For an ARK: Survival Ascended (ASA) server in 2026, start with Structures Plus (S+) for building, Super Spyglass Plus or Awesome SpyGlass for inspecting dinosaurs, and Dino Storage for compact tame management. Add Automatic Ark only when you accept its extra server workload. Then choose either a creature pack, such as Additional Creatures 2 or Ark Additions, or one overhaul such as Primal Chaos, Ark Supreme, or Astraeos. Do not stack several overhauls.
The best 2026 mod setup at a glance
These recommendations are for ASA, whose mod distribution runs through CurseForge rather than the Steam Workshop used by many older ARK: Survival Evolved guides. The rankings below reflect repeated recommendations in current community lists, not official Studio Wildcard guidance. Mod pages, IDs and compatibility can change, so verify each one immediately before installation.
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|---|---|---|---|
| Structures Plus (S+) | More flexible building pieces and construction controls | Most PvE, PvP and general-purpose servers | Building behavior can differ from vanilla; test existing structures before making it a permanent dependency |
| Super Spyglass Plus or Awesome SpyGlass | Displays dinosaur statistics before and after taming | Breeding, taming and server administration | Choose one spyglass mod to avoid overlapping interfaces |
| Dino Storage | Stores tamed creatures in soul balls instead of leaving them in the world | Servers with many tames or limited base space | Current ASA version is disputed in community lists; confirm whether the maintained release is v2 or v3 |
| Automatic Ark | Automates crafting and storage handling | Convenience-focused servers with spare CPU capacity | Background automation can increase server load |
| Additional Creatures 2 or Ark Additions | Adds creatures and new content | Players who want variety without a complete rules overhaul | Creature packs change progression and spawn balance |
| Primal Chaos, Ark Supreme or Astraeos | Reworks progression and difficulty on a large scale | A server built around one overhaul from its first wipe | Use one overhaul, not several; major systems can conflict |
| Castles, Keeps and Forts (Remastered) | Adds medieval-style construction pieces | Role-play, kingdom and themed building servers | It is an aesthetic/building expansion, not a replacement for a progression overhaul |
Choose mods by the problem your server has
When building is the priority
S+ is the safest first addition for a general server because it addresses everyday construction rather than changing the entire game loop. It is frequently described by community lists as the most-installed ASA mod. Castles, Keeps and Forts (Remastered) is a better fit when the server’s identity is medieval role-play: it supplies a distinct visual language and specialized pieces, while S+ is the broader utility choice. You can run both if you have tested their pieces and snapping behavior together, but neither is required for the other.
When taming and breeding are the priority
Super Spyglass Plus and Awesome SpyGlass target the same decision: whether a wild dinosaur is worth taming and which bred animal has the desired stats. Install one, not both. A stat-display mod reduces guesswork without changing the creature roster, making it a lower-impact choice than a creature pack or overhaul.
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When your base is crowded with tames
Dino Storage packages creatures as soul balls so they can be stored rather than standing in pens and consuming world entities. Recommendation lists disagree about the ASA release to use: one favors v2 and another favors v3. Treat the version number as unresolved, open the mod’s current CurseForge page, and confirm that its release supports your server build before adding it. Do not move a long-running world between incompatible releases without a backup and a test copy.
When you want automation
Automatic Ark can automate crafting and storage management. That convenience is most valuable on a mature server where players repeatedly process large inventories. Automation also runs work in the background, so it can consume more server resources than a cosmetic or inspection mod. Add it after the basic stack is stable, and watch server tick time and memory during busy periods.
When you want new creatures
Additional Creatures 2 and Ark Additions are examples of creature-focused expansions. A creature pack is a middle ground: it broadens exploration and taming without rewriting every crafting tier. Check its spawn rules and progression impact first; adding several packs at once can make the world feel crowded and makes troubleshooting harder.
When you want a different game
Primal Chaos, Ark Supreme and Astraeos are overhaul-style choices. They can alter progression, combat, crafting and difficulty so extensively that the server should be designed around the selected overhaul from its first launch. Pick one. Stacking two or more overhauls is especially risky because they may replace the same items, engrams, classes or progression tables.
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ASA versus older ARK installation advice
Current ASA mods are delivered through CurseForge. A connecting client normally downloads the server’s enabled mods automatically; players do not need to subscribe in a Steam Workshop listing or copy mod files by hand. Instructions that tell ASA administrators to collect Workshop IDs, edit an old ActiveMods workflow or manually exchange files are usually describing Survival Evolved-era hosting. Check the publication date and the game edition before following any guide.
How to add CurseForge mods to an ASA dedicated server
1. Install the dedicated-server files
Community hosting guides identify the dedicated server as a separate free Steam application with app ID 2430930; the game client uses app ID 2399830. An anonymous SteamCMD login is reported to work. A first installation command is:
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1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemssteamcmd +force_install_dir <path> +login anonymous +app_update 2430930 validate +quitReplace <path> with the directory where the server should live. The validate flag checks files and is useful for the first install or after suspected corruption, but it makes routine updates slower. Once the installation is known to be healthy, routine updates can omit validate.
2. Configure the two INI files
Set gameplay and server options in GameUserSettings.ini and Game.ini. Keep a copy of both files before changing them. Use the same server configuration on a test instance first when adding an overhaul or a large content pack.
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3. Record the current numeric CurseForge IDs
Open each mod’s current CurseForge page and copy its numeric project ID. Do not rely on an old list: IDs, ownership and releases can change. Build a short list in the order you want the server to load the mods, separating utility mods from content-heavy additions so that a later failure is easier to isolate.
4. Put the IDs in the launch configuration
Community instructions disagree about whether the launch argument alone is sufficient or whether an INI entry is also required. The most consistently repeated practical approach is to place the comma-separated IDs in the launch command first:
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-mods="900062,926956,927131"Those numbers are a syntax example, not a permanent recommendation for particular mods. Replace them with the IDs shown on the pages you are installing.
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Run the server with the selected list and allow it to download the mods. Watch the startup log for download failures, missing dependencies, load-order errors and a clean world initialization. Have one administrator connect before announcing the server to players. A client should receive the enabled mods automatically when connecting.
6. Add or remove one mod at a time
If the server crashes, hangs during startup or fails to let clients connect, remove the last mod added and test again. Continue in single changes until the failing package or interaction is identified. This is slower than pasting a large list, but it gives you a reproducible recovery path and prevents an overhaul, automation package and creature pack from being blamed interchangeably.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Load order, compatibility and world safety
Keep the first stack small
A sensible first pass is one building or utility mod, one inspection or storage mod, and then either a creature pack or one overhaul. Do not begin with every popular recommendation. Each additional package introduces more classes, assets and possible interactions, while an overhaul may already include systems that overlap with utility mods.
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Back up before content changes
Back up the save, both INI files and the server’s launch script before installing, updating or removing a mod. Removing a package that supplied structures, creatures or items can leave a world with missing assets or unusable objects. Test updates on a copied world when the server has an established player base.
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Match the server build
Check the release date and supported ASA version on every CurseForge page. A mod that worked last month may need an update after a game patch. If a page does not clearly support your current server build, defer the installation rather than assuming that an older package will load.
Performance and capacity planning
There is no single hardware number that guarantees a stable ASA modded server. Player count, map, view distance, save size, creature density and the particular mods all matter. Automation and large overhauls generally require more observation than a spyglass or building-piece mod.
| Figure seen in community guidance | How to interpret it |
|---|---|
| 64 GB RAM for 50 or more players with 15–20 mods | An unattributed community estimate, not an official requirement or a guarantee. Treat it as a conservative planning reference only. |
| About 200 GB of storage for mods, maps and updates | Another unattributed estimate. Actual use varies with maps, cached downloads, backups and retained update files. |
Measure your own server instead of treating either figure as a certification. Record memory use, CPU utilization, storage free space, save times and player-facing lag during a peak session. If performance drops after enabling Automatic Ark, reduce its scope or remove it before changing unrelated settings.
A practical 2026 installation plan
- Choose the server identity. Decide whether the world is primarily building, role-play, creature collecting, automation or overhaul-driven progression.
- Install the dedicated server. Use SteamCMD app ID
2430930and validate the first installation. - Add a foundation utility. Start with S+, or Castles, Keeps and Forts (Remastered) for a specifically medieval theme.
- Add one information or storage tool. Choose Super Spyglass Plus or Awesome SpyGlass; add Dino Storage only after confirming its current ASA release.
- Choose content carefully. Add Additional Creatures 2 or Ark Additions for new creatures, or choose exactly one of Primal Chaos, Ark Supreme and Astraeos for an overhaul.
- Configure IDs. Use the current CurseForge numeric IDs in
-mods=; testActiveModsonly if your build needs it. - Boot and test. Read the logs, connect with a clean client and verify spawning, crafting, storage and building.
- Expand gradually. Add Automatic Ark or another package only after the base stack runs reliably, changing one variable per restart.
Common failure symptoms and fixes
- Clients are prompted for missing content: confirm the server is actually launching with the numeric CurseForge IDs and that the mod release supports ASA. Restart after correcting the list.
- The server stops during startup: remove the most recently added mod, then test each recent change individually. Overhauls and packages sharing progression systems are prime suspects.
- The server starts but features are absent: compare the launch list with
ActiveModsif you use both, check for a mistyped ID and inspect the log for a failed download. - Players report escalating lag: measure the server during a busy period, then test automation and content-heavy mods separately. Automatic Ark’s background work can be the deciding factor.
- A patch breaks the world: stop the server, restore the last known-good save and configuration backup, and wait for compatible mod releases before updating the production instance again.
- A removed mod leaves broken objects: restore the backup rather than repeatedly launching the world without the package; missing assets may already have been written to the save.
What to install first
For most new ASA servers, the strongest starting stack is S+ plus one of the spyglass mods. Add Dino Storage when tame management becomes a real problem, and add Automatic Ark only after confirming that the machine has headroom. Choose a creature pack if you want more things to find; choose one overhaul if you want a fundamentally different progression system. Keep the initial list short, verify every current CurseForge release, and expand only through backups and one-change-at-a-time testing.
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