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Godlike.Host offers hosted ARK: Survival Evolved servers with its own game panel, SFTP access and free DDoS protection, if you would rather not host it yourself.
If an ARK: Survival Evolved dedicated server starts without its mods, check the mod IDs, the ActiveMods setting, the files installed on the server, load order, and whether the server was completely stopped before configuration changes. Those account for most reported failures. A host update, stale saved data, or a client/server file mismatch can also leave a correct-looking configuration ineffective.
Work through the checks below in order. The examples apply to ordinary dedicated servers; cluster installations and behavior after major game-version changes may require host-specific instructions.
What “mods not loading” looks like
Different symptoms point to different layers of the setup. Identify the closest symptom before changing files.
| Symptom | Most likely area | First check |
|---|---|---|
| The server starts, but no mod content appears | IDs, ActiveMods, launch parameters, or missing files |
Confirm every Workshop ID and inspect the server’s mod files |
| One mod loads and another does not | A typo, missing .mod file, or dependency order |
Test the failing ID by itself and check its required load order |
| The server reports that a mod does not exist | The matching folder or .mod descriptor is absent |
Install both pieces on the server, not only in a Workshop download directory |
| Changes disappear after an edit | The server was still running and rewrote its INI files during shutdown | Stop it fully, edit while stopped, then start it again |
| Mods stopped after a provider update or reinstall | Mod files were removed or the panel reset configuration | Check the panel’s mod updater and ask the host to verify the installation |
| The dedicated server crashes while enabling mods on Linux | SteamAPI initialization or another Linux-specific issue | Compare with a clean, unmodded start and check the host logs |
Why an ARK server ignores mods
Incorrect Workshop IDs
A mod is identified by its numeric Steam Workshop ID. It is the number that follows id= in the mod’s Workshop page address, not the mod’s display name. A single missing or transposed digit points the server at a different item or at nothing at all. Copy each number directly from the page and remove any surrounding punctuation.
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A malformed or misplaced ActiveMods entry
For the conventional configuration method, the entry belongs under [ServerSettings] in GameUserSettings.ini. Use only comma-separated numeric IDs, with no spaces:
ActiveMods=ID1,ID2,ID3
The key is reported as case-sensitive. Write it exactly as ActiveMods. Putting it in another INI file, placing it outside the [ServerSettings] section, adding spaces, or including mod names can make the server ignore it.
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Launch parameters that conflict or are obsolete
Some servers receive their mod list through the map launch string instead. The current parameter described by community and hosting guidance is ?GameModIds=, followed by comma-separated IDs. For example:
TheIsland?GameModIds=485826143,481514565
Older instructions often use ModID; that parameter is reported as deprecated in favor of GameModIds. Do not confuse -MapModID= with a normal content mod. -MapModID= selects a custom map by Workshop ID and still requires the content mods in ActiveMods when those mods are needed.
Panel-generated startup arguments can also override or duplicate a manually edited setting. Test one method at a time, then test both together if your setup requires it.
Server-side files are incomplete
Downloading a mod into a Steam Workshop directory does not necessarily make it available to the dedicated server. Hosting guides report that the server needs the mod’s folder and the matching numeric <workshop_id>.mod file. If the descriptor is missing, the log may say there is no such mod and continue without loading it.
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Where the host supports it, the -automanagedmods startup option can download and update mod files when the server boots. Panel implementations differ, so verify that the option is actually enabled and that the account running the server can write to the destination.
Old saves or stale configuration
Old saved data is named by one hosting guide as a possible reason for rejected mods. Treat that as a diagnostic hypothesis rather than a guaranteed remedy: back up the world and configuration first, then test whether a clean or known-good save changes the result. Do not delete a live save without a recoverable backup.
Incomplete restarts
ARK rewrites INI files during shutdown. If you edit while the process is running, your changes can be overwritten when it finally exits. A panel button labeled “restart” may also leave an old process or state in place. A reliable change requires a full stop, a confirmation that the process has exited, and a fresh start.
Dependencies listed in the wrong order
Reported priority is left to right: the left-most ID has the highest priority. If one mod requires another, place the dependency first, then the mod that uses it. The Workshop page should be treated as the authority for any special ordering requirement; not every mod follows a generic rule.
Provider updates and reinstalls
A host update or server reinstall can remove Workshop content while leaving an apparently correct INI file behind. If the failure began immediately after maintenance, check timestamps and file presence before repeatedly editing the ID list. A support ticket may be necessary for the provider to restore its mod updater or permissions.
Fix ARK mods step by step
1. Record the current state
Before changing anything, save a copy of GameUserSettings.ini, the startup command or panel arguments, and the world save. Note which IDs should be active and which symptom you see. This gives you a rollback point and makes a host ticket precise.
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2. Verify every Workshop ID
- Open each mod’s Steam Workshop page.
- Copy the number after
id=in the page address. - Compare the copied number character by character with the number in your INI and launch settings.
- Remove duplicate entries and any text, quotation marks, spaces, or commas at the beginning or end of the list.
Test with one known-good ID if you are unsure whether the general mod system works. If that single mod loads, add the remaining IDs one at a time to identify the bad entry.
3. Stop the server completely
- Use the panel’s Stop action or the operating system service command.
- Wait until the process is gone and the panel reports that it is stopped.
- Do not edit the INI while the server is still running.
This matters because ARK may write its configuration back to disk during shutdown, erasing an edit made moments earlier.
4. Set ActiveMods in the correct file
The reported configuration locations are:
| Server platform | File path |
|---|---|
| Linux | ShooterGame/Saved/Config/LinuxServer/GameUserSettings.ini |
| Windows | ShooterGame/Saved/Config/WindowsServer/GameUserSettings.ini |
- Open
GameUserSettings.iniin a plain-text editor while the server is stopped. - Find the
[ServerSettings]section. - Add or replace one line using the exact capitalization and comma syntax:
ActiveMods=ID1,ID2,ID3. - Save the file without rich-text formatting.
Use only IDs on that line. Keep the order required by the mod authors, with a dependency before the mod that depends on it.
5. Check the startup command
If your host uses command-line settings, inspect the complete map argument. A Steam launch string can use:
TheIsland?GameModIds=485826143,481514565
Replace the map and IDs with your own values. Remove an old ModID argument rather than assuming it is still honored. If you use a custom map, keep its -MapModID= argument separate from the content-mod list.
Because panel templates vary, test in this order:
- Run with the corrected
ActiveModsline and no mod-list launch parameter. - If the panel requires a launch parameter, test
GameModIdsalone. - If the host’s documentation says both are needed, use both with identical IDs and order.
Do not leave several competing lists with different IDs; you will not know which one the server honored.
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6. Install the complete mod payload
- Locate the server’s mod-content directory in the panel file manager or server file system.
- For every active ID, confirm that its content folder exists.
- Confirm that the matching numeric
<workshop_id>.modfile is present where the server expects descriptors. - Ensure the account running the server can read the folder and file.
If your provider offers an “install,” “update,” or “synchronize Workshop mods” action, run it while the server is stopped. With a supported installation, -automanagedmods can automate downloading and updating during boot. A Workshop cache on your own computer is not proof that the remote server has the same files.
7. Correct the load order
Read each mod’s Workshop description for dependencies or a required priority. Put the dependency’s ID first, followed by the dependent mod. If no order is documented, keep a stable order while testing so that each change has one clear cause.
8. Start from a true cold boot
- Save all files and close the editor.
- Start the server from the panel or service manager.
- Wait for the startup sequence to finish before joining.
- Connect with a client that has the same mod set available.
A restart that never fully terminated the old process can continue using stale settings, so repeat the explicit stop-and-start sequence if the first attempt changes nothing.
9. Read the startup log
Look for the IDs you enabled and for messages indicating a missing mod. A “no such mod” message supports the missing-folder or missing-.mod-file diagnosis. If the server reaches a clean unmodded start but crashes only after mods are enabled, isolate the IDs one at a time rather than restoring the whole list at once.
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If the IDs, files, order, and restart are correct but the server still rejects mods, back up the save and configuration and test with a disposable copy or a newly created save. One host guide associates old saved data with rejected mods, but it does not establish a universal cleanup procedure. Preserve the original data so the test cannot become an irreversible loss.
11. Escalate provider-side failures
Open a support ticket when the problem began after a provider update or reinstall, when the panel cannot download the files, or when you lack permission to repair them. Include the server platform, exact IDs, the relevant configuration lines, the startup command, timestamps, and the first error in the log. Ask whether the host has a separate mod updater or requires a panel-specific path.
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Platform and client checks
Linux-specific reports
One community report describes SteamAPI initialization failure and a crash when mods were enabled on Linux while the base server ran normally. The available account does not establish a general Linux fix. Compare a clean unmodded boot with the modded boot, preserve the complete error text, and ask the host to verify SteamCMD, SteamAPI libraries, and process permissions for its supported server image.
Client/server file mismatches
The client and dedicated server can hold different copies of a mod. One reported resolution was to use the client’s own content files instead of copies obtained through SteamCMD. This is not a universal rule, but it is a useful isolation test: compare file presence and versions on both sides, remove only the suspect mod’s cached copy, and let the client reacquire it before reconnecting. Never overwrite a production server until you have a backup and know which copy your host supports.
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Configuration paths are platform-dependent
Do not copy a Linux path into a Windows installation or vice versa. The two reported locations differ only in the final directory name, but editing a similarly named file elsewhere will have no effect. Panels may expose a virtual path rather than the physical path; use the panel’s configuration editor only if it writes to the active server instance.
Common cases and the shortest useful test
No mods load at all
- Stop the server fully.
- Put one verified ID in
ActiveMods. - Confirm both its folder and matching
.moddescriptor. - Start and inspect the log.
If one mod works, the base configuration is functional; add the remaining IDs individually. If none works, concentrate on the active INI path, provider updater, permissions, and startup arguments.
Only a dependency-based mod fails
- Open the mod’s Workshop description.
- Identify every required dependency.
- Place dependencies to the left of the dependent ID.
- Confirm that every ID in the chain has its own folder and
.modfile.
The setting keeps reverting
Stop the server before editing and watch the file timestamp after shutdown. A panel may regenerate INI files from its own settings page, so make the change in the panel’s authoritative field or disable the conflicting template. Start only after the saved file contains the intended line.
It broke after maintenance
Compare the mod directory and configuration backup made before maintenance with the current server. Reinstall or synchronize the mods through the provider’s supported tool, then perform a cold boot. If the provider removed the files or changed permissions, local INI edits cannot repair that underlying problem.
What not to assume
- Do not assume a Workshop download on your personal computer installs the mod on the dedicated server.
- Do not assume the display name is an acceptable substitute for the numeric ID.
- Do not assume
ModIDis current; the reported guidance identifiesGameModIdsas its replacement. - Do not treat
-MapModID=as a replacement forActiveModswhen loading content mods. - Do not assume a panel “restart” applied an edit unless the old process actually stopped.
- Do not generalize these checks to clusters without confirming the cluster’s shared configuration and mod policy.
- Do not present forum posts or hosting blogs as official Studio Wildcard documentation. Some advice dates from around 2015, and game-version or panel behavior can change.
Preventing the next mod failure
- Keep a dated backup of
GameUserSettings.ini, startup arguments, and the world save before changing the mod list. - Maintain a simple inventory of each mod’s numeric ID, required dependencies, and intended order.
- After a host update, verify the files and configuration before players join.
- Use one authoritative place for the mod list instead of silently maintaining conflicting panel and command-line values.
- When adding a mod, boot with only that change and read the log before adding another.
- Document whether your host expects manual files or supports
-automanagedmods.
For most ordinary dedicated servers, a verified ID list, correctly placed ActiveMods entry, complete server-side files, documented dependency order, and a genuine stop/start cycle restore loading. Provider-side reinstalls, Linux SteamAPI failures, stale saves, and client/server mismatches require the narrower tests described above rather than repeated edits to the same line.
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