Primitive Plus is a total-conversion add-on for ARK: Survival Evolved (ASE), not a feature of ARK: Survival Ascended. To run it, install the ASE dedicated-server files with SteamCMD, enable Primitive Plus as the server’s total conversion, restart, and have every player install the same add-on. Because Primitive Plus has been effectively abandoned since April 16, 2023, make a complete save backup before changing the conversion or updating the server.
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What Primitive Plus changes
Primitive Plus is a free official total-conversion DLC for the ASE edition of ARK: Survival Evolved. It replaces the game’s advanced technology with primitive resources, engrams and systems. The Steam description lists more than 100 primitive-themed structures, 11 historically themed weapons, 10 crops, more than 60 recipes and more than 40 resources.
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Important support limitation
The Official Community Wiki recorded Primitive Plus as abandoned on April 16, 2023. That does not prevent an existing ASE server from running it, but it means unresolved bugs and breakage after later ASE updates are possible. Treat every update as a compatibility event rather than assuming the conversion will continue to work.
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Before you install
Choose a 64-bit host
Use a 64-bit Windows or Linux machine, or a rented game-server host. Reserve storage for the server installation, saved worlds, player and tribe data, logs, downloaded updates and any other mods. The server process must be allowed to listen on the ports you select, and players must be able to reach those ports through the host firewall and, for a home server, the router’s NAT rules.
Prepare a rollback
- Stop the server cleanly before copying files.
- Back up the world save and the player and tribe files, plus the configuration directory.
- Keep the backup outside the live server directory so an update cannot overwrite it.
- Record the current ASE build and launch arguments; this makes reverting a failed conversion change possible.
Decide between self-hosting and a control panel
Self-hosting gives you direct access to launch scripts, configuration files, logs, ports and backups, but you must perform updates, restarts, firewall changes and recovery yourself. A managed panel normally automates updates and restarts and may provide support, while exposing only the fields its provider has implemented. Primitive Plus compatibility and the exact activation field must be verified with that provider; a setting from one panel is not universal.
| Consideration | Self-hosted server | Managed hosting |
|---|---|---|
| Launch flags and files | Full access to scripts and command-line options | Limited to the panel’s available fields |
| Backups and logs | You create, store and test them | Tools and retention depend on the provider |
| Ports and additional mods | You can change ports and install compatible content directly | Allowed options and mod support vary |
| Updates and restarts | Manual unless you build automation | Often automated, subject to provider settings |
| Support | Your own troubleshooting | Provider response and Primitive Plus support are not stated universally |
| Price | Depends on hardware and electricity | Depends on the selected host and plan; no universal price is established |
| Verified Primitive Plus compatibility | You test your own build | Must be confirmed with the individual provider |
Install the ASE dedicated server with SteamCMD
SteamCMD is Valve’s command-line installer. Create a directory dedicated to the server, then open SteamCMD and run the following commands, replacing <install_dir> with the absolute path you selected:
force_install_dir <install_dir>
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app_update 376030 validate
exitApp ID 376030 is the ARK: Survival Evolved dedicated server. The validate argument checks the downloaded files; it can take considerably longer than a normal update because SteamCMD compares the installation against the depot.
Confirm the directory layout
After installation, the server files include a ShooterGame directory. The launch location differs by operating system:
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- Windows:
ShooterGame/Binaries/Win64/ - Linux:
ShooterGame/Binaries/Linux/
Put your Windows batch file or Linux shell script in the matching directory. Keeping the script with the executable makes relative paths behave as expected when the server is started manually or by a service manager.
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The launch command needs a map, a session name, the game and query ports, a player limit and an administrator password as appropriate for your setup. Use the syntax in the current ASE dedicated-server setup reference for your platform; argument spelling and quoting matter.
Windows
Create a .bat file in ShooterGame/Binaries/Win64/. The command should launch the server executable with your chosen map and server settings. Keep the session name in quotes if it contains spaces, and do not remove the port arguments merely because the server is on a private network: the query port is what many server browsers use to discover the instance.
Linux
Create a shell script in ShooterGame/Binaries/Linux/, mark it executable and launch the Linux server binary with the same map, session, port, player-limit and administrator-password options. Start it from the server directory or use absolute paths so a scheduled restart does not run with an unexpected working directory.
Add the total-conversion option
The dedicated-server configuration supports the command-line form -TotalConversionMod=<ModID> for total conversions. For Primitive Plus, a commonly used identifier is 111111111; however, the exact field exposed by a host or by a particular server build can differ. If you add it to a launch script, place it with the other server arguments and restart after saving:
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-TotalConversionMod=111111111Do not add both a contradictory launch flag and a panel value. If your control panel generates the launch command, use the panel’s documented total-conversion field instead and inspect the resulting startup command or log when possible.
Enable Primitive Plus in GameUserSettings.ini
ASE also exposes the conversion through the ActiveTotalConversion setting in GameUserSettings.ini. The file is stored under the server’s ShooterGame/Saved/Config/ tree; the exact platform subdirectory depends on the installation and host.
Stop the server, open the file in a plain-text editor, and set the option to the conversion identifier used by your build or panel. A typical entry is:
ActiveTotalConversion=111111111Use the setting name exactly as shown, without quotation marks. Save the file, start the server and inspect the startup output. If your host documents a different value or a different configuration field, follow that provider’s current instructions rather than copying a value from another service.
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Some managed panels label the setting Active Mods even though Primitive Plus is a total conversion. One provider’s instructions tell customers to enter 111111111, save and restart. That is provider documentation, not a guarantee that every panel uses the same label, value or loading behavior. If the panel offers both Active Mods and a total-conversion field, ask the provider which one controls Primitive Plus before changing a live world.
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Restart and verify the conversion
- Stop the server and wait until the process has exited and the save files are no longer being written.
- Back up the save and configuration files.
- Add the total-conversion launch argument or configuration entry, but avoid conflicting duplicate values.
- Start the server again and watch the console or log for errors while the map loads.
- Connect locally or from a test account before announcing the server to players.
- Check that Primitive Plus engrams, structures, resources and recipes are present rather than the normal advanced-technology progression.
If the server loads the map but displays ordinary ASE content, it is running vanilla ASE. Stop it, inspect the generated launch command and GameUserSettings.ini, correct the conversion setting, save and restart. Changing the file while the server is running can be overwritten when the process exits.
What players must install
Every player needs the ASE base game and the Primitive Plus add-on. Tell them to install or enable the Primitive Plus content in their Steam library, allow it to finish downloading, and select the Primitive Plus mode or content when the client presents that choice. The client build and the server build must remain compatible; a server update that changes files can require clients to update before they can join.
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Have one player test a complete connection after each server update. A successful server start is not proof that every client has matching content: missing DLC, an incomplete download or a different game build can still produce a join failure.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Troubleshoot the common failures
The server starts as ordinary ASE
- Confirm that the process was started with
-TotalConversionMod=...or thatActiveTotalConversionis present in the configuration actually used by the server. - Check for a second launch script, service definition or panel template that overrides your edited file.
- Stop the process, save the correction and restart; do not rely on a hot reload.
- Read the startup log for an invalid identifier or a file path pointing to a different installation.
The panel setting does nothing
Panels use different labels and may generate their own command line. Re-read the provider’s current Primitive Plus instructions, confirm that the value is entered in the field the panel actually uses, save the configuration and perform a full restart. If the generated command is inaccessible, ask the provider to confirm which total-conversion parameter was applied.
The server does not appear in the browser
- Verify the session name and the query port in the launch script or panel.
- Make sure the server process is running and listening on the selected game and query ports.
- Allow those ports through the operating-system firewall and, for a home host, forward them through the router.
- Check that the host has a reachable public address and that no second server is using the same ports.
These checks apply to any ASE dedicated server; they do not indicate a Primitive Plus-specific failure.
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- Raised, textured surface gives the design real depth instead of a flat printed look
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Players cannot join
- Confirm that the player owns and has installed ASE and Primitive Plus.
- Check that the client has completed its download and is on a build compatible with the server.
- Have the player restart Steam and the game after an update so stale files are not used.
- Test with one known-good client to distinguish a server problem from an individual installation problem.
The world breaks after an update
Because Primitive Plus is legacy software, an ASE update can expose an unresolved conversion bug. Stop the server, preserve the affected save and logs, then restore the last known-good backup before trying additional changes. Do not delete the original files while troubleshooting; they may be needed to recover player or tribe data.
Updating safely
Schedule updates when no one is playing. First copy the world, player, tribe and configuration files. Run SteamCMD again with app_update 376030 validate, start the server without changing unrelated settings, and test the conversion with a client that has matching content. If the server starts vanilla, disappears from the browser or rejects clients, roll back the server files and save rather than repeatedly updating a live world.
Keep a short change log containing the date, ASE build, SteamCMD command, launch arguments, panel settings and backup location. Primitive Plus has no active development to guarantee a fix for a new incompatibility, so a known-good rollback is more valuable than an untested automatic update.
Can Primitive Plus run on ARK: Survival Ascended?
This installation procedure is for ARK: Survival Evolved only. The ASE Primitive Plus conversion is not an ARK: Survival Ascended feature. Do not copy the ASE launch flag, configuration entry or server files into an ASA installation and expect the conversion to appear.
Final pre-launch checklist
- 64-bit Windows or Linux host with space for files, saves, logs and updates.
- ASE dedicated server installed through SteamCMD with app ID
376030. - Launch script stored in the correct
Win64orLinuxdirectory. - Total-conversion setting applied through the documented launch or configuration field.
- World, player, tribe and configuration backups stored outside the live directory.
- Game and query ports reachable through the firewall and NAT.
- At least one test client running the same ASE build and Primitive Plus content.
- Players informed that Primitive Plus is legacy software and that updates may require a rollback.
The Bottom Line
Install Primitive Plus on an ASE dedicated server by downloading app ID 376030, enabling the total-conversion identifier through -TotalConversionMod or ActiveTotalConversion, restarting, and matching the client content. Back up first and treat every update cautiously because the conversion has been abandoned and is not supported by ASA.
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