How to change ARK server rates: taming, harvest, XP and more

Most ARK rates live in two files: GameUserSettings.ini and Game.ini. You can edit both from the Files tab of your panel.

Before you start

1. Stop the server in the Console tab. ARK overwrites the ini files on shutdown, so edits made while it runs can be lost.
2. Download a copy of each file as a backup.
3. Find the files under ShooterGame/Saved/Config/ in the platform folder (check your panel for the exact name).

Common GameUserSettings.ini settings

These go under the [ServerSettings] heading, one per line.

• TamingSpeedMultiplier=3.0 makes taming faster.
• HarvestAmountMultiplier=2.0 increases resources per harvest.
• XPMultiplier=2.0 increases experience gained.
• DifficultyOffset=1.0 together with OverrideOfficialDifficulty=5.0 lets wild dinos reach level 150.
• ServerPassword and ServerAdminPassword set the join and admin passwords.
• MaxPlayers is read from the launch settings or SessionName line on some setups, so check your panel.

Common Game.ini settings

These go under the [/script/shootergame.shootergamemode] heading.

• MatingIntervalMultiplier=0.5 shortens the wait between mating.
• EggHatchSpeedMultiplier=5.0 hatches eggs faster.
• BabyMatureSpeedMultiplier=5.0 makes babies grow up faster.
• BabyCuddleIntervalMultiplier controls how often babies want imprinting.

Tips

• Raise values gradually. Very high harvest or XP numbers can cause lag or odd behaviour.
• Spelling and capital letters matter. A typo means the setting is ignored.
• If a setting does not seem to work, confirm it is under the correct heading and that you edited the file while the server was stopped.
• Settings are server-side, so players do not need to change anything.

If you are not sure about a setting name, the official ARK wiki lists the server configuration options for both games.