How to change the difficulty on your ARK server

ARK difficulty controls the maximum wild dino level and loot scaling. Difficulty is usually changed in GameUserSettings.ini, then applied after a restart and wild dino wipe.

1. Open your ARK server in the control panel.
2. Click Configuration Files.
3. Open GameUserSettings.ini with Config Editor or Text Editor.

   

4. Set DifficultyOffset and, if needed, OverrideOfficialDifficulty. Example:

   DifficultyOffset=1.0
   OverrideOfficialDifficulty=5.0

5. Click Save & Exit, then restart the server.
6. After changing difficulty, run admincheat DestroyWildDinos from the admin console so new wild dinos spawn with the updated levels.

A common setup for level 150 wild dinos is DifficultyOffset=1.0 and OverrideOfficialDifficulty=5.0. Always test values after restarting.