Cheesy Tools
Surviving the harsh environments of ARK: Survival Ascended often means babysitting your gear. Durability loss, broken tools, and the constant need to craft replacements can pull you away from the real fun of taming and building. The Cheesy Tools mod steps in to remove that grind entirely. This add-on reworks a core selection of everyday items into reusable, unbreakable versions of themselves, letting you focus on exploration instead of inventory management.
This mod is a quality-of-life overhaul that changes how you interact with basic survival equipment. It does not add overpowered weapons or game-breaking mechanics. Instead, it takes the tools you already know and makes them infinitely more practical. For players who have spent hundreds of hours in the base game, the relief of not watching a durability bar drain is immense. For new players, it removes a frustrating layer of early-game friction.
What Does Cheesy Tools Change?
The core philosophy here is simple: if a tool has durability, it likely loses it. The mod targets a specific list of items and removes that penalty. The most notable changes include the Bola, which can now be used multiple times, and the Boomerang, which has no durability loss and zero chance of breaking. This makes taming and knocking out targets significantly less stressful, as you will never be left defenseless with a broken weapon in your hand.
The Climbing Pick, Scissors, Shovel, Torch, and Whip all share the same benefit of no durability loss. The Spear receives a major buff, as it will not break and can be thrown multiple times. The Parachute, Grappling Hook, and Flare Gun are all reusable, ensuring you always have an escape route or a signal ready. The Gas Mask and SCUBA Tank no longer lose durability over time, which is a lifesaver for exploring caves or the ocean depths.
One specific interaction worth noting is the Glider. While gliding, your armor will not lose durability. This encourages more aggressive aerial movement without the fear of shredding your flak gear. Similarly, the Glow Stick is reusable, providing a permanent light source without needing to craft multiple stacks.
Crafting and Resource Adjustments
To balance these powerful quality-of-life changes, the mod adjusts the crafting requirements. All tools and items have a prerequisite of the original tool to be learned, meaning you still need to unlock the base engrams. However, the Cheesy Tools versions have a 0 engram cost. This means you can learn them instantly without spending precious skill points.
There is a trade-off in resources. All crafting costs are doubled, except for the absorbent substrate on the gas mask. This ensures that while the tools are unbreakable, they are not entirely free. You will need to gather more materials upfront, but you will never need to repair or replace them again. This makes the initial investment well worth the long-term savings.
Another crucial change involves resource substitution. Items that normally use colored gems now use crystal instead. This is a massive quality-of-life improvement for map diversity. On maps where gems are scarce or unavailable, you can still craft these tools using common crystal. This allows the Cheesy Tools for ARK: Survival Ascended to function seamlessly across the entire ARK universe, from The Island to Scorched Earth and beyond.
Compatibility and Installation
Regarding mod compatibility, the mod is designed to work with the current versions of ARK: Survival Ascended. It is a client-side and server-side mod, meaning it works for single-player, dedicated servers, and unofficial sessions. It plays well with other quality-of-life mods, as it does not alter core game files or conflict with stack size or building mods. It is important to note that the mod description mentions that water intakes have moved to a separate mod called Cheesy Structures, so do not expect to find those here.
If you are wondering how to install the mod, the process is straightforward. You can subscribe to the mod through the Steam Workshop or the in-game mod browser. Once subscribed, you simply activate it in your mod list when starting a single-player game or add it to your server's mod configuration. The installation is clean and does not require any additional dependencies.
For those looking to streamline the process, the foxygame.net launcher offers a one-click install for Cheesy Tools, ensuring that the mod is always updated to the latest version of the game without manual file management. This is particularly useful for server administrators who want to ensure all players have the correct version. The launcher's add-on catalog makes it easy to browse and deploy this mod alongside others, and its auto-update feature handles version compatibility checks automatically, saving you the headache of broken mods after a major game patch.
Why You Should Download Cheesy Tools
There is a clear benefit to removing durability from these specific items. It eliminates the "hidden tax" of constantly crafting backups. You no longer need to carry three bolas or two shovels. This frees up weight and inventory space for more important things, like resources and trophies. The 0 engram cost also means you can experiment with tools you might have skipped in the past.
In conclusion, Cheesy Tools is a must-have add-on for any survivor who values efficiency. It respects the game's balance by increasing crafting costs while removing the tedious maintenance of gear. Whether you are a solo player or running a large tribe, the ability to throw a spear indefinitely or use a grappling hook without limits changes the flow of combat and traversal for the better. If you want to cut the grind and get back to the adventure, this is the mod for you.