I don’t know if anyone will actually read this since it’s so long, but might as well spill my thoughts out anyways. : p
Oceania: I’ve already talked at length about how game changing this pack is… and I’m gonna do it some more. Non-Australia Oceania often goes ignored and while it still isn’t perfect, this pack finally made it actually useable. Whenever I talk about 2023’s packs being lackluster, just assume this one is exempt. In its goals it feels far more similar to early packs like South America and Australia, in giving a previously unusable region something to work with. Three out of the five animals here are must haves for their respective regions, and the kiwi and lil blue are my favorites in the entire game. The other two - the flying fox and quokka - aren’t ideal for me (I would have given something to the rest of Oceania, like a Nēnē for Hawai’i or a crowned pigeon for Papua), but they’re solid oddballs for fleshing out the Aussie roster and I welcome their additions. In some ways, the scenery is just as game changing as the animals (Aotearoa finally gets a native plant set!), though some of it is better than others. I still wish Frontier put a little more research into the cultural side of the scenery items, it’s always been an area they’ve lacked in but it really shows here with the reliance on controversial, appropriated tiki/vacation culture over actual Polynesian scenery (which albeit is still here now and then and I love it when it is - the Māori inspired animal statues are a key example). Regardless of my critiques with it though, I adore this pack and I’m so happy to see such an ecologically fascinating, underrated area of the world not go ignored. I literally cannot imagine building in Aotearoa without this pack. If it’s not a region you build in, I could justify bumping it down to green, but otherwise it’s one of the best packs in the game.
Grasslands: The emu and wallaby are must haves and they both look incredible (though I still can’t get over the emu not being walkthrough, yet the anteater and okapi are…), they’ve pretty much gone in every one of my zoos since this pack’s release. The rest of the pack is all solid, there isn’t really a bad choice here even if I like some more than others. The maned wolf and armadillo add a tiny, but unique, worthwhile boost to South America, and the striped hyena is a personal favorite even if it’s nowhere near essential from a critical perspective. The caracal and the wildebeest are fine - my least favorites of the pack but I certainly can’t argue against a common small cat and an iconic, far more useable alternative to the black wildebeest. For once, the exhibit animal would probably be the star of the pack (if it weren’t for the emu and wallaby), as the butterflies are unlike anything else in game and the addition of multiple species really helps them take off.
Australia: This is the first time I remember getting super hyped up for a pack and building an entire zoo just for it, so I may have a teensie bit of nostalgia bias for it, but it’s still an incredible pack separating it from that. Every animal here is essential (I will continue to defend the dingo as just poor timing, it’s essential for Aus and relatively common outside of it), and the cassowary might just be my most used species in the whole game. The koala is probably the weakest thanks to its stylized appearance and love of the ground, but tbh I’m just happy to have a koala at all. The scenery is among my favorites in the entire game, with versatile metal pieces and a bit more proper research than usual with the addition of art by John Smith Gumbula. Even the super themed stuff here is small enough to be incorporated subtly here and there, the painted log sets for example are some of my favorite themed pieces.
Wetlands: There are so many essentials here and so much taxonomic diversity that should have set the standard for future animal packs (but sadly didn’t). The crane is one of the most useful animals in the entire game (though that’s more due to a lack of birds than this particular species), the otter is one of the most common zoo animals ever, the platypus, although niche, is far too unique and iconic to leave out and is arguably an essential species for Aus, and I shouldn’t even have to explain the capybara. The caiman looks great even if it was a poor choice, and the buffalo is a nice addition even if it should have been domestic. The lechwe is probably the weakest of the pack for me - I kind of forget it exists - but the rest of the pack more than makes up for the sour parts here.
Conservation: All great animals that are, for the most part, zoo staples. The oryx is the weakest and even it is pretty solid, even the exhibit box animal feels like an inspired choice. The scenery is what really sells it for me here though, it’s pretty much the definition of quality over quantity. There’s less here than most other packs, but pretty much all of it is super useful. Backstage pieces, gardening kits, gutters, air conditioning, and oh my god the plants - they’re so damn good. I really don’t have much to say on it that hasn’t already been talked about at length, there’s a reason this one is a fan-favorite.
North America: With the exception of lacking a bird, this is how to do a regional animal pack. Not a single species here is a bad pick, it ranges across the continent, and there isn’t an over reliance on any particular group. Even the less useful species like the beaver and moose are far too iconic to leave out. The alligator is a personal favorite of mine too, I love those goobers.
Aquatic: Sure, the animals here have since had better alternatives. As a set though, this is one of the best packs in the game. The animals are all still pretty good alternatives, and I’d argue that at least having a seal and a cold-weather penguin is still very much essential. The scenery holds up much better than the animals though, the faux rocks and trees have found a place in nearly everything I build and the plants are cute additions for spicing up underwater areas when needed.
Africa: Arguably the most well thought out set of animals the game has ever had and a great set of plaster pieces. Some of the scenery suffers from Frontier’s strange decisions (three animals from southern Africa depicted in an overly themed northern African style), but most of it is super versatile and the heavy hitting animals + plaster combo more than make up for the duds here.
South America - The only reason this pack is so high is because of how horribly underrepresented this region is. In a vacuum, it’s one of the weaker packs - still great with the jag, anteater, and only NW monkey - but I never really find myself using some of the overly themed scenery and the already lackluster llama feels all the more redundant now that we have the alpaca.
Barnyard - To get the bad out of the way, the breed choices here are beyond questionable. Four out of seven are from the UK and a further five out seven are European. Instead of one of the most common zoo animals ever - the Nigerian dwarf goat, we get a rare French breed. Instead of one of the companion pig breeds once faced with extinction, but are now incredibly common in zoos, - like the Kunekune or potbelly - we get a niche British bacon breed. While more understandable here than in other packs, the over reliance on ungulates still stings after their abundance recently, and while that will get better with time I still have a hard time justifying not swapping out the alpaca, donkey, or sheep with something more unique (a cow, goat, and pig are just far too essential for the theme to get rid of). That said though, farm sections are a very real, and very important part of zoos that I love seeing represented in game at all. Plus, domestics are sometimes found as just regular exhibits in non-dedicated sections in a lot of smaller/lower budget zoos, so I love seeing their roster get fleshed out a bit more even if it’s not in an ideal way.
Tropical - A great, but poorly timed pack that had the potential to be so much more. Getting some South American habitat rep felt like a no brainer here, and as time goes by it only becomes more noticeable. What is here though? It’s all amazing. Every animal here is a banger - albeit not essential aside from maybe the fossa - and most of the scenery is super versatile. I really appreciate the bricks and the timber especially, they might have become some of my favorite pieces in the game.
Europe - This pack is worth it for the scenery, of which it’s among the best in the game. A nice companion to the base game classic set and the decals are absolutely game changing. Animal wise though? I can’t say a double dipped set of carnivorans and ungulates that (with the exception of the fallow deer) are near nonexistent outside of their native range, and have more common alternatives in other regions do much for me. It’s a similar situation to Oceania where its usefulness depends on if you like building in the region or not, except the animals here are arguably even more niche and far less diverse.
Southeast Asia - I like this pack a bit more than some others. Every animal here is solid with the arguable exception of the only primate I forget exists. There is an over reliance on carnivorans, though they’re all at least unique from each other habitat wise, with some being more arboreal than others. The dhole is a versatile personal favorite, and the sun bear is the only bear common in Oceanian zoos, and is thus a must have for me.
Twilight - Three small, niche, temperate carnivorans and some overly themed scenery. You know what else this pack has though? Some banger stone and wood, and a wombat/bat combo! The carnivorans have grown on me with time - I can understand the raccoon as a worthwhile inclusion even if it isn’t for me - although I struggle to justify the skunk and the fox over so, so many better picks.
Eurasia - Despite how low it’s ranked, there are some great animals here - the swan is amazing (though like the crane, it’s more due to a lack of birds than the species chosen), and the wisent and boar are essentials for their respective regions even if they don’t do much for me. The rest of the pack is where it really falls apart. The Europe portion is great for those who build in the region, so the Asia part would help get everyone else on board, right? A monkey? A pheasant? Even a more universally wanted pick among the ungulates that Frontier has been loving so much recently, like an Indian antelope or muntjac? Nah. We get an antelope that does poorly in captivity and isn’t even common within its own region, and another bear. The takin is nice, but with how well ungulates are already represented I can’t say I’d miss it if it was swapped for something more unique. I don’t like to be overly negative, but this just felt like such a hard pack to screw up with the entirety of Asia and Europe to choose from.
Arid - Think Eurasia overdid it with ungulates? Well this pack takes it up a notch further. Gone are the diverse days of Wetlands, Grasslands, or even North America, and here is a pack with hooves taking up over half of its roster. There is an argument to be made about Frontier choosing easy to make animals to make up for the porcupine, and while I can certainly buy this, we have no substantial evidence that ungulates are actually easier to make than say, another tortoise, or giving us a Guineafowl from the peafowl rig. In a vacuum, not a single one of these animals is bad. Ungulates - especially African ones - are common zoo animals, but let’s not pretend that the roster is unlimited and that there aren’t other groups that are just as, if not more common, that deserve just as much of a place in the game as a group that’s already very well represented. While I was disappointed with Twilight and Tropical on announcement, this is the only pack that never managed to grow on me.
Arctic - I really have nothing against this pack, I just kind of forget it exists. Outside of plopping down a polar bear every once in a while I can’t say I’d really notice if this pack was suddenly removed from the game. The sheep and reindeer are solid additions, but not ones I use often, and the arctic wolf certainly exists. The wood set is nice, but has since been surpassed and the rest of the scenery is far too themed for my liking.
I don’t know if anyone will actually read this since it’s so long, but might as well spill my thoughts out anyways. : p
Oceania: I’ve already talked at length about how game changing this pack is… and I’m gonna do it some more. Non-Australia Oceania often goes ignored and while it still isn’t perfect, this pack finally made it actually useable. Whenever I talk about 2023’s packs being lackluster, just assume this one is exempt. In its goals it feels far more similar to early packs like South America and Australia, in giving a previously unusable region something to work with. Three out of the five animals here are must haves for their respective regions, and the kiwi and lil blue are my favorites in the entire game. The other two - the flying fox and quokka - aren’t ideal for me (I would have given something to the rest of Oceania, like a Nēnē for Hawai’i or a crowned pigeon for Papua), but they’re solid oddballs for fleshing out the Aussie roster and I welcome their additions. In some ways, the scenery is just as game changing as the animals (Aotearoa finally gets a native plant set!), though some of it is better than others. I still wish Frontier put a little more research into the cultural side of the scenery items, it’s always been an area they’ve lacked in but it really shows here with the reliance on controversial, appropriated tiki/vacation culture over actual Polynesian scenery (which albeit is still here now and then and I love it when it is - the Māori inspired animal statues are a key example). Regardless of my critiques with it though, I adore this pack and I’m so happy to see such an ecologically fascinating, underrated area of the world not go ignored. I literally cannot imagine building in Aotearoa without this pack. If it’s not a region you build in, I could justify bumping it down to green, but otherwise it’s one of the best packs in the game.
Grasslands: The emu and wallaby are must haves and they both look incredible (though I still can’t get over the emu not being walkthrough, yet the anteater and okapi are…), they’ve pretty much gone in every one of my zoos since this pack’s release. The rest of the pack is all solid, there isn’t really a bad choice here even if I like some more than others. The maned wolf and armadillo add a tiny, but unique, worthwhile boost to South America, and the striped hyena is a personal favorite even if it’s nowhere near essential from a critical perspective. The caracal and the wildebeest are fine - my least favorites of the pack but I certainly can’t argue against a common small cat and an iconic, far more useable alternative to the black wildebeest. For once, the exhibit animal would probably be the star of the pack (if it weren’t for the emu and wallaby), as the butterflies are unlike anything else in game and the addition of multiple species really helps them take off.
Australia: This is the first time I remember getting super hyped up for a pack and building an entire zoo just for it, so I may have a teensie bit of nostalgia bias for it, but it’s still an incredible pack separating it from that. Every animal here is essential (I will continue to defend the dingo as just poor timing, it’s essential for Aus and relatively common outside of it), and the cassowary might just be my most used species in the whole game. The koala is probably the weakest thanks to its stylized appearance and love of the ground, but tbh I’m just happy to have a koala at all. The scenery is among my favorites in the entire game, with versatile metal pieces and a bit more proper research than usual with the addition of art by John Smith Gumbula. Even the super themed stuff here is small enough to be incorporated subtly here and there, the painted log sets for example are some of my favorite themed pieces.
Wetlands: There are so many essentials here and so much taxonomic diversity that should have set the standard for future animal packs (but sadly didn’t). The crane is one of the most useful animals in the entire game (though that’s more due to a lack of birds than this particular species), the otter is one of the most common zoo animals ever, the platypus, although niche, is far too unique and iconic to leave out and is arguably an essential species for Aus, and I shouldn’t even have to explain the capybara. The caiman looks great even if it was a poor choice, and the buffalo is a nice addition even if it should have been domestic. The lechwe is probably the weakest of the pack for me - I kind of forget it exists - but the rest of the pack more than makes up for the sour parts here.
Conservation: All great animals that are, for the most part, zoo staples. The oryx is the weakest and even it is pretty solid, even the exhibit box animal feels like an inspired choice. The scenery is what really sells it for me here though, it’s pretty much the definition of quality over quantity. There’s less here than most other packs, but pretty much all of it is super useful. Backstage pieces, gardening kits, gutters, air conditioning, and oh my god the plants - they’re so damn good. I really don’t have much to say on it that hasn’t already been talked about at length, there’s a reason this one is a fan-favorite.
North America: With the exception of lacking a bird, this is how to do a regional animal pack. Not a single species here is a bad pick, it ranges across the continent, and there isn’t an over reliance on any particular group. Even the less useful species like the beaver and moose are far too iconic to leave out. The alligator is a personal favorite of mine too, I love those goobers.
Aquatic: Sure, the animals here have since had better alternatives. As a set though, this is one of the best packs in the game. The animals are all still pretty good alternatives, and I’d argue that at least having a seal and a cold-weather penguin is still very much essential. The scenery holds up much better than the animals though, the faux rocks and trees have found a place in nearly everything I build and the plants are cute additions for spicing up underwater areas when needed.
Africa: Arguably the most well thought out set of animals the game has ever had and a great set of plaster pieces. Some of the scenery suffers from Frontier’s strange decisions (three animals from southern Africa depicted in an overly themed northern African style), but most of it is super versatile and the heavy hitting animals + plaster combo more than make up for the duds here.
South America - The only reason this pack is so high is because of how horribly underrepresented this region is. In a vacuum, it’s one of the weaker packs - still great with the jag, anteater, and only NW monkey - but I never really find myself using some of the overly themed scenery and the already lackluster llama feels all the more redundant now that we have the alpaca.
Barnyard - To get the bad out of the way, the breed choices here are beyond questionable. Four out of seven are from the UK and a further five out seven are European. Instead of one of the most common zoo animals ever - the Nigerian dwarf goat, we get a rare French breed. Instead of one of the companion pig breeds once faced with extinction, but are now incredibly common in zoos, - like the Kunekune or potbelly - we get a niche British bacon breed. While more understandable here than in other packs, the over reliance on ungulates still stings after their abundance recently, and while that will get better with time I still have a hard time justifying not swapping out the alpaca, donkey, or sheep with something more unique (a cow, goat, and pig are just far too essential for the theme to get rid of). That said though, farm sections are a very real, and very important part of zoos that I love seeing represented in game at all. Plus, domestics are sometimes found as just regular exhibits in non-dedicated sections in a lot of smaller/lower budget zoos, so I love seeing their roster get fleshed out a bit more even if it’s not in an ideal way.
Tropical - A great, but poorly timed pack that had the potential to be so much more. Getting some South American habitat rep felt like a no brainer here, and as time goes by it only becomes more noticeable. What is here though? It’s all amazing. Every animal here is a banger - albeit not essential aside from maybe the fossa - and most of the scenery is super versatile. I really appreciate the bricks and the timber especially, they might have become some of my favorite pieces in the game.
Europe - This pack is worth it for the scenery, of which it’s among the best in the game. A nice companion to the base game classic set and the decals are absolutely game changing. Animal wise though? I can’t say a double dipped set of carnivorans and ungulates that (with the exception of the fallow deer) are near nonexistent outside of their native range, and have more common alternatives in other regions do much for me. It’s a similar situation to Oceania where its usefulness depends on if you like building in the region or not, except the animals here are arguably even more niche and far less diverse.
Southeast Asia - I like this pack a bit more than some others. Every animal here is solid with the arguable exception of the only primate I forget exists. There is an over reliance on carnivorans, though they’re all at least unique from each other habitat wise, with some being more arboreal than others. The dhole is a versatile personal favorite, and the sun bear is the only bear common in Oceanian zoos, and is thus a must have for me.
Twilight - Three small, niche, temperate carnivorans and some overly themed scenery. You know what else this pack has though? Some banger stone and wood, and a wombat/bat combo! The carnivorans have grown on me with time - I can understand the raccoon as a worthwhile inclusion even if it isn’t for me - although I struggle to justify the skunk and the fox over so, so many better picks.
Eurasia - Despite how low it’s ranked, there are some great animals here - the swan is amazing (though like the crane, it’s more due to a lack of birds than the species chosen), and the wisent and boar are essentials for their respective regions even if they don’t do much for me. The rest of the pack is where it really falls apart. The Europe portion is great for those who build in the region, so the Asia part would help get everyone else on board, right? A monkey? A pheasant? Even a more universally wanted pick among the ungulates that Frontier has been loving so much recently, like an Indian antelope or muntjac? Nah. We get an antelope that does poorly in captivity and isn’t even common within its own region, and another bear. The takin is nice, but with how well ungulates are already represented I can’t say I’d miss it if it was swapped for something more unique. I don’t like to be overly negative, but this just felt like such a hard pack to screw up with the entirety of Asia and Europe to choose from.
Arid - Think Eurasia overdid it with ungulates? Well this pack takes it up a notch further. Gone are the diverse days of Wetlands, Grasslands, or even North America, and here is a pack with hooves taking up over half of its roster. There is an argument to be made about Frontier choosing easy to make animals to make up for the porcupine, and while I can certainly buy this, we have no substantial evidence that ungulates are actually easier to make than say, another tortoise, or giving us a Guineafowl from the peafowl rig. In a vacuum, not a single one of these animals is bad. Ungulates - especially African ones - are common zoo animals, but let’s not pretend that the roster is unlimited and that there aren’t other groups that are just as, if not more common, that deserve just as much of a place in the game as a group that’s already very well represented. While I was disappointed with Twilight and Tropical on announcement, this is the only pack that never managed to grow on me.
Arctic - I really have nothing against this pack, I just kind of forget it exists. Outside of plopping down a polar bear every once in a while I can’t say I’d really notice if this pack was suddenly removed from the game. The sheep and reindeer are solid additions, but not ones I use often, and the arctic wolf certainly exists. The wood set is nice, but has since been surpassed and the rest of the scenery is far too themed for my liking.
I agree with almost everything here - maybe I’d switch one or two positions slightly but, overall, I agree and your criticisms are well stated, well reasoned and constructive without pretending to be objective facts that everyone has to agree with.
Twilight, BarnMcDonalds, Arid and Arctic were the only really bad packs for me, the others all had their shining moments and very good animals in it, Arctic Wolves are such a random and stupid pick (Dall SHeep should have been Mountain Goat of course), Farm Animals are always boring to me and Twilight had the Wombat, that is it the others are really weak additions and I dislike holiday-themed packs. Arid is full of boring choices, but at least has the Porcupine which is a great addiction, a more worthful addiction alone than the entire barn/twilight packs together.
I'll give it a go:
1. Africa - Pretty good scenery but the pack is filled with essential zoo animals with arguably the strongest roster of any pack, I don't think there is anything I would change about this pack
2. Conservation - Very useful scenery and again a strong roster of key animals, the pack also introduced brachiation and Gibbons which are my favourite animals so maybe some slight bias
3. Grasslands - The best animal pack with a very diverse range of animals from all around the world, gave SA and Australia a boost and also wasn't very ungulate heavy, I like all the picks especially the Maned Wolf, although I would have swapped the Hyena out for a different animal such as the Grey Crowned Crane
4. Aquatic - This pack has wonderful scenery and at the time the animals were revolutionary, however I think the pack hasn't aged incredibly due to some better alternatives such as the Sea Lion and African Penguin although I still prefer the Giant Otter
5. SA - The scenery is very heavily themed but some pieces are useful, some of the animals (Jaguar, Anteater) are essential, however I am still a bit upset that the Llama and Capuchin weren't a Guanaco and Squirrel Monkey, the pack is helped by how desolate SA is which may cause it to drop in future
6. Wetlands - Some wonderful animal choices such as the Capybara and Otter, however some are misses, if we were getting a water buffalo it should have been domestic and I feel the pack missed the chance to add more wading birds such as the Marabou Stork or Shoebill
7. Australia - Pretty good scenery and a nearly perfect roster (Dingo)
8. North America - Some great choices of animals like the Moose and Sea Lion and others that I don't like as much but are also essential for representing certain groups (Beaver and Prairie Dog for rodents)
9. Europe - Wonderful scenery but the animals are a bit of a let down for me (Yes, I am European) I think the Lynx and Deer are great, the Ibex ok and the badger was one of the worst picks possible, I would have much rather had the Wild Boar or Wolverine instead
10. SEA - The pack has definitely gotten better over time as it has been retroactively been fixed although it was a bit of a stinker at launch, I think all the animal choices are good except the Proboscis Monkey should have been a different Primate, the ideal situation would be a Gibbon but that's not realistic, I think the Francois' Langur would have worked a lot better instead
11. Tropical - Good scenery, the animal choices are a bit of a mess, the Red River Hog and Fossa are great animals but for a scenery pack with limited slots probably not the best choices, the Lar Gibbon gets some points for being my preferred species of Gibbon and having much better brachiation but this should have been the Spider Monkey alongside a Siamang remaster, the Asian Water Monitor is just a Nile Monitor remaster but it doesn't even have deepdiving so feels really weird for me, this pack had so much potential but it was wasted, definitely should have been an animal pack where it had the potential for an incredible roster
12. Eurasia - So mixed on this pack, I think the Wolverine, Boar, Swan and Takin were great choices, the Wisent is nice but I think I would have preferred a Bison remaster (again as a European), the Sloth Bear is ok but could've been something else and fills a very similar niche to the Sun Bear, then there is the Saiga (should've been the Muntjac or Blackbuck)
13. Oceania - The scenery is pretty nice and I like the vibe of it, the animals are a pretty good Oceania roster, but some of them don't really do anything for me (Quokka, Penguin), I mean they are nice editions but I'm just not the right audience, although I am a big fan of the Kiwi and Devil
14. Twilight - Some of the pieces are overly themed so are a bit useless for me but others are good, the animals are ok there were definitely much better picks available like the Fossa, Tasmanian Devil or Kiwi, the walkthrough is ok, I don't personally use it and I think it feels a bit out of place (the same sentiment applies to all the walkthrough species)
15. Arid - The Porcupine is great although I would trade it for the rest of the pack being better, the Dromedary is the only other animal I think should have made the pack (actually maybe the Somali Wild Ass as well), the rest of the pack is just boring for me, the wrong antelopes, the wrong cat and another Rhino, there were so many better options like the Baboon, Honey Badger, Tortoise and countless birds this pack also had potential for greatness but left me wanting another African animal pack immediately as it kinda failed at its task
16. Arctic - Ok scenery, two great animals in the Polar bear and Reindeer, one alright animal in the Dall Sheep and then there is the Arctic Wolf
17. Barnyard - Pieces are good and I quite like this potential knew format (although I suspect it was a one off), the animals are mixed, I wasn't a great fan of domestics and they chose some odd breeds as well as some weird misses (Duck, Rabbit), overall I think the hate for the pack is overblown but I agree with many people's points on it, the timing is somewhat unfortunate with fears of the end and a very Ungulate heavy year as well as a Europe centric pack after a Eurasian pack
I'll give it a go:
1. Africa - Pretty good scenery but the pack is filled with essential zoo animals with arguably the strongest roster of any pack, I don't think there is anything I would change about this pack
2. Conservation - Very useful scenery and again a strong roster of key animals, the pack also introduced brachiation and Gibbons which are my favourite animals so maybe some slight bias
3. Grasslands - The best animal pack with a very diverse range of animals from all around the world, gave SA and Australia a boost and also wasn't very ungulate heavy, I like all the picks especially the Maned Wolf, although I would have swapped the Hyena out for a different animal such as the Grey Crowned Crane
4. Aquatic - This pack has wonderful scenery and at the time the animals were revolutionary, however I think the pack hasn't aged incredibly due to some better alternatives such as the Sea Lion and African Penguin although I still prefer the Giant Otter
5. SA - The scenery is very heavily themed but some pieces are useful, some of the animals (Jaguar, Anteater) are essential, however I am still a bit upset that the Llama and Capuchin weren't a Guanaco and Squirrel Monkey, the pack is helped by how desolate SA is which may cause it to drop in future
6. Wetlands - Some wonderful animal choices such as the Capybara and Otter, however some are misses, if we were getting a water buffalo it should have been domestic and I feel the pack missed the chance to add more wading birds such as the Marabou Stork or Shoebill
7. Australia - Pretty good scenery and a nearly perfect roster (Dingo)
8. North America - Some great choices of animals like the Moose and Sea Lion and others that I don't like as much but are also essential for representing certain groups (Beaver and Prairie Dog for rodents)
9. Europe - Wonderful scenery but the animals are a bit of a let down for me (Yes, I am European) I think the Lynx and Deer are great, the Ibex ok and the badger was one of the worst picks possible, I would have much rather had the Wild Boar or Wolverine instead
10. SEA - The pack has definitely gotten better over time as it has been retroactively been fixed although it was a bit of a stinker at launch, I think all the animal choices are good except the Proboscis Monkey should have been a different Primate, the ideal situation would be a Gibbon but that's not realistic, I think the Francois' Langur would have worked a lot better instead
11. Tropical - Good scenery, the animal choices are a bit of a mess, the Red River Hog and Fossa are great animals but for a scenery pack with limited slots probably not the best choices, the Lar Gibbon gets some points for being my preferred species of Gibbon and having much better brachiation but this should have been the Spider Monkey alongside a Siamang remaster, the Asian Water Monitor is just a Nile Monitor remaster but it doesn't even have deepdiving so feels really weird for me, this pack had so much potential but it was wasted, definitely should have been an animal pack where it had the potential for an incredible roster
12. Eurasia - So mixed on this pack, I think the Wolverine, Boar, Swan and Takin were great choices, the Wisent is nice but I think I would have preferred a Bison remaster (again as a European), the Sloth Bear is ok but could've been something else and fills a very similar niche to the Sun Bear, then there is the Saiga (should've been the Muntjac or Blackbuck)
13. Oceania - The scenery is pretty nice and I like the vibe of it, the animals are a pretty good Oceania roster, but some of them don't really do anything for me (Quokka, Penguin), I mean they are nice editions but I'm just not the right audience, although I am a big fan of the Kiwi and Devil
14. Twilight - Some of the pieces are overly themed so are a bit useless for me but others are good, the animals are ok there were definitely much better picks available like the Fossa, Tasmanian Devil or Kiwi, the walkthrough is ok, I don't personally use it and I think it feels a bit out of place (the same sentiment applies to all the walkthrough species)
15. Arid - The Porcupine is great although I would trade it for the rest of the pack being better, the Dromedary is the only other animal I think should have made the pack (actually maybe the Somali Wild Ass as well), the rest of the pack is just boring for me, the wrong antelopes, the wrong cat and another Rhino, there were so many better options like the Baboon, Honey Badger, Tortoise and countless birds this pack also had potential for greatness but left me wanting another African animal pack immediately as it kinda failed at its task
16. Arctic - Ok scenery, two great animals in the Polar bear and Reindeer, one alright animal in the Dall Sheep and then there is the Arctic Wolf
17. Barnyard - Pieces are good and I quite like this potential knew format (although I suspect it was a one off), the animals are mixed, I wasn't a great fan of domestics and they chose some odd breeds as well as some weird misses (Duck, Rabbit), overall I think the hate for the pack is overblown but I agree with many people's points on it, the timing is somewhat unfortunate with fears of the end and a very Ungulate heavy year as well as a Europe centric pack after a Eurasian pack
I'm terrible at making these kind of decisions, so I'll just go with this...
First Place: Eurasia - Five of my favorites; Wolverine, Mute Swan, Takin, Saiga, Sloth Bear... how can I not be happy?
Last Place: Barnyard - Didn't want farm animals to begin with, but even by domesticated animal standards, the choices are pretty terrible...
i completely forgot to post mine, lol.
well this is going to be how i rank all the dlcs, from the worst to the best: 14.Deluxe - there's two reasons why this is easily the worst dlc, the first one is the fact it comes with only three "clone" animals, with the Komodo dragon being a perfect animal, the pigmy hippo being decent and the Thompson gazelle being dull, it's also the most expensive dlc if you don't buy the deluxe edition when you buy the game.
so in the end you have two good animals and basically nothing else in the most expensive dlc so far, so yeah, i think it's deserves the last place. 13.Southeast Asia animal pack (SEA) - being a animal pack, all the appeal of this pack is that will give us three more animals instead of a scenery... And this is why it fails.
form the beginning, the only animals that i really like and find useful are the binturong, babirusa and proboscis monkey, then we have the tapir, with the worst model in the game, but honestly i don't think it would be useful for me even with a fixed model, the we have the "generic carnivore" trio, with the buggy clouded leopard, the sun bear and the dhole, being the most redundant animals in the game, honestly even the leaf insect have more appeal from me than those three.
so we end up having a animal pack where only three of the animals are good, and all the rest is mediocre, honestly this should had been a scenery pack, with tropical being a animal pack. 12.Arctic pack - honestly, for a first pack it isn't that bad, the campaign was my personal favorite even compared with the ones from the base game, and the reindeer is a very good animal, also we still have some of the best wood pieces and the torch's are really good, but, that's it, the rest of the animals weren't really good, in retrogression the polar bear should have been a base game animal, the Dall sheep is ok, but i would have liked a musk ox, and the arctic wolf is simply disgusting, also half of the scenery pieces where useless giving that they were either Christmas pieces or iglu pieces, with are way too much thematic even for me.
in the end i feel like the only reason because arctic is better than SEA is that the wood pieces and campaign are pretty good, and half of the animals were good 11. twilight pack - this is the only pack i still didn't buy and will probably stay like that for a while, aside form the wombat and red fox all the animals seems very dull for me, plus the scenery theme seems to thematic even for me. 10 - conservation - honestly, my main problem with this pack are the animals, the Przewalski horse is easily one of my favorite animal in the whole game, siamang is a good animal and axolotl is one of the best exhibit animals, but both leopard and oryx were very boring from me, also the scenery pieces is 8 or 80, they were perfect to build staff areas but pretty terrible for anything else, it's still a decent pack, through. 9. tropical pack - honestly, I'm pretty "meh" with this pack, the animals vary to perfect to meh, the theme was good, but it fit's better with the SEA then "generic tropical forest", saying on that my two main problems with the pack are the lack of birds and new world primates, and the fact it's a scenery pack, if this was a animal pack with new world monkeys, bird and a coati it would have been perfect.
it's definitely not a bad pack, but it isn't good either.
before i proceed with the rest of the packs, i must say that my opinion about all the rest vary a lot,with means its very likely that i will change it in the next months. With that said let's proceed: 8. Africa pack - this pack is actually very good, white rhino + meerkat was a perfect combination, plus the fennec fox is a really good animal overall, however i really don't like the African penguin, mainly because i would have liked a Guinea fowl or secretary bird more, also the theme seems very random, but it's still a very good pack overall. 7. aquatic pack - gone say something very strange for the standard of this community: I don't use the rocks they added in this pack, with that said, the animals are actually great, king penguin is my favorite penguin (and favorite ingame bird) grey seal and giant otter are still great animals, with only the dwarf caiman being a "meh" animal, the rest of the scenery itens are still ok. 6. Australia pack - putting tthe two most iconic Australian animals in this pack the is one of the factors that this pack is so high, but the other two reasons are the brutal cassowary and the great scenery theme and pieces, my only problem here is the dingo, but i eventually start liking it. 5. Europe pack - my only let down here was the lack of the red deer, but after it addition on the base game this pack become almost perfect, all the animals are great and the scenery theme is one of my favorite. 4. South America pack - well, here we are: with the least, but best scenery pack that frontier ever launched: to start all the animals are perfect, jaguar is the best of all big cats, capuchin is a great monkey even to modern standards, also the giant tamandua and llama are still good animals, by last the scenery is easily the best from all of packs. 3. Wetland animal pack - "third time is a charm", and well, this pack indeed was something else, adding three of the best animals (capybara, ASCO and platypus) all at once make it really good, while the lechwe, water buffalo and crane are really good, making this pack one of the best pack ever, however the reason why this is in third place is that fact that spectated caiman is there. First, i don't have any issue with crocs, in fact i would prefer get three more crocs over any cat, but the thing with spectated is that he isn't a good choice for a croc, from a croc in the general, the Nile croc would be a best choice cuz, we still don't have a African croc, plus there's was best choice from a SA caiman (main choice is black caiman, but the Broad-snouted caiman is my persona favorite) so, because of the croc choice this pack couldn't be in a higher place, but it's not like this could matter. 2. Grassland animal pack - Maned wolf, i close my case.
talking seriously now, almost everything is perfect, maned wolf, armadillo, caracal, emu, wallaby and hyena are easily the best combination and 5 butterfly's was definitely one of my favorite things that happen in the game, plus Maned wolf is my most wanted animal since always, making this pack the only one i bought at day one, however there's two reasons why this isn't the best pack, being the first one the lack of the African porcupine, with this pack being the best opportunity for one, the second is the blue wildebeest instead of the blackbuck, changing both those things we would have a perfect pack, however this wouldn't mean this pack would be the first, it's a good pack but it's not as good as the best pack this game ever made, with the pack being: 1.North America animal pack - there isn't a better way to describe this pack other than: View attachment 352914
this pack make what no other pack manage to do: making all the animal choices perfect:
Moose, California sea lion, beaver and cougar we're in the top of the Wishlist on the epoch the pack come out
American alligator was considered by some the last "essential croc" mainly because by that epoch we had all the others group of crocs, with the alligator being considered the last one.
the prairie dog being our second rodent (the first was also in this pack) and the arctic fox being considered essential and missing since arctic pack.
the animal choice make this pack a perfect pack in all standards, and this is why i put it as the best pack ever made.
so yeah this took a while. btw here is a rating about all the dlcs:
deluxe: 1.0 SEA: 2.5
arctic: 3.0
twilight: 3.5 conservation: 4.5
tropical: 5.0 Africa: 7.0
Aquatic: 7.2
Australia: 7.5 Europe: 8.2 South America: 9.0
wetland and grassland: 9.5
North America: 10
Alright, i think it's time to update this considering that 4 more dlcs dropped after i made this and i might have some spicy takes to make.
And just to make things clear i'm not gonna add anything new to most dlcs as my opinion haven't change much, but those who i change places or my overall rating i will point out why, while also adding the remaining dlcs (highlight in bold) so the new rank is:
18.deluxe
17.SEA - This pack gained some points in my book for fixing the tapir, with that said it's still sucks.
16.arctic
15.twilight - i actually bought the pack now, and now can say with property: it's indeed very boring.
14.tropical 13.Arid - i think i already left my opinion very clear about this pack, but just to say it again quickly: the first half (porcupine, dromedary, donkey and addax) is good, but the second half (minus the snake) is not only bad but also drag down the other half thanks to the lack of diversity both regional and taxonomic.
12.conservation - it hited me, the pieces are way better than i thought, not enough to make this pack climb a lot of positions, but still.
11.Africa 10.Eurasia - i don't have a strong opinion about Eurasia (nor have bought it yet) my view is that the swan is a masterpiece, while the takin and wolverine are really cool and the boar and wisent having they niches, being nice to have regardless, and the rest is kind of there. Definitelly a good, just nothing very special for me 9.Oceania - a really good pack honestly, Taz, Kiwi and little penguin make a fun line up while the pieces are fun to use in a certain way, the downs are very big however, with the bat being very boring, and... well, we don't talk about quokka...
8.Aquatic - started to use the faux rock, and yeah they are quite nice.
7.Australia
6.Europe 5.Barnyard - Me on my way to post a atomic tier take:
And no this isn't a joke, i indeed think that Barnyard is the fifth best pack, better than aquatic, africa and Australia, why? Because not only the pack finally allowed us to build proper farmyard areas, but also the animals and pieces are more than meet the eyes.
Being quick here the pieces are as usefull on backstage areas as the conservation pieces, and besides they add a lot of detail to those areas.
Meanwhile the animals add up the versatility of the pack:
Petting zoos or farm areas? Check
Overall filler? Check.
Implied as producing animals for eggs and meat? Check.
Random non-zoo build? Check, and i could go on.
In the end, versality and niches are great things that i like, and the Barnyard pack checks all the boxes for me.
4.South America
3.Wetlands
2.Grasslands
1.North America
So yeah, here's potentially the hottest ranking of pz dlcs, and left here now my overall ratings(changes highlight in bold)
For the sake of readability, I also decided to sort these packs into a tier ranking. Red: D Tier Orange: C Tier Yellow: B Tier Green: A Tier Blue: S Tier
18: Deluxe Upgrade Pack
17: Barnyard Animal Pack
16: Arctic Pack
15: Twilight Pack
14: Europe Pack
13: Africa Pack
12: Australia Pack
11: Arid Animal Pack
10: Southeast Asia Animal Pack
9: Conservation Pack
8: Oceania Pack
7: Tropical Pack
6: Eurasia Animal Pack
5: South America Pack
4: Aquatic Pack
3: Grasslands Animal Pack
2: Wetlands Animal Pack
1: North America Animal Pack
Having thought more about the zookeeper pack, I don't hate it even though it was not at all what I was expecting a final dlc would be. The smaller than thought roster limiting itself to 7 animals is a shame but makes comparing it to other dlc packs much easier as there isn't an abundance of extra animals to make it more appealing than others. The dlc on it's own is fairly good with a very useful roster especially for those needing more african and asian animals.
So the rankings:
19. Deluxe - Too expensive for what it offers, the animals are good but no value for money 18. Barnyard - I hate myself for it having loved the idea of the pack intially but I have got little use of the pack since it's release. 17. Arctic - Great for the polar bear but mediorce for everything else 16. Twilight - Odd zoo theming and alright small nocturnal mammals but not used much 15. Arid - Too much ungulates and focus on africa, porcupine and camel are great additions 14. Southeast Asia - Lots of unique animals but some odd choices. Issues with animals like the clouded leopard make them unusable 13. Oceania - Nice scenery set and animal models, but I can't find much use with the animals as they are rather niche for north american zoos 12. Europe - Good selection of animals and scenery but really only useful for european themed zoos 11. Africa - Includes animals that were missing from the base game but the animals and scenery don't match making pairing them together a difficult task 10. Eurasia - Some of the best animal models ingame but covering such a huge area leaves some obvious gaps for a great eurasian collection 9. Australia - Good scenery for realistic zoos and a much needed selection of australian animals 8. South America - Not that I would of thought this but the only south american monkey and a various other animals help bring south american diversity 7. Zookeeper - Great selection of animals that can be used in a lot of realistic zoos, just a shame no south american primate 6. Aquatic - Nice selection of aquatic animals like the king penguin and very useful faux rocks and stained wood scenery pieces 5. Tropical - Great selection of highly detailed animals and scenery pieces, the lar gibbon is among one of the best arboreal animals ingame 4. Conservation - Another great set of animals and scenery pieces, the scenery set in this pack is easily the best ingame for realistic props 3. Wetlands - A fantastic set of wetland themed animals, the asian small clawed otter and capybara are favourites 2. Grassland - Fills the gaps of the australia pack and goes further with the maned wolf and lots of butterflies, one of the obvious standout animal packs 1. North America - The best representation of a continent ingame, no other dlc has managed to achieve this
oh it's time to do this again. 19 packs including deluxe.
Meh:
19. Barnyard
18. Deluxe (Previously the Komodo was the star, but I bet more people may be getting it now due to Moo Deng)
17. Zoo Keeper
16. Southeast Asia
15. Arid
14. Tropical
Decent:
13. Twilight
12. Aquatic
11. Conservation
10. Grasslands
9. South America
8. Arctic
7. Eurasia
Top Tier:
6. Wetlands - actually bumped this up over Eurasia after some retrospection. I mean, the weird picks are very meh but the good picks are golden. Enough to move it up a notch
5. Oceania
4. Europe
3. Africa
2. North America
1. Australia
Tropical: A surprisingly versatile scenery set with alot of cool pieces, the wall set especially is god tier. I was so happy to get leaves that arent so offensively orange, and they went into every single build since. The animal roster is pretty solid, but the exclusion of a monkey was a crime and ill die on that hill.
Europe: The animals we get here are really nice and the first real animals europe got at all which is crazy. But what puts this pack on the first place is the scenery, from the great wall set, to all the small building and decoration pieces, but my absolute favorites are the small faux pebbles and the decals. Also the fact that Frontier somehow managed to round up alot of different culutral styles of europe in a single pack is impressive. All that makes the Europe Pack the peak scenery set imo
Twilight: This is a pack i did a complete 180 on, i lowkey hated it at first but now its among my favorites. The raccoon, and to a lesser degree the skunk are quintessential zoo animals from NA for me and im really happy we got them here. The bats are ofc really cool and different to anything we had before.
After you put the halloween stuff in the garbage the pack has a very surprisingly versatile bunch of pieces. The wall set, wooden beams and stones are especially great.
Conservation: This one came is also pretty cool, i especially like the focus on backstage stuff, which we were desperately missing before. The overall bright and colorfull Recycle/Reneable theme of the pack is pretty cool and fits PZ like a glove. The wallset is nice to have but nothing super versatile imo. If this pack had a banger animal roster it would probably be number one. The oryx, horse and leopard are pretty cool, but nothing that would keep me up a night if i didnt had them. The siamang were definetly the highlight of the roster for me, but the inclusion of the much better (imo) lar gibbon made them a little redundant for me.
Africa: Probably one of my alltime favorite animal rosters, they are all bangers. An african rhino was desperately needed, the meerkat and a smaller, warm weather penguin are absolute zoo essentials and both are among my most used animals ever. The fox is the weakest of the habitat animals for me, but still great to have. The scenery is that amazing but there are some nice pieces here and there
Wetlands: Nice selection of animals, also a great diversity. Good pack to have.
Grasslands: My favorite of the animal packs. Emu and wallaby provide ur basic australia needs, the hyena and wildebeest are almost replacements for their not so great looking base game counterparts, the armadillo is something really different and the other 2 are also nice to have
Eurasia: Nice booster pack for this region. The swan is one of the best and most usefull additions they ever made and i enjoy most of the rest aswell.
North America: The NA pack has some of my favorites in the sea lion, beaver and prairie dog, but the rest i have rarely used if ever. Which makes it the animal pack that has the highest highs and the lowest lows for me personally.
Aquatic: This one is weird. It used to be my favorite but has sinced fallen from grace. Every animal now has a "replacement" that i like more (Sealion,African penguin, Spec, ASCO). The faux rocks are still top notch tho and the wall set is also pretty nice. Not much to say otherwise.
Barnyard: I love that we got a petting zoo pack and the pieces are really nice, but the animal/breed choices were pretty odd at times and its what holds this alot lower than where it could have been . If it had a dwarf goat and kunekune/pot belly instead and a duck and/or rabbit in there somewhere it could have easily been in the top 5, but the way it turned out its only a middle of the road pack.
Zookeeper: Taken for face value this a a decent pack, still cant compete with wetlands or grasslands for me.
Oceania: Nice selection of small critters, which i always enjoy. The devil, qoukka and kiwi are great, but the penguin and bat are pretty meh. There is a bunch of nice decor stuff in here, but the wall set is somthing that i cant really find a use for.
South America: The bambo is still pretty usefull, but otherwise this scenery isnt super amazing imo. The animals are nice and provide a good base for SA.
SEA: Neat animals, especially now that the tapir as been reworked and the leopard has been fixed, and they do a great job of fleshing out the region. But there isnt anything here that i deem absolutely necessary to have, the only exception is ironicly enough the proboscis monkey. But thats more due the otherwise 100% lack of another large bodied, tailed monkey than the actual species.
Australia: Was really cool at the time since Australia was so lacking but especially since Grasslands the pack lost alot relevancy for me. There are some nice pieces to be found here and there, but nothing that you cant find an alternative for.
Arid: For me personally this is a pack that could have easily been my favorite animal pack ever, but the amount of missed potential is huge. The porcupine is ofcourse amazing but its the only animal in this pack that i actively wanted.
Arctic: I mean yeah this one really isnt great imo. It lacks an exhibit animal and another of the remaining 4 is pretty much just a recolor. The sheep is neat but idk when im ever gonna use it over the ibex and the newly arrived takin. The polar bear and reindeer are the absolute minimum you need for a artic section, so thats nice i guess.
The scenery really suffers from the fact that a large portion of it is taken up by christmas stuff and the rest got outclassed by other wood pieces over the years.
Man poor Arctic Pack, im trying to find something that i enjoy about its but man, the DLCs really werent off to a great start with this one.
Deluxe Edition: Does this even count? Its 2€ more expensive than the rest, has just 3 animals (not even ones im really desperate for), no scenery and the music that came with it is now available for free if i remember correctly. All of that makes it undoubtedly and unarguably the last place. Idk why anyone would buy this unless its on sale for like 3€.
A bit of a revised and updated ranking. The ranking in the 5 categories will probably change a little depending on what day you ask me, but this is how i feel today.
Which pack is in which category is pretty set so (the color coding qouted below).
Also i wanna quickly mention that i think all packs are still worth getting eventually, even the ones i put into the meh category. They may be at the bottom of the PZ DLC tierlist, but that still makes them good in the greater picture.
Great pack - Adds a lot to the game, really good to have
Good pack - Nice to get if you like the animals/region
Meh pack - Wait to get on a sale
Bad pack - Not worth it
Grassland animal pack - Amazing animals, and helps round up the roster to 3 underrepresented areas in australia, south america, and the middle east, as well as giving us the infinitely useful butterflies. Best pack for hot climate lovers.
Wetlands animal pack - Gives the game several essential zoo animals, lots of diving animals, and gives a more common and useable alternatives to the otter and caiman from the aquatic pack. Also the capybara alone is a must, and all animals in the pack are well made.
Arid animal pack - I may be showing regional bias, but this pack is amazing to me. Some of the best models in the game, and a must have for any desert zoo.
Conservation pack- The scenery makes this pack, and makes realistic zoo building much easier by a mile. The animals are great as well, rounding out asia in general and north africa.
Africa pack- Great animals, really great scenery, really came to like it over time. Especially as the grassland and conservation packs introduced north african species that go well with the scenery. Combined with the Arid animal pack this is an A tier pack. Also introduces the best penguin.
Tropical pack - Great animals, great scenery, and helps round up south east asia, madagascar and tropical africa. Can't help hut be dissapointed by the lack of south american animals however. Works great as a combo with the SEA animal pack
Europe pack- I love the animals personally, and the scenery is amazing. Really came around to it over time, and use it's animals a lot. Goes very well with the Eurasia animal pack.
Zookeeper animal pack- Adds some animals which are very useful for recreating real zoos, a really nice pack overall.
Oceania pack- I like the animals, and the scenery is great. Good for rounding up Oceania as a region, but not a must have. I love the flying fox.
South East Asia animal pack- Has risen massively since the broken models were updated. It makes for a great addition to the game. Really fleshes out its region, and makes for a great combo together with the Tropical pack.
Eurasia animal pack- For some animals in this pack are must haves, like the swan, for others I care less. Overall a very well rounded pack that goes very well with the Europe pack.
North America animal pack - Added many great animals, including diving animals, the first rodents in the game, and animals from diverse biomes. The pack also helped cover Europe and northern Asia along the way. I personally have less connection to the animals, so I don't prioritize it.
Twilight pack - The halloween pack, with gothic scenery and great models. Focus on north america and temperate areas. Everything in the pack is well made, but as a person that never celebrated halloween and doesn't care much for the species, I can't rank this very high. The bat is an amazing addition however.
Barnyard animal pack- Very very useful for any realistic zoo, but also quite basic. I like it, but wouldn't make it my first priority.
Aquatic pack- Used to be my #1 pack, but aged a bit badly due to more practical alternatives to all it's animals being introruced in later packs. The scenery still holds up and the faux rocks are very useful, so I think it is still a good pack.
South America pack- Used to be afavorite, I think the models in this pack aged badly as more south american animals were introduced. I still love the pack and scenery, but it is no longer a priority.
Australia pack - A bit less versatile pack, but amazing animals, marsupials and the cassowary, and fills up the Oceania niche a bit. Also aged badly as better models were introduced, but I still love the pack.
Arctic pack - I really like the scenery, and after the Polar Bear was updated and more polar animals were added in the aquatic pack, this pack became a lot more useable to me, but still not in my priorities.
Deluxe pack - This one is complicated. A lot of its appeal was in beta access, which is obsolete now, but its price has not gone down after the beta ended. I absolutely love the animals, and I think the Komodo Dragon is a must have, but it's really not worth its price for the content you get. HOWEVER, if you buy it bundled with the base game in a sale, I think it's worth it.
16. Aquatic The update was needed, but none of the animals are my top faves. Favorite: Harbor seal
15. South America Just barely scratched the surface of a great continent... Favorite: Llama
14. Tropical The sloth was groundbreaking and quality was good just not any I wanted badly Favorite: Fossa
13. Australia This is getting into awesome territory already! All animals are welcome and cassowary is an unique addition Favorite: Red Kangaroo
12. Arctic Pretty good selection of polar animals. Three of them were needed to me and the surprise addition is my favorite: Dall Sheep
11. Africa All good animals just not top tier. Favorite: Fennec fox
10. Wetlands Nice niche species I just don't remember wanting any but they are all good additions. Favorite: Red-crowned Crane
9. Conservation Probably a good pack based on what animals occur in zoos/added diversity. Amur leopard was awesome to add but my favorite: Przewalski's Wild Horse
8. Europe Good niche species for Europe. Could of used wild boar maybe but my favorite: European Badger
7. Arid Love the quality can't wait to play it. Favorite: Sand Cat!!!!!
6. Oceania: See Above
5. Eurasia: Adds waterfowl and a good species of waterfowl, and most animals are very useful! Favorite: Sloth Bear
4. Twilight: The only thing wrong with this is the scenery... but due to fox colormorphs it deserves more credit... Favorite: Red Fox
3. Southeast Asia Same reasons as Europe but its an animal pack so much higher. Favorite: Dhole
2. North America One of the top love every animal. Favorite: Arctic Fox <3
1. Grasslands Best lineup of all time (even down to the butterflies) for my selfish wants haha. Favorite: Maned Wolf (or Striped Hyena)
Deluxe Edition: I love the Pygmy Hippo and Komodo Dragon but 10$ for 3 animals and no scenery It is not worth it
Favorite: Komodo Dragon
Arctic Pack: the Scenery is OK but the animals are quite outdated and I don't use them often
Favorite: Polar Bear
South America Pack: good animal choices and scenery but outdated models and their are just better DLCs
Favorite: Anteater
Europe Pack: not bad at all just not that useful to me.
Favorite: Eurasian Lynx
Australia Pack: the Cassowary is the highlight of this pack and the reason it's above the other two, if the Koala looked better and actually acted like a Koala I would rate it higher
Favorite: Dingo, I’m just kidding, Cassowary
Aquatic Pack: would be lower if it was not for the Fuax Rocks, I also like the Otter
Favorite: Giant Otter
Arid Animal Pack: too many ungulates but a bit overhated
Favorite: Porcupine
Oceania Pack: similarly to Europe it's not bad just not that useful to me, I still like it though
Favorite: Kiwi
Southeast Asia Animal Pack: another overhated Pack, the Tapir, Sun Bear, Barbirusa, etc are great, if only we had a actually commonly kept monkey in this pack
Favorite: Mayalan Tapir
Africa Pack: the animals in this pack are great, sadly no hyrax , great pack though
Favorite: Meerkat or African Penguin
Twilight Pack: a mix of great scenery but also some pretty useless Halloween scenery, the animals are also good, especially the bat
Favorite: Bat
Zookeeper Animal Pack: I want to rate it higher, especially because I like the animals here, including the Baboon, Tortoise, and Sifaka, but with only one SA animal and no birds I can't comfortably rank it higher, maybe if they added a Spider Monkey or Howler Monkey over the Sifaka
Favorite: Baboon or Tortoise
Wetlands Animal Pack: Love the animals in this pack, especially the Capy and Crane
Favorite: Capybara
Eurasia Animal Pack: a great roster of animals, would be higher if we got a Muntjac or Black Buck over the Siaga
Favorite: Swan or Sloth Bear
Barnyard Animal Pack: one of the most useful and game-changeing packs off all time, if only the breed choices were not so weird.
Favorite: Chicken or Sheep
Grassland Animal Pack: a diverse and fantastic roster of animals, plus butterflies
Favorite: Emu or Butterflies
Tropical Pack: both this and Conversation are tied in terms of this ranking, the animals in this pack are great and the scenery is quite useful
Favorite: Red River Hog
Conversation Pack: the animals here are great and incredibly useful and the scenery is some of the best, including the 3d printed walls.
Favorite: Siamang or Scimitar Hormed Oryx
North America Animal Pack: easily the best Pack for people that live in the US like myself, not a single animal here is not a Favorite of mine, even the exhibit animal, I wish we could have gotten a bird but this is still peak
Favorite: Alligator, Sea Lion, and Prairie Dog
, great pack though