How to Host a Non Dedicated Server for Friends on ARK: The Ultimate Guide

Hey there fellow ARK survivor! Terry here, back with another in-depth guide for my dino-loving gamers. You may know me from my popular ARK mods on Steam or my streams on Twitch.

Today, we‘re going to dive deep on how to create your own non dedicated multiplayer server for playing ARK with friends. I‘ll share plenty of pro tips from my 2+ years administering private ARK servers. Whether you just want to play casually with buddies or setup a long-term server with mods, this guide will help you succeed.

Let‘s get started!

Why Create a Non Dedicated Server?

Before we get into the how-to, let‘s discuss why you may want to host your own non dedicated session:

Total control over settings – Tweak every setting and modifier to create your ideal custom game mode. Want ridiculous taming speeds? 500x harvesting? Instant level ups? Go wild!

Tailor the experience for your group – Play PVE or PVP. Add mods that appeal to you and your friends. Settings can be changed anytime.

No subscription fees – Dedicated servers cost money to rent monthly. Non dedicated sessions let you play 100% free!

Ideal for small groups – These servers work great for small tribes of 5-10 people. Want to play privately with just your best buds? This has you covered.

Less lag – With fewer players, you don‘t have the lag that huge 100+ public servers see. Smooth sailing with your crew!

Of course, some downsides exist too. Distance tethering limits how far you can explore and the host has to stay online. But for playing with friends locally, non dedicated servers are a top choice.

Okay, let‘s get into the nitty gritty!

Step 1 – Configure Your Non-Dedicated Server Settings

The first step is customizing all your server options to create your ideal ARK environment. Here are the key settings to focus on:

General

• Game Mode – PVE or PVP? Choose whether you want a cooperative or competitive experience.

• Map – Pick which ARK map you want as the environment. The Island, Scorched Earth, Aberration, Genesis, and more!

• Max Players – 8 players max for non dedicated. Keep in mind the host counts as 1 player.

Settings

• Difficulty – Higher difficulty = stronger dinosaurs and creatures. 5.0 difficulty provides max challenge.

• XP Multiplier – Increase XP rates to faster leveling up and engram unlocks. 3-5x is common.

• Harvest Amount – More resources gathered from mining, woodcutting, etc. 3-5x feels balanced.

• Taming Speed – Faster taming means less time spent narcotizing dinos. 5-10x is reasonable.

• Egg Hatch Speed – Speed up egg hatching and maturation. Too fast makes imprinting tough.

• Mating Interval – Reduce mating cooldowns to breed dinosaurs more quickly.

• Day Cycle Speed – Control day/night cycle duration. Faster cycles if you dislike darkness.

There are seriously a ton of options here. I suggest taking a look through all the Host/Local Play settings to find balances that appeal to your group. Never be afraid to experiment either!

Enable Mods

One of the best aspects of ARK is the limitless mods that exist. Want playable Jedi riding T-Rex‘s wielding lightsabers? Yup, there‘s a mod for that.

Under "Active Mods" you can enable any of your subscribed Steam mods to load them on your server. This lets you add entirely new mechanics, characters, creatures, items, and more.

I definitely suggest browsing the top mods on the Steam Workshop and subscribing to ones that catch your eye. Some of my favorites include:

• Castles, Keeps, and Forts Remastered – Massive new structures to build your base.

• Kraken‘s Better Dinos – Reskinned creatures for more realistic looks.

• Super Spyglass – Customizable spyglass with more stats.

• Awesome Teleporters – Tek-tier teleporter pads around the map.

• Automated Ark 2.0 – Conveyor belts, elevators, and more automation.

The possibilities are endless when modding ARK. Add the ones that you and your friends will get the most enjoyment from.

Okay, that covers the key settings. Once you‘ve got it configured, simply click "Host Non-Dedicated Server" to launch the session. Your server is now ready for people to join!

Step 2 – Connecting Friends to Your Server

Now it‘s time to get your friends connected to your freshly hosted non dedicated session.

To join any non dedicated server, players need two crucial pieces of info:

1. The Host‘s Player ID – This unique ID identifies who is hosting the session.

2. Server Password – The numeric password secures your private server.

As the host, you can easily find this info under "Host/Local Play":

Share these details with your friends through Discord, text, or however you communicate.

Then, have them follow these steps:

1. In ARK, click Join ARK on the main menu.

2. Select Join Non-Dedicated Session.

3. Enter your Player ID into the search field.

4. Input the Server Password when prompted.

Once they enter the credentials correctly, your friends should see your session populate in the browser and be able to join!

Additionally, any friends playing via Xbox or Playstation can join if you enable Crossplay under settings. Make sure to also follow the Xbox join instructions here.

And that‘s all there is to it. A super simple process to get your crew playing together in no time!

Step 3 – Managing Distance Tethering

Now, before you head out exploring the ARK with friends, we need to talk about tether distances.

By default, non dedicated servers only allow players to travel 300 meters away from the host. This creates an invisible tether wall they can‘t pass.

Why does this exist? Well, the host PC needs to render everything surrounding each player within the distance limit. So the farther that radius extends, the more demanding it becomes for the server.

Luckily, there are ways to push the tether boundaries a bit:

• From the Settings menu, increase the Non Dedicated Distance slider under Host/Local Play. This can be pushed as far as 5000 meters, depending on the host PC‘s capabilities.

• Reduce graphic settings to improve rendering performance. This allows you to maintain higher server FPS with a longer tether.

• Test different tether distances and monitor FPS. Find the max range you can comfortably support without major lag or latency issues. This takes trial and error.

• Improve the host computer‘s specs if able. More RAM, faster CPU and GPU means supporting longer tethers.

• Periodically use admin commands to teleport players back closer together when they hit tether limits. Keeps you in sync.

My advice is to test gradually raising the slider from 300 meters while monitoring server FPS/performance. Find the sweet spot for your particular system that avoids lag. For example, my PC runs smoothly at around 3000 meters with 5 players, but chokepoints occur beyond that. Your mileage will vary.

Just keep the tether limitation in mind with non dedicated servers. And remember that distance rules don‘t apply if you are the host – feel free to explore the entire ARK on your own!

Step 4 – Transferring the Host Role

Now, being the dedicated host does come with some responsibility. For one, your friends will be tethered to your location and dependent on you staying online.

But don‘t worry, you can easily transfer the hosting duties to another player when needed.

When you‘re ready to hand over the reins, just:

1. Open Settings and go to the Host/Local Play tab

2. Click the blue "Make Me The Host" button by your friend‘s name

3. Confirm the prompt to transfer host status.

That‘s it! This quickly designates a new host that will now bear the tethering burden. Very handy for when you need to log off but your friends want to keep exploring.

Just be aware that any taming dinos, unconscious bodies, structures NOT built by the new host will disappear when swapping over.

So ideally:

• Group members take turns as host from session to session.

• Transfer the role while safely in base before people log off.

• Don‘t mid-tame swap hosts or progress will be lost.

Pro Tip: Pass all your best gear, crafted items, and tamed dinos to the new host before swapping to avoid losing your hard work. Then have them transfer it all back later.

Some good teamwork goes a long way here! Work together with your squad.

Advanced Tips for Managing Your ARK Server

Alright, at this point you should have a solid handle on getting your own non dedicated ARK server running for playing with friends online. Nice work survivor!

But a few extra tips will help you manage your server smoothly long-term:

Enable Admin Console Commands

As the server host, enabling the Admin Command Console under settings will let you access some handy admin-level cheats and utilities via text commands.

This can be great for server admins and troubleshooting. Spawn items/dinos, teleport around the map, change settings, etc.

Some examples commands to try:

• cheat gfi thatchfoundation 100 0 0 – Spawns 100 thatch foundations

• cheat teleport -2705.2 -3201.9 139.5 – Teleports to map coordinates

• cheat slomo 10 – Sets game speed to 10% slow motion

• cheat destroywilddinos – Destroys all wild creatures in the map

• cheat summon titanosaur_character_bp_c – Spawns a titanosaur

Just press Tab and start typing to open the command console. But use wisely and be careful – you can easily break game balance using cheats!

Change In-Game Settings on the Fly

Don‘t like the day/night speed you chose? Harvest amounts too little? Difficulty causing too much death?

No worries! You can open the Settings menu and change most options live without even restarting the server. Very convenient for tweaking on the fly.

The only time a full restart is required is when switching main options like game mode, map, or enabling certain mods.

Backup Your Saves Locally

It‘s smart to frequently backup your ARK server saves locally rather than relying solely on Steam Cloud. Lost save data is heartbreaking.

On Windows, you can find the local save files here:

C:\Users\YOURNAME\AppData\Local\Packages\StudioWildcard.4558480580BB9\LocalState\Saved\SavedArksLocal

I recommend making regular zip backups to external drives in case of file corruption down the road. Ark servers can get unstable over time.

Use A Server Hosting Service For 24/7 Uptime

Running an always-online server from your personal PC has challenges. You need to be powered on and Avoiding sleep mode.

For uninterrupted 24/7 hosting, consider a free service like ServerBlend or Scalacube.

This handles hosting externally on their infrastructure. So you can play freely without uptime worries. Great for long-term, persistent game worlds.

Additional Tips and Tricks

And a few more tips to wrap things up:

• Mods Update Frequently – Check mod pages weekly for updates to avoid issues. Subscribe to mod creator‘s news feeds.

• Lock Items in Storage – Use admin commands to lock storage boxes with critical server items to avoid theft.

• Set a Server Welcome Message – Create a brief Welcome message for your server‘s title screen under Settings. Lets players know key rules or info up front.

• Use Discord for Communication – Have your own Discord server for text/voice chat and server announcements. Great for staying coordinated.

• Automated Server Backups are Crucial – Use a hosting service that does automatic backups on a schedule to avoid catastrophe.

And there you have it friends! That covers my top expert tips for hosting your own ARK server for playing with your squad. Let me know if any questions come up along the way.

Now get out there and tame some dinos together! Just beware of those alpha raptors. Cheers survivors!

-Terry