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World desk9 min

How to Reset Mods on an ARK: Survival Ascended Server

A practical ASA server guide to removing mod IDs, resetting downloaded mod files through a managed panel, handling ActiveMods uncertainty, preserving load order and avoiding destructive save-file wipes.

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To reset mods on an ARK: Survival Ascended (ASA) server, stop the server, remove the unwanted CurseForge project IDs from its launch configuration, and start it again. If the server also has an ActiveMods entry in GameUserSettings.ini, remove the same IDs there when that setting is actually used by your installation. A managed-server control panel may provide a separate “wipe mods” or equivalent reset action; that operation is normally limited to once every 24 hours and causes the selected mods to download again on the next start.

This is a configuration reset, not a world reset. Do not delete .ark save files unless you deliberately want to create a new map, and do not delete an unverified self-hosted mods directory as a first troubleshooting step.

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What “reset mods” means in ASA

ASA identifies mods with numeric CurseForge project IDs. A typical launch argument looks like -mods=123456,234567,345678: IDs are separated by commas and the documented syntax has no spaces. Steam Workshop IDs used by ARK: Survival Evolved are a different identifier format and should not be pasted into an ASA configuration.

There are three different operations that are often confused:

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Operation What changes What it does not change
Remove or reset the mod list The server stops loading the IDs you remove from its configuration. It does not intentionally erase the map save, character, tribe or other world data.
Wipe and rebuild downloaded mod files A managed panel may delete its downloaded mod cache and fetch the listed mods again at restart. It does not necessarily change the configured list of IDs.
Delete the world save The server starts a new map from a fresh .ark save. This is not a mod reset and is destructive.

Use the first operation when a mod should no longer load. Use the second only when the configured list is correct but downloaded files are suspected to be damaged. Treat the third as a separate map-management decision.

Before editing: protect the server and identify its type

First decide whether you control the server files or only a hosting panel. The exact buttons and file paths differ between providers, but the order of operations is the same: make a backup, stop the process completely, change one source of configuration, then restart.

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  • Back up the current configuration. Save a copy of the launch command, service startup parameters and, if present, GameUserSettings.ini. Keep the copy outside the live configuration directory.
  • Record the current mod list and order. Copy every numeric ID exactly as it appears. Order can affect loading; do not alphabetize or otherwise rearrange IDs during a removal.
  • Confirm the identifier type. ASA uses CurseForge project IDs, not the Steam Workshop IDs from the older game.
  • Warn connected players. A restart disconnects everyone. Players joining a modded server are generally prompted to download missing mods, but download size and client connection speed determine how long that takes.
  • Stop the server, not just the game client. A running service can rewrite configuration when it shuts down. One provider guide specifically warns that edits made while the server is running may be overwritten.

Resetting the list on a self-hosted server

The following procedure applies when you launch the dedicated server yourself or can edit its startup service. Menu names vary by operating system and service manager, so use the launch command or service definition that actually starts your instance.

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  1. Stop the dedicated server cleanly. Use your service manager, script or console stop command and wait until the process has exited. Do not edit the file while the server is still writing its shutdown state.
  2. Open the launch configuration. Find the startup command or service setting containing -mods=. It may be in a shell or batch script, a container definition, a control script or a system-service configuration.
  3. Copy the original line. Store the complete line in your backup so you can restore it if the change has an unexpected effect.
  4. Remove only the unwanted project ID. For example, change -mods=123456,234567,345678 to -mods=123456,345678 when 234567 is the mod being removed. If no mods should remain, remove the entire -mods=... argument rather than leaving a dangling comma.
  5. Check for a second list. Some installations contain ActiveMods= under the [ServerSettings] section of GameUserSettings.ini. If your server uses that setting, remove the same project ID there as well. ASA behavior for ActiveMods is not consistent across published guides: some describe it as active, while others say it is an ARK: Survival Evolved setting with no effect in ASA. Do not assume that changing it alone is sufficient; keep one deliberate source of truth and test the result on your server.
  6. Preserve the remaining order. If the original list was A,B,C and you remove B, leave A,C in that order. Published guidance describes the left-most entry as having the highest priority and says a map or total-conversion mod must be first; because this is not confirmed by an official ASA procedure, follow the ordering required by the mod author and your known-good configuration.
  7. Save the files without changing encoding or unrelated settings. Avoid smart quotes, added spaces inside the ID list or accidental edits to server settings.
  8. Start the server and watch its startup output. Confirm that the command contains the intended IDs and that the server reaches its normal listening state. A successful process start does not by itself prove that every mod loaded.
  9. Join with a test account or have an administrator connect. Check that the map loads, structures and items supplied by retained mods behave normally, and the removed mod’s content is no longer available. Stop and restore the backup if the map fails to load or the server repeatedly crashes.

Finding the correct CurseForge project ID

Open the mod’s CurseForge project page and look for the numeric value in the “About Project” sidebar. Treat that location as a practical reference rather than assuming a page number, slug or Steam Workshop value is interchangeable. Copy the complete number; a one-digit error points the server at a different project or an invalid entry.

How the launch syntax should look

Intent Example Check
Three mods -mods=123456,234567,345678 Numeric CurseForge IDs, comma-separated, no spaces.
Two mods after removal -mods=123456,345678 The remaining IDs retain their original order.
No mods No -mods= argument Remove the whole argument; do not leave an empty or trailing-comma value.

What to do with ActiveMods

The name causes confusion because instructions written for ARK: Survival Evolved are often reused for ASA. Search summaries disagree about whether ASA reads ActiveMods in GameUserSettings.ini. For that reason, use this decision path:

  • If your known-good ASA setup has only the launch argument, edit that argument and leave unrelated configuration alone.
  • If your setup demonstrably contains and uses ActiveMods, remove every retired ID from that list as well as from the launch argument.
  • If the server still loads a supposedly removed mod, stop it again and search the complete startup command and configuration directory for that numeric ID. Duplicate declarations are a more useful lead than deleting random files.
  • If you are building a new installation, choose one documented source of truth for the list and test it with a disposable server before changing a production world.

Do not claim that deleting ActiveMods alone resets ASA mods; the available guidance does not establish that reliably.

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Resetting mods through a managed hosting panel

Some game-server panels expose a button labelled “wipe mods,” “reset mods folder” or similar. The control is provider-specific, so read the confirmation text before accepting it.

  1. Stop the server from the panel. Wait for the status to show fully stopped.
  2. Save or export the current mod list. A folder wipe can remove downloaded files even when the ID list remains intact.
  3. Open the server’s mod-management or maintenance section. Select the panel’s documented mod-folder reset action, not a world-save reset.
  4. Confirm the warning. Such resets are commonly rate-limited to once per 24 hours. Treat that as a provider policy, not a universal ASA rule.
  5. Start the server again. The configured mods should download again during startup. The first restart can take substantially longer while files are retrieved.
  6. Check the console and join after startup. If a download fails, record the ID and error before trying another reset; repeatedly pressing a rate-limited button will not repair a bad ID or an unavailable project.

A panel reset normally rebuilds downloaded mod files; it does not automatically remove IDs from a launch command. If a mod must be removed permanently, edit the list as well.

Preserving load order when removing one mod

Mod order can be significant, particularly when one mod changes maps or performs a total conversion. Guidance returned for ASA says the list order controls loading priority, with the left-most ID treated as highest priority, and that a map or total-conversion mod belongs first. Because those statements are not backed here by an official Studio Wildcard procedure, regard them as configuration guidance to validate against the specific mod’s instructions.

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When removing an entry:

  • Delete the ID and its adjacent comma, not a neighboring ID.
  • Do not move the map or conversion entry while making a simple removal.
  • Do not insert spaces, quotes or line breaks inside the comma-separated value unless your launcher explicitly requires them.
  • Keep a before-and-after copy so an administrator can restore the previous order exactly.
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Troubleshooting: the mod still loads

The old content appears after restart

Stop the server and search every launch script, service definition and applicable GameUserSettings.ini for the old numeric ID. Remove duplicate entries. Verify that the panel is launching the instance you edited; clusters and multiple server profiles can have separate startup settings. If the ID is absent everywhere you can verify, check the startup log for the actual command line and compare it with your saved copy.

The server starts but players receive a mod mismatch

Compare the server’s final ID list with the list shown in the client’s connection or download prompt. A mismatch can result from removing an ID on the server while a client still has content from an earlier session, or from changing order. Have the player exit to the main menu, reconnect and allow the client to complete any prompted downloads. If the server and clients continue to disagree, restore the last known-good list, restart once, and then remove one ID at a time.

A mod is listed but does not load

Check for a mistyped project ID, an unavailable project, a failed download or a dependency that was removed at the same time. Read the startup output for the exact numeric ID and error. Do not substitute a Steam Workshop ID, and do not assume that a successful server process means every mod initialized.

The map fails to load after the change

Stop the server immediately and restore the backed-up launch configuration. A map or total-conversion mod may require a particular first position or companion mods. Once the server is stable, create a test instance and remove entries one at a time rather than experimenting on the live world.

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Files you should not delete as a “mod reset”

World save files

Deleting an .ark world file creates a new map. It is a destructive map reset, not a way to uninstall a mod. Any claim about which character, tribe or inventory data survives depends on the server arrangement and should be verified before you remove a save. Back up the entire save directory first if a new map is genuinely intended.

Cluster-transfer data

Some provider guidance identifies a Clusters/ directory as holding cross-server transfer data and warns that deleting it can wipe transferred inventory. Do not remove that directory while troubleshooting mods. Cluster data is separate from the mod list, and its exact location and behavior vary by deployment.

An unknown self-hosted mods directory

No reliable, universal self-hosted folder location is established for every ASA installation. Directory layouts differ between operating systems, containers and hosting tools. Do not delete a guessed folder; use the documented panel reset or identify the exact path for your build and take a complete backup before any manual file operation.

Verification checklist after the reset

  • The server was fully stopped before configuration changes.
  • The launch command contains only the intended numeric CurseForge project IDs.
  • Any active ActiveMods entry, if used by this installation, matches the launch list.
  • No Steam Workshop IDs, spaces or trailing commas were introduced.
  • Map or total-conversion ordering was preserved and checked against the mod’s own instructions.
  • The server completed startup without mod-download or initialization errors.
  • A test connection confirms that retained content works and removed content is unavailable.
  • The backup remains available until players have connected successfully and the world has been saved.

When a full reset is the safer choice

Remove one ID when the goal is to retire a single mod and the current installation is otherwise healthy. Use a managed-panel folder reset when the configured list is correct but downloads appear corrupt. Rebuild a separate test instance when the list, order and configuration sources are unknown. Reserve world-save deletion for a deliberate new-map decision, with a verified backup and an explicit announcement to players.

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