- ARK first setup and first connectionOrdering, the long first install, finding your server in the in-game list and what to change on day one.
- GameUserSettings.ini and Game.ini explainedWhere the two config files live, what belongs in which, and the settings people actually change.
- Setting rates: XP, harvest, taming, breedingThe multipliers that make an ARK server fun for a small group, with values that work.
- Change the map and build a clusterSwitching from The Island to another map without losing characters, and linking several servers so players can travel between them.
- Mods via Steam Workshop (Evolved) and CurseForge (Ascended)Adding mods to ARK: mod IDs, load order, the first start after adding mods, and how players get them.
- Admin commands and RCONenablecheats, the useful admin commands, and running commands from the panel console without being in the game.
- Transfer a save from Nitrado, another host or singleplayerWhich files make up an ARK world, where they go, and the two mistakes that leave you with an empty map.
- Updates and why the server restarts afterwardsHow game and mod updates reach your server, forcing an update, and version mismatch errors.
- Typical ARK start problems and how to read the logsThe server stops right after starting, stays on "starting", or players cannot see it: the causes and where to look.