ARK · Easy · 5 minutes

Adjust ARK rates and settings

ARK servers use GameUserSettings.ini and Game.ini for common server settings, rates, passwords, rules, and gameplay tuning.

Common files or settings

ShooterGame/Saved/Config/LinuxServer/GameUserSettings.ini
ShooterGame/Saved/Config/LinuxServer/Game.ini
ShooterGame/Saved/SavedArks/

Stop and back up

Stop the server and create a backup before changing rates or save files. Editing these files while the server is running can be overwritten when ARK saves or shuts down.

Open the config files

Most common ARK settings live in ShooterGame/Saved/Config/LinuxServer/GameUserSettings.ini under [ServerSettings]. Advanced gameplay and breeding overrides usually live in ShooterGame/Saved/Config/LinuxServer/Game.ini under [/Script/ShooterGame.ShooterGameMode]. Some lines may not already exist; you can add them under the matching section.

Common rate lines

Add or change these examples to tune harvesting, taming, XP, survival drain, weight, and breeding. Use the values you want, then save and restart.

GameUserSettings.ini · `[ServerSettings]`

HarvestAmountMultiplier=5.000000
HarvestHealthMultiplier=3.000000
TamingSpeedMultiplier=10.000000
XPMultiplier=3.000000
PlayerCharacterStaminaDrainMultiplier=0.700000
PlayerCharacterFoodDrainMultiplier=0.700000
PlayerCharacterWaterDrainMultiplier=0.700000

Game.ini · `[/Script/ShooterGame.ShooterGameMode]`

PerLevelStatsMultiplier_Player[7]=10.000000
MatingIntervalMultiplier=0.050000
EggHatchSpeedMultiplier=10.000000
BabyMatureSpeedMultiplier=15.000000
BabyCuddleIntervalMultiplier=0.100000
bAllowUnlimitedRespecs=True

PerLevelStatsMultiplier_Player[7] is player weight per level. For breeding, lower mating and cuddle interval values make timers shorter, while higher hatch and mature speed values make eggs and babies progress faster.

Quality-of-life toggles

These common toggles go in GameUserSettings.ini under [ServerSettings]:

ShowFloatingDamageText=True
bUseCorpseLocator=True

If a line is already present, edit the existing line instead of adding a duplicate.

Change rates carefully

Adjust one group at a time, such as taming, harvesting, XP, breeding, or difficulty. Restart after saving. If a value does not seem to apply, confirm it is under the right section and that there is only one copy of that setting.

Quick checks

Back up before changing saves or major settings.
Restart after saving config changes.
If it fails, read the first error in the latest log.