For an ARK: Survival Ascended server, choose the player-versus-player rule first: PvE disables damage between players, while PvP allows it. Then choose who operates the server. Official servers are browsable by map, mode, player count and mod use; a non-dedicated session is limited to eight players; a self-hosted or rented dedicated server gives you the most control over rates, difficulty, progression and mods.
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Start with the PvE or PvP decision
ARK: Survival Ascended server modes are built around two separate choices. The first is the combat rule applied to players. The second is the hosting model that determines who controls the machine, files and settings. Treating them as the same choice causes confusion: an official PvE server and a privately hosted PvE server use the same basic combat idea, but they offer very different control over rates and rules.
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PvE: cooperation without player damage
In PvE, players cannot damage one another. Tribes can concentrate on taming, building, exploration, boss preparation and trading without someone raiding a base or killing a survivor directly. PvE is usually the better fit for a family group, a cooperative community or a server where progress should remain available when members are offline.
- Player combat: player-versus-player damage is disabled.
- Base security: the central threat is the environment, not another player breaking in during an absence.
- Administration: you still need rules for tribe disputes, resource competition, taming locations and abandoned structures.
PvP: combat, raiding and territorial risk
In PvP, players can attack one another. Bases, tames and stored resources become strategic targets, and the server’s schedule, tribe rules and recovery expectations matter as much as its XP or harvest rates. PvP works best when every participant understands that an offline period can have consequences unless the server has a tested protection system.
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- Player combat: survivors can fight other survivors.
- Raiding: structures and creatures may be exposed to attacks, depending on the server’s other rules.
- Community management: publish tribe, alliance, wipe and dispute policies before players invest time.
Community guides commonly name settings such as ServerPVE, PreventOfflinePvP and PreventOfflinePvPInterval when describing PvE/PvP and offline-protection behavior. Those key names have not been confirmed against an official configuration reference, so do not promise that a particular key will work on your installation. Test any protection rule on a disposable server and verify the result with two accounts before advertising it as a feature.
Choose the hosting model after the combat rule
| Server model | What players see | Control and limits |
|---|---|---|
| Official server | A browsable list identifies the map, PvE or PvP mode, current player count and whether mods are used. | Rules and availability are controlled by the operator. You select a server from the list rather than maintaining its files. |
| Non-dedicated session | A host launches a game and invites other players into that session. | Maximum eight players. The host’s session and connection determine availability, so it is suited to a small group rather than a persistent public community. |
| Self-hosted or rented dedicated server | A persistent server appears in the browser according to its configured name, map and mode. | You control configuration files, rates, difficulty, progression and usually mod selection. The actual player capacity depends on the hardware, network and host plan; a universal maximum is not established here. |
Official listings are convenient when you want to join immediately, but they do not give you administrator access to rewrite rates or progression. A non-dedicated session avoids server rental, yet its eight-player ceiling and host-dependent uptime are significant constraints. A dedicated installation is the practical choice for a persistent community, scheduled events or custom breeding and loot rules.
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Hardcore and Creative are separate switches
Hardcore
Hardcore is a toggle rather than a fourth replacement for PvE or PvP. A hardcore server can still use either combat mode; the toggle changes what happens when a survivor dies. Before enabling it, explain the loss and recovery rules to every player, because a setting that removes or resets a character can be more disruptive than a wipe.
Creative mode
Creative mode is an administrative or testing tool. In single-player, enable it from the ESC menu. On a server, the same control requires administrator rights. Use it for construction tests, troubleshooting, event preparation or checking whether a configuration change works. Keep creative access limited on a survival community, and separate test characters from normal progression so spawned items do not undermine the economy.
Know which file controls which rule
ASA server rules are divided between two INI files. The names and section headers matter, and the file location varies by platform, hosting panel and installation method. Stop the server before editing, make a copy of both files, and use the panel’s configuration editor when it provides one.
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| File | Section | Typical controls documented for ASA |
|---|---|---|
GameUserSettings.ini |
[ServerSettings] |
Server password and name-related basics, XP, taming and harvesting rates, difficulty, and PvE display options. |
Game.ini |
[/Script/ShooterGame.ShooterGameMode] |
Breeding behavior, per-level stat gains, engrams and loot rules. |
A setting in the wrong file can appear to do nothing. A missing or malformed section can also be ignored. Keep one change per restart while you are learning the configuration, so you can identify which edit produced a result.
Change ARK server settings safely
- Record the current state. Note the map, mode, server version, active mods, player rates and difficulty. Copy
GameUserSettings.iniandGame.inibefore changing anything. - Stop the server completely. Editing while the process is running can be overwritten when it shuts down. Wait until the host panel reports that the process has stopped.
- Open the correct file. Use
GameUserSettings.inifor ordinary server settings and rates; useGame.inifor breeding, stat, engram and loot rules. - Confirm the section header. Put basic settings beneath
[ServerSettings]. Put game-mode rules beneath[/Script/ShooterGame.ShooterGameMode]. Do not duplicate a key in several sections while troubleshooting. - Change one value and save plain text. Preserve the spelling, capitalization, equals sign and decimal format. Avoid smart quotes or rich-text formatting.
- Start and verify. Join with an administrator account, inspect the in-game behavior and check the server log or panel for parse errors. Test rates with a small, reversible action before announcing the new rules.
- Roll back when necessary. Stop the server, restore the backup, start it again and confirm that the previous behavior has returned.
Rates and difficulty: do not treat them as the same thing
XP, taming and harvesting multipliers change how quickly players progress. Difficulty changes the wild-creature level range and therefore affects the danger and quality of encounters. A server can have fast taming with difficult wild creatures, or slow progression with lower creature levels; choose the combination deliberately instead of raising every multiplier.
Official-level wild creatures
Set OverrideOfficialDifficulty=5.0 to produce a maximum wild creature level of 150 under the documented formula: 5.0 multiplied by the base interval of 30. This matches the maximum wild level used by official servers. The value controls the wild-level ceiling; it does not by itself make taming, breeding or harvesting faster.
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Breeding, stats, engrams and loot
Put deeper progression changes in Game.ini, under the ShooterGameMode section. Breeding intervals, maturation, per-level stat gains, engram availability and loot behavior belong in this category. Because these edits can affect existing creatures and the server economy, publish the intended values and test them with a new character or disposable tame.
The September 30, 2026 setting: AllowVariantDinoPacks
An update dated September 30, 2026 added AllowVariantDinoPacks under [ServerSettings]. Its default is false. If your server build includes the update, the key belongs in GameUserSettings.ini with the other server settings. Do not assume that adding it to Game.ini, changing the capitalization or leaving an old server binary in place will enable it. After changing the value, restart and verify that the expected variant behavior appears in a controlled area.
Practical mode choices for different groups
Small private group
Use a non-dedicated session when no more than eight people need to play and the host can remain available. Select PvE if the goal is cooperative building and exploration. Select PvP only after agreeing on raid etiquette and what happens when the host is offline.
Persistent cooperative community
Use a dedicated server with PvE, then tune XP, taming and harvesting in GameUserSettings.ini. Keep progression changes in Game.ini, document every non-default rule and restrict creative access to administrators.
Competitive tribe server
Use a dedicated PvP server with a written wipe schedule, tribe limits, alliance rules and a tested approach to offline attacks. Treat any offline-protection key reported by community guides as unverified until it works on your exact build; publish only behavior you have reproduced.
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Testing or event server
Enable Creative mode with administrator access, use a backup configuration and avoid mixing test characters with the live save. Hardcore is useful for a deliberately high-stakes event, but announce the death consequences before the event begins.
Troubleshooting settings that appear ignored
- Game.ini has no effect: confirm that the file exists, uses the exact ShooterGameMode section header and is being edited in the active server’s save directory. A 2023 Steam forum discussion describes servers ignoring a missing
Game.iniand suggests copying settings from single-player as a workaround; that report is anecdotal, not an official guarantee. - The old value returns after restart: the server may still be running, the panel may regenerate files, or you may have edited a backup rather than the active profile. Stop the process, edit through the host’s supported editor and compare the timestamp after startup.
- Players report different behavior: check map, mod list, client version and whether they joined the intended server. A browser entry can look similar to another server with different rules.
- A new key does nothing: confirm that your server build contains the feature, place the key in the documented section and test with a fresh scenario. Unknown or misspelled keys are commonly ignored rather than reported clearly.
- Difficulty seems unchanged: restart after changing
OverrideOfficialDifficulty, then force a wild-creature respawn if your normal administration procedure requires it. Existing creatures do not retroactively prove that the new ceiling is active.
Version timing matters in late 2026
The current roadmap listing places an Unreal Engine 5.8 upgrade on October 28, 2026, two weeks after the configuration information dated October 14, 2026. Treat that date as a listed target, not a promise that every platform or server build changes simultaneously. Recheck configuration behavior after the upgrade, especially for mods, launch parameters and keys that were previously ignored.
Quick Recap
Server setup checklist
- Choose PvE or PvP and write down whether players can damage one another.
- Choose official, non-dedicated or dedicated hosting based on persistence, control and group size.
- Remember that non-dedicated sessions are capped at eight players.
- Decide whether Hardcore is appropriate and explain its death consequences.
- Reserve Creative mode for single-player testing or administrators.
- Back up both INI files before editing.
- Use
GameUserSettings.inifor rates and basic server settings. - Use
Game.inifor breeding, stat, engram and loot rules. - Use
OverrideOfficialDifficulty=5.0when you want a level-150 wild-creature ceiling. - Handle
AllowVariantDinoPacksas a September 30, 2026 addition with a default of false. - Test every change after a full restart and keep a dated change log.
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