CrossARK Transfers

CrossARK Transfers is the game mechanism allowing players to transfer their survivor, items and tames from one ARK to another ARK. Effectively, the player and its game objects and tamed creatures are being transported from one ARK to another via an uploads and downloads system, working either in single player, non-dedicated host sessions and dedicated servers, although with some technical differences.

This page explains the game-play aspects of transfers. For a technical detailed overview of game and server configuration see Cross-ARK Data Transfer.

Overview

Transfers can be used to move objects from one server to another even if the map on both servers differs.

Transfers can take place mainly at  Obelisk or a  Tek Transmitter. Other means of transfer are means such as:

•  Loot Crate (only official or dedicated Aberration servers)
•  Supply Crate (only official or dedicated servers)
•  City Terminal (Extinction)
•  Mission Dispatcher (Genesis: Part 1 and Genesis: Part 2)
• Stryder Transmitter on Hacked/Tamed  Tek Stryder (Genesis: Part 2), limited only to the transfer mechanism (ARK Data upload and download is not allowed).

There is a chance that objects will be eliminated without any notice whatsoever during the process.

Transferring Limit

There are limitations as to how items, creatures and survivors can be transferred through the normal mechanism:

• They can only be transferred within the same server cluster.
• The server options for upload and download options need to be enabled for that server.
• On Official servers, they can only be transferred from PvE to PvE servers and only PvP to PvP servers.
• Can not be transferred from Official servers to unofficial ones or vice versa, nor from Local games.

Not everything can be transferred to other servers either. Aside from server setting, the following cannot be transferred:

Items

• Inactive  Specimen Implant or  Homo Deus Record
• Tributes (Excludes  Nameless Venom,  Reaper Pheromone Gland and  Primal Crystal)
• Boss Heads, excluding:
  •  Alpha Rex Trophy
  •  Alpha Wyvern Trophy
  •  Alpha Deathworm Trophy
  •  Rockwell Trophy
  •  Moeder Trophy
  •  Master Controller Trophy
  •  Rockwell Final Form Trophy
•  Element and  Element Shard (Convert them to  Element Dust at 80% loss, you can then convert them back to  Unstable Element and  Unstable Element Shards and this will take fair amount of time in addition to the Dust weighing much more. The Engrams for Unstable Element are available only on Extinction, Genesis: Part 2, Lost Island and Fjordur at level 58.)
•  Gacha Crystal
•  Coal and  Mistletoe from the Winter Wonderland event
•  Bee Hive (Place the hive, then destroy it to  Cryopod the  Giant Queen Bee instead.)
•  Artifact of the Lost (Disappears when transferred to ARKs outside Crystal Isles)
• Filled  Fish Basket (Release the fish and cryopod it instead. You can put it back in the basket after uncryo-podding it, they do not suffer cryo, except for the  Anglerfish.)
•  Crystal Wyvern Queen Flag
•  Gasbags bladder

Additionally Tek tier items with charge will lose their charge upon being transferred.

Creatures

The following creatures can't be properly transferred:

•  Chalk Golem (Valguero ARK only)
•  Polar Bear (Valguero ARK only, tameable at said map within Blue Obelisk)
•  Fenrir (Can only be transferred whilst inside  Cryopod)

Note that creatures can be sent via  Cryopod to the maps, but can't be released out if the map does not permit them to be uncryopodded.

Aberration

Flying creatures of all kind cannot be mounted unless the server had permitted it to.

Only the creatures listed below, and all their variants, can be downloaded on Aberration. This limitation can be disabled with the CrossARKAllowForeignDinoDownloads option.

•  Abberant Coelacanth
•  Aberrant Achatina
•  Aberrant Anglerfish
•  Aberrant Ankylosaurus
•  Aberrant Araneo
•  Aberrant Arthropluera
•  Aberrant Baryonyx
•  Aberrant Beelzebufo
•  Aberrant Carbonemys
•  Aberrant Carnotaurus
•  Aberrant Cnidaria
•  Aberrant Dimetrodon
•  Aberrant Dimorphodon
•  Aberrant Diplocaulus
•  Aberrant Diplodocus
•  Aberrant Dire Bear
•  Aberrant Dodo
•  Aberrant Doedicurus
•  Aberrant Dung Beetle
•  Aberrant Electrophorus
•  Aberrant Equus
•  Aberrant Gigantopithecus
•  Aberrant Iguanodon
•  Aberrant Lystrosaurus
•  Aberrant Manta
•  Aberrant Megalania
•  Aberrant Megalosaurus
•  Aberrant Meganeura
•  Aberrant Moschops
•  Aberrant Otter
•  Aberrant Ovis
•  Aberrant Paraceratherium
•  Aberrant Parasaur
•  Aberrant Piranha
•  Aberrant Pulmonoscorpius
•  Aberrant Purlovia
•  Aberrant Raptor
•  Aberrant Salmon
•  Aberrant Sarco
•  Aberrant Spino
•  Aberrant Stegosaurus
•  Aberrant Titanoboa
•  Aberrant Triceratops
•  Aberrant Trilobite
•  Achatina
•  Anglerfish
•  Ankylosaurus
•  Araneo
•  Arthropluera
•  Baryonyx
•  Basilisk
•  Beelzebufo
•  Bloodstalker
•  Bulbdog
•  Carbonemys
•  Carnotaurus
•  Desert Titan
•  Dimetrodon
•  Dimorphodon
•  Diplocaulus
•  Diplodocus
•  Dire Bear
•  Dodo
•  Doedicurus
•  Dung Beetle
•  Electrophorus
•  Enforcer
•  Equus
•  Exo-Mek
•  Featherlight
•  Ferox
•  Forest Titan
•  Gacha
•  Gasbags
•  Gigantopithecus
•  Glowtail
•  Glowbug
•  Ice Titan
•  Iguanodon
•  Karkinos
•  Lamprey
•  Lystrosaurus
•  Maewing
•  Magmasaur
•  Managarmr
•  Manta
•  Megachelon
•  Megalania
•  Megalosaurus
•  Mek
•  Moschops
•  Nameless
•  Noglin
•  Otter
•  Oviraptor
•  Ovis
•  Paraceratherium
•  Parasaur
•  Pulmonoscorpius
•  Purlovia
•  R-Carbonemys
•  R-Carnotaurus
•  R-Gasbags
•  R-Reaper King
•  R-Velonasaur
•  Raptor
•  Ravager
•  Reaper King
•  Rock Drake
•  Roll Rat
•  Sarco
•  Scout
•  Seeker
•  Shadowmane
•  Shinehorn
•  Sinomacrops
•  Spino
•  Stegosaurus
•  Tek Stryder
•  Titanoboa
•  Triceratops
•  Velonasaur

Genesis: Part 1

Flying creatures of all kind cannot be mounted unless the server had permitted it to. This includes  Managarmr

• All tamed  Titan can't be transferred to Genesis: Part 1

How to Transfer

When the following above structure is accessed, there are three tabs, "ARK Data", "Creatures", and "Tribute".

• When the "Tribute" tab is chosen, every item you put in the inventory of the  Obelisk is accessible by everyone and could be used as a Tribute to summon one of the shown Bosses. (In the case of City Terminal, it is used to craft specific items)
• When the "Creatures" tab is chosen, the inventory screen changes and is divided into an upper part and a lower part. The upper part shows all tamed Creatures which can be transferred. Select one and press the little footprint-like button to upload the selected Creature. Now it will be listed in the lower part with a cool-down timer. Remove the saddle beforehand and transfer it via the "ARK Data" tab, since everything in the tamed Creature's Inventory will be dropped. Only tames which are near the above structures will be listed and those that have been transferred will disappear. If the tamed Creature has been downloaded, they will automatically be following the player who downloaded them.
• Items will be transferred via the "ARK Data" tab.
  • NOTE: On servers there will be a cool-down, on local play-throughs, there is no cool-down.
• To move yourself, use the "Upload Survivor"-Button in the middle.

Creature Transfer

It is also possible to transfer your tamed creatures this way with the same restrictions as listed above.

If you upload one of your tames, their inventory will be dropped in the process. Remember to empty it before (including the saddle and head gear).

If there are too many tamed creatures in the server, it will not download into the server (It will remain in the data), unless there is now a free spot. Utilizing  Cryopod instead will allow you to transfer over the limit though keep in mind it still applies when trying to un-cryo it.

Warning

If a rollback occurred on servers that you had your character transferred from, and you lost your character on the server you transferred you, the game will still force you to create a new character as if you do not have any on the server despite it existing. This is in lieu with the Anti-duping technology intended to prevent duping of characters. [1]

By default, creatures and items uploaded to ARK-Data have a 24-hour time limit in multiplayer. Ensure to download them into another server before the timer runs out, otherwise they will be deleted when the timer goes past 0. Server admins can set a character ARK-Data expiration time and change creatures and items values as well.

Tips

• A  Tek Transmitter is really helpful to transport items around, even on the same ARK.
• CrossARK transfers is used on official servers to trade (Steam has a dedicated forum for ARK trades. Note that you must be logged in on an account that owns ARK to access).
• To transfer your character on a console Player Dedicated server (Not A Cluster). Use "cheat playercommand Ascend1", this will force upload your character. Please note you need to be admin on server to do this. Once your character is uploaded the person who is hosting the server can change the map, when you join select "Download Survivor" you should see your character.
• For an official list of rules pertaining to CrossARK transfers, please visit the following page: https://support.survivetheark.com/hc/en-us/articles/226850348-How-to-Transfer-Your-Survivor-to-Another-Server-Safely

Trivia

• At the start of Genesis: Part 2, several R-Variant dino were mistakenly permitted into Aberration. These dino do not have an Aberrant variant in said ARK.

•  R-Allosaurus
•  R-Brontosaurus
•  R-Daeodon
•  R-Dilophosaur
•  R-Direwolf
•  R-Giganotosaurus
•  R-Megatherium
•  R-Procoptodon
•  R-Thylacoleo