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How to Enable Flyers on an ARK: Survival Evolved Server

A precise guide to enabling flyer riding on an unofficial ARK: Survival Evolved server, with separate instructions for cave flying and PvE creature pickup.
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On an unofficial ARK: Survival Evolved server, flyer riding is enabled with a setting in GameUserSettings.ini, followed by a full server restart. Cave access and PvE creature pickup are separate controls, so they must be configured independently when needed.

Choose the flyer feature you actually need

“Enable flyers” can describe three different server behaviors. Setting one does not automatically enable the others.

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Player goal Configuration Where it goes What it changes
Ride a flyer on a map where flying is restricted bForceCanRideFliers=True GameUserSettings.ini, under [ServerSettings] Allows players on an unofficial server to ride flying creatures, including on restricted maps such as Genesis.
Enter caves while riding a flyer -ForceAllowCaveFlyers Server startup command line or the host panel’s command-line field Forces flyer creatures to be allowed into caves. It is not an INI setting.
Pick up wild creatures while flying in PvE AllowFlyerCarryPvE=True GameUserSettings.ini, under [ServerSettings] Enables flyer pickup of wild creatures in PvE. Its documented default is false and it does not enable flyer riding.

Decide which row matches the problem before editing anything. A server can allow flyer riding while still blocking cave entry or PvE pickup.

What you need before changing the server

  • Administrative access to an unofficial ARK server and permission to stop and start it.
  • Access to GameUserSettings.ini through the server filesystem or a host control panel’s configuration editor.
  • Access to startup arguments if cave flying is required. Many panels expose this separately from INI settings.
  • A recent backup of the configuration file.
  • A tamed flyer and a test location on the affected map. Use a cave and a PvE pickup test only if those features are part of your goal.

Stop the server cleanly before editing. A running instance can rewrite its configuration during shutdown, potentially discarding an unsaved change. The exact directory depends on the operating system and hosting arrangement. The ARK Official Community Wiki lists ShooterGame/Saved/Config/LinuxServer/ for Linux dedicated servers; a host panel may provide the same file through an editor without showing the underlying path.

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Enable flyer riding on an unofficial server

Studio Wildcard’s April 7, 2020 announcement says unofficial servers can use flying creatures by adding the relevant setting to GameUserSettings.ini in the [ServerSettings] section. Use the spelling and capitalization exactly as shown below.

  1. Shut down the server cleanly. Use the host panel’s stop command or the normal administrative shutdown process, then wait until the process is fully stopped.
  2. Back up the configuration. Copy GameUserSettings.ini to a safe location before making changes. This gives you a known-good file if the panel or server rejects an edit.
  3. Open the correct file. Locate GameUserSettings.ini in the server’s configuration area. On a Linux dedicated server, the documented directory is ShooterGame/Saved/Config/LinuxServer/. Hosted panels may label the same file “Game User Settings” or provide a text editor.
  4. Find or create the section header. Locate [ServerSettings]. If the file does not contain that header, create the header on its own line before adding the setting.
  5. Add the flyer-riding line. Under the section header, add:
    bForceCanRideFliers=True

    Keep the initial lowercase b, the capital letters in ForceCanRideFliers, and the value True exactly as written. Do not put this line in Game.ini or in the startup-argument field.

  6. Save the file. Confirm that the editor saved the server copy rather than a local download or a different profile.
  7. Start the server and wait for it to finish loading. A complete stop-and-start cycle is required; changing the file while the server remains online is not a reliable activation method.
  8. Test with a tamed flyer. Join the affected map, summon or use an existing tamed flying creature, and verify that a player can mount it. If the map has a special restriction, perform the test on that map rather than assuming a different map proves the override worked.

This setting is documented for unofficial servers. It is not an instruction for official servers, where administrators do not receive the same configuration access.

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Allow flyers inside caves

Cave entry is controlled separately from mounting. If a flyer can be ridden outdoors but cannot enter a cave, add the startup argument -ForceAllowCaveFlyers.

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  1. Stop the server before changing startup options.
  2. Open the host control panel’s startup, launch-options, or command-line field. On a self-managed server, edit the command used to launch the dedicated server.
  3. Add -ForceAllowCaveFlyers as its own startup argument. Do not paste it into GameUserSettings.ini unless a particular host explicitly documents a translation layer; the documented form is a command-line switch.
  4. Save the launch configuration and start the server again.
  5. Test with a flyer at the cave entrance on the map where the restriction occurs.

The ARK Official Community Wiki describes this switch as forcing flyer creatures to be allowed into caves. It also notes that flyers are allowed in caves by default on custom maps, so the argument may be unnecessary there. That default does not replace testing on the specific map and server configuration you operate.

Enable wild-creature pickup in PvE

Picking up a wild creature while mounted is another independent rule. To enable it for PvE, add the following line under [ServerSettings] in GameUserSettings.ini:

AllowFlyerCarryPvE=True
  1. Stop the server and make a backup of GameUserSettings.ini.
  2. Open the file used by the active server profile.
  3. Place AllowFlyerCarryPvE=True beneath [ServerSettings].
  4. Save the file and perform a full restart.
  5. Test with a flyer and a wild creature in a PvE area.

The documented default for this setting is false. It changes PvE pickup behavior; it does not turn on flyer riding, remove cave restrictions, or change the server from PvE to PvP.

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Use this configuration pattern

When all three behaviors are required, the file and startup options remain separate. The INI portion should contain the two server settings under one section:

[ServerSettings]
bForceCanRideFliers=True
AllowFlyerCarryPvE=True

The launch configuration should contain the cave switch independently:

-ForceAllowCaveFlyers

The snippets show placement and spelling, not a complete server configuration. Keep existing settings in the file unless you intentionally want to change them.

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Restart and verification checklist

Use a controlled test so you can identify which feature failed.

  1. Confirm the server was stopped before the edit.
  2. Confirm the active profile’s GameUserSettings.ini was edited, not a backup or inactive map profile.
  3. Check that [ServerSettings] appears exactly, with square brackets and no extra characters.
  4. Check the exact capitalization of bForceCanRideFliers=True and AllowFlyerCarryPvE=True.
  5. Check that -ForceAllowCaveFlyers is in startup arguments, not in the INI editor.
  6. Start the server fully and reconnect after it is ready.
  7. Test mounting outdoors first, then cave entry, then PvE pickup. Testing in this order isolates the three controls.
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Troubleshoot a setting that appears not to work

The flyer still cannot be mounted

  • Verify that the server is unofficial. The documented override is for unofficial servers; no authoritative confirmation here establishes that official servers expose it.
  • Open the file again and check the exact section, key spelling, capitalization, and value. A line outside [ServerSettings] may not be read as intended.
  • Make sure the server completed a full restart after the save. A live reload or a panel page refresh is not the same as restarting the game server.
  • Confirm that the panel did not save the edit to a different server, cluster profile, or configuration template.

The flyer mounts but cannot enter a cave

  • Mounting and cave access use different controls. Recheck the startup field for -ForceAllowCaveFlyers.
  • Do not add the switch as an INI key; use the launch-options or command-line field.
  • Restart after changing startup arguments and test on the affected map. Custom maps may already allow cave flyers by default, while another map may enforce the restriction.

The flyer cannot pick up a wild creature in PvE

  • Confirm that AllowFlyerCarryPvE=True is under [ServerSettings].
  • Do not expect bForceCanRideFliers=True to enable pickup; the riding override and pickup rule are independent.
  • Restart the server after saving and perform the test in a PvE session. The setting is documented as false by default, so leaving it out does not enable the behavior.

The setting keeps disappearing

  • Stop the server before editing and save only after the process has fully stopped.
  • Use the host’s configuration editor if it manages files through a template, and verify that the editor writes to the active profile.
  • Keep the backup made before editing so you can compare the saved file with the version the server actually loads.

Official servers, consoles, and hosting panels

This procedure assumes an unofficial server with administrative configuration access. Official servers are controlled by their operator, and the available evidence does not establish that they expose the same flyer override to players.

Console players may be able to join a server that has these rules, but the evidence does not confirm that every console platform can edit or pass the settings itself. In practice, the decisive question is where the server runs and who controls its files and launch command. A console client connected to an independently administered unofficial server is different from a console-hosted service that does not expose configuration access.

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Hosting panels vary in layout. Some provide separate fields for GameUserSettings.ini, general server settings, and startup arguments. Treat those fields as different configuration layers: put INI keys in the file editor and the cave switch in the command-line field unless the provider gives explicit instructions otherwise.

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Version and support considerations

The flyer-riding instruction is backed by Studio Wildcard’s April 7, 2020 wording for ARK: Survival Evolved unofficial servers. Because that announcement is historical, recheck the setting after a major game or server patch if behavior changes. The ARK Official Community Wiki remains the living reference for the configuration locations and cave-switch behavior; the configuration references used for this guide were current on October 15, 2026.

No single setting enables every form of flying. Treat riding, cave access, and PvE pickup as separate tests and document which one you changed. That approach prevents a successful mounting test from being mistaken for proof that cave entry or creature pickup is also enabled.

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