Best way to play (single)?

[gugnihr]

Hi, I'm downloading this game since it was free I decided to try it.
I only play games in single player and I have heard people complaining about raids even in offline mode and people suggesting to change certain default settings because they said this game is like a torture (or something like that) with those default settings.

So I wanted to know, I only play in single player, I want a relaxing experience (no raids, no things that could mess up my prograss in similarly unfair and random ways), please explain me what I need to know and what I need to do to make this game work like that, thanks.

PS: about the guy who said to change default settings, I'm not really sure what he was talking about, if it was the problem of not being completely safe even in single player or if it was optimization problems or what else, so I appreciate any generic suggestion, thanks.
I am using Linux btw

[HALO_run]

look in host server and you'll get that, but be warned you will die a lot, so don't get cocky and don't forget to read the books around the map they show the story plus more.

[Morodox.D5]

it really depends on how you want to play, the default settings are alright but pretty grindy. Other than some dinos being hard or time extensive to tame you should have no problem with it being unsafe or coming back to your base being raided. (that i know of)

[Batza]

Single player is really single player, only you play the game, offline. No one can join your game.

[WildDogsGaming]

Do a youtube search for best ark single player settings. Watch a few. The good ones explain what each one does, and why you may want to adjust that setting. For myself, my taming and mating is on 5, gathering is at 3. My dino damage is up to 1.5, dino stamina and weight gain per level is 2. XP is at 1.5. I think the rest are at default. Oh, no night is at 3 times speed now that I am on Fjordur. Hanging out in a hut with a campfire for 28 minutes did not sound like fun for me, lol.

[gugnihr]

Ok, thank you all

[Gimli]

Here's the singleplayer settings that I currently use:
https://exputer.com/guides/best-ark-single-player-settings/

Here are the two mods I'm currently using in Singleplayer which are pretty nice for QoL and also making solo feel less lonely and more akin to Conan Exiles:

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=731604991

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1443404076

[🦊 Hermit]

Raids will not happen to you in single player. They are only if you play mutliplayer, or if you install NPC mods like the one in the post above.

By default, the game is quite a grind. It takes a long time to collect resources, tame creatures, and do anything. However there are a lot of configuration options which you can adjust to make it easier and quicker, such as increasing the gather rates so you get more resources faster, and increasing player damage resistance so you do not die as easily.

Try the game out at first, and see what you feel is balanced and what you think needs changing. Then look through the options and adjust them according to your preference. There are many options which can be changed that do not even appear in the in-game menus, but you can adjust them in the configuration files outside the game, so if you want to change something but don't see an option for it, feel free to ask about it on a forum like this one, and somebody may be able to direct you to a way you can fix it.

I myself play this game in a much more relaxed, casual way than most people. So if you want any suggestions for configs feel free to let me know and I can try to advise.

[Tinetic]

you can also join pve servers or servers with pvp rules. I feel like the game is a lot more fun with other people around

[Venatacia]

Got to be honest Iv'e tried single player on the official servers and never ever got passed building my first wood hut. The game is hard on your own and every time you die, you will end up in someones building with locked doors trapped because the devs won't sort things out. then you need to find a place that hasn't been built on with 100s/1000s of pillars stopping you building. Relaxing never came into my mind playing solo on these servers - nothing but frustration.

Take my hat off to anyone that can play this game solo, have to be one hell of a person.

[Boomer]

I actually liked hosting a server then launching into it (originally on the same pc) at the performance was better. Plus later on the wifey started to join in and having thr server to co op on was better than the tether mechanic

[Silke]

I play Ark sp exclusively and love it. Sure, if you're a purist, who prefers everything vanilla, things will get very grindy. But if you don't mind boosting your settings and installing some mods, it's all the fun and none of the drama.