Playing ARK: Survival Evolved with friends can significantly enhance your gaming experience. Whether you’re setting up a private server, joining a public one, or using non-dedicated sessions, there are various ways to team up and conquer the ARK together. This guide will walk you through the different methods to play ARK: Survival Evolved with your friends, ensuring you have a seamless and enjoyable multiplayer experience.
Key Takeaways
- Setting up a private server allows for a customized and controlled gaming environment for you and your friends.
- Joining a public server offers the opportunity to interact with a larger community while still coordinating with your friends.
- Non-dedicated sessions provide a more flexible and spontaneous way to play with friends without the need for a dedicated server.
Setting Up a Private Server
Choosing the Right Server Type
Before diving into the setup, you need to decide between two types of private servers: dedicated and non-dedicated. A dedicated server requires separate hardware and offers more stability and control, but it can be complex to set up. Non-dedicated servers are easier to manage but come with limitations, such as requiring non-host players to stay close to the host.
Configuring Server Settings
Once you’ve chosen your server type, it’s time to configure the settings. Here are some key settings you might want to adjust:
- Difficulty Level: Adjusts the overall challenge of the game.
- PvE/PvP: Choose between Player vs Environment or Player vs Player modes.
- Mods: Add custom modifications to enhance gameplay.
- Resource Multipliers: Increase or decrease the rate at which resources are gathered.
Here’s a quick table to summarize some common settings:
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Difficulty Level | Adjusts the overall challenge of the game. |
| PvE/PvP | Choose between Player vs Environment or Player vs Player modes. |
| Mods | Add custom modifications to enhance gameplay. |
| Resource Multipliers | Increase or decrease the rate at which resources are gathered. |
Inviting Friends to Your Server
After configuring your server, the next step is to invite your friends. Share your server’s IP address and ensure they have the correct password if you’ve set one. You can also use platforms like Steam to invite friends directly.
Pro Tip: Make sure your server is running smoothly before inviting friends to avoid any technical hiccups.
By following these steps, you’ll have a private server up and running in no time, ready for countless adventures with your friends.
Joining a Public Server
Joining a public server in ARK: Survival Evolved is one of the easiest ways to play with friends. You can simply enter a server and then share the server ID with your friends to join. This is undoubtedly the most straightforward way, so let’s see how you can do just that step by step.
Using Non-Dedicated Sessions
To host a non-dedicated session in ARK: Survival Evolved, start by selecting the Host/Local option from the main menu. This will allow you to create a session that your friends can join. Adjust the settings to your preference, including the tether distance, which determines how far players can move away from the host. We recommend setting the tether distance to 99.0 for the best experience. You can also select any mods you wish to apply to the session.
Once your session is up and running, your friends can join by searching for your session name in the server list. They need to select the Join ARK option from the main menu and filter the session list to show only non-dedicated sessions. If they have trouble finding your session, they can use the name filter at the top to search for it directly.
Managing a non-dedicated session involves tweaking various settings to ensure a smooth gameplay experience. You can adjust settings like the difficulty level, resource gathering rates, and player stats. Additionally, you can enable or disable specific features such as PvP mode, structure decay, and offline raiding prevention. These settings can be found under the General tab in the ARK Rules section. Make sure to save your settings before starting the session to apply the changes.
Forming and Managing Tribes
Creating a Tribe
Creating a tribe in ARK: Survival Evolved is a great way to collaborate with friends and maximize your chances of survival. To create a tribe, open the in-game menu, navigate to the tribe tab, and select the option to create a new tribe. Give your tribe a unique name and start inviting your friends to join. Once your tribe is formed, you can share resources, tames, and structures, making it easier to thrive on the island.
Inviting Members
Inviting members to your tribe is straightforward. Approach the player you want to invite, open the interaction menu, and select the option to invite them to your tribe. They will receive a notification and can accept or decline the invitation. Once they accept, they become a part of your tribe, and you can start working together to conquer the island.
Managing Tribe Roles and Responsibilities
Effective tribe management involves assigning roles and responsibilities to each member. Here are some common roles you might consider:
- Resource Gatherer: Focuses on collecting essential materials like wood, stone, and metal.
- Builder: Specializes in constructing and upgrading the tribe’s base.
- Tamer: Responsible for taming and caring for creatures.
- Farmer: Manages crop plots and ensures a steady supply of food.
- Explorer: Scouts new areas and gathers intelligence on potential threats and resources.
By dividing tasks, you can ensure that your tribe operates efficiently and everyone contributes to the group’s success.
Remember, communication is key. Use voice chat or in-game messaging to stay in constant contact with your tribe members. This will help you coordinate activities and respond quickly to any threats.
In summary, forming and managing a tribe in ARK: Survival Evolved can significantly enhance your gameplay experience. By creating a tribe, inviting members, and assigning roles, you can work together to survive and thrive on the island.
Conclusion
Playing ARK: Survival Evolved with friends transforms the game into an even more engaging and enjoyable experience. Whether you choose to join a public server, set up a dedicated server, or play on a non-dedicated server, the game offers various ways to team up and tackle the challenges of the ARK together. By collaborating, you can build stronger bases, tame more formidable creatures, and explore the vast landscapes more efficiently. So gather your friends, form a tribe, and embark on an unforgettable adventure in the world of ARK: Survival Evolved.
