To make your ARK: Survival Ascended server PvE, switch on PvE Mode in Game Settings on the Settings tab and restart the server. Players then cannot damage each other or each other's buildings, and only the wildlife is a threat. A few PvE rules sit in the Game User Settings and Game Rules (Game.ini) editors on the same page.
Switch on PvE Mode
- Open your server in the panel and click the Settings tab.
- On Game Settings, switch on PvE Mode. A switch saves as soon as you flip it.
- Click Restart now. The server comes back as PvE.
The panel describes it as: Off is the standard game, where players and tribes can fight and raid each other. Turn it on for a peaceful world where players cannot damage each other or each other's buildings, and only the wildlife is a threat.
To go back to PvP, switch it off and restart.
PvE rules you can add
These settings only matter on a PvE server. Stop the server before you change Game User Settings.
| Setting | File | What it does | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flyers can carry wild creatures in PvE | Game User Settings, group Rules | Lets flying tames pick up wild creatures on a PvE server. | off |
| Building in caves in PvE | Game User Settings, group Rules | Lets players build inside caves on a PvE server. | off |
| No friendly fire in PvE | Game Rules (Game.ini), group Rules | Tribe members, their tames and their structures cannot hurt each other, on a PvE server. | off |
| No structure decay | Game User Settings, group Structures | Structures of players who stop playing are never removed by decay. | off |
| Structure decay time | Game User Settings, group Structures | How long an abandoned structure lasts before it decays. Higher lasts longer. | 1 |
How to open the editors and save: How to edit GameUserSettings.ini and Game.ini on your ARK: Survival Ascended server. Decay in detail: How to change structure and decay settings on your ARK: Survival Ascended server.
Good to know
- Set PvE with PvE Mode only. Game User Settings does not offer a PvE switch for Ascended, because the start line sets it and wins over the file.
- Say in your Server Name that the server is PvE, so players know before they join: How to change your ARK: Survival Ascended server name and password.
