ARK: Survival Evolved
ARK: Survival Evolved
25 ArticlesHow to Disable BattlEye Anti-Cheat on Your ARK Server
For some specific setups of ARK servers, it may be required to disable the built-in BattlEye Anti-Cheat. This guide shows you how to do so by disabling it using your server's properties file. 1. Stop your server. This is required before making any changes to server configuration files. 2. Navigate to the Config section, click on ARK Server Settings, and set BattlEye as desired. 3. Save and start your server again. Your server's anti-cheat should now be enabled/disabled!
How to Configure your ARK Server Settings
All Shockbyte's ARK servers are fully customizable. You can configure your server's properties, GameUserSettings.ini and Game.ini with ease through the Shockbyte Control Panel. This allows you to change map, stat multipliers, server name and way more. --- Important Notes Here are a few tips and important notes we always suggest when changing ARK configuration, as it can be very tedious and even minor mistakes can cause issues with your server. Before making changes to config files, always Stop your server. If you are not sure if a specific option goes into GameUserSettings.ini or Game.ini, use the Ark Wiki, search (CTRL+ F) for the option and then find the subheading it is under to determine which file requires it. If there is an option you wish to change but you do not see it in the correct file, then you simply need to manually add it, as it is not there by default. If your GameUserSettings.ini is resetting on restart, then you can check out our Knowledgebase article to troubleshoot this. If your Game.ini is resetting on restart, then you have not added at the top of the file. When selecting values for settings, it's important to know if making the default higher or lower increases/decreases the duration of the set option. Example: means that there is twice as much XP gain. However, setting does not speed up the interval but actually increases its duration. Setting would decrease the interval duration (meaning they would mate more frequently). --- Config File Locations You can find GameUserSettings.ini and Game.ini with the following steps: 1. Access your Control Panel. 2. Navigate to Files. 3. Navigate to the path and select the file you wish to edit. ARK.properties and some settings of GameUserSettings.ini can also be found under the Config section: ::ProseNote{title="Note" description="Not all settings of GameUserSettings.ini can be changed using this method. Please use the method above if you wish to edit a setting that is unavailable like this." appearance="default"} :: 1. Access your Control Panel. 2. Navigate to Config. 3. Select the file you wish to edit. --- ARK.properties ARK.properties provides basic server administration that is necessary for all server owners. The table below provides descriptions for each of the settings available to help develop your understanding. | Setting | Accepted Values | Description | | ----- | ----- | ----- | | Server name | Any | The display name for your server on the in-game server list. | | Server Map | Any ARK map available | Selects the active map on your server. | | Automatic Updates | Enabled/Disabled | Controls if the game automatically updates alongside Steam. | | BattleEye Anti-cheat | Enabled/Disabled | Controls if anti-cheat is active on your server. | | Active Event | Any ARK event (Easter, Extinction Chronicles, etc.) | Selects an event to be active on your server. | | Server Admin Password | Any | Sets an admin password for your server. | | Server Password | Any | Sets a password for your server. Please know that Epic Games users can not join a server with a password. | | CrossPlay | Enabled/Disabled | Controls if Crossplay between Steam and Epic Games is active. | | Use Vivox | Enabled/Disabled | Controls if Unity Vivox is used for VoIP. | | level-name | Any | Sets a name to the world you are using. | GameUserSettings.ini This file contains the configurations for many settings on your ARK server. When inspecting GameUserSettings.ini, you can find and input all of these settings under the \[ServerSettings\] label. By default, it includes settings like Third Person, Cave Building, and more. However, just because you may not see settings there by default, this does not mean you can't add additional options. You can find the full list of GameUserSettings.ini options at the ARK Wiki. When entering additional settings to this file, please ensure you enter them below the heading \[ServerSettings\] and in the following format: Example: Sets XP gain to 2x the default value GameUserSettings Generator A really helpful tool can be found on ArkForum, which created a great GameUserSettings.ini Generator, which allows you to select the server settings you wish and create a pre-configured file that you can copy and paste. To use the Generator, you can follow these steps: 1. Set all your desired options. 2. Click create file. 3. Rather than hitting download, copy all of the text between the subheadings \[ServerSettings\] and \[/script/engine.gamesession\]. Do not copy the \[ServerSettings\] or \[/script/engine.gamesession\] lines as they will duplicate in your config file, causing it to break. 4. Access your Control Panel and Stop your server. 5. Navigate to Config. 6. Open GameUserSettings.ini. 7. Replace all of the settings under \[ServerSettings\] by pasting the text from step 3. 8. Save and Start your server. --- Game.ini This file is used for more advanced modifications, like per-level stat upgrades, disabling content and more. By default, this file will be empty for all users. When entering settings to Game.ini, you must enter at the top of the file so that options entered are applied and to avoid the file resetting on restart. When entering options, please ensure you enter them below the heading \[/script/shootergame.shootergamemode\] and in the following format: Example: sets Mating Interval to 2x longer than the default value. You can find the full list of Game.ini settings on the ARK Wiki. Additional Knowledgebase Articles We have created additional Knowledgebase articles to cover the most common configurations that ARK server owners make. How to Configure Per Level & Base Level Stats on your ARK Server How to Configure Breeding, Taming and Hatching Multipliers on your ARK Server How to Add Mods to your ARK Server
How to Configure Per Level & Base Level Stats on your ARK Server
It is possible to configure the base-level stats for players and the per-level stats for players and dinosaurs. Each of these can be configured in Game.ini. Each stat has an Attribute ID and Default Value, which are essential for configuring your options. You can find these in the tables below. --- Player Stats | Attribute | Attribute ID | Default Value | | ----- | ----- | ----- | | Health | 0 | 1.0 | | Stamina | 1 | 1.0 | | Torpidity | 2 | 1.0 | | Oxygen | 3 | 1.0 | | Food | 4 | 1.0 | | Water | 5 | 1.0 | | Temperature | 6 | 0.0 (Unused stat) | | Weight | 7 | 1.0 | | MeleeDamageMultiplier | 8 | 0.0 (Base Stat cannot be increased) | | SpeedMultiplier | 9 | 0.0 (Base Stat cannot be increased) | | TemperatureFortitude | 10 | 0.0 (Base Stat cannot be increased) | | CraftingSpeedMultiplier | 11 | 0.0 (Base Stat cannot be increased) | Dinosaur Default Stats | Attribute | Attribute ID | Wild | Tamed | Tamed\Add | Tamed\Affinity | | ----- | ----- | ----- | ----- | ----- | ----- | | Health | 0 | 1.0 | 0.2 | 0.14 | 0.44 | | Stamina | 1 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | | Torpidity | 2 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | | Oxygen | 3 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | | Food | 4 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | | Weight | 7 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | | Damage | 8 | 1.0 | 0.17 | 0.14 | 0.44 | | Speed | 9 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | Configuring Base Level Stats ::ProseNote{title="Important" description="If a survivor has already been created, then their base-level stats can not be changed." appearance="default"} :: You can configure base-level stats of players by heading to Game.ini and using the option . 1. Access your Control Panel and Stop your server. 2. Navigate to Files. 3. Go to and edit Game.ini. 4. If your Game.ini is empty, enter at the top line of the file. 5. You can now enter your custom base stats into this file in the following format: Example: multiplies the health base stat by 2. 6. Once your changes have been made, you can Save and Start your server. --- Configuring Per-Level Stats You can configure both player and dinosaur per-level stats with Game.ini. The following options are used for editing per-level stats; As you can see from PerLevelStatsMultipler\DinoTamed it requires a type. | Type | Option | Description | | ----- | ----- | ----- | | No Type Given | | Multiplier applied for each tamed level-up point. | | | | Multiplier immediately added for tamed dinosaur. | | | | Multiplier applied dependant on affinity. | 1. Access your Control Panel and Stop your server. 2. Navigate to Files. 3. Go to and edit Game.ini. 4. If your Game.ini is empty, enter at the top line of the file. 5. You can now enter your custom per-level stats with the options previously mentioned above. Example: Multiplies health by 2 of tamed dinosaurs immediately. 6. Once your changes have been made, you can Save and Start your server. To learn more about ARK server hosting, you can check out our library of Knowledgebase articles found here.
How to Configure Breeding, Taming and Hatching Multipliers on your ARK Server
Breeding is a major feature of dinosaurs in ARK. It is possible to configure many options related to breeding in both the Game.ini and GameUserSettings.ini files. Below is a table that provides each option relating to breeding, taming and hatching. Alongside its default values, description and the file that the option can be found in. | Option | Default Value | File | Description and Effect | | ----- | ----- | ----- | ----- | | | 1.0 | Game.ini | A higher value increases the time between which dinosaurs can mate (Value = 0.5 would halve the interval) | | | 1.0 | Game.ini | A higher value increases the speed at which dinosaurs mate. | | | 1.0 | Game.ini | A higher value decreases the time required for an egg to hatch. | | | 1.0 | Game.ini | A higher value decreases the time needed for a dino to mature. | | | 1.0 | Game.ini | A lower value decreases the speed at which a baby dino eats its food. | | | 1.0 | GameUserSettings.ini | A higher value makes the dinosaurs tame faster. | ::ProseNote{title="Important" description="You will not find these options in the files by default; you have to manually add them. Click here to learn more about ARK server configuration." appearance="default"} :: Locating your Server's Config Files Both the Game.ini and GamerUserSettings.ini files can be found using the Files section of your server's control panel. 1. Access your Control Panel and Stop your server. 2. Click on Files and navigate to the path of the file you wish to edit: Game.ini: GameUserSettings.ini: 3. Make your changes, Save and Start your server. To learn more about ARK server hosting, you can check out our library of Knowledgebase articles found here.
How to Change the Difficulty Level on Your Ark Server
The Difficulty Level of your ARK server affects the levels of creatures in the world, as well as the quality of loot drops. By default, the max level of all the dinos you can find is 30. If you want higher-level dinos and better loot, you can increase the difficulty of the server. --- Increasing Difficulty in the GameUserSettings.ini Config File The difficulty level settings are found in the GameUserSettings.ini config file. The difficulty value is determined by the formula: 1. Login to your Control Panel and from your server's page, navigate to Config. 2. Go to and click on the folder icon next to the search bar. 3. Once you are editing the GameUserSettings.ini file directly, you can add any additional options from the full list of settings. In the GameUserSettings.ini text file, all settings changed must be placed under the section. If the settings you wish to change aren't already in the file, create a new line for any settings you wish to add from the full list of settings in the format of . To change the server difficulty, you will need to add or modify the following settings: If you're not sure which values to use - don't worry! Each option is explained below in the next sections of this article. 4. Once you have saved the file, restart your server for the changes to take effect. --- Set to DifficultyOffset is a multiplier applied to the official difficulty. Because of this, it is recommended to set the DifficultyOffset to 1.0 because it makes it easier to calculate the difficulty value you wish to use (the default value is 0.2, which makes it harder to calculate). --- Set with the Formula The OverrideOfficialDifficulty value can be between 1.0 and 10.0. This value should be set to your maximum desired level, divided by 30. For example, if you want your max level to be 300, then set this value to 10 (300 / 30 = 10). You can find some examples in the table below. | DifficultyOffset | OverrideOfficialDifficulty | Max Level | | ----- | ----- | ----- | | 1.0 | 1.0 | 30 | | 1.0 | 5.0 | 150 | | 1.0 | 10.0 | 300 | Clearing Wild Dinos Once you have updated the difficulty and have restarted your server, you will most likely want to clear the existing wild dinos. You can do this with the DestroyWildDinos command. The steps for this are: 1. If you haven't already, set up a server admin password for your ARK server. Once you have done this, you can press the tab to run commands. 2. Run the command to gain access to admin commands on the server. 3. Run the command to destroy the wild dinos. This will remove all wild, untamed dinos from the server and begin respawning them at the new difficulty level. Respawning the dinos can be very resource-intensive, so if you experience any lag or high resource usage during this time, just wait a few minutes, and everything will return to normal once the process is complete.
How to Change Your ARK Server Map
ARK: Survival Evolved offers several playable ARKs which consist of many unique environments, resources and creatures to experience on your server. All ARK maps are supported at Shockbyte, including all Expansion Packs, DLCs and Custom Maps. --- Changing Server Map To change the server map, you must select the Server Map you wish to switch to through the control panel. 1. Access your Control Panel and Stop your server. 2. Navigate to Config. 3. Click on . Enter the map ID of the map you wish to switch to from the table below. For example, if we are playing the map , we would enter the following: . | Map | Map ID | | --- | --- | | The Island | | | The Center (DLC) | | | Scorched Earth (Expansion Pack) | | | Ragnarok (DLC) | | | Aberration (Expansion Pack) | | | Extinction (Expansion Pack) | | | Valguero (DLC) | | | Genesis: Part 1 (DLC) | | | Crystal Isles (DLC) | | | Genesis: Part 2 (DLC) | | | Lost Island (DLC) | | | Fjordur (DLC) | | 4. Save and Start your server. To learn more about ARK: Survival Evolved server hosting, you can browse our library of Knowledgebase articles here.
How to Add Mods to Your ARK Server
All mods from the Steam Workshop are supported by Shockbyte's ARK server hosting. If you wish to add mods to your ARK server - this is the guide for you! ARK mods can add new creatures & enemies, custom structures, custom features and more. ::ProseNote{title="Note" description="Before adding mods, we recommend that you backup your server." appearance="default"} :: Finding Steam Workshop Mods Find the Mod IDs of each mod you wish to install on the Steam Workshop. 1. Browse the Steam Workshop and find a mod you would like to use. You can find the Steam Workshop for ARK at: https://steamcommunity.com/app/346110/workshop/ 2. Once you have found the mod you wish to install, you can find the Mod ID in the URL of the web page for the mod. 3. Copy the numbers as the end of the URL - this is the Mod ID that you will need to paste into your server config. Example URL: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1785800853 In the example above, the Mod ID would be . Not sure what mods to add? Have a look at our article listing the Best ARK Mods. --- Adding Steam Workshop Mods To Your Ark Server You can install ARK mods to your server by adding the Steam Workshop Mod IDs to your server's ark.properties file. 1. Access your Control Panel and Stop your server. 2. Navigate to Config. 3. Click on . Enter the Workshop ID of your desired mods in the Active Mods field. If installing multiple mods, separate each ID with a . For example, if we are installing the mod from the previous section, as well as a mod with the ID , we would enter the following: ::ProseNote{title="Warning" description="Make sure not to add any spaces between the mod IDs and the commas to avoid potential issues." appearance="danger"} :: 4. Save and Start your server.