Tools / ARK: Survival Ascended
ARK ASA Cluster & Mod Doctor
Validate what actually breaks hosted ARK: Survival Ascended installs.
Paste a launch command, GameUserSettings.ini, or Game.ini - or a
second server's launch command and INI for a full cluster consistency check.
We flag wrong _WP map IDs, ?-argument vs --option traps,
the 7777/7778 port collision, clusterid mismatches, asymmetric transfer flags,
and mod list drift - then hand you a corrected deployment pack.
Why ASA clusters break
Most "my cluster doesn't work" reports come down to five deterministic mistakes, not mods misbehaving:
- ASE habits on ASA. The map is
TheIsland_WP, notTheIsland; the port is the-port=dash option, not?Port=; the player cap is-WinLiveMaxPlayers, which currently replacesMaxPlayers. - The peer-port collision. Every ASA server binds game port + 1 as well. Two servers on 7777 and 7778 fight over 7778 and one loses.
- clusterid drift. Transfers only work when every server launches with the same
-clusterid=<name>(and, if used, the same-ClusterDirOverride). - Asymmetric transfer flags.
noTributeDownloadsand thePreventDownload*/PreventUpload*family must match on both ends, or transfers work in one direction only. - Mod list drift. A player transferring to a server that lacks a mod loses that mod's items and dinos. The
-mods=lists must be identical.
ASA port allocation for two servers on one host
| Purpose | Protocol | Server A | Server B | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Game port | UDP | 7777 | 7779 | Set with -port=; never reuse A's port or A's port + 1 |
| Peer port | UDP | 7778 | 7780 | Always game port + 1; bound automatically, cannot be moved |
| Query port | UDP | 27015 | 27016 | Legacy Steam query; ASA relies less on it - verify with your host |
| RCON | TCP | 27020 | 27021 | Optional; keep firewalled to admin IPs |
What this checks
- Launch command: valid ASA
_WPmap identifier,?-argument vs dash-option placement (?Port=,?MaxPlayers=,-SessionName...),ServerAdminPasswordlast, duplicate or contradictory options,-mods=list format. - INI files: everything the ARK ASA INI Validator checks - duplicate keys, bad booleans, unsafe ranges, leaked secrets - plus keys set in both the launch command and
GameUserSettings.iniwith different values. - Ports: game/query/RCON allocation per server and collisions between the two servers, including the game-port + 1 peer rule.
- Cluster:
clusteridmatch, transfer-flag consistency, cluster directory, session-name clashes, save-directory clashes, and mod drift. - Nothing invented: options and keys we haven't verified against the official wiki are reported as "unrecognized - verify manually", never as errors.
FAQ
Why can't players transfer between my cluster servers?
Different or missing -clusterid values, asymmetric transfer flags in GameUserSettings.ini, or mismatched -ClusterDirOverride paths. The doctor compares both servers and flags each mismatch.
Why does my second ASA server kick the first one offline?
Each server binds game port + 1 as its peer port. 7777 + 7778 is one server, not two. Use 7777 and 7779.
Why is my ASA server ignoring the port or player cap I set?
ASA reads -port= and -WinLiveMaxPlayers= as dash options. ?Port= and ?MaxPlayers= in the map string are ASE-isms that ASA ignores.
Do both servers need the same mods?
Yes - identical -mods= CurseForge ID lists on every server, or transferred items and dinos from missing mods are lost.
Running an ARK cluster?
This doctor is free and needs no account. If you would rather not babysit launch lines at all, a managed ARK: Survival Ascended server at Supercraft handles ports, clusters, and mod sync from a panel - but the corrected pack above works on any host.