Castles, Keeps, and Forts - CKF
Building the fortress of your dreams in ARK: Survival Ascended just got a whole lot more ambitious. The modding community has delivered a true heavyweight with Castles, Keeps, and Forts - CKF, a project that brings the beloved structure collection from the original ARK into the Unreal Engine 5 era. This is not a simple port; it is a complete rebuild that leverages the new engine's power to offer an unprecedented number of building pieces, all while maintaining performance that will not tank your server.
If you are tired of the same vanilla boxes and want to create sprawling medieval cities, towering keeps, or cozy cottages, this mod is the definitive toolkit. With a current total of 593 structures spread across three distinct tiers, it offers more building options than all three previous CKF mods combined. The best part? You do not need to pay to enjoy a huge chunk of the content. This guide will walk you through everything you need to know about the mod, from its core features to installation and future updates.
Understanding the Three Structure Tiers
The genius of Castles, Keeps, and Forts - CKF lies in its tiered system, which allows players of all budgets to play together seamlessly. This system works similarly to the "Bob's" item types in the base game, ensuring harmony on shared servers.
Settler Tier: The Free Wood Foundation
This tier is completely free for all players. It provides wood-strength structures that are perfect for starting bases and early-game progression. You get a full set of walls, floors, roofs, and foundations to get your settlement off the ground. This tier is set to expand with a palisade set in the future, making it even more robust for early defense.
Villager Tier: Stone Strength for Everyone
Also free, the Villager Tier offers stone-strength structures. This is the sweet spot for most players, providing a significant upgrade in durability without requiring any purchase. You can build substantial, secure bases that can withstand most threats. The addition of a greenhouse set is planned for this tier, which will be a boon for farmers and chefs.
Keep Tier: The Premium Metal Upgrade
This is the only tier that requires an upgrade purchase. The Keep Tier provides metal-strength structures, the highest durability available. For those who want the absolute best defense against raiders and gigas, this is a must-have. Upgrading grants access to an additional 219 structures, including new battlements, behemoth gates, and the upcoming dungeon set. When you purchase the upgrade, you also gain full access to all 1211 cosmetic skins in the separate CKF Cosmetics version of the mod for use on official servers.
Key Features and Utility Structures
Beyond the core building blocks, Castles, Keeps, and Forts - CKF is packed with utility and décor items that bring your base to life. The mod includes a set of utility structures like storage containers, an apiary, a waterwheel, and a windmill. The recent "Battlements & Utilities Part 2" update added even more functional pieces, including the Utility Millstone Grinder, Utility Tilt Hammer, and a Utility Foundry.
The mod also introduces an enhanced snap system with a huge increase in part shapes and sizes. All structure parts are fully paintable, and they are fully compatible with vanilla structures and other mods based on vanilla snap size standards. A particularly handy feature is the "Adobe cooling" applied to all structure parts, which helps regulate temperature in extreme biomes. You can also now enjoy stacking foundations, which opens up new creative possibilities for elevated builds.
Cross-Platform and Map Compatibility
One of the biggest selling points is its versatility. This mod is cross-platform, meaning it works on PC, Xbox, and PlayStation. It is also compatible with any and all maps in ARK: Survival Ascended, from The Island to Scorched Earth and everything in between. You do not need to worry about load order conflicts either, as it does not require priority and plays nicely with other mods.
For players looking to streamline their mod management, using a dedicated launcher can simplify the process significantly. The foxygame.net launcher offers a one-click install for Castles, Keeps, and Forts - CKF, automatically handling version compatibility with the latest ARK: Survival Ascended patches, so you can get straight to building without fiddling with files.
How to Install the Mod
Installing Castles, Keeps, and Forts - CKF for ARK: Survival Ascended is straightforward. Here is a step-by-step guide on how to install it:
- Find the Mod: Navigate to the Steam Workshop or the in-game mod browser for ARK: Survival Ascended.
- Subscribe: Search for "Castles, Keeps, and Forts - CKF" (Mod ID: 1149214) and click the subscribe button.
- Download: The mod will automatically begin downloading. Wait for the process to complete.
- Activate: Launch the game and ensure the mod is enabled in your mod list before starting a single-player session or a server.
- For Servers: If you are running a dedicated server, you will need to add the mod ID to your server's mod list and restart it.
Once installed, you can find the CKF crafting tables and utility items in your engram menu. All structure parts are craftable from these tables. Server admins can also use the admin vault command to spawn a set containing all mod content for testing purposes.
Performance and Future Content
Despite the sheer volume of content, the mod is surprisingly light. Thanks to optimizations in Unreal Engine 5, the mod is only 130mb larger than its UE4 counterpart, and recent patches have reduced the size by another 30MB. The development team is actively working on future content, including a palisade set for the Settler Tier, a greenhouse set for the Villager Tier, and an expanded dungeon set for the Keep Tier. Utility cooking stations and siege engines are also planned to make a return.
For those who want to keep their mod updated without hassle, the foxygame.net launcher provides auto-updates for Castles, Keeps, and Forts - CKF. This ensures you always have the latest fixes and features, such as the recent patch that resolved placement issues with the Large Well variants after the 5.5 game update.
Conclusion
Castles, Keeps, and Forts - CKF is more than just a mod; it is a complete overhaul of the building experience in ARK: Survival Ascended. With its generous free content, a premium tier for hardcore builders, and a roadmap full of exciting additions, it is a must-have for anyone who takes construction seriously. Whether you are on a public server or a private single-player world, this mod ensures that your architectural ambitions are only limited by your imagination. Download it today and start laying the foundations for your legacy.