Adjusting Difficulty in ARK

In Basic Mode#

Access the game configuration and navigate to Basic Config and Game Settings.
In the line Difficulty, set the desired difficulty level and save.

In Advanced Mode#

Access the game configuration and navigate to Configuration Files and GameUserSettings.ini.
Change the value of the variable DifficultyOffset= to the desired value and save.

In Advanced Mode, it is still possible to increase the difficulty level beyond the official limit.

To do this, you need to add the variable OverrideOfficialDifficulty= in addition to DifficultyOffset=.
By using OverrideOfficialDifficulty, you can raise the maximum dino levels above level 120.
It also increases the loot quality.

Here are some examples:

DifficultyOffset=1
OverrideOfficialDifficulty=5

This corresponds to a maximum dino level of 150 and a loot quality of 500%.

DifficultyOffset=1
OverrideOfficialDifficulty=10

This corresponds to a maximum dino level of 300 and a loot quality of 1000%.
After entering and saving the values in the GameUserSettings.ini, the server can be started.
It is recommended to join the server as an admin and use the command admincheat DestroyWildDinos to destroy all wild dinos on the map.
Afterwards, dinos will spawn according to the newly adjusted difficulty level.
CAUTION: Dinos of all levels will spawn, from minimum to maximum level!

Table for Difficulty Levels#