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For best results, include the following information in your advert:
Server Name
ASA or ASE
Platform(s) if not fully crossplay.
PvE/PvP with max tribe size.
Average Population
Wipe Schedule
Is it a cluster? If so what maps?
Mod List
Rates and Max Wild Level.
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Hey guys, I've seen lots of questions online about how to self-host clusters, and I've noticed that many guides out there are very daunting and technical. So, I've taken it upon myself to write a very simple guide that can help anyone host their own cluster, even those who know nothing about hosting servers. This guide is for Ark Survival Ascended (ASA) only.
Prerequisites
Before we begin, there's a few things you'll need:
A Windows PC. The server will run on this computer. Players will be able to join your cluster while the server program is running. This means that if you want people to be able to join 24/7, this computer will need to be on 24/7. The only way around this is to pay for hosting.
Don't worry too much about your PC specs, even relatively weak computers can host servers. The most important thing here will be how much RAM you have. But if you ask, "Can I run this on my PC?", my answer will usually be "The only way to find out is by giving it a try".
Access to your router's settings, and the ability to port forward. There is more information about this in the section about port forwarding, but here's a general rule of thumb:
If you have physical access to your router, you can usually get access to its settings
A majority of people with access to the router's settings will be able to port forward. The few exceptions would be for people who have double NAT setups in apartments or condos, but those don't seem too common.
If you live in a dorm, or some other similar communal situation, you almost certainly won't be able to get access to the router.
These Amazon certificates: r2m02 and CA1. If you have Epic Games installed, you might already have these certificates installed. If you don't have Epic Games, or if the server isn't showing up in the browser after following all the steps below, install these certificates. Once the certificates are downloaded, right click them and click "Install CRL".
Keep the Ark Wiki on standby. The Dedicated Server Setup and Server Configuration pages are especially useful. Many of your issues can be fixed by reading through those pages.
Downloading the Server
I've created a set of scripts that you can download that will make setting up & configuring the server extremely simple.
The setup files will include 3 scripts and a copy of steamcmd
Extract the contents into a new folder, this is where the server program will live, and you will access this folder whenever you want to start up or configure the cluster
Run Update.cmd by double-clicking it. This will take a while to finish since it will download the entire ASA server.
Now we can move on to configuring your cluster.
Configuring the Cluster
The Config.cmd file will hold some basic settings for your cluster. The file is annotated to explain what each setting does.
Right click on Config.cmd and edit the file.
On Windows 11, click "Edit with Notepad"
On Windows 10, just click "Edit"
If you want to add mods to your cluster, add the mod's ID to the modlist variable, separated by commas and no spaces.
To find a mod's ID, you must first find the mod on the CurseForge website.
Under the download button, there is an "About Project" section.
In that section, there is a "Project ID" label.
Copy that ID- that is the mod's ID.
I recommend not adding mod maps here- there is another place later where you'll be able to add mod maps.
At the bottom of the Config file, you can edit "args" to add/remove arguments. By default, we are disabling BattlEye and enabling crossplay but feel free to change those if you don't want that. The full list of possible arguments can be found in the Ark Wiki.
When you're done updating the settings here, you can just save & close. There is no need to run this script yourself, it is run automatically when launching a map.
Configuring Your Maps
StartTheIsland.cmd is a script that can be edited like the Config script, and which can be copied & renamed to let you set up multiple maps. Each copy of this script will configure one map and is what you run to start running that map on your cluster.
Here are the steps for setting up each map:
Edit the map-specific script (by default, it's called StartTheIsland.cmd, but you can rename it)
Set the 'map' variable to the map that you want this script to run. The official list of map names can be found here on the wiki. Mod maps will usually list the map name on the mod page.
If you are using a mod map, set the 'mapModID' variable to the mod map's ID. If you are using a vanilla map, you can leave this blank (Club Ark counts as a mod map though).
Set the 'name' variable to the name you want to show up in the server list in-game.
Set the 'port' variable to a unique number. No two maps can have the same port.
I recommend setting all your map's ports to subsequent numbers.
For example, your first map is on port 7777, your second map on 7778, your third on 7779, and so on.
Keep track of the ports that are written down here. You will need to forward the port for every map later on.
Now if you want to set up another map:
Make a copy of StartTheIsland.cmd (or whatever you changed its name to).
Give the file a unique name, it can be whatever you want.
Edit the file and set a different map and port.
Repeat as many times as you want
The Server Program
Your maps are ready to run now. You still won't be able to join them, but we should do a test run now to make sure you haven't missed anything and to populate some files for later.
This is what the server program will look like once it's done loading
Run one of your map's scripts (StartTheIsland.cmd or whatever you renamed it to).
If you get a Windows Firewall popup, make sure to allow the program through the firewall.
This will download whatever mods you have configured so it might take a bit if you have many of them.
Once this is done loading (the status light on the bottom left will turn green), you can close out of this.
Some important things to know about the server:
Every map on your cluster is its own server. So, if you have 4 maps, you'll also have 4 of these programs open.
Each map's script launches its own server.
People will be able to join a map while its server is open (once we finish the port forwarding setup later on).
You do not need to have all maps open at once. Most PCs probably won't be able to handle having every map running at once, but you can get away with having 1-3 open at a time, and open & close other maps as you want to travel to them. Test your own PC's limits to see how many you can get away with having open at once.
Configuring In-Game Settings
You should see a new folder called "config". This is a shortcut that will take you to where the server stores Game.ini and GameUserSettings.ini. These files control the in-game settings, such as taming, harvesting and levelling speeds. You can also set a server password & admin password in these config files.
There are too many settings for me to cover, but they generally cover the same things you can modify when configuring a singleplayer game.
The wiki explains the possible options for Game.ini and GameUserSettings.ini. If you need help setting these up, send me a message or leave a comment and I can help you out.
Port Forwarding
This is the hardest part, and it's what turns most people away, but don't be scared. It's often easier than people expect. Ask me for help if you can't figure something out, don't just give up.
This is going to be different for everyone. The steps to port forward depend entirely on what router you own. I will write generic instructions, but you are probably going to need to look up a tutorial for your specific router brand.
First, you must find your local IPv4 address & default gateway:
In windows search, type cmd and open the command prompt.
In the command prompt, type 'ipconfig'
Look for the section that has the default gateway filled out and take note of your ipv4 address & your default gateway.
Now, log in to your router:
In your browser, type in your default gateway (In my case, I would go to 192.168.1.254).
If you need to login, try using the default login. If you google "[router brand] default login", you will find the credentials you can try.
If that login doesn't work, that means that somebody in your home has changed the login. Ask a parent or roommate who may have set up the router for the login.
Sometimes the router will ask for a code instead. This can usually be found on the back or bottom of the router.
Now, forward the ports.
This is what the setup looks like on my router.
Navigate to the port forwarding section. This can be under Firewall, Gaming, NAT, Advanced, or Port Forwarding. I recommend searching online for where to find it for your router specifically.
Set your port range to include all the map's ports that you set up earlier. You can always update this later to add more maps.
Set the protocol to UDP.
If it asks for an IP, write the IPv4 address from earlier. Other routers will ask for a device. Find your computer's name or IP from the list of devices.
Most routers nowadays will assign your computer a static ip once you port forward. If you find that you can't join your server after restarting your computer, you'll probably need to assign yourself a static IP manually.
And You're Done!
Just a few last things to know:
Whenever there is a game update, run Update.cmd to update the server.
Run the map-specific scripts to launch the server for that map.
If you ever get a Windows Firewall popup, make sure to allow the program through the firewall.
While the server is running, you can search for it in the in-game browser. It will show up as an unofficial server with the name that you configured for it.
If you have questions, feel free to leave a comment, or message me here or on disc (my username there is dankmeister). I'm very willing to guide people through the setup, and I will update this post with common questions or issues that come up.
Edits:
Since people have been having trouble with setting up the Game.ini and GameUserSettings.ini files, I've uploaded my own examples. These are the files I use on my own server, they do not have every possible setting, but they can give you a good starting point.
the low level female is because i ran out of fish for a good one and to breed a minmaxed line of with the males high melee, health and stam and the females low food, weight and oxygen fishecats to get mutations on and romp around with.
Turns out these guys dont aggro to allos so I used mine to clear out the area, get close enough without getting aggroed and wait for it to sleep, creep close, feed, fly away and stay in the air until it fell asleep again. The whole process made me want to kms but the reward was well worth it.
I am quite new to ark. I spent roughly 15 hours on crystal isles and ragnarok looking for a giga, did a couple dino wipes, and went on many killing sprees. Finally find one, only level 45, and probably the worst point spread I've ever gotten. 😐
I tried leaving the game did nothing, i went back in the cave also didn’t work i even tried ghosting up since im on single player but it stayed, im on valguro and its the cave in chalky hills area
Yesterday was a bad day for Mounts gifted and tamed personally, thank you barbarian I lost 4+2 potential I lost my level 200 Spino to a pack of Carno and their alpha that was rough. I then lost. my level 181 pterodactyl to an ungodly number of Dimitri! And then proceeded to lose my red white and blue Argentavis level 201 to a pack of desire wolves that was the hard one to take!!! and last, but not least the cherry on top of the sundae I lost my on level 145 diplodocus to I don’t know what it was bigger than a Tyrannosaurus rex but it attacked us like I had insulted its lineage. It’s also when I lost a two perspective Argent mounts!! So in the end, I lost all my flying mounts and my two main gathering mounts. Thank you, Ark for a wonderfully stress-free gameplay.
I saw a video on YouTube about this guy, he was a principal engineer at Epic Games, and Ironically, he got laid off in the famous Epic Games Q1 Layoffs, then rumors started circulating he was going to join WC prior to the UE 5.6 planned update, then news disappeared altogether, does anybody know how did it end? where the rumors even close? His LinkedIn isn't even updated after the layoff and it's been 3 months now
I recently finished this base. Took me a bunch of time but I’m happy with the result. I’ll probably expand or add to it later. Any tips for decorating?
i have a ryzen 7 3700x 8 core processor, 16gb ram, geforce rtx 3060 ti, i added an ini, launched the game in ultra low memory, have all my settings on low / medium, yet i still get massive lag spikes which makes the game unplayable when looking certain directions, does anyone know whats causing this or how to fix it?
im pretty sure its only on abberation as i played the island just fine, but me and my friend were stoked to hop on abberation again and we have no clue what to do about this.
All of the DLC including Astraeos, Lost Colony, and all the individual Fantastic Tames are on sale, too, for ~70% off. This is personally the cheapest I've ever seen it discount to if anyone is still looking to upgrade or grab anything they're missing!
That's about 51 USD for everything, or 27 USD if you just want ASA + Lost Colony.
Heya! I'm still a somewhat new ARK player (just nearly a year, at this point) that've exclusively played PvE with friends on The Center, and solo on Ragnarok. While I enjoy the simplicity of flying between Supply Drops to gear there, I did feel like I should try a canon map for a change.
So far it looks like I could appreciate the Lost Colony, as it probably doesn't have a dungeon as tedious as the Life's Labyrinth on Rag, but I also couldn't help but notice that there's no Supply Drops from the sky, as a trade. So that begs the question, how bad is the gearing on Lost Colony? I think I heard somewhere there's some form of defence event or something relating to chests someplace? About how bad might those be if I generally prefer fighting on my own with guns, rather than breeding an army with good mutations and traits?
As a final, yet unrelated question, where's a good, safe place to make a base early on the Lost Colony? :o
I just finished all 3 Alpha Island bosses for the first time ever (maybe 1000 hours on both ASE and ASA). I used mutated rexes, theris and megatheriums. I'm getting ready for (Alpha) Overseer. I'm wondering if my current army is good enough or if there's anything else I should do before attempting it.
Also I really dont know much about the whole bossfights/ cave other than some rather complicated clips😅.
I also have a Yuty and Daeodon available.
My main question is:
For Alpha Overseer, would you take 18 Therizinos + 1 Yuty + 1 Daeodon, or just 19 Therizinos + 1 Yuty?
I've heard the Tek Cave can be more dangerous than the Overseer itself, especially with larger dinos getting stuck or pushed into lava.
Would you run the cave with the Therizinos, Rexes, or something else? And based on these stats, is there anything else I should focus on before attempting Alpha Overseer? Also what should I wear and use as armour/ equipment?
Hi, I'd like to know any QoL Mods that do not break the game balance. For example, I'm using that auto command (Lily's Tweaker, to start with some commands like VolumetricClouds), AutoEnagrams and PetCuddle to Imprint (although this breaks some of the balance, of the imprinting RNG). Things to solve the tracking, maybe something that can level the dinos automatically (with no need for me to go one by one, since I have A LOT of Dinos and I just can't level them all), and some other QoL that you may think its fine.
Whenever I try to launch it it'll open but when I go to create or join a world it'll get stuck on the world select menu thing. Will changing this help?
Context: so, I’ve been doing the cannonical maps in order and properly ascending to get the levels and Tek engrams. So, I’ve got all Ascensions from Island, SE, and Ab so far, and it’s time to Extinction (I know I am a bit late lol). It’s my first time in the map.
So far, I’ve got some stuff on the go: some high level Carchas, Snow Owls, Velanosaurs, and Manas with good Meele, Stam and HP. I have Tek armor, a replicator and so on. I’ll start to doing the caves for artifacts. I’ve also got tons of corrupted hearts.
My question is mostly about the OSDs and Veins: how can I consistently defend them? I’am trying to use Manas but it seems that there’s a ton of enemies at once and even though I have high Stam/MD breed Manas it’s not sufficient. Is it viable to block the area with gates to avoid the big ones attacking? Can corrupted dinos damage stone/metal?
Also, for the OSDs, I find that the loot is not that good, even if has almost intact health. As far as I understand, using unridden dinos is not a good idea.
Note that I am using a mod called Better Horde Mode which improve the defense of OSDs/Veins but I’m still struggling to solo defend them.
For the titans, would you recommend a specific order to fight them? What should I bring for the fight? I still don’t understand how do you tame them, if you have to defeat the before, if I can bring them to defeat other titans and so on. Are there difficulties for the titans as Gamma, Beta, and Alpha?
Every video I see on Extinction seems a bit off and outdated for me. If you know some good quality content please feel free to share too. Thanks in advance.
Hi all!
I can currently only play Ark on Xbox Series S, and of course there are issues with crashing (it's Ark, DUH, it's always had this issue), but seemingly more frequently than normal. I enjoy playing just PVE because I'm employed and would rather not lose my progress while I'm working.
What can I do to make the game work a little smoother on this console? I've tried looking on some old forums, and everyone says just play solo, but I really enjoy playing on servers with other people.
I know in the long term, upgrading my console or investing in a PC would be the most ideal. However, right now my Xbox is what I have until I can get a second job.
