Tides of Fortune Wiki
The definitive wiki for ARK: Survival Ascended — Tides of Fortune. Master shipbuilding, naval combat, treasure hunting, and the Ship Skill Tree.
What's New
On July 3, 2026, Studio Wildcard launched one of the largest content updates in ARK: Survival Ascended history. The premium Tides of Fortune DLC ($19.99) arrived alongside the free Genesis Ascended Part 1 remaster, sending survivors across open seas and into Bob's next chapter of swashbuckling adventures. This is naval ARK at full scale — wind-driven sailing, broadside cannon combat, buried treasure caches, and a brand-new Ship Skill Tree progression system tied to Genesis Part 1 Milestones.
Tides of Fortune is part of the Bob's True Tales season pass and introduces two fully customizable vessel classes: the fast Sloop for scouting and hit-and-run raids, and the durable Brigantine for sustained fleet engagements. Build them at the Shipyard, specialize through Piracy, Merchant, and Luxury trees, and take your fleet into the Genesis ocean biome introduced in the free update. New companions Tidepup and Parrot add healing support and treasure tracking, while cinematic story beats starring Karl Urban as Bob and Auli'i Cravalho as Meeka anchor the narrative.
Whether you are a PvE explorer chasing Treasure Map Bottles on the beach or a PvP captain lining up broadsides against enemy Brigantines, this wiki covers every system you need. Start with our DLC review to decide if the expansion fits your playstyle, then dive into ship guides, creature taming walkthroughs, and step-by-step treasure hunting tutorials updated for the July 2026 launch patch.
Ships & Naval Combat
Naval warfare is the centerpiece of Tides of Fortune. Survivors construct Sloop and Brigantine vessels at a water-placed Shipyard, outfit them with tileset structures and cannons, then sail using wind mechanics that reward positioning and timing. The Sloop excels at speed and maneuverability for exploration and ambush tactics, while the Brigantine balances firepower, cargo capacity, and hull durability for longer engagements.
Ship customization goes beyond cosmetics. Your vessel's performance is shaped by the Ship Skill Tree — invest milestone-earned points into Piracy for combat bonuses, Merchant for trade efficiency, or Luxury for crew comfort and utility perks. Repair damaged hulls at the Shipyard, dock anchored vessels within server range limits, and coordinate fleet battles with manually aimed broadside cannons and specialist ammunition.
Our ships overview breaks down every vessel class, while dedicated guides cover the Sloop, Brigantine, Shipyard, customization system, and repair mechanics. For combat tactics, see how to win naval combat.
Ship Skill Trees
The Ship Skill Tree is Tides of Fortune's signature progression system. Instead of leveling individual crew members, you invest plunder earned through Genesis Part 1 Milestones across three distinct specialization paths: Piracy, Merchant, and Luxury. Each tree contains multiple rows of passive bonuses, and completing an entire row unlocks a powerful active ability for that specialization.
Piracy skills emphasize cannon damage, boarding tactics, and combat maneuverability — ideal for raiders and PvP-focused tribes. Merchant skills boost cargo capacity, trade efficiency at the Market structure, and resource hauling across the Genesis ocean. Luxury skills improve crew morale, ship aesthetics with TOF Lights and Aquarium decorations, and quality-of-life perks that make long voyages more comfortable.
Plan your build with our Ship Skill Planner tool, then read the full breakdowns for the Piracy tree, Merchant tree, Luxury tree, active abilities, and best builds for different playstyles.
New Creatures
Tides of Fortune adds four companion creatures that reshape survival on the high seas. Tidepup is an amphibious axolotl-like healer that rides on your shoulder, cleanses toxins, and evolves into a larger mount form after you prove your compassion by healing injured tames. Parrot serves as a treasure-hunting shoulder pet that sniffs out valuable entities including Cave Crates, Alpha Creatures, and enemy player ships.
Pirate Pegomastax brings mischievous utility to your crew, while the Pirate humanoid NPC adds flavor to Bob's nautical narrative. Each creature has unique taming requirements — Tidepup responds to healing gestures, while Parrot gains affinity through Alpha hunts, Treasure Cache discoveries, and supply drop missions. Bonding Feather and Tidepup Cocoon items deepen the companion experience.
Browse our creatures overview and dedicated guides for Tidepup, Parrot, and Pirate Pegomastax. Step-by-step taming tutorials are available in the Tidepup guide and Parrot guide.
Treasure Hunting
Buried treasure is one of Tides of Fortune's most rewarding loops. Survivors find Treasure Map Bottles — message-in-a-bottle items washed up on beaches — that reveal a timed waypoint to a Buried Treasure Cache hidden somewhere on the map. Equip the Shovel engram, navigate to the marked location, and dig before the timer expires to claim loot ranging from Ship Skill points to rare resources and cosmetic items.
The treasure system ties directly into Parrot taming and the Piracy skill tree. Parrots can help locate high-value targets while you hunt maps, and completing treasure milestones feeds your Ship Skill progression. The Shovel is a versatile metal tool that also improves Crop Plots and can locate underground water in emergencies, making it valuable even outside treasure runs.
Start with the treasure overview, then read dedicated guides for Treasure Maps, the Shovel, and Buried Treasure Chests. Our step-by-step treasure guide and treasure map farming guide cover efficient farming routes.
Controls Reference
Naval combat introduces a new control layer on top of ARK's standard movement, inventory, and tame commands. PC players steer vessels with keyboard and mouse, aim broadside cannons manually, and manage sail trim and anchor states through dedicated hotkeys. Console players on Xbox and PlayStation use adapted layouts that map sailing, cannon fire, and ship menu access to controller triggers and bumpers.
Learning the control scheme early prevents costly mistakes in PvP engagements. Mis-timed cannon shots waste ammunition, and poor sail management leaves your Brigantine dead in the water during a Sloop ambush. Each platform has subtle differences in aim assist, menu navigation, and quick-slot access that affect combat effectiveness.
Our controls overview summarizes cross-platform differences, with full binding references for PC, Xbox, and PlayStation. Pair these with the naval combat guide for platform-specific tactics.
DLC Review
Tides of Fortune delivers ARK's most ambitious gameplay shift since launch. The $19.99 price tag buys a complete naval ecosystem — two ship classes, a three-branch skill tree, treasure hunting, new creatures, cinematic story content, and dozens of structures from the Market trading post to the Cargo Ledger. It releases alongside the free Genesis Ascended Part 1 update, so even players who skip the premium DLC gain access to the ocean biome that hosts naval gameplay.
The expansion excels for players who enjoy base-building with purpose, open-world exploration with risk-reward loops, and large-scale PvP fleet battles. Solo survivors benefit from Tidepup's healing and Parrot's treasure tracking, while tribes can coordinate multi-ship raids using Piracy skill builds. The main limitation is scope: only Sloop and Brigantine vessels ship at launch, with no galleon-tier options yet.
Read our full Tides of Fortune review for a detailed breakdown of value, performance, balance, and who should buy. We cover how the DLC integrates with Bob's True Tales, Genesis milestones, and the surprise Dragontopia expansion that launched the same day.
Video Guides
New to naval ARK? Our guide library walks you through every core system from your first Shipyard placement to endgame fleet command. Written guides include internal links to detailed wiki pages, and select tutorials feature embedded video walkthroughs for visual learners who want to see ship construction and combat in action.
Priority guides for new players: build your first ship, use the Ship Skill Tree, find buried treasure, and complete Genesis milestones. Advanced players should read naval combat tactics and treasure map farming.
Browse the complete guides index for all tutorials including Tidepup taming and Parrot taming. Each guide is updated for the July 2026 launch patch and cross-links to relevant wiki reference pages.
Explore the Wiki
This wiki covers every Tides of Fortune system in depth. Use the navigation menu to browse ships, skill trees, creatures, treasure, items, controls, walkthrough content, tools, and legal pages. Every article includes FAQs, related page links, and cross-references to keep you moving toward your next objective without tab-hopping across scattered sources.
Key starting points: story walkthrough for Bob's cinematic campaign, items and engrams for crafting reference, Genesis ocean biome guide, and the Ship Skill Planner for theorycrafting builds before you spend milestone points.
We update pages as Studio Wildcard patches balance and adds content through the Bob's True Tales season. Bookmark this wiki and check back after major patches for revised skill builds, new creature data, and expanded treasure loot tables.