How to change player and dino stats on an ARK server?

Want harder-hitting players and tankier dinos? Good news: it’s just a few lines in your server files. In 5 minutes, you can tune per-level gains and balance your world.

Prerequisites

• Access to your Oxygenserv panel (login and password)
• An ARK server running (ASE/ASA) that you can stop/start
• File access via the panel file manager (or FTP)
• A backup before editing (copy of Game.ini)

Detailed steps

1. Cleanly stop the server
   Log in to your Oxygenserv panel and open your ARK server page. Click the red “Stop” button. Wait until the status shows “Stopped” in the console. Never edit files while the server is running, or your changes may not apply.
2. Open the correct Game.ini
   In Files, navigate to ShooterGame/Saved/Config/WindowsServer/Game.ini (or LinuxServer/Game.ini depending on OS). If the file is empty or missing, create it. Click “Edit” to open it in the built-in editor. You should see a plain text editor with a “Save” button.
3. Add the required section header (if missing)
   At the very top, add this exact line: [/Script/ShooterGame.ShooterGameMode]. All stat lines must live under this section to be read by ARK. If it already exists, keep it and add your lines below it. Placing lines outside this section will have no effect.
4. Tune per-level gains for players
   Add one line per stat you want to multiply, e.g., to double weight per point: PerLevelStatsMultiplier_Player[7]=2.0. Useful indices: [0]=Health, [1]=Stamina, [2]=Torpidity, [3]=Oxygen, [4]=Food, [5]=Water, [6]=Temperature, [7]=Weight, [8]=MeleeDamageMultiplier, [9]=SpeedMultiplier, [10]=TemperatureFortitude, [11]=CraftingSpeedMultiplier. Examples: PerLevelStatsMultiplier_Player[0]=1.5 (+50% HP per point), PerLevelStatsMultiplier_Player[10]=2.0 (fortitude x2 per point). Use a dot as decimal separator (e.g., 1.5).
5. Adjust wild and tamed dino stats
   For wild dinos: PerLevelStatsMultiplier_DinoWild[0]=1.2 makes wild HP per level +20%. For tamed dinos (points you spend): PerLevelStatsMultiplier_DinoTamed[8]=1.5 boosts damage per point. Two advanced options for tames: (a) fixed add per tamed level PerLevelStatsMultiplier_DinoTamed_Add[STAT]=VALUE, and (b) affinity-based bonus PerLevelStatsMultiplier_DinoTamed_Affinity[STAT]=VALUE. Handy combo example: PerLevelStatsMultiplier_DinoTamed[7]=2.0, PerLevelStatsMultiplier_DinoTamed_Add[7]=0.25, PerLevelStatsMultiplier_DinoTamed_Affinity[7]=0.4 to buff tame weight.
6. Save, restart, and verify in-game
   Click “Save”, then go back to the server main page. Press “Start” and watch the console until you see “Server started”. Join the server, level up, and spend a point in a modified stat (e.g., weight). You should see the per-point increase match your multiplier (e.g., +10 becomes +20 with [7]=2.0). If nothing changes, continue to the next step.
7. Troubleshoot when changes don’t apply
   If there’s no effect: (a) ensure the [/Script/ShooterGame.ShooterGameMode] section exists, (b) you fully restarted the server, (c) you edited Game.ini, not GameUserSettings.ini. If you have duplicate lines, the last one wins; keep just one per stat. Also double-check stat indices—one wrong digit cancels the change.

Tips & optimization

Stick to sane ranges: 0.5–3.0 for most stats; beyond that, gameplay can break. Test in small steps (e.g., x1.2, then x1.5) instead of big jumps. For comfy PvE: raise PerLevelStatsMultiplier_Player[7] (weight) and [10] (fortitude). For spicy PvP: focus on PerLevelStatsMultiplier_Player[8] and toughen wilds via PerLevelStatsMultiplier_DinoWild[0]. Note: in some versions (ASA), player movement speed isn’t upgradable with points; [9] then has limited effect.

FAQ

Where do I get the stat index numbers?

Use this map: 0=Health, 1=Stamina, 2=Torpidity, 3=Oxygen, 4=Food, 5=Water, 6=Temperature, 7=Weight, 8=MeleeDamageMultiplier, 9=SpeedMultiplier, 10=TemperatureFortitude, 11=CraftingSpeedMultiplier. Paste the exact index into your config lines.

How do I restore defaults?

Delete or comment out the lines you added under [/Script/ShooterGame.ShooterGameMode] in Game.ini, save, and restart the server. Without those lines, ARK uses default 1.0 multipliers. You can also explicitly set them back to =1.0.

Can I change base stats for a single species?

Yes, with advanced per-species rules in Game.ini using species tags, but it’s more complex and error-prone. Start with global PerLevelStatsMultiplier_* first. Once you’re comfortable, move to per-species tuning on a test server to validate syntax and balance.

You’re now in control of player and dino progression. Test, tweak, and lock in the perfect balance for your world. If something feels off, roll back and iterate.

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• Optimum configuration of a Palworld server: the PalWorldSettings.ini file
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