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How To Configure Your Ark Survival Evolved Server

Here’s how you can locate the and edit the most common configuration files for your Ark Survival Evolved server.

This guide covers in-depth and detailed configuration for both the Game.ini and GameUserSettings.ini files manually, or using the GameUserSettings.ini Generator. A powerful tool available on ArkForum that simplifies ARK server configuration. Instead of manually adding and configuring every setting this tool includes an easy-to-use interface to quickly generate your GameUserSettings.ini settings.

GameUserSettings.ini is the most common file for configuration, while Game.ini is for advanced users who want granular control over their servers.

A full breakdown of settings can also be found on the ARK SE Server Configuration Wiki.

  1. Use the ARK GameUserSettings.ini Generator to set your desired settings.
  2. Click Create File then copy everything directly under the [ServerSettings] section in the generated output.
  3. Login to the Game Host Bros Panel and Stop your Ark server.
  4. In Management > File Manager, Navigate to /ShooterGame/Saved/Config/LinuxServer/GameUserSettings.ini.
  5. Paste the settings you copied earlier under the header of [ServerSettings], replacing what used to be there.
  6. Start your server.

Here’s an example of what your settings file should look like after you’ve pasted in your new settings, only replacing the settings under the [ServerSettings] header in your GameUserSettings.ini file:

GameUserSettings.ini [ServerSettings] Example
GameUserSettings.ini
[ServerSettings]
allowThirdPersonPlayer=0
AllowCaveBuildingPvE=0
alwaysNotifyPlayerJoined=0
alwaysNotifyPlayerLeft=0
bAllowFlyerCarryPvE=0
bDisableStructureDecayPvE=0
DayCycleSpeedScale=1.00000
DayTimeSpeedScale=1.00000
NightTimeSpeedScale=1.00000
DinoCharacterFoodDrainMultiplier=1.00000
DinoCharacterHealthRecoveryMultiplier=1.00000
DinoCharacterStaminaDrainMultiplier=1.00000
DinoCountMultiplier=1.00000
DinoDamageMultiplier=1.00000
DinoResistanceMultiplier=1.00000
globalVoiceChat=0
HarvestAmountMultiplier=1.00000
HarvestHealthMultiplier=1.00000
MaxStructuresInRange=6700
noTributeDownloads=0
PreventDownloadSurvivors=0
PreventDownloadItems=0
PreventDownloadDinos=0
PlayerCharacterFoodDrainMultiplier=1.00000
PlayerCharacterHealthRecoveryMultiplier=1.00000
PlayerCharacterStaminaDrainMultiplier=1.00000
PlayerCharacterWaterDrainMultiplier=1.00000
PlayerDamageMultiplier=1.00000
PlayerResistanceMultiplier=1.00000
proximityChat=0
ResourceNoReplenishRadiusPlayers=1.00000
ResourceNoReplenishRadiusStructures=1.00000
ResourcesRespawnPeriodMultiplier=1.00000
ServerAdminPassword=
ServerCrosshair=0
serverForceNoHud=0
serverHardcore=0
ServerPassword=
serverPVE=0
ShowMapPlayerLocation=0
StructureDamageMultiplier=1.00000
StructureResistanceMultiplier=1.00000
TamedDinoDamageMultiplier=1.00000
TamedDinoResistanceMultiplier=1.00000
TamingSpeedMultiplier=1.00000
XPMultiplier=1.00000
EnablePVPGamma=0
EnablePVEGamma=0
SpectatorPassword=
DifficultyOffset=0.50000
PvEStructureDecayPeriodMultiplier=1.00000
PvEStructureDecayDestructionPeriod=1.00000
Banlist="http://arkdedicated.com/banlist.txt"
PvPStructureDecay=0
DisableDinoDecayPvE=0
PvEDinoDecayPeriodMultiplier=1.00000
AdminLogging=0
MaxTamedDinos=8000
MaxNumbersofPlayersInTribe=2
BattleNumOfTribestoStartGame=2
TimeToCollapseROD=100
BattleAutoStartGameInterval=100
BattleSuddenDeathInterval=300
KickIdlePlayersPeriod=1800
PerPlatformMaxStructuresMultiplier=1.00000
StructureDamageRepairCooldown=180
bForceAllStructureLocking=1
AutoDestroyOldStructuresMultiplier=0.00000
bUseVSync=0
MaxPlatformSaddleStructureLimit=100
bPassiveDefensesDamageRiderlessDinos=1
RCONPort=27020
AutoSavePeriodMinutes=20
RCONServerGameLogBuffer=600
OverrideStructurePlatformPrevention=0
PreventOfflinePvPInterval=60.0
bPvPDinoDecay=1
bPvPStructureDecay=1
DisableImprintDinoBuff=1
AllowAnyoneBabyImprintCuddle=1
EnableExtraStructurePreventionVolumes=1
ShowFloatingDamageText=1
DestroyUnconnectedWaterPipes=0
OverrideOfficialDifficulty=1.0
TheMaxStructuresInRange=10500
MinimumDinoReuploadInterval=0
PvEAllowStructuresAtSupplyDrops=0
NPCNetworkStasisRangeScalePlayerCountStart=70
NPCNetworkStasisRangeScalePlayerCountEnd=120
NPCNetworkStasisRangeScalePercentEnd=0.50
MaxPersonalTamedDinos=500
AutoDestroyDecayedDinos=1
ClampItemSpoilingTimes=0
UseOptimizedHarvestingHealth=1
AllowCrateSpawnsOnTopOfStructures=1
ForceFlyerExplosives=0
PreventOfflinePvP=1
AllowFlyingStaminaRecovery=1
AllowMultipleAttachedC4=1
OxygenSwimSpeedStatMultiplier=1.00
bPvEDisableFriendlyFire=1
ServerAutoForceRespawnWildDinosInterval=86400
DisableWeatherFog=0
RandomSupplyCratePoints=0
CrossARKAllowForeignDinoDownloads=0
PersonalTamedDinosSaddleStructureCost=19

By default, an ARK: SE server won’t include all of the settings in your GameUserSettings.ini file. Here’s how to add them and how they’re correctly formatted.

  1. Login to the Game Host Bros Panel and Stop your Ark server.
  2. Go to Management > File Manager.
  3. Navigate to /ShooterGame/Saved/Config/LinuxServer/GameUserSettings.ini.
  4. After you have made the changes you want, start your server.
All GameUserSettings.ini Settings And Their Headers

The following settings must be placed under their respective headers in GameUserSettings.ini, here are all of them. For example MaxTributeDinos must be placed under [serversettings] in your file.

Setting (Format)DefaultDescription
AdminLogging (boolean true/false)trueLog admin commands
AllowCaveBuildingPvE (boolean true/false)FalseCave building (PvE)
AllowCaveBuildingPvP (boolean true/false)FalseCave building (PvP)
AllowFlyerCarryPvE (boolean true/false)FalseFlyer carry in PvE
AllowHideDamageSourceFromLogs (boolean true/false)falseHide damage sources
AllowSharedConnections (boolean true/false)falseFamily sharing
AllowTekSuitPowersInGenesis (boolean true/false)falseTEK suit powers
allowThirdPersonPlayer (boolean true/false)FalseEnable 3rd person view
alwaysNotifyPlayerJoined (boolean true/false)FalseNotify on player join
alwaysNotifyPlayerLeft (boolean true/false)FalseNotify on player leave
AutoSavePeriodMinutes (float)15.0Auto-save interval
bAllowPlatformSaddleMultiFloors (boolean true/false)FalseMultiple platform floors
bForceCanRideFliers (boolean true/false)falseForce flyer setting
ClampResourceHarvestDamage (boolean true/false)falseLimit harvest damage
CrossARKAllowForeignDinoDownloads (boolean true/false)falseNon-native dino downloads
CryopodNerfDamageMult (float)0.01Cryopod damage reduction
CryopodNerfDuration (integer)10Cryosickness duration
CryopodNerfIncomingDamageMultPercent (float)0.25Cryopod damage increase
CustomDynamicConfigUrl (string)NoneDynamic config URL
DayCycleSpeedScale (float)1.0Day/night cycle speed
DayTimeSpeedScale (float)1.0Day time speed
DifficultyOffset (float)0.2Difficulty level
DinoCharacterFoodDrainMultiplier (float)1.0Dino food consumption
DinoCharacterHealthRecoveryMultiplier (float)1.0Dino health recovery
DinoCharacterStaminaDrainMultiplier (float)1.0Dino stamina consumption
DinoCountMultiplier (float)1.0Dino spawn rate
DinoDamageMultiplier (float)1.0Dino damage multiplier
DinoResistanceMultiplier (float)1.0Dino damage resistance
DisableDinoDecayPvE (boolean true/false)FalseDisable dino ownership decay
DisablePvEGamma (boolean true/false)falseDisable gamma (PvE)
DisableStructureDecayPvE (boolean true/false)FalseDisable structure decay
DisableWeatherFog (boolean true/false)falseDisable fog
EnableCryopodNerf (boolean true/false)falseCryosickness debuff
EnableCryoSicknessPVE (boolean true/false)trueCryopod cooldown
EnablePvPGamma (boolean true/false)falseEnable gamma (PvP)
globalVoiceChat (boolean true/false)FalseGlobal voice chat
HarvestAmountMultiplier (float)1.0Harvest yield
HarvestHealthMultiplier (float)1.0Resource health
ItemStackSizeMultiplier (float)1.0Stack size multiplier
MaxGateFrameOnSaddles (integer)0Max gates on platforms
MaxPlatformSaddleStructureLimit (integer)-Max platform saddles
MaxTamedDinos (integer)4000Max tamed dinos
MaxTributeDinos (integer)20Upload creature slots
MaxTributeItems (integer)50Upload item slots
NightTimeSpeedScale (float)1.0Night time speed
noTributeDownloads (boolean true/false)FalseDisable character downloads
PerPlatformMaxStructuresMultiplier (float)1.0Platform structure limit
PlatformSaddleBuildAreaBoundsMultiplier (float)1.0Platform build area
PlayerCharacterFoodDrainMultiplier (float)1.0Food consumption
PlayerCharacterHealthRecoveryMultiplier (float)1.0Health recovery
PlayerCharacterStaminaDrainMultiplier (float)1.0Stamina consumption
PlayerCharacterWaterDrainMultiplier (float)1.0Water consumption
PlayerDamageMultiplier (float)1.0Player damage multiplier
PlayerResistanceMultiplier (float)1.0Player damage resistance
proximityChat (boolean true/false)FalseLocal chat only
PvEDinoDecayPeriodMultiplier (float)1.0Dino decay multiplier
PvEStructureDecayDestructionPeriod (-)0Structure decay timer - the format is unknown according to the wiki
PvEStructureDecayPeriodMultiplier (float)1.0Structure decay rate
PvPStructureDecay (boolean true/false)falseStructure decay (PvP)
RandomSupplyCratePoints (boolean true/false)falseRandom supply drops
ResourcesRespawnPeriodMultiplier (float)1.0Resource respawn rate
ServerAdminPassword (string)NoneAdmin password
serverHardcore (boolean true/false)FalseHardcore mode
ServerPassword (string)NoneServer password
serverPVE (boolean true/false)FalsePvE mode
serverForceNoHud (boolean true/false)FalseForce disable HUD
ShowMapPlayerLocation (boolean true/false)FalseShow player position on map
SpectatorPassword (string)NoneSpectator password
StructureDamageMultiplier (float)1.0Structure damage multiplier
StructureResistanceMultiplier (float)1.0Structure damage resistance
TamingSpeedMultiplier (float)1.0Taming speed
TheMaxStructuresInRange (integer)10500Max structures in range
TributeCharacterExpirationSeconds (integer)86400Character upload expiration
TributeDinoExpirationSeconds (integer)86400Dino upload expiration
TributeItemExpirationSeconds (integer)86400Item upload expiration
TribeNameChangeCooldown (integer)15Tribe name change cooldown
XPMultiplier (float)1.0Experience multiplier
AlwaysAllowStructurePickup (boolean true/false)falseDisable pickup timer
StructurePickupTimeAfterPlacement (float)30.0Pickup time limit (seconds)
AllowIntegratedSPlusStructures (boolean true/false)trueEnable S+ structures
StructurePickupHoldDuration (float)0.5Pickup hold duration
Setting (Format)DefaultDescription
MaxPlayers (integer)70Max simultaneous players
Setting (Format)DefaultDescription
AllowMultipleTamedUnicorns (boolean true/false)falseAllow unlimited tamed unicorns
UnicornSpawnInterval (integer)24Hours between unicorn spawns
VolcanoIntensity (float)1Volcano eruption intensity
VolcanoInterval (integer)0Time between volcano activations
EnableVolcano (boolean true/false)trueEnable/disable volcano

By default, an ARK: SE server won’t include any settings in your Game.ini file. Game.ini is an advanced configuration file that can be used to customize your server.

  1. Firstly, login to the Game Host Bros Panel and Stop your Ark server.
  2. On the sidebar, go to Management > File Manager.
  3. Navigate to /ShooterGame/Saved/Config/LinuxServer/Game.ini.
  4. After you have made the changes you want, start your server.
Main Game.ini Settings And Their Headers

Here are all of the main Game.ini settings, a total breakdown of them can be found here.

[/script/shootergame.shootergamemode] Section

Section titled “[/script/shootergame.shootergamemode] Section”
Setting (Format)DefaultDescription
AutoPvEStartTimeSeconds (integer 0 to 86400)PvE to PvP start time
AutoPvEStopTimeSeconds (integer 0 to 86400)PvP to PvE stop time
bAllowCustomRecipes (boolean true/false)falseEnable custom recipes
bAllowFlyerSpeedLeveling (boolean true/false)falseAllow flyer speed leveling
bAllowUnlimitedRespecs (boolean true/false)falseRemove mindwipe cooldown
bAutoPvETimer (boolean true/false)Enable auto PvE timer with AutoPvEStartTimeSeconds and AutoPvEStopTimeSeconds
bAutoPvEUseSystemTime (boolean true/false)Use system time for PvE timer
bAutoUnlockAllEngrams (boolean true/false)falseUnlock all engrams
bDisableDefaultMapItemSets (boolean true/false)falseDisable Genesis 2 Tek Suit spawn
bDisableDinoRiding (boolean true/false)falseDisable dino riding
bDisableDinoTaming (boolean true/false)falseDisable dino taming
bDisableFriendlyFire (boolean true/false)falseDisable friendly fire (PvP)
bDisableGenesisMissions (boolean true/false)falseDisable Genesis missions
bDisableLootCrates (boolean true/false)falseDisable loot crate spawns
bDisableStructurePlacementCollision (boolean true/false)falseAllow structure clipping
bDisableWorldBuffs (boolean true/false)falseDisable Genesis 2 world effects
bEnableWorldBuffScaling (boolean true/false)falseScale Genesis 2 world effects
bFlyerPlatformAllowUnalignedDinoBasing (boolean true/false)falseAllow non-allied dinos on Quetz platforms
bGenesisUseStructuresPreventionVolumes (boolean true/false)truePrevent building in Genesis mission areas
bHardLimitTurretsInRange (boolean true/false)falseHard limit turrets in range
bIgnoreStructuresPreventionVolumes (boolean true/false)trueAllow building in Genesis mission volumes
bIncreasePvPRespawnInterval (boolean true/false)Enable PvP respawn penalty
bOnlyAllowSpecifiedEngrams (boolean true/false)falseHide non-specified engrams
bPassiveDefensesDamageRiderlessDinos (boolean true/false)falseSpike walls damage wild dinos
bPvEAllowTribeWar (boolean true/false)trueAllow tribe wars in PvE
bPvEAllowTribeWarCancel (boolean true/false)falseAllow war cancellation
bPvEDisableFriendlyFire (boolean true/false)falseDisable friendly fire (PvE)
bShowCreativeMode (boolean true/false)falseEnable creative mode
bUseCorpseLocator (boolean true/false)falseShow death location beam
bUseTameLimitForStructuresOnly (boolean true/false)Apply tame limit to platforms only
BabyCuddleGracePeriodMultiplier (float)1.0Imprint grace period
BabyCuddleIntervalMultiplier (float)1.0Baby cuddle frequency
BabyCuddleLoseImprintQualitySpeedMultiplier (float)1.0Imprint quality loss speed
BabyFoodConsumptionSpeedMultiplier (float)1.0Baby food consumption rate
BabyImprintAmountMultiplier (float)1.0Imprint percentage per cuddle
BabyImprintingStatScaleMultiplier (float)1.0Imprint stat bonus scale
BabyMatureSpeedMultiplier (float)1.0Baby maturation speed
CraftingSkillBonusMultiplier (float)1.0Crafting skill bonus multiplier
CraftXPMultiplier (float)1.0Crafting XP multiplier
CropDecaySpeedMultiplier (float)1.0Crop decay speed
CropGrowthSpeedMultiplier (float)1.0Crop growth speed
CustomRecipeEffectivenessMultiplier (float)1.0Custom recipe effectiveness
CustomRecipeSkillMultiplier (float)1.0Custom recipe skill effect
DestroyTamesOverLevelClamp (integer)0Destroy tames above level
DinoHarvestingDamageMultiplier (float)3.2Dino harvesting damage
DinoTurretDamageMultiplier (float)1.0Turret damage to dinos
EggHatchSpeedMultiplier (float)1.0Egg hatching speed
ExcludeItemIndices (integer)Exclude items from supply crates
FastDecayInterval (integer)43200Fast decay timer (seconds)
FishingLootQualityMultiplier (float)1.0Fishing loot quality
FuelConsumptionIntervalMultiplier (float)1.0Fuel consumption rate
GenericXPMultiplier (float)1.0Generic XP multiplier
GlobalCorpseDecompositionTimeMultiplier (float)1.0Corpse decay time
GlobalItemDecompositionTimeMultiplier (float)1.0Item decay time
GlobalPoweredBatteryDurabilityDecreasePerSecond (float)3Battery durability loss rate
GlobalSpoilingTimeMultiplier (float)1.0Food spoilage time
HairGrowthSpeedMultiplier (float)1.0Hair growth speed
HarvestXPMultiplier (float)1.0Harvesting XP multiplier
IncreasePvPRespawnIntervalBaseAmount (float)60Base PvP respawn penalty
IncreasePvPRespawnIntervalCheckPeriod (float)300PvP respawn check period
IncreasePvPRespawnIntervalMultiplier (float)2PvP respawn penalty multiplier
KickIdlePlayersPeriod (integer)3600Idle kick timer (seconds)
KillXPMultiplier (float)1.0Kill XP multiplier
LayEggIntervalMultiplier (float)1.0Egg laying frequency
LimitNonPlayerDroppedItemsCount (integer)0Max dropped items in area
LimitNonPlayerDroppedItemsRange (integer)0Dropped items range limit
MatingIntervalMultiplier (float)1.0Mating cooldown multiplier
MatingSpeedMultiplier (float)1.0Mating progress speed
MaxAlliancesPerTribe (integer)Max alliances per tribe
MaxFallSpeedMultiplier (float)1.0Fall damage threshold
MaxNumberOfPlayersInTribe (integer)0Max players per tribe
MaxTribeLogs (integer)100Max tribe log entries
MaxTribesPerAlliance (integer)Max tribes per alliance
MutagenLevelBoost[stat ID] (integer)5, 5, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 5, 5, 0, 0, 0Mutagen levels added to wild ancestry tames. IDs: 0=Health, 1=Stamina, 2=Torpidity, 3=Oxygen, 4=Food, 5=Water, 6=Temperature, 7=Weight, 8=Melee Damage, 9=Movement Speed, 10=Fortitude, 11=Crafting Speed
MutagenLevelBoostBred[stat ID] (integer)1, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 1, 1, 0, 0, 0Mutagen levels added to bred dinos. IDs: 0=Health, 1=Stamina, 2=Torpidity, 3=Oxygen, 4=Food, 5=Water, 6=Temperature, 7=Weight, 8=Melee Damage, 9=Movement Speed, 10=Fortitude, 11=Crafting Speed
OverrideMaxExperiencePointsDino (integer)Override max dino XP
OverrideMaxExperiencePointsPlayer (integer)Override max player XP
OverridePlayerLevelEngramPoints (integer)Engram points per level
PassiveTameIntervalMultiplier (float)1.0Passive tame interval
PlayerHarvestingDamageMultiplier (float)1.0Player harvesting damage
PoopIntervalMultiplier (float)1.0Poop frequency
PreventDinoTameClassNames (string)Prevent taming by class
PreventOfflinePvPConnectionInvincibleInterval (float)5.0Offline PvP protection time
PreventTransferForClassName (string)Prevent transfer by class
PvPZoneStructureDamageMultiplier (float)6.0Cave structure damage
ResourceNoReplenishRadiusPlayers (float)1.0Resource respawn radius (players)
ResourceNoReplenishRadiusStructures (float)1.0Resource respawn radius (structures)
SpecialXPMultiplier (float)1.0Special event XP multiplier
StructureDamageRepairCooldown (integer)180Structure repair cooldown
SupplyCrateLootQualityMultiplier (float)1.0Supply crate loot quality
TamedDinoCharacterFoodDrainMultiplier (float)1.0Tamed dino food consumption
TamedDinoTorporDrainMultiplier (float)1.0Tamed dino torpor drain
TribeSlotReuseCooldown (float)0Tribe slot reuse timer
UseCorpseLifeSpanMultiplier (float)Corpse/bag lifespan
WildDinoCharacterFoodDrainMultiplier (float)1.0Wild dino food consumption
WildDinoTorporDrainMultiplier (float)1.0Wild dino torpor drain
WorldBuffScalingEfficacy (float)1Genesis 2 world effect scaling

ClassNames target specific items or dinosaurs instead of changing everything. This configuration is for more advanced users and requires the exact file name of an Item or Dino.

SettingNameDescription
ConfigOverrideItemMaxQuantityChanges stack sizes for items
HarvestResourceItemAmountClassMultipliersChanges harvest amounts for resources
PreventDinoTameClassNamesBlocks taming certain dinosaurs
DinoClassDamageMultipliersChanges wild dino damage
TamedDinoClassDamageMultipliersChanges tamed dino damage
DinoClassResistanceMultipliersChanges wild dino resistance
TamedDinoClassResistanceMultipliersChanges tamed dino resistance

Here are some examples:

ConfigOverrideItemMaxQuantity - Make arrows stack to 500

ConfigOverrideItemMaxQuantity=(ItemClassString="PrimalItemAmmo_ArrowTranq_C",Quantity=(MaxItemQuantity=500, bIgnoreMultiplier=true))

HarvestResourceItemAmountClassMultipliers - Get 3x wood

HarvestResourceItemAmountClassMultipliers=(ClassName="PrimalItemResource_Wood_C",Multiplier=3.0)

PreventDinoTameClassNames - Block taming Gigas

PreventDinoTameClassNames="Gigant_Character_BP_C"

DinoClassDamageMultipliers - Wild Rex does half damage

DinoClassDamageMultipliers=(ClassName="Rex_Character_BP_C",Multiplier=0.5)

TamedDinoClassDamageMultipliers - Tamed Rex does double damage

TamedDinoClassDamageMultipliers=(ClassName="Rex_Character_BP_C",Multiplier=2.0)

DinoClassResistanceMultipliers - Wild Rex takes double damage

DinoClassResistanceMultipliers=(ClassName="Rex_Character_BP_C",Multiplier=0.5)

TamedDinoClassResistanceMultipliers - Tamed Rex takes half damage

TamedDinoClassResistanceMultipliers=(ClassName="Rex_Character_BP_C",Multiplier=2.0)