The Tool Desk
Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Outbyte PC Repair FREERepair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →“Expert” is not a documented ARK server preset. It is best understood as a request for the settings that sit beyond the basic multiplier sliders. In practice, those options are edited in GameUserSettings.ini, Game.ini, or the server launch command, and the correct file, section, and ARK edition determine whether a change works.
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This guide separates ARK: Survival Ascended (ASA, Steam app 2399830) from ARK: Survival Evolved (ASE, Steam app 346110), gives ready-to-adapt configuration examples, and explains why difficulty changes can appear to do nothing.
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What “expert server settings” means in ARK
ARK does not expose an official setting named “Expert.” The term is commonly used for advanced administration: changing progression rates, survival drains, access controls, cryopod rules, breeding and imprinting behavior, per-level stat gains, engrams, loot, and difficulty rules.
The first decision is your edition. ASA and ASE use similar-looking INI files, but a key documented by an ASE hosting guide is not automatically valid for an ASA server. The difficulty-override instructions in particular come from ASE hosting material. Treat them as an ASE procedure unless your current ASA server build and host explicitly support the same keys.
| Question | ARK: Survival Ascended (ASA) | ARK: Survival Evolved (ASE) |
|---|---|---|
| Steam app referenced by the guides | 2399830 | 346110 |
| Primary basic-settings file | GameUserSettings.ini |
GameUserSettings.ini |
| Deeper gameplay file | Game.ini |
Game.ini |
| Difficulty override material in this guide | Not established; do not assume the ASE instructions apply | Covered by hosting guides, with ranges that still need verification against the current build |
| Maximum player-count method noted by a hosting guide | -WinLiveMaxPlayers launch parameter |
Not stated in the supplied material |
Where ARK stores advanced settings
Hosting guides place Windows server configuration in ShooterGame/Saved/Config/WindowsServer/ and Linux server configuration in ShooterGame/Saved/Config/LinuxServer/. The files you normally edit are:
GameUserSettings.inifor general server options and most rate multipliers.Game.inifor deeper gameplay rules such as breeding, imprinting, per-level stat gains, engrams, and loot.
A file may not exist until the server has been started once or you create the file yourself. Stop the server before editing, make a backup, and preserve the exact section header. Most options described below belong under [ServerSettings]; deeper rules commonly belong under [/Script/ShooterGame.ShooterGameMode].
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- Stop the ARK server cleanly from the host panel or service manager.
- Copy both INI files to a dated backup location. Include the launch-command configuration if your host stores it separately.
- Open the file for the edition and operating system you actually run.
- Find the required section header. If it is missing, add the header once; do not create multiple copies of the same section.
- Add one setting, save, start the server, and test. Changing one value at a time makes a bad key or overwrite easy to identify.
- After confirming the result, document the value and its purpose so a later host-panel sync does not erase it unnoticed.
Core advanced options in GameUserSettings.ini
The following settings are the common “expert” controls reported under [ServerSettings]. A multiplier of 1.0 is generally the unmodified baseline for the rate controls; values above or below it change the pace. The exact behavior can vary by game mode and server build, so test on a backup or private server first.
Experience, taming, and harvesting rates
[ServerSettings]
XPMultiplier=2.0
TamingSpeedMultiplier=3.0
HarvestAmountMultiplier=2.0XPMultiplierchanges experience gained. It affects how quickly players and, where applicable, tamed creatures progress.TamingSpeedMultiplierchanges the speed of taming. It does not by itself change food consumption, effectiveness, or breeding timers.HarvestAmountMultiplierchanges the quantity obtained from a successful harvest action. It is separate from tool quality and resource respawn behavior.
These are rates, not universal difficulty controls. Raising them creates a faster progression server but does not automatically increase wild-dinosaur levels, structure limits, or player statistics gained per level.
Slowing hunger and thirst
[ServerSettings]
PlayerCharacterFoodDrainMultiplier=0.5
PlayerCharacterWaterDrainMultiplier=0.5Lower values slow the rate at which a player’s food or water decreases; higher values make those meters drain faster. Apply the two settings independently if you want, for example, normal thirst but a slower food drain. They affect player survival pacing and should not be confused with dino food consumption or taming speed.
Server and administrator passwords
[ServerSettings]
ServerPassword=ChooseAPlayerPassword
ServerAdminPassword=UseASeparatePrivateAdminPasswordServerPassword controls entry to a password-protected server. ServerAdminPassword authenticates in-game administrator commands. Use different, long secrets; never publish the administrator value in a community post, screenshot, stream overlay, or support ticket. If you suspect disclosure, stop the server, change the value, and restart it.
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1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsCryopod enemy checks
[ServerSettings]
DisableCryopodEnemyCheck=TrueSetting DisableCryopodEnemyCheck=True tells the server to ignore the enemy player, enemy structure, and enemy creature checks associated with cryopod use. Related cryopod keys govern where cryofridges can be placed and when creatures may be released. Because this changes raid and defense behavior, publish the rule to your players before enabling it and verify the result in the actual maps and modes you operate.
Maximum player count on ASA
One hosting guide reports that ASA’s maximum player count is set with the launch parameter -WinLiveMaxPlayers, rather than an INI value. The parameter belongs in the server’s startup or launch-options field, not as a line in GameUserSettings.ini. For example, a host that expects command-line arguments would use a form such as:
-WinLiveMaxPlayers=20The exact launch-field syntax is host-dependent. If the panel has a dedicated “maximum players” control, use the panel’s documented field and confirm the generated command instead of adding a second, conflicting value.
Game.ini: rules that go beyond simple rates
Game.ini is used for deeper gameplay changes and commonly places rules under:
[/Script/ShooterGame.ShooterGameMode]Hosting guides group breeding, imprinting, per-level stat gains, engrams, and loot rules here. These are rule changes rather than one global speed slider: a breeding setting can affect maturation or mating intervals, an imprinting rule can alter care timing or quality, and per-level entries can change how many points a player or creature receives in a statistic. Engram and loot rules can change what is available and how rewards are generated.
Because the supplied hosting material does not provide a complete, verified key list for each of those systems, do not paste an arbitrary “expert settings” block from an unrelated edition or map. Start from the key name supplied by your host or the current server documentation, place it under the correct section, and test it in isolation. A syntactically valid line can still be ignored if the key is unsupported by your build.
Per-source experience keys: treat as unverified
One hosting guide lists separate experience keys for sources such as kills, harvesting, and crafting under Game.ini rather than GameUserSettings.ini. This is a single-source claim, so verify both the key names and the file location for your exact edition before relying on them. If a source-specific value has no effect, remove it, confirm the server’s generated configuration path, and test the broad XPMultiplier first.
Difficulty override in ARK: Survival Evolved
The commonly quoted difficulty procedure belongs to ASE hosting guides. It is not established here as an ASA procedure. On ASE, the guides place both values under [ServerSettings] in GameUserSettings.ini, commonly at ShooterGame/Saved/Config/LinuxServer/ on Linux hosts and the corresponding WindowsServer directory on Windows.
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[ServerSettings]
DifficultyOffset=1.0
OverrideOfficialDifficulty=2.0What the two keys do
DifficultyOffsetis the base difficulty offset.OverrideOfficialDifficultyis the explicit official-difficulty value used by the server.
Hosting guides report a DifficultyOffset range of 0.2 to 1.0 and an OverrideOfficialDifficulty range of 1.0 to 10.0. Those ranges are not confirmed here against current official documentation or every server build. The guides generally leave the offset at 1.0 and vary the override value.
Estimating a target maximum wild-dinosaur level
One guide reports a maximum wild-dinosaur level of 30 at an override of 1.0 and 60 at 2.0, then suggests dividing a desired maximum level by 30 to choose the override. Under that rule, a target of 150 would imply OverrideOfficialDifficulty=5.0. This is a guide-derived rule of thumb, not a guarantee for every map, difficulty setting, or server version.
| Target maximum level | Guide-derived override estimate | Qualification |
|---|---|---|
| 30 | 1.0 | Reported example from an ASE hosting guide |
| 60 | 2.0 | Reported example from an ASE hosting guide |
| 150 | 5.0 | 30-level division rule; verify in your build |
| 300 | 10.0 | At the reported upper end; verify map and server limits |
Why offset advice conflicts
The material contains a conflict: one source describes The Island’s default offset as approximately 0.2, while most guides use 1.0 as the working baseline. Because the exact default is not established, do not assume that changing both values together will produce a predictable result. Change one value at a time, record the observed wild levels, and keep a known-good backup.
Applying the change to existing creatures
Changing the difficulty does not retroactively rewrite every wild creature already spawned. Existing wild creatures retain their old level cap and are replaced gradually as they are killed or tamed. A 2018 community forum discussion suggested a wild-dinosaur wipe to accelerate replacement, but that is a destructive operational choice: it removes current wild spawns and can disrupt players’ plans. Back up the world, announce the action, and use the least destructive replacement process your host and server build support.
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Using ARK Server Manager
In ARK Server Manager, the difficulty control is reported under the Rules section, where Difficulty Override is enabled. One user reported that saving through the client reset DifficultyOffset to 1. After saving, inspect the actual INI file and confirm both values before launching the server; the graphical setting is not proof that the final file contains the intended numbers.
How to apply an advanced setting without losing it
- Identify the edition. Confirm whether the server is ASA or ASE in the host panel and installation directory. Do not use the ASE difficulty recipe as an ASA recipe without explicit support.
- Locate the generated configuration. Use
ShooterGame/Saved/Config/WindowsServer/for a Windows server orShooterGame/Saved/Config/LinuxServer/for a Linux server, unless your host documents a different mapped path. - Stop the service. Editing while the server is running risks having the process overwrite your changes during shutdown.
- Choose the file and section. Put common rates, drains, passwords, and cryopod options in
GameUserSettings.iniunder[ServerSettings]. Put deeper gameplay rules inGame.iniunder the game-mode section required by the key. - Make one change. Use the exact capitalization and equals-sign syntax shown by the host documentation. Avoid duplicate keys in multiple sections.
- Save a backup and restart. Keep the old file so you can restore a working state.
- Test the outcome. Check a controlled action: earn XP, tame a test creature, observe food drain, attempt the cryopod action, or inspect a newly spawned wild level.
- Check persistence. Stop the server again and reopen the file. If the line disappeared or changed, a control panel, manager, or shutdown routine overwrote it.
Troubleshooting settings that appear to do nothing
The line is in the wrong file
This is the most common failure. A rate placed in Game.ini, or a deep rule placed in GameUserSettings.ini, may be ignored without an obvious error. Move it to the file associated with the setting and restart from a fully stopped state.
The section header is wrong or duplicated
A key under the wrong header is effectively invisible to the game. Confirm that [ServerSettings] is spelled exactly and appears once in the relevant file. For deeper rules, use the documented [/Script/ShooterGame.ShooterGameMode] header and keep unrelated sections separate.
The host writes a different path
A 2023 community thread described a tame limit remaining at 100 after suggested keys were added; a reply advised checking the file path. The same diagnostic applies to any unchanged setting: edit the file the running instance actually loads, not a similarly named local copy or an unused template.
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The server overwrites your edit
Control panels and server managers may regenerate INI files when you click Save, change a rule, or shut down. Make the change through the panel if it supports the key, then inspect the generated file. If you edit manually, avoid reopening the panel until you have verified persistence and saved a backup.
Difficulty changed but wild levels did not
First confirm that you are working on ASE, that both difficulty keys are under [ServerSettings], and that the server restarted successfully. Then allow for existing wild creatures to be replaced. A level check performed only on creatures that spawned before the change cannot validate the new cap.
Several values were changed at once
Restore the backup and retest one setting at a time. Difficulty offset and override values interact, and multiple simultaneous changes make it impossible to identify which line is unsupported or malformed.
Operational checklist for a stable advanced configuration
- Record the edition, map, operating system, server build, and date beside every custom value.
- Keep player and administrator passwords separate, private, and replaceable.
- Tell players when rates, cryopod rules, or difficulty change; these settings alter the server’s social contract as well as its mechanics.
- Back up world data and INI files before a destructive wild-dinosaur replacement or broad rule change.
- Verify generated files after using a graphical manager or hosting panel.
- Use the smallest test that can prove the setting: one craft, one tame, one harvest, one survival meter, or one newly spawned wild creature.
- For undocumented or single-source keys, confirm support against the current server build before making them part of a live cluster standard.
What is and is not established about these settings
The file split, common rate keys, survival drains, password fields, cryopod check, and the ASA launch-parameter method are reported by hosting guides. The deeper Game.ini categories and per-source XP placement also come from hosting material, with the latter specifically requiring verification. The difficulty key names, reported ranges, level examples, gradual creature replacement, and manager behavior are drawn from ASE hosting and community reports rather than a confirmed official reference in the material available for this guide.
That distinction matters when you maintain a long-lived server. Treat an INI recipe as a starting point, confirm it on the exact edition and build you operate, and keep a tested rollback. A value that is valid on one ARK branch can be ignored on another even when the spelling looks familiar.
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