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On an unofficial ARK: Survival Evolved server, enable riding on otherwise restricted maps by stopping the server, opening GameUserSettings.ini, and adding bForceCanRideFliers=True inside [ServerSettings]. Save the file and perform a full restart. This does not, by itself, allow flyers into caves or allow PvE pickup of wild creatures; those are separate controls.
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What “enable flyers” can mean in ARK
Administrators use the phrase for three different behaviors. Choosing the correct one prevents a setting that appears to do nothing:
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bForceCanRideFliersserver setting. This is the usual answer for Genesis and other maps where flyer riding is restricted. - Entering caves while mounted: controlled by the
-ForceAllowCaveFlyersstartup argument. It is not an INI key. - Picking up wild creatures in PvE: controlled by
AllowFlyerCarryPvE=Truein[ServerSettings]. It changes pickup behavior and does not enable riding.
The override described by Studio Wildcard applies to unofficial servers. An official server does not provide administrators with the same configuration-file access, and no authoritative documentation establishes that this override can be applied there.
Requirements and safety checks before editing
- Have administrator access to the server files or to the host’s configuration editor.
- Know whether the server is dedicated, rented through a control panel, or running locally. The interface and file location differ between those arrangements.
- Stop the server cleanly before changing the file. A running instance can write its in-memory configuration back over your edit during shutdown.
- Make a copy of
GameUserSettings.inibefore changing it. Keep the backup until players have confirmed that the new behavior works. - Confirm that you are editing ARK: Survival Evolved, not a different ARK product or a client-only settings file. The override belongs to the server’s
GameUserSettings.ini.
On a dedicated Linux installation, the ARK Official Community Wiki lists ShooterGame/Saved/Config/LinuxServer/ as the configuration directory. Other operating systems and hosting services can use a different path. Many managed hosts expose the same file under a “Configuration,” “GameUserSettings.ini,” or “Server Settings” editor rather than a normal file browser; use the host’s documented editor when that is the only available route.
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Enable flyer riding on a restricted map
- Shut down the server. Use the host panel’s stop command or the server console’s normal shutdown command. Wait until the process is fully stopped.
- Open the server’s GameUserSettings.ini. Do not edit a local player’s settings file. On Linux dedicated servers, look under
ShooterGame/Saved/Config/LinuxServer/; a panel may present the file through a text editor instead. - Locate or create the section header. Find
[ServerSettings]. If the header is absent, create it on its own line. Keep other sections, such as game-mode settings, separate. - Add the override inside that section. Enter this line exactly, including capitalization and the two equals signs’ placement:
bForceCanRideFliers=True. Do not put it under[/Script/ShooterGame.ShooterGameMode]or another section. - Save the file. Ensure the editor has not added quotation marks, rich-text formatting, or a second extension such as
.txt. - Start the server and wait for it to finish loading. A complete stop-and-start cycle is required; reconnecting without a restart does not reliably reload the server configuration.
- Test on the affected map. Use a tamed flyer and attempt to mount it with a character that has the normal permissions to ride. Test after the map has fully loaded rather than during the startup sequence.
Studio Wildcard stated the procedure in its April 7, 2020 announcement: “Unofficials can now use flying creatures by adding the following setting to your GameUserSettings.ini under the [ServerSettings] section: bForceCanRideFliers=True.” The spelling is significant; a misspelled key is ignored rather than reported as an obvious error.
Allow flyers into caves
Cave access is a separate rule. Add -ForceAllowCaveFlyers to the server’s startup command line, not to GameUserSettings.ini, unless your host explicitly provides a command-line field that translates the option for you.
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- Open the host panel’s Startup parameters, Command-line arguments, or equivalent field. For a self-managed server, append the argument to the command used to launch the server.
- Enter
-ForceAllowCaveFlyersas its own argument, separated from other options by a space. - Save the startup configuration and start the server.
- Enter a cave with a tamed flyer and test the specific entrance and interior where access was previously blocked.
The ARK Official Community Wiki describes this switch as forcing flyer creatures to be allowed into caves. It also notes that flyers are allowed in caves by default on custom maps, so the argument may have no visible effect there. Do not infer from successful cave access that the map-wide riding override is configured, or vice versa.
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Allow wild-creature pickup in PvE
In PvE, flyer pickup of wild creatures is disabled by default according to the wiki reference. To change that behavior, add the following line under the existing [ServerSettings] section in GameUserSettings.ini:
AllowFlyerCarryPvE=True
Save the file while the server is stopped, then restart it fully. This setting affects pickup permission only. It does not make a flyer rideable on a restricted map, and it does not grant cave access. A player can therefore have one behavior enabled while the other two remain unavailable.
Settings at a glance
| Player-facing result | Configuration | Where it goes | Important qualification |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ride flyers on a map with riding restrictions | bForceCanRideFliers=True |
GameUserSettings.ini, under [ServerSettings] |
Documented by Studio Wildcard for unofficial servers; requires a full restart. |
| Enter caves on maps that block flyer entry | -ForceAllowCaveFlyers |
Server startup command line or host command-line field | Separate from the INI setting; custom maps may already allow cave flyers by default. |
| Pick up wild creatures while flying in PvE | AllowFlyerCarryPvE=True |
GameUserSettings.ini, under [ServerSettings] |
The documented default is false; this does not enable riding or cave access. |
How to verify that the server loaded the change
Verification should distinguish a configuration failure from a game-rule failure. First confirm that the server has completed a real restart. Then check the saved file or panel preview and verify that the key is in the correct section. Finally, test with a tamed flyer on the map where riding is restricted.
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- If riding works but cave entry is blocked, check the startup argument independently; the INI key cannot substitute for it.
- If riding and cave entry work but pickup fails in PvE, check the separate pickup key and confirm that the server was restarted after it was saved.
- If a behavior was already allowed on a custom map, the corresponding switch can appear to have no effect even when it is being read correctly.
Troubleshooting a setting that does not work
| Symptom | Likely cause | Correction |
|---|---|---|
| Flyers still cannot be mounted on Genesis or another restricted map. | The line is missing, misspelled, outside [ServerSettings], or was added to the wrong file. |
Stop the server, open the server-side GameUserSettings.ini, place bForceCanRideFliers=True under the exact section header, save, and perform a full restart. |
| The key is present, but the change disappears after stopping the server. | The file was edited while the server was running, so the running process rewrote its stored configuration. | Stop the process first, restore the backup if necessary, edit while offline, and then start it. |
| The panel reports an invalid option or silently ignores the cave setting. | -ForceAllowCaveFlyers was entered in the INI editor instead of the startup-argument field. |
Remove it from the INI and add it to the panel’s command-line or startup-parameter field. |
| Flyers can be ridden but cannot enter a cave. | Riding and cave access are independent controls. | Retain the riding key and add the cave startup argument, then restart the server. |
| A flyer can enter a cave but cannot be ridden on the map. | The map’s cave rule is satisfied, but the map-wide riding restriction remains. | Configure the riding override under [ServerSettings]. |
| Pickup still fails in PvE while riding works. | AllowFlyerCarryPvE=True is absent, in the wrong section, or has not been loaded after a restart. |
Add the pickup key under [ServerSettings], save with the server stopped, restart, and test a wild creature. |
| Nothing changes after editing. | You changed a client file, a staging copy, or a panel field that is not attached to the active instance. | Identify the instance that actually launches the map, edit its server configuration, and confirm the panel’s saved file or startup preview before restarting. |
| Only some players report a problem. | The test may involve permissions, a different map, or a different creature rather than the global setting. | Repeat the test with an administrator-controlled character, a tamed flyer, and the same map and server instance. |
Configuration details that prevent common mistakes
Keep INI keys and launch arguments in their proper places
INI options are ordinary key-value lines inside a named section. Startup arguments begin with a hyphen and are supplied to the server process before the map loads. Treating one type as the other is the most common reason cave access fails while the file appears otherwise correct.
Preserve the exact key names
Use bForceCanRideFliers and AllowFlyerCarryPvE exactly as written. Keep the Boolean value as True. Avoid spaces or punctuation inserted by a rich-text editor, and do not duplicate the section header in the middle of an existing block.
Expect host panels to abstract the filesystem
A managed host can place the real file behind a form, synchronize settings only when the server is stopped, or offer separate fields for INI values and command-line switches. If the panel labels do not match these names, use its configuration documentation to identify which field writes GameUserSettings.ini and which field controls launch arguments. Do not paste the cave switch into a general server-settings text box merely because it is convenient.
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Keep a rollback copy
The three changes are independent, so rollback is simple: remove the relevant INI line or startup argument, save while the server is stopped, and restart. Retain the backup until the server has been tested on every map and mode affected by the change.
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This procedure targets an unofficial server that the administrator can configure. It is not a player-side toggle. The documented Wildcard instruction specifically says “Unofficials,” and no authoritative documentation establishes the same override for official servers.
The map matters because flyer restrictions are map rules. A successful test on one map does not prove that every map, cave, or game mode uses the same rule. Cave behavior is particularly map-dependent: the wiki reference says custom maps allow flyers in caves by default, while the startup argument is available to force access where a restriction exists.
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Console and hosted environments can also limit what you can change. If the platform does not expose server files or startup arguments, you may be unable to apply one or more controls even though the settings exist for configurable unofficial servers. Do not assume that a PC file path, a console-host panel, and a local dedicated installation provide identical controls.
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Record which of the three behaviors you enabled and why. This helps when changing maps, switching between PvE and PvP, or migrating to a new host. Copy the relevant lines and startup argument into your server-maintenance notes, but keep the live values in the active instance’s configuration.
After a major game patch, recheck the current server documentation and test all three behaviors again. The Wildcard announcement establishing the riding override dates from April 7, 2020, while the ARK Official Community Wiki is a living reference. A patch can change map restrictions, panel handling, or the way a host writes configuration files even when the key names remain familiar.
Quick Recap
Quick decision guide
- Restricted map, cannot mount: configure
bForceCanRideFliers=Truein[ServerSettings]. - Mounted flyer blocked at a cave entrance: configure
-ForceAllowCaveFlyersin startup arguments. - PvE flyer cannot pick up a wild creature: configure
AllowFlyerCarryPvE=Truein[ServerSettings]. - Still blocked: verify server type, active instance, exact spelling, correct configuration field, clean shutdown, and full restart in that order.
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