PixARK's October update is meant to bring a new creature to the Terracrypt expansion, a Keep Inventory option for single player and local multiplayer, and an update to the mod developer tools. As of 16 October none of it has shipped, and the studio hasn't given a day. The five patches since the roadmap went up (1.239 to 1.243) brought the Autumn Festival, the Gigantoraptor and a run of fixes, so for now there's nothing new to prepare for beyond the usual patch-day update.
What's in the PixARK October update
A new Terracrypt creature
The roadmap, posted on 20 September, says: "In October, a new creature will be added to the DLC PixARK:Terracrypt." That's the whole description. There's no name, no concept art and no taming details yet.
It's going into Terracrypt, the paid underground expansion that released on 26 August.
The Gigantoraptor got a concept-art first look on 24 September and went live five days later. If the October creature follows the same pattern, a teaser post is the best sign the update is close.
Keep Inventory on Death
The roadmap's wording is specific: "We'll also introduce a Keep Inventory option for Single Player and Local Multiplayer, allowing Adventurers to enable it according to their preferences in the corresponding game modes." The roadmap art calls it a "Keep Inventory on Death" option.
Mod Kit update
The October heading reads "New Creature/Keep Inventory/Mod Developer Tools Update", and the art lists a "Mod Kit Update". The post itself says nothing more, so there's no word yet on what changes for mod authors, or whether existing mods will need rebuilding.
Mods have been patchy on the newer maps. Patch 1.239 on 22 September "Fixed an issue where some existing MODs could not function on the Skypiea and Terracrypt maps." With that fix less than a month old, it's worth testing your mods again once the Mod Kit update lands.
What has landed since the roadmap
1.239, 22 September. Client crash and mod fixes, including the Skypiea and Terracrypt mod fix above. Skypiea is the studio's other name for the Skyward map.
1.240, 24 September: Autumn Festival. Mooncake Tokens, the Osmanthus Tree Challenge, a summonable Lepursa, and "Double Harvest rates on mining ores", on the PixArk and Skyward maps. The post gives no end date for the event.
1.241, 29 September: the Gigantoraptor. September's roadmap creature, on the PixArk, Skyward and Terracrypt maps. Knock it out and feed it fertilised eggs to tame it. Once tamed, it can help incubate eggs and feed babies.
1.242, 9 October. Five fixes, with 45 minutes of maintenance on the official servers. The one that matters most for clusters: "Fixed an issue where dinosaur data could be lost with a chance when uploading dinosaur data across servers between Skypiea and PixArk." The studio also said it "will roll out frequent updates in the near future".
1.243, 15 October. Four more fixes (including the Gigantoraptor's hatching effect and Magic Castle Stair placement), plus one gameplay change: a Gas Cylinder (Full) burned in a gas-fuelled workstation or structure now hands back a Gas Cylinder (Empty).
What your server needs to do
Nothing yet. When the October update does land:
- Take a backup of the world before you update.
- Update the server on patch day so it matches the build your players' Steam clients download. The last two patches reached the dedicated server the same morning they were announced.
- If you run mods, start the server once with them and check the console for errors before you open it to players.
Self-hosting? The dedicated server is Steam app 824360 (Windows only), and it downloads with an anonymous login:
steamcmd +login anonymous +app_update 824360 validate +quit
If your server is with us on PixARK server hosting and it won't come back up on the new build, open a ticket and we'll look at it.
What's coming next
- Before the October update: more small patches. Two fix patches have followed the Gigantoraptor in just over two weeks, and the studio's own line is "frequent updates in the near future".
- October, no day given: the new Terracrypt creature, Keep Inventory on Death and the Mod Kit update.
- After October: nothing dated. The roadmap closes with "There's more content currently in development, so stay tuned for future updates!"
FAQ
When is the PixARK October update coming out?
Snail Games hasn't given a day, only October. The most recent patch, 1.243 on 15 October, is a fix patch with none of the roadmap items in it.
Do players need Terracrypt for the new creature?
Yes. Terracrypt is a map of its own, and Snail Games says players must own the DLC to enter an official server running it. Expect to find the creature on the Terracrypt map rather than on PixArk or Skyward.
Will Keep Inventory work on a dedicated server?
The roadmap names only Single Player and Local Multiplayer and says nothing either way about dedicated servers, so don't count on a server setting for it until Snail Games says otherwise.
What time do PixARK patches go live?
Recent ones have landed in the UK morning: the 1.242 and 1.243 server builds went out at about 08:40 and 08:05 on their patch days.
Will the update wipe my world?
Nothing in the roadmap mentions a wipe, and none of the five patches since it went up has asked for one.
Sources: Snail Games' Sep & Oct Development Roadmap, Terracrypt official server modes, and patch notes 1.239, 1.240, 1.241, 1.242 and 1.243.