Balanced Flame Throwers
If you have spent any time in the brutal PvP arenas of ARK: Survival Ascended, you know the frustration of being melted by a flame thrower that seems to ignore all logic. The base weapon's percentage-based damage over time can turn a high-health bronto into ash in seconds, making it a one-click win button. The Balanced Flame Throwers mod is here to rewrite that rulebook, offering a fair and tactical fire weapon that rewards accuracy over spam.
Why the Vanilla Flame Thrower is Broken
The core issue with the standard flame thrower in ARK: Survival Ascended is its exponential scaling. Against low-health targets, it is fine. But against high-health targets like tamed Rexes or Golems, the percentage-based burn ticks deal devastating damage that cannot be countered effectively. This makes base defenses trivial and turns every raid into a fire-and-forget disaster.
The Balanced Flame Throwers mod directly addresses this by reworking the damage profile. Instead of relying on a massive damage-over-time percentage, the new weapon deals slightly more direct damage while reducing the burn effect on high-health targets. This shift means you must actually aim and maintain contact to secure kills, rather than just spraying a corner and walking away.
What the Balanced Flame Thrower Changes
This mod introduces a new weapon, ammo, and engram paths. The item IDs are clean and easy to integrate with existing server setups:
- EngramEntry_BalancedFlameThrowers - Unlocks the crafting recipe.
- PrimalItem_WeapBalancedFlameThrowers - The new weapon itself.
- PrimalItemAmmo_BalancedFlameThrowers - The specialized fuel canister.
The direct damage increase means that a well-placed burst can break through armor or finish off a fleeing survivor, but the reduced burn damage prevents the "one-tap" cheese on tanky dinos. This creates a skill gap where positioning and resource management matter more than simply holding the trigger.
PvP Balance and Tactical Depth
For solo players and small tribes, this mod is a godsend. It levels the playing field against mega-tribes who rely on brute force. You can now defend your base with fire without worrying about instantly deleting an enemy's entire war herd. The mod encourages hit-and-run tactics and flanking maneuvers, making combat more dynamic and less reliant on who has the biggest HP pool.
Furthermore, the ammo economy is rebalanced. Because the direct damage is higher, you burn through fuel faster if you are reckless, but you also get more value from precise hits. This forces players to think about their loadout and whether they want to carry extra fuel or more medical brews for the return trip.
Mod Compatibility and Server Versions
The Balanced Flame Throwers for ARK: Survival Ascended is designed to work with the latest stable builds of the game, including the recent center map updates and the current crossplay patches. It is a lightweight mod that does not conflict with popular QoL mods like S+ or Dino Storage. However, if you are running a heavily modded server, always test the load order to ensure the engram paths do not clash with other custom weapons.
For those looking to get this mod running quickly, the foxygame.net launcher offers a one-click install for the Balanced Flame Throwers, automatically resolving version compatibility issues so you can jump straight into testing the new fire mechanics without manual file edits. This is especially useful for server admins who want to deploy the mod across multiple clusters without downtime.
How to Install the Mod
If you are wondering how to install this mod, the process is straightforward. Navigate to the Steam Workshop page for ARK: Survival Ascended, search for "Balanced Flame Throwers," and click subscribe. Once downloaded, restart your game client. For dedicated servers, you will need to add the mod ID to your server's mod list and restart the server process.
After installation, you will find the new engram in the "Weapons" category of your survivor's inventory. The ammo is crafted in the Fabricator or the Smithy, depending on your server's settings. Remember that the mod's item paths are case-sensitive, so if you are using admin commands to spawn items, copy the exact strings provided above.
Final Verdict on the Fire Rework
In conclusion, the Balanced Flame Throwers mod is a must-have for any PvP-focused server that wants to remove the frustration of cheesy fire deaths. It preserves the fun of using fire weapons while introducing a level of skill that was previously missing. The direct damage buff makes the weapon feel punchy, but the reduced DoT ensures that even a max-level Bronto can survive a few seconds to fight back.
Whether you are a server admin looking to improve the meta or a player tired of getting melted through walls, this mod delivers a fair and fun experience. Download Balanced Flame Throwers today and bring honor back to the flame.