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Most ARK: Survival Ascended dedicated-server changes come from two files: GameUserSettings.ini for session access, server-wide behavior, rates and many PvE options, and Game.ini for deeper game-mode overrides such as engrams, creature stats, breeding, imprinting and item crafting. On a Windows dedicated server, the usual directory is ShooterGame/Saved/Config/WindowsServer/.
Stop the server before editing either file, save a backup, then restart it. If a setting appears to do nothing, the usual causes are a wrong file or section, a value overwritten during shutdown, or a key that has changed between builds. The key names and examples below should be checked against the current ARK Community Wiki before you deploy them to a live world.
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Which ARK: Survival Ascended file controls a setting?
ASA separates ordinary server configuration from lower-level game-mode overrides. Editing the right file is more important than the value you choose.
| File | Section normally used | What it controls | Typical risk |
|---|---|---|---|
GameUserSettings.ini |
[ServerSettings] |
Server name and passwords, rates, PvE behavior, food and water pacing, tame limits and other server-wide options | Usually safe to change on an existing world, provided you keep a backup and restart cleanly |
Game.ini |
[/Script/ShooterGame.ShooterGameMode] |
Engram unlocks, per-creature and per-stat overrides, breeding and imprinting, item crafting and other deep balance rules | More likely to affect progression or require careful testing; malformed entries can be ignored |
The usual Windows server path is ShooterGame/Saved/Config/WindowsServer/. A hosting control panel may present these files through an editor rather than a normal file browser, but it is still writing the same configuration. Confirm the panel’s save behavior before making changes.
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Sections matter. A valid key placed under the wrong heading can be silently ignored, which looks like a broken setting. Keep each key in the section documented for the current build instead of copying a complete configuration from an older guide.
Prepare the server before editing
- Stop the server completely. Do not edit while the process is running. A clean shutdown can write the current in-memory configuration back to disk and overwrite your changes.
- Back up both files and the world save. Copy the existing
GameUserSettings.iniandGame.inito a dated folder, and retain a separate save backup before changing progression or creature rules. - Record the current values. A short change log prevents uncertainty about which edit caused a problem and makes rollback straightforward.
- Edit plain text only. Preserve the section headers, equals signs and spelling. Remove duplicate copies of the same key when a guide has appended a second value.
- Start the server and test one change at a time. Join with an administrator account, check the visible result, then stop and back up again before making a larger batch of edits.
If the server regenerates a file, compare the new file with your backup before replacing anything. A Steam community report says some installations ignore Game.ini when the server has not generated its own copy; copying an old file blindly can therefore hide the real problem.
Set the server name and passwords
These access settings belong in GameUserSettings.ini, normally under [ServerSettings].
| Key | Purpose | Operational detail |
|---|---|---|
SessionName |
Text shown as the server’s browser name | Use a distinctive name so players can identify the correct session; changing it affects discovery, not the world save |
ServerPassword |
Password required to join | Give it only to intended players and test it from a separate client after restarting |
ServerAdminPassword |
Authenticates administrator commands | Keep it different from the join password and treat it as a secret; anyone who obtains it may use admin functions |
Do not assume that a visible name or password change has been applied until a fresh server-browser listing or a new connection confirms it. Existing clients may retain an old listing briefly.
Adjust experience, taming and harvesting rates
Common rate multipliers are also placed under [ServerSettings] in GameUserSettings.ini:
XPMultiplierchanges the rate at which experience is awarded.TamingSpeedMultiplierchanges how quickly creatures are tamed.HarvestAmountMultiplierchanges the amount obtained from a successful harvest.
These are multipliers, so the intended direction matters: a value above the server’s normal baseline accelerates the activity, while a value below it slows the activity. No current official source establishes a universal default, a current-build cap or a recommended community preset, so do not copy a number from an old “boosted” configuration without checking the current wiki and your hosting provider’s baseline.
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Control food, water and PvE pacing
Player-versus-environment mode
ServerPVE=True disables player-versus-player damage and raiding. This is a server-wide rule, not a per-player toggle. Decide whether the setting is meant for the entire community before changing it, because switching the rules can alter how players protect bases and creatures.
Hunger and thirst
Food and water drain multipliers control how quickly those needs fall. Lower values make depletion slower; higher values make it faster. Because these settings affect every player and creature subject to the relevant mechanic, test them with a fresh character and over a long enough interval to distinguish a real change from a short sampling error.
Tamed-creature limit
MaxTamedDinos is a server-wide limit on tamed creatures. It is not a per-tribe allowance. Raising it can increase save size and management work, while lowering it can prevent players from adding creatures once the cap is reached. Communicate the change and check existing populations before imposing a lower limit.
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Set difficulty and wild-creature levels carefully
Difficulty examples are less certain than the basic file locations and key names. One guide describes pairing DifficultyOffset=1.0 with OverrideOfficialDifficulty=5.0 and says the maximum wild level becomes 30 times the override value, or 150. That relationship is reported as a guide claim, not a confirmed current-build rule.
Before using those values, verify the current ARK Community Wiki entry and test on a disposable world. Difficulty changes can affect wild spawns and the level distribution of newly spawned creatures; they do not automatically rewrite every creature already in a save. If the observed levels do not match the documented formula, stop and remove the unverified override rather than escalating the number.
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Use Game.ini for deep balance overrides
Place lower-level game-mode changes in Game.ini under [/Script/ShooterGame.ShooterGameMode]. The categories commonly handled there include:
- Engrams: rules for which engrams unlock and how progression gates are applied.
- Creature statistics: per-creature or per-stat adjustments that go beyond a global rate multiplier.
- Breeding: mating, incubation, maturation and related timing or quality rules.
- Imprinting: care intervals and the effects of successful imprinting.
- Item crafting: recipes, quantities and other item-specific behavior.
- Creature spawning: balancing which creatures appear and how frequently.
These are not interchangeable with the simpler rates in GameUserSettings.ini. A global multiplier is appropriate when every player should receive the same broad adjustment; a Game.ini override is appropriate when a particular creature, item or progression rule needs different treatment. Make one logical category change at a time and retain a working copy so you can isolate a malformed or obsolete entry.
Player-count configuration is a special case
Guides disagree about where the maximum player count is configured. Some say it is not set in an INI file and must be supplied as the -WinLiveMaxPlayers launch parameter. Other guides show MaxPlayers under [/Script/Engine.GameSession].
Do not combine both approaches automatically. First check how your server build and host expose launch arguments, then confirm the effective limit by starting the server and attempting connections up to the configured ceiling. If a panel overwrites launch parameters, an INI entry may appear correct while the process still uses the panel’s value. Treat the method documented for your current ASA build as authoritative.
Why a setting appears to do nothing
The server was running during the edit
Stop it, restore the backup, make the change again and restart. A running process can overwrite the file on shutdown.
The key is in the wrong file or section
Move server-wide settings such as rates and access values to GameUserSettings.ini under [ServerSettings]. Move deeper game-mode overrides to Game.ini under [/Script/ShooterGame.ShooterGameMode], then restart.
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The file was never generated
If Game.ini does not exist, start and stop the server once so it can create its configuration, then add the required section and entries. A Steam community report specifically warns that some servers ignore a manually supplied Game.ini when they have not generated their own.
The key is obsolete or misspelled
ASA guides range across different dates and builds. Compare spelling and capitalization with the current ARK Community Wiki. An unrecognized key may be ignored without an obvious error.
A host panel rewrote the file
Inspect the file after shutdown and again after startup. If your edit disappears, use the panel’s native configuration field or launch-argument area, or disable the panel setting that regenerates the file.
An old tame-limit fix was copied forward
A 2023 Steam discussion reported fixes for tame limits that may not apply to current builds. Do not assume an old workaround is still valid; verify the present key and test on a backup world.
A practical change-and-verify checklist
- Identify whether the change is session/rate/PvE related or a deep game-mode override.
- Choose
GameUserSettings.iniorGame.iniaccordingly. - Confirm the section header and exact key spelling for the current build.
- Stop the server and back up configuration plus the world save.
- Change one setting or one tightly related group.
- Restart and inspect the file to ensure the value survived shutdown.
- Verify the result in-game: browser name, password prompt, experience gain, tame timing, harvest yield, drain speed, PvE damage or player-count behavior.
- If the result is wrong, revert the last change before trying another workaround.
This workflow matters more than any single preset. ASA configuration is version-sensitive, and an apparently correct value can be ineffective when it is in the wrong location, replaced by a host panel or unsupported by the current server build.
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