want a shoulder-mounted keymaster or a gliding, projectile-shooting war machine, this mod delivers on its promise. It's a must-have for any player looking to add a little more fun and functionality to their prehistoric survival sandbox.