ARK: Survival Evolved — Mod Reference

Top 20 server mods. All are Steam Workshop mods loaded via GAME_MOD_IDS in the compose file.

Load order matters. Mods are loaded in the order their IDs appear in GAME_MOD_IDS. Content-heavy mods like Primal Fear must go first.

Quick Reference Table

#	Mod Name	Workshop ID	Category	Notes
1	Super Structures	1999447172	Building	Use instead of S+. More polished fork.
2	Structures Plus (S+)	731604991	Building	Original. Superseded by Super Structures — pick one.
3	Dino Storage v2	1609138312	Creature Mgmt	Pokéball-style creature storage
4	Death Recovery Mod	751991809	QoL	Gravestone on death; recover lost items
5	Awesome Spyglass!	1404697612	QoL	Shows dino stats, player info, loot, eggs at range
6	Awesome Teleporters!	889745138	QoL	Fast travel network; personal teleporter remote
7	Auto Engrams!	1428596566	QoL	Auto-unlocks engrams on level up
8	Lethals Reusables	1967741708	QoL	Reusable parachutes/tools; removes durability from hazmat/scuba
9	Upgrade Station v1.8i	821530042	QoL	Upgrade armor, weapons, and tools beyond base tier
10	Primal Fear	839162288	Content	Adds tiered dino variants (Toxic → Elemental). PvE focused.
11	Improved Dinos	479929837	Content	Rare dino spawns with better loot and harder fights
12	Shiny! Dinos	2016338122	Content	Rare color-variant dinos to hunt and tame
13	Immersive Taming	1251632107	Content	Hand-feed and interact with creatures to tame; more natural feel
14	Higher Difficulty	687208953	Content	Raises dino level cap up to 9600
15	Marniimods: Wildlife	1984936918	Content	Adds non-dino animals (owls, etc.) with saddles
16	The World Turtle	936959483	Content	Massive tameable turtle; functions as a mobile base
17	Dino Tracker	924933745	Utility	GPS device to locate tamed dinos on the map
18	More Turrets and Turret Tools	771785590	Defense	New turret types with auto-refill capability
19	Survivor Chronicles	3582903552	Map Expansion	Expands Lost Island with 14 biomes and 31 caves (WIP, ~36% complete)
20	Rideable Dodos	502202937	Fun	Makes dodos mountable. Important.

Mod Details

Building

Super Structures 1999447172 Fork of S+ from 2019 with a cleaner codebase and fewer bugs. Adds snapping, auto-doors/gates, item collectors, auto-crafter, silent structures, fuel-free torches. The recommended choice over the original S+.

Structures Plus (S+) 731604991 The original building overhaul that S+ forked from. Avoid using both simultaneously. Listed here for reference — Super Structures is preferred.

Quality of Life

Dino Storage v2 1609138312 Capture tamed creatures into a glass sphere (effectively a Pokéball). No debuffs on release. Fast-capture feature makes it practical for large collections. Reduces server strain from keeping hundreds of dinos loaded in the world.

Death Recovery Mod 751991809 Places a gravestone at your death location. You can retrieve all lost items from it. Eliminates the most frustrating part of ARK for casual servers.

Awesome Spyglass! 1404697612 Replaces the vanilla spyglass. Points at dinos to see HP, torpor, level, and stats. Works on players, structures, eggs, and supply drops too. Essential for evaluating tame candidates.

Awesome Teleporters! 889745138 Places teleporter pads around the map for fast travel between bases and farming spots. Includes a personal teleporter remote that doubles as an item recovery tool on death.

Note: As of early 2026, the Steam Workshop page for this mod may be restricted. Verify availability before adding.

Auto Engrams! 1428596566 Automatically unlocks all available engrams as you level up. Eliminates the tedious engram point management that clutters early-game progression on private servers.

Lethals Reusables 1967741708 Makes parachutes, grappling hooks, and tools reusable. Removes durability from hazmat suits and scuba gear. Significantly reduces the grind around utility items.

Upgrade Station v1.8i 821530042 Adds an upgrade workbench that lets you push armor, weapons, and tools to higher quality tiers. Gives purpose to otherwise-marginal blueprints.

Content & Creatures

Primal Fear 839162288 Massive content mod. Adds tiered dino variants: Toxic, Alpha, Apex, Fabled, Buffoon, Celestial, Demonic, Elder, and Elemental. Each tier is harder to tame but stronger. Boss dinos included. PvE only — not designed for PvP. Must be first in mod load order. Incompatible with mods that override vanilla creatures (e.g. Classic Flyers).

Improved Dinos 479929837 Spawns rare dino variants with increased difficulty and guaranteed high-quality blueprint drops on kill. Makes the world feel more alive and rewards exploration.

Shiny! Dinos 2016338122 Rare, distinctively-colored dino spawns. Inspired by Pokémon shinies. Adds a collectible hunt layer to taming without changing core mechanics.

Immersive Taming 1251632107 Replaces the traditional knockout/force-feed taming loop with a trust-based approach — feeding and interacting with creatures over time. More natural feel on PvE servers. Can coexist with standard taming methods.

Higher Difficulty 687208953 Raises the server-side dino level cap. Vanilla max is 150; this mod pushes it up to 9600. Pairs well with Primal Fear since tiered dinos need room to scale.

Marniimods: Wildlife 1984936918 Adds non-dinosaur animals to the world — owls and others, many with saddles. Fills out the ecosystem beyond the vanilla creature roster.

The World Turtle 936959483 A massive tameable turtle that functions as a mobile base platform. More a novelty than a meta choice, but a strong server centerpiece.

Utility & Defense

Dino Tracker 924933745 A GPS-style device that lets you locate any of your tamed dinos on the map. Useful once your collection grows and dinos wander or get left at outposts.

More Turrets and Turret Tools 771785590 Adds new defensive turret types beyond vanilla and a tool for auto-refilling ammo. Useful even on PvE servers for base defense against wild dinos.

Map Expansion

Survivor Chronicles 3582903552 Work-in-progress expansion for the Lost Island DLC map. Adds 14 new biomes and 31 caves. ~36% complete as of early 2026. Only relevant if playing on Lost Island.

Fun

Rideable Dodos 502202937 Exactly what it says.

Suggested Load Order

If using multiple mods, prioritize content mods before QoL mods:

GAME_MOD_IDS=839162288,1999447172,1609138312,751991809,1404697612,479929837,2016338122,1251632107,687208953,1984936918,936959483,889745138,1428596566,1967741708,821530042,924933745,771785590,502202937

Primal Fear (839162288) first. Super Structures (1999447172) second. Adjust order if mod conflicts arise.

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