Custom Event Colors
If you have spent any time breeding or taming in ARK: Survival Ascended, you know that color mutations are a game of patience. You wait for a holiday event, hoping the server applies a special color palette, only to be disappointed when the event ends and your favorite shades vanish from the spawn pool. The Custom Event Colors mod changes that dynamic entirely. Instead of waiting for the next Fear Evolved or Love Evolved to roll around, you can enable your own dino event colors at any time. This is not a trick or a workaround; it is a direct, configurable system that reads from your GameUserSettings.ini and applies a custom color set to wild dinos on demand.
What Does Custom Event Colors Actually Do?
At its core, this add-on replicates the functionality of the DynamicColorset setting from ARK: Survival Evolved's DynamicConfig.ini. For Custom Event Colors for ARK: Survival Ascended, the implementation is simpler and more accessible. You do not need to run any other event or mod for it to work. You simply define a list of color IDs and a weight value, and the mod takes care of the rest. When a dino spawns, the mod rolls the dice. If the roll succeeds, the dino's color regions are replaced with colors from your custom set.
This is a powerful tool for server admins who want to create a unique server identity. Instead of the default dull browns and greens, you can populate your island with vibrant reds, electric blues, and rare whites. It also breathes new life into breeding projects. If you are chasing a specific color combination for a boss-fighting Rex or a show-quality Argentavis, having a constant supply of custom-colored wild dinos makes the hunt far more rewarding.
Configuration: The Heart of the Mod
The setup is straightforward but requires a bit of precision. You will be editing your GameUserSettings.ini file. The mod looks for a section called [CustomColors]. Inside that section, you have two primary settings: CustomColorsSet and CustomColorWeight.
Here is an example of a valid configuration:
CustomColorsSet=6,7,10,11,12,32,34,4,5,3,53,59,67,68,84,76,94,95,100CustomColorWeight=0.1
Notice that the list uses color IDs, not color names. This is a common pitfall. Writing Red,Blue,Green will not work. You must use the numeric IDs that the game engine recognizes. The weight setting is a percentage chance. A value of 0.1 means there is a 10% chance that a spawned dino will receive your custom colors. A value of 1.0 means a 100% chance. Adjusting this weight is the easiest way to control how rare or common your custom colors are on the map.
Performance and Compatibility Notes
As of the update on June 8, 2025, the mod was automatically recooked by CurseForge at version 5.5. This recook process introduced a performance issue, despite the fact that the underlying logic of the mod was not changed. The developer is aware of the problem and has stated that a proper 5.5 update will be released soon. If you are currently running version 5.5 and notice frame drops or stuttering, this is likely the cause. You can either wait for the patch or roll back to a previous version if you have a backup.
In terms of compatibility, this mod is designed to work with almost everything. It does not alter base game files or inject new assets. However, there is one specific interaction to be aware of: event mods that also apply colors, such as Love Ascended. If you run both, Custom Event Colors works off a separate percentage and calculates its chance to apply colors after the event mod has already done its pass. This means you can have layered color effects without conflicts, but you should account for the combined probability when tuning your weight settings.
How to Install and Get Started
For those wondering how to install this add-on, the process is standard for ASA mods. You can find it on the CurseForge platform or through the in-game mod browser. Once you subscribe to it, you need to add the mod to your server's load order. After that, you will need to stop the server, edit the GameUserSettings.ini file to add the [CustomColors] section, and then restart. It is that simple.
If you are using a third-party launcher to manage your server, you will find that many of them offer a one-click install for popular mods. For instance, the foxygame.net launcher has an add-on catalog that includes Custom Event Colors, allowing you to deploy it to your server without manually hunting for files. This launcher also handles version compatibility checks, which is handy given the recent 5.5 recook issue, and it can auto-update the mod when a fix is released. Using a launcher like this saves time and reduces the risk of configuration errors.
Use Cases and Server Customization
The flexibility of this mod makes it a staple for community servers. Here are a few ways you can leverage it:
- Rarity Tiers: Set a low weight like
0.02for a set of ultra-rare black and white colors, making those dinos highly sought after. - Faction Colors: If you run a PvP server with tribes, you can assign specific color sets to different regions of the map by using different ini files for different maps.
- Breeding Projects: Use a high weight like
0.8to ensure a steady stream of specific colors for your breeding lines, cutting down on the time spent searching for wild dinos with the right base colors. - Themed Events: Even if you do not run a full event mod, you can manually change the color set to match a real-world holiday, like using red and green for Christmas or orange and black for Halloween.
Final Thoughts on Custom Event Colors
This mod is a must-have for any server admin who wants to break away from the default color palette. It is lightweight, highly configurable, and works alongside other mods without issue. The only current drawback is the temporary performance bug in version 5.5, but that is expected to be resolved shortly. If you are looking to download Custom Event Colors, make sure to grab it from a trusted source like CurseForge or use a launcher that verifies the integrity of the files. Once it is running, you will wonder how you ever managed without it. The ability to trigger your own dino event colors at will is a game-changer, and it gives you total control over the aesthetic of your ARK world. Whether you are a solo player on a private server or an admin for a large community, this tool delivers exactly what it promises: custom colors, on demand, with zero hassle.