ARK Dino Spawn Configurations
This page contains information on how to control spawn configurations for your ARK server. For PC users, FTP Access is used to directly modify the GameUserSettings.ini and Game.ini files. For PS4 users, click on the appropriately named buttons on the control panel to access and modify the files. Any changes made via this method will be overwritten when the Modify Server Config tool is used. We strongly suggest to save all of your manual changes on your computer.
For all changes to the dinosaur spawn configurations, you want to run a cheat DestroyWildDinos command once the server starts up.
Contents
Changing Spawn Rates
For information on how to do this via the Modify Server Config tool, expand the below section.
Below is a screenshot of the Dinosaur Spawn Configuration for ARK PC / PS4. Explanations will be listed further below. Please note, that each entry will not apply to alpha, aberrant, corrupted, or elemental variants of the same dino. Each variant will have its own separate row for editing.
- Spawnable
- This determines if a dino will spawn. If this is unchecked, all other values MUST be left as their default values or the dinos will still appear.
- Tameable
- If this is unchecked, the dinosaur can not be tamed.
- Replace With
- This will replace the dino with the one chosen from this list. Note that not all dinos can be replaced with another. Marine based dinos will not spawn on the land or vice versa.
- Spawn Weight
- The higher the weight, the more likely the dino will appear.
- Override Limit
- Checking this will tell the server to use the value for Spawn Limit when calculating how many of this dino should spawn.
- Spawn Limit
- This is a value between 0.0 and 1.0, in terms of 0% and 100%. This value should not be higher than 1.0, else this will cause spawning problems.
- Tamed Damage
- This modifies the damage of ALL attacks for this dino. Individual attacks, such as the Gryphon's swoop, cannot be changed.
- Tamed Resistance
- This modifies the physical and torpor resistances of the tamed dino.
- Wild Damage
- This modifies the damage values of the wild dino. Increasing this modify all of the dino's attacks, such as primary, secondary, or any torpor effects.
- Wild Resistance
- This modifies the physical and torpor resistance of the wild dino.
When changing spawn rates for certain dinos, there are four values to include in this code: DinoNameTag, SpawnWeightMultiplier, OverrideSpawnLimitPercentage, and SpawnLimitPercentage.
- DinoNameTag - Use the data in the cell for the IDs column.
- This specifies which dino is being modified.
- SpawnWeightMultiplier - This can be any non-negative value.
- This increases the frequency at which a dino will be considered for spawning. With a value of 2, this dino will spawn twice as often.
- OverrideSpawnLimitPercentage - set to "true" or "false".
- Changing this will determine if you want to modify the total number of this dino spawning throughout the ARK.
- SpawnLimitPercentage - A number between 0.0 and 1.0, as this is based off percentages. (0% to 100%)
- This determines how often this dino is chosen to spawn in any area that it already exists.
Using Raptors as an example, here's how an example of increasing the raptor spawns by 175% and allowing them to occupy 50% of the total spawns in all areas that they spawn in.
- DinoSpawnWeightMultipliers=(DinoNameTag="Raptor_Character_BP_C",SpawnWeightMultiplier=1.75,OverrideSpawnLimitPercentage=true,SpawnLimitPercentage=0.5)
NOTE: All of the data per each DinoSpawnWeightMultipliers line must be on the same line. No carriage returns or line breaks!
Replacing / Removing Dino Spawns
This can be done with one of two ways, either through the Modify Server Config tool or adding in custom replacements in the Game.ini file.
NOTE: If you wish to replace dinosaurs with their Aberration variants, you will need to add the variants to the spawn tables for the map first, found in the Adding Aberration Dinos to Maps section. You will also need to add the actual replacement code into the Game.ini directly, as this is not available through the Modify Server Config tool.
An example of adding Aberrent Trikes to the dune section of Ragnarok can be found below:
- ConfigAddNPCSpawnEntriesContainer=(NPCSpawnEntriesContainerClassString="SE_DinoSpawnEntriesDunes_C",NPCSpawnEntries=((AnEntryName="AberrantTrikeSpawner",EntryWeight=0.01,NPCsToSpawnStrings=("Trike_Character_BP_Aberrant_C"))),NPCSpawnLimits=((NPCClassString="Trike_Character_BP_Aberrant_C",MaxPercentageOfDesiredNumToAllow=0.01)))
With that added into the Game.ini code, we can now add in the following line to replace all normal Trikes with the Aberrant Trike variant.
- NPCReplacements=(FromClassName="Trike_Character_BP_C",ToClassName="Trike_Character_BP_Aberrant_C")
Removing Tek Dinosaurs
To disable Tek dinosaurs, you will need to modify the Game.ini file directly.
- Open up the Game.ini file on your server at the location /ShooterGame/Saved/Config/WindowsServer/Game.ini
- At the bottom of this file, add in the following 5 lines of code:
- NPCReplacements=(FromClassName="BionicPara_Character_BP_C",ToClassName="")
- NPCReplacements=(FromClassName="BionicRaptor_Character_BP_C",ToClassName="")
- NPCReplacements=(FromClassName="BionicQuetz_Character_BP_C",ToClassName="")
- NPCReplacements=(FromClassName="BionicQuetz_Character_BP_C",ToClassName="")
- NPCReplacements=(FromClassName="BionicStego_Character_BP_C",ToClassName="")
- Save the Game.ini file and close out the window.
Since this is a "manual" edit to the Game.ini file outside of the Modify Server Config tool, any changes via the Modify Server Config tool will overwrite these changes. If you use the Modify Server Config tool, simply follow the instructions once again and you will be all set.
Adding Dinos to Maps
To add non-native dinos to your map, you will need to use code to add them to the spawn lists. For the data below, there are two values to consider when adding dino spawns to your ARK. EntryWeight and MaxPercentageOfDesiredNumToAllow.
- EntryWeight - a value between 0.0 and 1.0 (0% to 100%)
- How often a dino is "considered" for spawning. The higher the value, the more often this particular dino is chosen when a dino is spawned in an area.
- MaxPercentageOfDesiredNumToAllow - a value between 0.0 and 1.0 (0% to 100%)
- The total number of this particular dino to be allowed in the particular area. With a value of 0.25, there will be a maximum of 25% of the area's total population to be this dinosaur.
Using one of the examples below, for adding Griffins to the Island, the code and a breakdown of what's what will look like this:
ConfigAddNPCSpawnEntriesContainer=(NPCSpawnEntriesContainerClassString="DinoSpawnEntriesSnow",NPCSpawnEntries=((AnEntryName="GriffinSnow",EntryWeight=0.05,NPCsToSpawnStrings=("Griffin_Character_BP_C"))),NPCSpawnLimits=((NPCClassString="Griffin_Character_BP_C",MaxPercentageOfDesiredNumToAllow=0.05)))
- ConfigAddNPCSpawnEntriesContainer
- For each area that you are modifying, you will need a new instance of this. This tells ARK that you are adding in spawns to an existing container.
- NPCSpawnEntriesContainerClassString
- This value references the "container", or spawn section that we are directly modifying. This is a value taken from ((list source here)).
- NPCSpawnEntries
- This section lists all of the dino spawns that will be affected. All dinos will each have their own AnEntryName, EntryWeight, and NPCsToSpawnStrings section.
- AnEntryName
- This is a unique name given to this particular dino's entry. This value must not be used in any other spawn entry. In this case, I used the name "GriffinSnow", to remind myself that I am adding Griffins to the snow areas.
- EntryWeight
- This determines how often this particular dino will be chosen from the main spawn list. This is a value between 0.01 (1%) to 1.0 (100%)
- NPCsToSpawnStrings
- This is a reference to the specific dino that will be spawned. This is a value taken from ((list source here)).
- NPCSpawnLimits
- This is a section that determines the maximum percentage of the total population of this particular dino.
- MaxPercentageOfDesiredNumToAllow
- This dictates the number of dinos in relevance to the entire "containers" population. A value between 0.01 (1%) to 1.0 (100%). A value of 0.5 means that this dino can ONLY occupy 50% of all spawns for this area.
Adding Griffins to the Island
In this example, I am adding griffins to two different sections of The Island: Mountains and snowy regions. Since griffins are more likely to be in the mountainous area, I've increased the spawn rates and maximum number of allowed griffins for that region by adjusting EngryWeight and MaxPercentageOfDesiredNumToAllow.
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- ConfigAddNPCSpawnEntriesContainer=(NPCSpawnEntriesContainerClassString="DinoSpawnEntriesSnow",NPCSpawnEntries=((AnEntryName="GriffinSnow",EntryWeight=0.05,NPCsToSpawnStrings=("Griffin_Character_BP_C"))),NPCSpawnLimits=((NPCClassString="Griffin_Character_BP_C",MaxPercentageOfDesiredNumToAllow=0.05)))
- ConfigAddNPCSpawnEntriesContainer=(NPCSpawnEntriesContainerClassString="DinoSpawnEntriesMountain",NPCSpawnEntries=((AnEntryName="GriffinMountain",EntryWeight=0.1,NPCsToSpawnStrings=("Griffin_Character_BP_C"))),NPCSpawnLimits=((NPCClassString="Griffin_Character_BP_C",MaxPercentageOfDesiredNumToAllow=0.08)))
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Hermit's Example - Aberration Dinos on Ragnarok
"I have basilisks spawning in the desert and the cave under the ruined castle, ravagers in the canyons and also in the castle cave, karkinos in the swamp, rockdrakes in the redwoods and featherlights/glowtails on Monkey Island in the south." - Hermit
- ConfigAddNPCSpawnEntriesContainer=(NPCSpawnEntriesContainerClassString="SE_DinoSpawnEntriesDunes_C",NPCSpawnEntries=((AnEntryName="BasilDesert",EntryWeight=0.01,NPCsToSpawnStrings=("Basilisk_Character_BP_C"))),NPCSpawnLimits=((NPCClassString="Basilisk_Character_BP_C",MaxPercentageOfDesiredNumToAllow=0.01)))
- ConfigAddNPCSpawnEntriesContainer=(NPCSpawnEntriesContainerClassString="DinoSpawnEntriesSwamp",NPCSpawnEntries=((AnEntryName="Crabby",EntryWeight=0.00001,NPCsToSpawnStrings=("Crab_Character_BP_C"))),NPCSpawnLimits=((NPCClassString="Crab_Character_BP_C",MaxPercentageOfDesiredNumToAllow=0.00001)))
- ConfigAddNPCSpawnEntriesContainer=(NPCSpawnEntriesContainerClassString="DinoSpawnEntries_Ragnarok_Center_C",NPCSpawnEntries=((AnEntryName="Ravager",EntryWeight=0.02,NPCsToSpawnStrings=("CaveWolf_Character_BP_C"))),NPCSpawnLimits=((NPCClassString="CaveWolf_Character_BP_C",MaxPercentageOfDesiredNumToAllow=0.1)))
- ConfigAddNPCSpawnEntriesContainer=(NPCSpawnEntriesContainerClassString="DinoSpawnEntriesRedwoods_C",NPCSpawnEntries=((AnEntryName="Drake",EntryWeight=0.0001,NPCsToSpawnStrings=("RockDrake_Character_BP_C"))),NPCSpawnLimits=((NPCClassString="RockDrake_Character_BP_C",MaxPercentageOfDesiredNumToAllow=0.001)))
- ConfigAddNPCSpawnEntriesContainer=(NPCSpawnEntriesContainerClassString="DinoSpawnEntries_Ragnarok_MonkeyIsland_C",NPCSpawnEntries=((AnEntryName="GlowtailIsland",EntryWeight=0.1,NPCsToSpawnStrings=("LanternLizard_Character_BP_C")),(AnEntryName="FeatherlightIsland",EntryWeight=0.1,NPCsToSpawnStrings=("LanternBird_Character_BP_C"))),NPCSpawnLimits=((NPCClassString="LanternLizard_Character_BP_C",MaxPercentageOfDesiredNumToAllow=0.25),(NPCClassString="LanternBird_Character_BP_C",MaxPercentageOfDesiredNumToAllow=0.25)))
- ConfigAddNPCSpawnEntriesContainer=(NPCSpawnEntriesContainerClassString="DinoSpawnEntriesCaveMegalo_C",NPCSpawnEntries=((AnEntryName="BasilCave",EntryWeight=0.01,NPCsToSpawnStrings=("Basilisk_Character_BP_C")),(AnEntryName="RavageCave",EntryWeight=0.1,NPCsToSpawnStrings=("CaveWolf_Character_BP_C"))),NPCSpawnLimits=((NPCClassString="Basilisk_Character_BP_C",MaxPercentageOfDesiredNumToAllow=0.01),(NPCClassString="CaveWolf_Character_BP_C",MaxPercentageOfDesiredNumToAllow=0.1)))
NOTE: You may need to remove the spawn code for the Karakinos (i.e Crab_Character_BP_C), as these things have a habit of spawning out of control despite such low spawn values.
Adding Dinos to Valguero
This code adds the Snow Owls, Managarmr, and Griffins to snowy locations, Reaper Queen to the Aberration cave, and poison/lightning wyverns to the Wyvern Trench. There are issues with spawns in the Aberration cave, as the data for those spawns are being pulled from the Emerald Forest
-this is for PS4 as of August 28th, 2019.
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- ConfigAddNPCSpawnEntriesContainer=(NPCSpawnEntriesContainerClassString="DinoSpawnEntriesTundra_C",NPCSpawnEntries=((AnEntryName="VelonaTundra",EntryWeight=0.125,NPCsToSpawnStrings=("Spindles_Character_BP_C"))),NPCSpawnLimits=((NPCClassString="Spindles_Character_BP_C", MaxPercentageOfDesiredNumToAllow=0.075)))
- ConfigAddNPCSpawnEntriesContainer=(NPCSpawnEntriesContainerClassString="DinoSpawnEntries_Valguero_SnowForest_C",NPCSpawnEntries=((AnEntryName="Owl_SnowForest",EntryWeight=1.0,NPCsToSpawnStrings=("Owl_Character_BP_C")),(AnEntryName="Managarmr_SnowForest",EntryWeight=0.01,NPCsToSpawnStrings=("IceJumper_Character_BP_C")),(AnEntryName="Griffin_SnowForest",EntryWeight=0.5,NPCsToSpawnStrings=("Griffin_Character_BP_C"))),NPCSpawnLimits=((NPCClassString="Owl_Character_BP_C", MaxPercentageOfDesiredNumToAllow=0.1),(NPCClassString="IceJumper_Character_BP_C", MaxPercentageOfDesiredNumToAllow=0.002),(NPCClassString="Griffin_Character_BP_C",MaxPercentageOfDesiredNumToAllow=0.075)))
- ConfigAddNPCSpawnEntriesContainer=(NPCSpawnEntriesContainerClassString="DinoSpawnEntries_Valguero_IceDesert_C",NPCSpawnEntries=((AnEntryName="Owl_IceDesert",EntryWeight=1.0,NPCsToSpawnStrings=("Owl_Character_BP_C")),(AnEntryName="Managarmr_IceDesert",EntryWeight=0.01,NPCsToSpawnStrings=("IceJumper_Character_BP_C")),(AnEntryName="Griffin_IceDesert",EntryWeight=0.5,NPCsToSpawnStrings=("Griffin_Character_BP_C"))),NPCSpawnLimits=((NPCClassString="Owl_Character_BP_C", MaxPercentageOfDesiredNumToAllow=0.1),(NPCClassString="IceJumper_Character_BP_C", MaxPercentageOfDesiredNumToAllow=0.002),(NPCClassString="Griffin_Character_BP_C",MaxPercentageOfDesiredNumToAllow=0.075)))
- ConfigAddNPCSpawnEntriesContainer=(NPCSpawnEntriesContainerClassString="Val_DinoSpawnEntries_DrakeTrench_C",NPCSpawnEntries=((AnEntryName="ReaperQueen_AberrationCave",EntryWeight=0.05,NPCsToSpawnStrings=("Xenomorph_Character_BP_Female_C"))),NPCSpawnLimits=((NPCClassString="Xenomorph_Character_BP_Female_C",MaxPercentageOfDesiredNumToAllow=0.01)))
- ConfigAddNPCSpawnEntriesContainer=(NPCSpawnEntriesContainerClassString="Val_DinoSpawnEntriesWyvernTrench_C",NPCSpawnEntries=((AnEntryName="LightningWyvern_WyvernTrench",EntryWeight=0.05,NPCsToSpawnStrings=("Wyvern_Character_BP_Lightning_C")),(AnEntryName="PoisonWyvern_WyvernTrench",EntryWeight=0.05,NPCsToSpawnStrings=("Wyvern_Character_BP_Poison_C"))),NPCSpawnLimits=((NPCClassString="Wyvern_Character_BP_Lightning_C",MaxPercentageOfDesiredNumToAllow=0.01),(NPCClassString="Wyvern_Character_BP_Poison_C",MaxPercentageOfDesiredNumToAllow=0.01)))
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Adding Dinos to The Center
Requested from Gypboys1, this simple set of spawning configuration adds the following dinos to the following locations.
- Bulbdogs
- Regular and ice caves
- Snow Owls
- Snowy grasslands, mountains, and generic snowy regions.
- Velonsaur
- Volcano Island
- Gacha
- Beaches, grasslands, and jungle
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- ConfigAddNPCSpawnEntriesContainer=(NPCSpawnEntriesContainerClassString="IceCave_Spawner",NPCSpawnEntries=((AnEntryName="Center_Bulb_IceCave",EntryWeight=0.2,NPCsToSpawnStrings=("LanternPug_Character_BP_C"))),NPCSpawnLimits=((NPCClassString="LanternPug_Character_BP_C",MaxPercentageOfDesiredNumToAllow=0.2)))
- ConfigAddNPCSpawnEntriesContainer=(NPCSpawnEntriesContainerClassString="DinoSpawnEntriesCave1",NPCSpawnEntries=((AnEntryName="Center_Bulb_Cave1",EntryWeight=0.2,NPCsToSpawnStrings=("LanternPug_Character_BP_C"))),NPCSpawnLimits=((NPCClassString="LanternPug_Character_BP_C",MaxPercentageOfDesiredNumToAllow=0.2)))
- ConfigAddNPCSpawnEntriesContainer=(NPCSpawnEntriesContainerClassString="DinoSpawnEntriesCave5",NPCSpawnEntries=((AnEntryName="Center_Bulb_Cave5",EntryWeight=0.2,NPCsToSpawnStrings=("LanternPug_Character_BP_C"))),NPCSpawnLimits=((NPCClassString="LanternPug_Character_BP_C",MaxPercentageOfDesiredNumToAllow=0.2)))
- ConfigAddNPCSpawnEntriesContainer=(NPCSpawnEntriesContainerClassString="DinoSpawnEntriesCave5_Tough",NPCSpawnEntries=((AnEntryName="Center_Bulb_Cave5Tough",EntryWeight=0.2,NPCsToSpawnStrings=("LanternPug_Character_BP_C"))),NPCSpawnLimits=((NPCClassString="LanternPug_Character_BP_C",MaxPercentageOfDesiredNumToAllow=0.2)))
- ConfigAddNPCSpawnEntriesContainer=(NPCSpawnEntriesContainerClassString="SnowGrasslandsUnderArea_Spawn",NPCSpawnEntries=((AnEntryName="Center_Owl_SnowGrass_Under",EntryWeight=0.2,NPCsToSpawnStrings=("Owl_Character_BP_C"))),NPCSpawnLimits=((NPCClassString="Owl_Character_BP_C",MaxPercentageOfDesiredNumToAllow=0.2)))
- ConfigAddNPCSpawnEntriesContainer=(NPCSpawnEntriesContainerClassString="SnowGrasslands_Spawn",NPCSpawnEntries=((AnEntryName="Center_Owl_SnowGrass",EntryWeight=0.2,NPCsToSpawnStrings=("Owl_Character_BP_C"))),NPCSpawnLimits=((NPCClassString="Owl_Character_BP_C",MaxPercentageOfDesiredNumToAllow=0.2)))
- ConfigAddNPCSpawnEntriesContainer=(NPCSpawnEntriesContainerClassString="SnowyMountain_Spawn",NPCSpawnEntries=((AnEntryName="Center_Owl_SnowMountain",EntryWeight=0.2,NPCsToSpawnStrings=("Owl_Character_BP_C"))),NPCSpawnLimits=((NPCClassString="Owl_Character_BP_C",MaxPercentageOfDesiredNumToAllow=0.2)))
- ConfigAddNPCSpawnEntriesContainer=(NPCSpawnEntriesContainerClassString="DinoSpawnEntriesSnow",NPCSpawnEntries=((AnEntryName="Center_Owl_Snow",EntryWeight=0.2,NPCsToSpawnStrings=("Owl_Character_BP_C"))),NPCSpawnLimits=((NPCClassString="Owl_Character_BP_C",MaxPercentageOfDesiredNumToAllow=0.2)))
- ConfigAddNPCSpawnEntriesContainer=(NPCSpawnEntriesContainerClassString="Lava_Spawn",NPCSpawnEntries=((AnEntryName="Center_Velon_Lava",EntryWeight=0.08,NPCsToSpawnStrings=("Spindles_Character_BP_C"))),NPCSpawnLimits=((NPCClassString="Spindles_Character_BP_C",MaxPercentageOfDesiredNumToAllow=0.1)))
- ConfigAddNPCSpawnEntriesContainer=(NPCSpawnEntriesContainerClassString="Lava_Upper_Spawn",NPCSpawnEntries=((AnEntryName="Center_Velon_Lava_Upper",EntryWeight=0.08,NPCsToSpawnStrings=("Spindles_Character_BP_C"))),NPCSpawnLimits=((NPCClassString="Spindles_Character_BP_C",MaxPercentageOfDesiredNumToAllow=0.1)))
- ConfigAddNPCSpawnEntriesContainer=(NPCSpawnEntriesContainerClassString="DinoSpawnEntriesBeach",NPCSpawnEntries=((AnEntryName="Center_Gacha_Beach",EntryWeight=0.08,NPCsToSpawnStrings=("Gacha_Character_BP_C"))),NPCSpawnLimits=((NPCClassString="Gacha_Character_BP_C",MaxPercentageOfDesiredNumToAllow=0.1)))
- ConfigAddNPCSpawnEntriesContainer=(NPCSpawnEntriesContainerClassString="DinoSpawnEntriesGrassland",NPCSpawnEntries=((AnEntryName="Center_Gacha_Grassland",EntryWeight=0.08,NPCsToSpawnStrings=("Gacha_Character_BP_C"))),NPCSpawnLimits=((NPCClassString="Gacha_Character_BP_C",MaxPercentageOfDesiredNumToAllow=0.1)))
- ConfigAddNPCSpawnEntriesContainer=(NPCSpawnEntriesContainerClassString="DinoSpawnEntriesJungle",NPCSpawnEntries=((AnEntryName="Center_Gacha_Jungle",EntryWeight=0.08,NPCsToSpawnStrings=("Gacha_Character_BP_C"))),NPCSpawnLimits=((NPCClassString="Gacha_Character_BP_C",MaxPercentageOfDesiredNumToAllow=0.1)))
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Spawn Maps and Other Info
The links below contain resources that can help you build your custom spawn configuration by showing you where dinosaurs already spawn on the map, as well as which dinos spawn in which sections.
- https://ark.gamepedia.com/Spawn_Map_(Ragnarok) - Spawn map for Ragnarok.
- https://ark.gamepedia.com/Spawn_Map_(The_Island) - Spawn map for The Island.
- https://ark.gamepedia.com/Spawn_Map_(Extinction) - Spawn map for Extinction.
- https://ark.gamepedia.com/Spawn_Entries#Ragnarok - The list of spawn "containers" for Ragnarok.
- https://ark.gamepedia.com/Spawn_Entries#TheIsland - The list of spawn "containers" for The Island.
- https://ark.gamepedia.com/Spawn_Entries#Extinction - The list of spawn "containers" for Extinction.
- https://ark.gamepedia.com/Spawn_Entries#Valguero - The list of spawn "containers" for Valguero.
Destroy Wild Dinos
For information on how to clear out the current dinosaur spawns for your server, expand the following section:
- After editing/uploading/deleting your files in the proper directories, start your server from the panel.
- Log in to your server as an admin (press TAB while in game and then type enablecheats ADMINPASSWORD)
- ADMINPASSWORD is the value found in your Admin Password field on your control panel.
- Enable the admin overlay with the command: setcheatplayer true
- When this command is enabled you will see a NPC count. Keep an eye on this number.
- Run the command cheat saveworld
- This command saves the world in case the repopulation of dinos causes the server to crash.
- Wait 15 seconds Enter the command: cheat DestroyWildDinos
- Wait 5-10 minutes or until you see wild dinos and run this command: cheat saveworld
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