ARK Server Setup

ARK: Survival Evolved (and ARK: Survival Ascended) servers are resource-heavy but highly configurable. This guide covers GameUserSettings.ini, clusters, mods, and admin commands.

ARK requires significant resources. We recommend:

• The Commander (8 GB RAM) for a single map with up to 30 players.
• The Titan (16 GB RAM) for clustered servers or 50+ players.

1. Select ARK from the game catalogue.
2. Choose your plan.
3. Deploy. Initial setup takes 3–5 minutes as ARK's files are large.

The primary config file is /ShooterGame/Saved/Config/LinuxServer/GameUserSettings.ini:

[ServerSettings]
ServerPassword=YourPassword
ServerAdminPassword=YourAdminPassword
MaxPlayers=50
MapName=TheIsland
RCONEnabled=True
RCONPort=27020

# Rates
XPMultiplier=2.0
TamingSpeedMultiplier=3.0
HarvestAmountMultiplier=2.0
BabyMatureSpeedMultiplier=5.0

# QoL
AllowThirdPersonPlayer=True
ShowMapPlayerLocation=True
EnablePvPGamma=True

To let players transfer between maps (The Island, Ragnarok, Fjordur, etc.):

1. Deploy one server per map.
2. Set the same ClusterId in each server's startup parameters.
3. NovaStack does not auto-link servers — as long as every server uses the same ClusterId (step 2), they form one cluster and players can transfer between them.

Players use Obelisks or TEK Transmitters to transfer characters, dinos, and items between maps.

1. Find the mod's Workshop ID from its Steam URL.
2. Add the ID to the ActiveMods field in your startup configuration (comma-separated for multiple).
3. Restart the server. Mods will download automatically.

Popular mods: Structures Plus (S+), Awesome Spyglass, Dino Storage, Super Spyglass, Ark Additions.

Connect via RCON or use the in-game admin console (press Tab, then type enablecheats YourAdminPassword).

Useful commands:

• admincheat fly — toggle flight mode.
• admincheat ghost — noclip through objects.
• admincheat giveitemnum <id> 1 1 0 — spawn items.
• admincheat destroywilddinos — respawn all wild dinos.
• admincheat saveworld — force save.
• admincheat broadcast <message> — message all players.