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Set an ARK: Survival Ascended MOTD either through your hosting panel or by editing GameUserSettings.ini. On Nitrado, stop the server, open Settings > General, enter text in Message Of The Day, choose the broadcast duration, save, and start the server. On a self-managed Linux or Windows server, stop the process, add a [MessageOfTheDay] section to GameUserSettings.ini, save it, and restart.
The message appears once after a player logs in. Use it for rules, event times, useful coordinates, Discord information, starter guidance, or a support contact. The configuration reference documents Duration as seconds, with a default of 20, and uses the literal two-character sequence n for a new line.
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What does the MOTD setting do in ARK: Survival Ascended?
ARK: Survival Ascended calls its login notice Message Of The Day, usually shortened to MOTD. It displays a message to a player once after login rather than acting as a permanent server description. Nitrado describes it as a chat broadcast that everyone can view and change when the administrator needs to publish new information.
That makes the MOTD useful for information a newcomer needs immediately:
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- Core server rules and conduct expectations.
- Wipe, event, maintenance, or scheduled-boss times.
- Coordinates for a starter area, shop, public crafting station, or community base.
- A Discord address or other community contact.
- How to report exploits, griefing, or technical problems.
- A short onboarding instruction, such as where to collect starter items.
Because it is shown at login and is intended to be read quickly, put the most important action or rule first. Keep long explanations, complete rulebooks, and changing announcements somewhere else and point players there from the MOTD.
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Which way should I use to set the message?
Choose the hosting-panel method if your provider exposes a Message Of The Day field. Edit the INI directly when you run your own dedicated server or have file access through an advanced host. Both workflows change the same type of server setting, but the available labels and file locations differ.
| Workflow | Best for | Procedure | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hosting panel | Nitrado customers and administrators who want a guided interface | Stop the server; open Settings > General; enter the MOTD and duration; save; start the server | Simple, although labels depend on the host |
| Direct INI edit | Self-managed Linux or Windows dedicated servers and advanced host access | Stop the server; edit [MessageOfTheDay] in GameUserSettings.ini; save; restart |
Requires file access and exact INI syntax |
Do not edit the file while the game server is running. The ARK configuration reference warns that live changes can be removed, and the hosted-file workflow likewise has you save the change and restart.
How do I set the MOTD in the Nitrado web interface?
Nitrado’s ARK: Survival Ascended guide, published in 2023, uses the following sequence. The server must be stopped before the field is changed.
- Stop the server. Open the Nitrado web interface for the ASA instance and stop it completely. Do not make the change while the server is still running.
- Open the general settings. Select Settings, then choose General.
- Find Message Of The Day. Enter the text players should see in the Message Of The Day field. Keep the wording short enough to read in a chat notification.
- Set the custom broadcast duration. Choose how long the notice remains visible. The configuration reference expresses this value in whole seconds; if the panel presents a number field, use an integer rather than a time written in minutes or with a unit suffix.
- Save the change. Click Save Changes and wait for the panel to confirm the update.
- Start the server. Start the ASA server again. A player who logs in after the restart should receive the MOTD once.
Panel wording can change after a host redesign or an ASA update. If you do not see the field under Settings > General, look for a general-game or server-settings page rather than editing an unrelated welcome or chat field. Confirm that you are working on the correct server instance and map before saving.
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Put only the message itself in Message Of The Day; do not add a label such as “MOTD:” unless you want that label displayed. For duration, use a whole-number value. The panel may hide the INI syntax, but the resulting setting still represents a number of seconds.
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How do I edit GameUserSettings.ini on a self-managed server?
Direct editing is the option for administrators who can access the dedicated-server files. Stop the ASA process first, edit the correct configuration for the operating system, save it, and restart the server.
Where is the file on Linux?
Use:
ShooterGame/Saved/Config/LinuxServer/GameUserSettings.iniThis is the Linux dedicated-server path listed by the ARK configuration reference.
Where is the file on Windows?
Use:
ShooterGameSavedConfigWindowsServerGameUserSettings.iniWindows displays backslashes in the path. Open the file belonging to the ASA dedicated server you intend to change, not a similarly named local-game configuration.
What exact section and syntax are required?
Add or update the section exactly as shown below. Each key must be on its own line.
[MessageOfTheDay]
Duration=20
Message=Welcome! Read the rules in Discord.nHave fun and report issues to an admin.The section header is case-sensitive in practice because a misspelled or differently named section may not be read by the game. The values are simple INI assignments: a key, an equals sign, and its value with no extra punctuation.
How does Duration work?
Duration is an integer number of seconds. The documented default is 20, so a server using the default displays the notice for 20 seconds. A value of 60, for example, represents one minute; write only the integer, not 60s or 1 minute.
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How do I create a new line in Message?
Message is a string shown once after login. Leave it unquoted and insert the literal two-character sequence n where a line break should begin. In the example, the characters are backslash followed by lowercase n; do not replace them with a line break inside the INI value.
A compact two-line message could look like this:
[MessageOfTheDay]
Duration=25
Message=PvE rules: no structure damage.nEvent starts Friday at 19:00 UTC.After saving, start or restart the dedicated server. Changes made while the game is running can be overwritten when the server writes its configuration.
How can I verify that the MOTD is working?
Verification requires a fresh login, because the message is presented once after login rather than continuously. Use this sequence:
- Confirm the server has been restarted after the edit.
- Join with a player account that has not yet received the updated message during that login.
- Check the chat or login notice for the exact text you entered.
- Check each line break and confirm the notice remains visible for the duration you selected.
- If the text is old, leave the server and log in again after confirming that the correct instance and map were edited.
When maintaining several servers, record the instance name and map beside each change. A correctly formatted MOTD in one server’s file will not alter a different ASA instance.
What makes an effective ARK server MOTD?
A useful MOTD answers the first questions a new player has without forcing them to search through a long rule page. Put the information in priority order and use separate lines for separate actions.
Start with the rule that prevents the biggest problem
Examples include “No structure damage in the starter valley,” “PvP is enabled after the protection period,” or “Report exploits to an admin.” State the rule plainly instead of relying on an unexplained abbreviation.
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Add one time-sensitive item
If the server has a wipe, event, maintenance window, or scheduled boss run, include the time zone. Remove or replace the line when the event has passed so newcomers do not receive stale instructions.
Give a clear way to get help
Provide the community’s Discord location or the administrator contact used for support. If reports belong in a particular channel, name it so players know where to post.
Point to locations and starter information
A short coordinate reference, starter-area direction, or note about where to obtain initial supplies can save a new survivor from asking the same question in chat. Keep the MOTD to the essentials and move detailed maps or complete rules to the linked community resource.
Use line breaks deliberately
Separate rules, events, and support details with n. A single dense paragraph is harder to scan in chat than two or three short lines. Preview the wording in a plain-text editor so punctuation and spacing are correct before saving.
Why is my ARK MOTD not appearing?
Most failures come from a wrong location, invalid syntax, or a change made while the server was running. Check the following in order.
- Section name: Verify that the header is exactly
[MessageOfTheDay], with no spaces inside the brackets and no alternate spelling. - One key per line: Keep
Duration=...andMessage=...on separate lines. Do not combine assignments on one line. - Duration format: Use an integer number of seconds. Remove quotation marks, words, and unit suffixes from the value.
- Message format: Leave the message unquoted. For a new line, type the literal
nsequence rather than pressing Enter inside the value. - Server state: Stop the server before editing, save the file, and restart it afterward. A live server can write its previous configuration back over your edit.
- Correct file and operating system: Confirm that Linux uses the
LinuxServerpath and Windows uses theWindowsServerpath. - Correct hosted instance: In a panel, verify the server name, map, and instance before saving. Editing another instance produces no change for the server you are joining.
- Panel save: Use Save Changes before starting the server. A field that was typed but not saved will not be applied.
- Fresh login: The MOTD is shown once after login. Check with a new login instead of waiting for an already connected player to see it again.
If the syntax is correct but the host’s controls do not match these labels, consult the current interface for that provider. Hosting-panel labels and ASA behavior can change with updates, while the underlying INI section remains the relevant reference for a server with direct file access.
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When should I update the message?
Change the MOTD whenever a rule, event time, contact method, or starter location changes. Stop the server first, make one complete edit, save it, and restart rather than repeatedly changing a live file. For a hosted server, use the panel’s stop-and-save workflow; for a self-managed server, edit the operating-system-specific GameUserSettings.ini.
Review the text after each update for old dates, expired event notices, and broken line breaks. A short current message is more useful than a long notice that contains several instructions no longer applicable to the server.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I change the MOTD while players are online?
Stop the server before changing the panel field or INI file. The configuration reference warns that edits made while the game is running can be removed when the server writes its settings, so the reliable workflow is stop, edit, save, and restart.
Will players already connected see a new MOTD immediately?
No automatic in-session refresh is described for this setting. Since the notice is delivered once at login, an already connected player generally needs to leave and log in again after the updated server has started.
Does a MOTD value of 60 mean 60 minutes?
No. Duration is expressed in seconds, so 60 represents one minute. Enter the whole number only; do not append a time unit.
Why are the Nitrado menu names different from this guide?
Hosting panels can change their labels and layout, and ASA behavior can change with updates. Look for the server’s general settings and a field named Message Of The Day or MOTD, then verify that you are editing the intended instance before saving.
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