Ammo Box Ascended
If you have ever spent hours in ARK: Survival Ascended manually loading hundreds of bullets into a line of auto-turrets, you know the pain. That tedious, repetitive chore is a thing of the past with the Ammo Box Ascended mod. This essential add-on brings the beloved Ammo Box from ARK: Survival Evolved into the new Unreal Engine 5 remake, giving your tribe a smarter way to manage base defense. Instead of running from turret to turret, you place a single box, fill it with ammunition, and let the mod handle the rest. It is a quality-of-life improvement that changes how you approach base defense entirely.
What Is Ammo Box Ascended and How Does It Work?
At its core, Ammo Box Ascended is an automated reloading system. You craft and place the box within your base, load it with the ammunition types you use, and it will automatically distribute that ammo to nearby turrets on a timer. The mod is designed to be balanced, so it does not simply make turrets infinite. There are specific rules that govern how the box functions, ensuring it does not break PvP or PvE gameplay.
Core Mechanics and Placement Rules
To prevent abuse, the mod enforces strict placement and timing rules. You can only place two Ammo Boxes within a 10-foundation radius. This prevents players from stacking multiple boxes to create an unkillable defense grid. The default refill timer is set to one minute, meaning the box will push ammo to your turrets every 60 seconds. However, if a turret has fired at any target, that specific turret will enter a 30-minute cooldown before it can receive more ammunition. This ensures that turrets cannot be instantly reloaded during an active raid, forcing you to think strategically about ammo conservation.
Server Owner Configuration
One of the best features of Ammo Box Ascended for ARK: Survival Ascended is the flexibility it gives server administrators. The turret reload timer is fully configurable, allowing server owners to adjust the pace of combat. If you run a PvE server, you might set the timer to 10 seconds for convenience. If you run a hardcore PvP server, you might increase it to several minutes to make ammo management more critical. To customize this, simply add the following to your GameUserSettings.ini file:
[AmmoBoxAscended]
TurretRefillTimer = XXX
Replace XXX with the desired time in seconds. The default is 60 seconds. Remember, the 30-minute cooldown for turrets that have been fired remains active regardless of your settings, preserving the strategic layer of the mod.
Planned Features and Recent Updates
The developer is actively working on expanding the mod's functionality. A highly requested feature is a customizable fill distance, allowing you to control how far the box will search for turrets. Another planned addition is a new mesh popup that shows the ammo inventory of the box without requiring you to open its interface. This will make monitoring your defense supplies much quicker.
The changelog shows steady progress. As of April 7, 2024, the mod now supports Scorched Earth ammo types. The March 14, 2024 update introduced the configurable reload timer mentioned above. On March 10, 2024, the mod added a visual upgrade: adding ammo to the box will now update its exterior appearance to show what is inside. Finally, the March 9, 2024 update added a turret count to the tooltip, so tribes can quickly see how many turrets are being filled and to what capacity. These updates show a commitment to polish and utility.
Why You Need This Mod for Your Server
Manual turret loading is not just boring; it is a vulnerability. If you are offline or distracted, your turrets might run dry, leaving your base exposed. With the Ammo Box, you can keep a reserve of thousands of bullets ready to deploy. This is especially useful for large tribes that maintain massive defensive walls. Instead of assigning a player to "ammo duty," you can free them up for resource gathering, taming, or raiding.
For those looking to streamline their server setup, the foxygame.net launcher offers a one-click install for Ammo Box Ascended, making it incredibly easy to add this mod to your mod list without manual file management. The launcher also provides an add-on catalog where you can browse and install Ammo Box Ascended directly, ensuring you get the correct version compatible with your ARK: Survival Ascended build. Furthermore, the launcher handles auto-updates, so when the mod receives a new patch, you do not have to worry about manually downloading and replacing files, and it checks version compatibility to prevent crashes.
How to Install and Download
Getting started is simple. You can download Ammo Box Ascended from the Steam Workshop for ARK: Survival Ascended. Once you subscribe to the mod, it will appear in your mod list when you launch the game. If you are running a dedicated server, you will need to add the mod ID to your server's mod list and restart the server. The installation process is standard for all ARK mods, and the mod is lightweight, causing minimal impact on server performance.
Step-by-Step Setup
- Subscribe to the mod on the Steam Workshop.
- Launch ARK: Survival Ascended and enable the mod in your single-player or server settings.
- Craft the Ammo Box at a smithy or fabricator (check the engram list for the required level).
- Place the box within your base, ensuring you do not exceed the two-box limit within 10 foundations.
- Open the box and deposit the ammunition you want to distribute.
- Watch as your turrets automatically refill on the timer you have set.
Final Thoughts on Ammo Box Ascended
Ammo Box Ascended is a must-have mod for anyone serious about base defense in ARK: Survival Ascended. It eliminates the most tedious aspect of maintaining a fortified position, allowing you to focus on the actual survival and combat elements of the game. The balanced timers and configurable settings make it suitable for both casual PvE players and competitive PvP tribes. Whether you are a solo player defending a small hut or a mega-tribe managing a fortress, this mod will save you hours of frustration. Download it today and give your turrets the ammunition they need to keep your base safe.