Ancient Portals
Scattered across the ARKs lie mysterious stone archways, remnants of a long-forgotten survivor civilization. For countless seasons, these Ancient Portals stood dormant, their true purpose buried in time. That all changes with the discovery of the Ancient Markers — mystical statues that produce shimmering Ancient Crystals. When you carry one of these crystals through a Portal, you are instantly returned to the Marker it came from. However, the crystal vanishes after a single use, and the Marker must slowly produce another. This creates a thrilling risk-reward system for exploration and base defense.
The Ancient Portals mod for ARK: Survival Ascended takes this concept further by introducing Magictek Control Panels. These advanced devices bind crystals to a Portal, digitizing their energy signatures for repeated use. Once aligned, a Portal becomes a stable gateway to the Marker's location. But beware: if the Portal is destroyed, all linked crystals are lost forever. This high-stakes mechanic forces you to protect your gateways or risk losing your hard-earned travel network.
Core Features of Ancient Portals
This mod focuses on a single, powerful structure: the Ancient Portal. It is craftable and placeable, but with important restrictions. Each tribe can only place three Portals per map, and they must be built within proximity to other tribe-owned structures. This prevents spam and encourages strategic placement.
- One-way travel from a Portal to any aligned obelisk.
- One-way travel from a Portal to any aligned Ancient Marker.
- Automatic spawning of Ancient Markers at random map locations.
- Admin panel for full control over marker names, icons, and positions.
- Custom obelisk marker support for maps like Aberration and Extinction.
When you first place an Ancient Portal, it links to each of the map's obelisks. Activating the Portal allows one-way travel to any of these obelisks. To expand your network, you must collect Ancient Crystals from Markers scattered around the map. Align a crystal with your Portal, and that Marker's location is added to your travel list. It is a simple yet addictive gameplay loop that rewards exploration.
Random Marker Spawning and Admin Controls
The mod is designed to work out of the box, automatically spawning up to ten random Ancient Markers. These spawn locations are programmed to avoid water, player bases, and other players, and they only appear above ground. However, the system cannot prevent markers from facing rock faces, sitting on destructible stones, or perching at cliff edges. This is where the Admin Panel becomes essential.
To access the Admin Panel, hold the reload button on your system. From there, server admins can rename markers, choose from 180 icons, teleport to marker locations, or delete poorly placed markers entirely. There are also options to delete all markers or respawn a fresh set with new names and icons. If you respawn, any crystals already in player inventories remain in the world, but they will not align to a Portal until the new markers are in place. It is highly recommended to teleport to each random marker and assess its location before committing to it.
Custom Marker Placement and Configuration
If the random spawns do not suit your map, you can spawn a placeable Ancient Marker using the command cheat giveitem "/AncientPortals/AncientMarker/PrimalItemStructure_AncientMarker.PrimalItemStructure_AncientMarker" 1 0 0 false. This allows you to place markers anywhere you like, giving you full control over your travel network. The mod also supports a range of configuration options in the ini file:
- NumPortalsPerTribe=3
- MaxRandomMarkers=10
- PortalActiveTimeInSec=180
- CrystalProductionTimeInSec=600
- UseCustomObeliskMarkers=False
For maps like Aberration or Extinction, where standard obelisks may not populate correctly, you must set UseCustomObeliskMarkers=True. This hides the normal obelisks from Portals and allows you to place custom markers near boss fight teleport bubbles. Be sure to place them just outside the teleport area to avoid accidentally triggering a boss fight. Once placed, hold the interact button to convert a marker into a Custom Obelisk Marker, choosing between Red, Blue, or Green. These custom markers do not produce crystals, but any Portal placed after conversion will show them by default. Portals placed before conversion must be replaced.
When you are ready to expand your ARK experience, the process to download Ancient Portals is straightforward. The mod is fully compatible with the latest versions of ARK: Survival Ascended, including the recent updates to the base game. It works alongside most other mods, though you should always check for conflicts with map-altering mods. To get started, simply search for Ancient Portals for ARK: Survival Ascended on your preferred mod platform. For the smoothest experience, many players use the foxygame.net launcher, which offers one-click installation and automatic updates for Ancient Portals, ensuring you always run the latest version without manual downloads. The launcher also maintains a curated add-on catalog, making it easy to discover and manage your entire mod list in one place.
Once you have installed the mod, understanding how to install is simple. After downloading, the mod will appear in your mod list on the server. If you are hosting a dedicated server, add the mod ID to your mod list and restart. For single-player, simply enable it in the mod menu before loading your save. The mod is designed to be server-friendly, with minimal setup required. However, for the best experience, admins should use the Admin Panel to fine-tune marker locations before players start collecting crystals.
Strategic Depth and Risks
The Ancient Portals mod adds a layer of strategic depth to ARK: Survival Ascended. Every crystal you align represents a potential escape route or a quick return to a resource-rich area. But the risk of losing all aligned crystals if a Portal is destroyed creates meaningful tension. You must decide whether to concentrate your Portals for easy defense or spread them out for maximum coverage. The one-way travel mechanic also prevents enemies from using your Portals against you, adding a layer of security.
In conclusion, Ancient Portals transforms the way you navigate the ARKs. It blends lore, exploration, and base defense into a cohesive and rewarding experience. Whether you are a solo survivor or part of a large tribe, the ability to create a personalized teleport network is invaluable. Download Ancient Portals today and unlock the secrets of the ancient stone archways. With its robust admin tools and customizable options, this mod is a must-have for any serious ARK: Survival Ascended player.