The Tool Desk
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What each breeding multiplier changes
| Setting | What it affects | Direction to speed it up |
|---|---|---|
EggHatchSpeedMultiplier |
Incubation of fertilized eggs and pregnancy on live-birth species | Increase the value above 1.0 |
BabyMatureSpeedMultiplier |
How quickly a baby grows to adulthood | Increase the value above 1.0 |
BabyCuddleIntervalMultiplier |
The interval between opportunities to cuddle or imprint | Decrease the value to make opportunities more frequent |
MatingIntervalMultiplier |
The wait between mating opportunities | Decrease the value to shorten the wait |
The last two settings affect timers rather than directly speeding incubation or growth. The important distinction is direction: increase the hatch and maturation multipliers, but decrease interval multipliers when you want those waits to be shorter. Values and resulting timings can depend on the server’s other settings; the available guidance does not establish a universal value that works best for every server.
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Where to put the settings
The most frequently reported setup places the breeding keys in Game.ini, beneath the section header [/Script/ShooterGame.ShooterGameMode]. The ARK Official Community Wiki describes Game.ini as a file for advanced modifications, though that description alone does not confirm the breeding keys’ location for every current ASA server.
There is conflicting guidance: one guide places the settings in GameUserSettings.ini under [ServerSettings], while other guides place them in Game.ini. A value in a file the server does not read may be ignored without an obvious error. Treat the Game.ini location as the common starting point, not as an official guarantee for every hosting setup or build.
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| Configuration approach | What is reported | What to do |
|---|---|---|
Game.ini |
Most guides place breeding multipliers under [/Script/ShooterGame.ShooterGameMode]. |
Start here if your host exposes this file and section. |
GameUserSettings.ini |
One guide places the settings under [ServerSettings]. |
Use only if your host’s instructions or a controlled test confirms this is the configuration it reads. |
How to change incubation and maturation speed
- Stop the server first. A guide reports that a running server can keep many
[ServerSettings]values in memory and write them back when it stops. Editing while it is running risks losing your changes when the server shuts down. - Find the configuration directory your server uses. Reported server paths include
ShooterGame/Saved/Config/WindowsServer/andShooterGame/Saved/Config/LinuxServer/. The correct path depends on the server platform and host setup; do not assume that one path applies to every installation. - Open or create
Game.ini. Some hosting panels may not create or expose the file automatically. If it is absent, check the host’s configuration tools or instructions for whether you can create it and where it must be placed. - Add the section header and keys. In
Game.ini, use this example block:[/Script/ShooterGame.ShooterGameMode] EggHatchSpeedMultiplier=10.0 BabyMatureSpeedMultiplier=10.0 - Choose values deliberately. The example uses
10.0for both settings; it is an example, not a verified recommendation. Gamesomg suggests maturation values from 10 to 30 and egg-hatching values of 10 or more, relative to the default of1.0. Another reported example usesEggHatchSpeedMultiplier=15.0andBabyMatureSpeedMultiplier=10.0under the same header. These are guide examples, not official settings validated for every ASA server. - Save the file and restart the server. Make sure the edit was saved to the active server’s configuration directory, not a local game or backup folder.
- Check the result in the game. Use an appropriate breeding event on the server and observe whether the displayed or experienced incubation and growth behavior changes. If it does not, investigate the file, section, host panel and restart sequence before raising the values further.
Choose a maturation speed that still allows imprinting
Increasing BabyMatureSpeedMultiplier shortens the time available before a baby reaches adulthood. If BabyCuddleIntervalMultiplier remains too high, cuddle opportunities may come too far apart for the baby to receive 100% imprinting before it matures. This is the main trade-off when choosing a high maturation value: faster growth can mean fewer chances to complete imprinting.
If you want faster maturation and still care about full imprinting, lower BabyCuddleIntervalMultiplier so cuddle events occur more frequently. Adjust it alongside maturation rather than assuming that a growth change alone will preserve the previous imprinting schedule. The available guidance does not provide a universal interval value or formula that guarantees 100% imprinting at a particular maturation multiplier, so test the combination on your own server before making it the permanent setting.
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Why a setting may appear not to work
- The key is in the wrong file. The reported disagreement between
Game.iniandGameUserSettings.inimeans a syntactically plausible setting can still be ignored. Confirm the file your server reads rather than duplicating settings in both files without a reason. - The section header is missing or misplaced. For the commonly reported Game.ini method, the keys belong beneath
[/Script/ShooterGame.ShooterGameMode]. Check that the header is present and that the settings are in the intended section. - You edited the wrong directory. Windows and Linux server paths differ in the reported examples, and a hosting provider may use a managed configuration location. Verify the active server directory.
- The server was running during the edit. Stop it before changing the file; otherwise, values held in memory may be written back during shutdown.
- The host panel does not expose or create
Game.ini. A Steam user reported Game.ini values that did not change, but the cause was not established. Check whether the host supports that file and whether panel settings overwrite or replace manual edits. - You expected an interval multiplier to work like a speed multiplier. For faster hatch or growth, increase the matching hatch or maturation value. To shorten mating or cuddle waits, decrease the corresponding interval value.
How much faster should you set the values?
Use 1.0 as the baseline and change one part of the breeding setup at a time. The cited examples include equal hatch and maturation values of 10.0, a separate example with hatch at 15.0 and maturation at 10.0, and a guide’s suggested ranges of 10–30 for maturation and 10 or more for hatching. They should be read as examples from guides, not as verified ASA recommendations or guaranteed real-world time ratios.
Dododex lists much higher multipliers for single-player ASA, but that material is about single-player and is approximately 1,900 days old; it is not a sound basis for selecting values on a current multiplayer server. No official Studio Wildcard changelog or ARK wiki confirmation of exact key syntax and file placement for 2026 ASA builds was located in the available coverage. For a server you administer, make a modest change, restart, observe the result, and adjust further only after confirming the setting took effect.
Quick Recap
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- Ark graphics and worlds are completely recreated and designed to use the latest video game technology, Unreal Engine 5
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Practical configuration checklist
- Use
EggHatchSpeedMultiplierfor fertilized egg incubation and live-birth pregnancy. - Use
BabyMatureSpeedMultiplierfor baby growth. - Start with the commonly reported
Game.inisection, but verify the active file because published guidance conflicts. - Stop the server before editing, then restart it after saving.
- Confirm the host’s actual configuration directory and whether its panel supports or overwrites manual files.
- When increasing maturation, assess the cuddle interval too if full imprinting matters.
- Test the changes in-game before relying on them for a long breeding cycle.
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