Astraeos free vs paid — what each tier of ARK Survival Ascended's official DLC includes
The Astraeos confusion is real. There is a free Astraeos available through the mod system, and there is a paid Astraeos Official Partner DLC. They share the name and the broad geography, but they are not the same map and not the same experience. Players in r/ARKSurvivalAscended ask about it weekly. This page is the side-by-side reference so you can pick which one fits your server and your players.
The short answer
| Aspect | Free Astraeos | Paid Astraeos DLC |
|---|---|---|
| Where to get it | CurseForge / mod system | Steam / store, around $15 USD |
| Surface coverage | ~30% of intended map | ~80% of intended map (current update) |
| Underworld / cave network | 0% — no caves | Multiple cave biomes, including Aberration-style cave |
| Bosses | Stub / placeholder | 3+ full bosses, multiple mini-bosses |
| New landmasses | Original map only | Lemnokis + Pyranthos expansions included |
| Server hosting | Free, mod-based | Free for unofficial server hosting; players must own the DLC to join |
What the free Astraeos actually is
Free Astraeos is a community map mod available through the ARK mod system. It is an early-stage build of what would eventually become the paid DLC. Surface terrain is roughly 30% of the intended final map and there are no developed cave systems. Boss arenas are placeholders or missing entirely.
It is genuinely free and a reasonable way to scout the geography. But if you build a long-running community on it, you are building on a map that will not be updated to match the paid version. The free build is functionally frozen at its mod release state.
What the paid DLC adds
The paid Astraeos was announced as an Official Partner DLC at around $15 (£12.79 in the UK). Studio Wildcard partnered with the original Astraeos community team to ship the full intended map experience. As of the current update, the paid map is approximately 80% complete and continues to receive updates.
Lemnokis
A large new landmass added to the paid DLC after the initial Astraeos surface. Lemnokis brings:
- Beaches, redwood forests, and mountain ridges as distinct biome zones
- Temple ruins and other built environments
- Multiple caves and a Maelstrom event zone
- An Aberration-style fertile cave with gas veins, green gems, Karkinos, and Cosmo
If you played Aberration on the original ARK and missed that biome on Survival Ascended, Lemnokis is the closest equivalent currently available.
Pyranthos
A massive desert landmass also exclusive to the paid DLC. Pyranthos adds:
- Ruins and buried pathways across an inhospitable desert
- New hostile creatures specific to the biome
- Artifact caves and new boss content
- Endgame-focused progression that complements the bosses on the main Astraeos surface
Bosses and caves
The paid DLC ships three full boss arenas and multiple mini-boss encounters. Cave networks include both standard ARK-style adventure caves and the Aberration-style fertile cave mentioned above. Free Astraeos has none of these — the boss slots are stubs, and the cave entrances on the surface map do not lead anywhere.
Server hosting implications
If you host an Astraeos server, the DLC behaves the same way as ARK: Survival Ascended's other map content:
- The server itself does not need a DLC entitlement. The map can be set in the launch parameters identically to The Island or Ragnarok.
- All players joining the server must own the paid Astraeos DLC on their account. Without it, they cannot connect.
- You cannot run a "free Astraeos" map on the dedicated server binary in the same way as the paid DLC — the free version is the mod build and uses the mod system's loader.
If your community has mixed ownership (some players have the DLC, some do not), you have three options:
- Host the paid Astraeos and ask non-owners to buy in.
- Host a different map (The Island, Ragnarok, Lost Colony) that does not require additional purchases.
- Run two servers in a cluster — one paid Astraeos, one base game — and let players choose.
The cluster option is the most common solution for established communities.
Is the paid DLC worth $15?
The question every player wants answered. The honest read:
Yes, if you and your group are likely to spend more than 20 hours on the map. The paid DLC's geographic scope is large, the cave systems are well-built, and Lemnokis + Pyranthos together add enough variety to support a multi-month playthrough. For a community server with regular activity, the per-player cost works out to cents per hour played.
Probably not, if your group has built a community on the free Astraeos mod and is happy with it. The free build covers enough of the surface to function as a casual long-running server, and the paid DLC's appeal is mostly the content the free version lacks (bosses, caves, the expansion landmasses). If your group does not care about endgame progression, the paid upgrade is less compelling.
Buy if you want bosses. The paid version has them. The free version does not. That is the single largest content gap.
What changes when the paid DLC reaches 100%
The paid DLC is currently around 80% complete and still receiving updates. The remaining 20% is mostly polish on existing landmasses plus the final boss tuning. There is no announced timeline for the 100% mark.
If you wait for full completion, the price is unlikely to change. The DLC was released at $15 and major Wildcard DLCs historically maintain their launch price after content is filled in. The risk of waiting is missing months of play on a map that is already large enough for a full playthrough.
Setting up an Astraeos server
The setup process for Astraeos servers on Supercraft is the same as any other map — pick Astraeos in the panel, configure your multipliers, save and restart. See the Astraeos server setup guide for the full process.
Ready to host? See ARK: Survival Ascended plans. Astraeos and all base maps are supported across every tier; mod-based free Astraeos is also supported on tiers that include mod hosting.
Looking for managed ARK: Survival Evolved server hosting? Supercraft runs ARK: Survival Evolved dedicated servers with daily backups, instant setup, and 5 region options. Plans from $5.99/mo.