Banned

Banned is when something goes extinct or wiped out. Banned builds are builds that nobody can play as. Examples of banned builds are non avian-dinosaurs, mammoths and sabertooths. 99.9% of all builds playable ever in the history of the game were already banned.

## Balance Patches

A balance patch is a mass redistribution of the meta. There are currently five major balance patches in the game.These include:

* Ordovician-Siluran balance patch (444 million years ago, removed 85% of all builds in the game).
* Late Devonian balance patch (375 million years ago, removed 75% of all builds in the game).
* The Great Dying (The Permian-Triassic Balance Patch) (252 million years ago, removed 96% of marine builds and 75% of terrestrial builds in the game).
* Triassic-Jurassic balance patch (200 million years ago, removed 76% of terrestrial builds and also 76% of all marine builds in the game).
* Cretacous-Paleogene balance patch (66 million years ago, removed 75% total of all builds in the game).

## The Current Balance Patch

Dataminers have foretold about an oncoming balance patch in the current expansion, with continued ocean acidification, climate change, and other ways to ban several builds, either through ruining servers, introducing builds that would easily be broken, and griefing other players themselves. However, unlike the previous balance patches, the absolutely broken Human build, which is actually relatively new to the meta, around 200,000 years ago. Certain strats use by other builds in the meta can make them more vulnerable to the Human banhammer. Here are some of them:

1. K-strategy respawning- The k-strategy emphasizes **percentage** over **number** of players able to make it to the late game. This means throwing in only a few respawn points and speccing into [Parental Care]. This strat is usually used by most high-tier builds, who usually main combat-oriented, aggressive playstyles. This also means having a long playtime. However, [Parental Care] is nearly useless against Human griefers, and they can take advantage of your slow respawn rate and your unavailability of the reproductive quest untill you have got a lot of levels to body you even harder. Examples are Baleen Whales, Giant Pandas, Hippopotami, Sperm Whales and Elephants.
2. Overspecialization- Specializing is a way to get your build to be playable without having to actively ban other builds. However, Human mains can easily disrupt your specialist playstyle in various ways, whether it is through introducing invasive builds, destroying servers directly, or bringing climate change. Examples are Baleen Whales, Giant Pandas, Koalas, Kiwis and Kakapos.
3. Narrow server range- The smaller your home server is, the easier is it to quickly lose much of your plaerbase to habitat loss. Examples are Elephant Seals, Coelacanths, Desert Pupfish, Axolotls and certain Island builds.
4. Takes higher-tiered Loot- The ability to acquire higher-tiered loot, and thus, be on the higher loot levels is another sign of a high tier build. However, these builds need wider servers to look for targets, making them more susceptible to habitat loss. Additionally, some pollutants and toxins can "biomagnify", creating a chain reaction of damaging debuffs as players from different builds eat each other. Examples are Tuna, Great White Sharks, Tigers, Lions and African Painted Dogs.
5. Predictable migratory path- Some builds, low-tier and high-tier alike have to migrate, either to find valuable loot, avoid debuffs that could be caused by the climate or to complete the main quest. However, Human mains can easily clog up your migration route, potentially leading to a decrease in your playerbase. Examples are Baleen Whales, Sea Turtles, Mekong Giant Catfishes., Sturgeons. and Elephants.
6. Rare- Having specialized modes to respawn or speccing into a playstyle requiring low population density can obviously make many builds more vulnerable to extinction. This is especially problematic on Island servers. Examples are Axolotls, Olms, Devil's Hole Pupfish, Parrots and several Island builds.
7. Commercially valuable- Having abilities or certain traits that can sell for a lot of money via purchasing with real-life money is a surefire way to make yourself an easy target for Human mains. This is especially problematic on large Fish mains. Examples are Tuna, Sturgeons, Sawfish, Hammerhead Sharks and Elephants.
8. Requires large playable areas to work properly- Requiring a large area to stay viable could lead you into Human-made farms, where they will not hesitate to kill you on sight. Alternatively, you can easily lose viability due to having less useable space due to these farms. (otherwise, copy the reasoning for "Rare" and "Feeds on higher-tier Loot" but change the wording, since they are similar). Examples are Elephants, Rhinoceri, Hippopotami, Secretary Birds and California Condors.

## Referrences

### Calculations

1. ↑ https://study.com/academy/lesson/ordovician-silurian-mass-extinction-causes-evidence-species.html#:~:text=Around%20443%20million%20years%20ago%2C%2085%25%20of%20all%20species%20on,in%20warm%2C%20shallow%20coastal%20waters.
2. ↑ https://www.miguasha.ca/mig-en/the\_late\_devonian\_extinction\_event.php
3. ↑ https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/06/200611114527.htm#:~:text=The%20Permian-Triassic%20extinction%2C%20also,diversity%20and%20extreme%20soil%20erosion.
4. ↑ http://news.mit.edu/2013/volcanic-eruptions-triggered-end-triassic-extinction-0321
5. ↑ https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/prehistoric-world/dinosaur-extinction/

### General Referrences

1. ↑ https://www.dictionary.com/browse/extinct
2. ↑ https://www.encyclopedia.com/daily/is-it-true-that-99-9-of-all-species-are-extinct/
3. ↑ https://www.dictionary.com/browse/mass-extinction
4. ↑ https://cosmosmagazine.com/palaeontology/big-five-extinctions/
5. ↑ https://www.theguardian.com/environment/radical-conservation/2015/oct/20/the-four-horsemen-of-the-sixth-mass-extinction
6. ↑ https://bio.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Introductory\_and\_General\_Biology/Book%3A\_Introductory\_Biology\_(CK-12)/06%3A\_Ecology/6.26%3A\_Human\_Actions\_and\_the\_Sixth\_Mass\_Extinction
7. ↑ https://slideplayer.com/slide/15835829/
8. ↑ https://quizlet.com/269033088/frq-2017-2-flash-cards/
9. ↑ https://www.researchgate.net/publication/215471997\_Rare\_and\_endemic\_species\_Why\_are\_they\_prone\_to\_extinction
10. ↑ https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/geb.13003
11. ↑ https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/01/200121112946.htm
12. ↑ https://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/edu/learning/player/lesson13/l13la1.html
13. ↑ https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/migration/
14. ↑ https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/03/180326140204.htm
15. ↑ https://www.britannica.com/science/conservation-ecology/Which-species-are-most-vulnerable-to-extinction
16. ↑ https://www.worldwildlife.org/threats/illegal-wildlife-trade
17. ↑ https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rspb.2013.3296
18. ↑ https://www.greenamerica.org/blog/species-extinction-farmlands-its-not-just-birds-and-bees