Drakeling Tweaks: Essential Config Mod for ARK Ascended

Drakeling Tweaks

If you have spent any time raising a Drakeling in ARK: Survival Ascended, you know the creature is powerful but comes with quirks. The Gift of Knowledge stored XP system, breath cooldowns, and shoulder-mounted vocalizations can be frustrating to manage. Drakeling Tweaks solves these issues without replacing or remapping the creature, making it one of the most practical quality-of-life mods available for the current ASA ecosystem.

What Does Drakeling Tweaks Actually Do?

This mod is laser-focused on adjusting how your Drakeling behaves in three core areas: stored XP from kills, ability cooldowns, and optional feedback messages. It does not touch wild creature kill XP, and it does not alter the base creature model or animations. The result is a seamless experience that works with existing and future Drakelings in your world.

Restore and Control Gift of Knowledge XP

The standout feature is the ability to restore stored XP from tamed and unclaimed creature kills. By default, the Drakeling banks a portion of XP from these kills, but the mod lets you set the percentage via NonWildKillXPPercent. Set it to 100 to get full value, or lower it if you prefer a slower progression curve. Wild creature kill XP remains completely untouched, so you can balance your game exactly how you like.

Cooldown Multipliers for Core Abilities

Drakeling Tweaks gives you direct control over three important timers:

• BreathCooldownMultiplierPercent – Adjust how often your Drakeling can use its breath attack.
• BiomeBoostCooldownMultiplierPercent – Fine-tune the biome-specific buff cooldown.
• GiftOfFortuneCooldownMultiplierPercent – Modify the cooldown for the valuable Gift of Fortune ability.

Each setting is a percentage multiplier, so 100 means default behavior, 50 halves the wait, and 200 doubles it. This granular control is perfect for server admins who want to tweak difficulty without breaking the game's balance.

Quality of Life Features and Optional Extras

Beyond the core XP and cooldown settings, the mod includes a few thoughtful additions. You can enable ShowBuffInfo to display a short on-screen message whenever stored XP is granted, which helps players understand when the mechanic triggers. Alternatively, DisableHoardChests lets you turn off the Hoard Chest reward when stored XP is awarded, giving you full control over loot economy.

One notable change is that the option to toggle Drakeling vocal sounds while carried on the shoulder has been moved to its own separate mod called "shhhhh! Hush tames." This keeps Drakeling Tweaks lightweight and narrowly scoped, ensuring it performs well even on heavily modded servers.

Compatibility and Installation

Drakeling Tweaks is built for the current versions of ARK: Survival Ascended and is designed to work alongside other mods without conflict. Because it does not replace or remap the Drakeling, it avoids the compatibility headaches common with creature overhaul mods. It works with both single-player worlds and dedicated servers, and it applies to all Drakelings that exist in your game, including ones you tame after installation.

To get started, you can download Drakeling Tweaks from the Steam Workshop or the mod manager of your choice. The installation process is straightforward: subscribe to the mod, add it to your server's mod list, and restart. For those looking for a streamlined experience, the foxygame.net launcher offers a one-click install for Drakeling Tweaks for ARK: Survival Ascended, and its add-on catalog automatically handles version compatibility checks, so you never have to worry about mismatched updates breaking your session.

How to Install Drakeling Tweaks Manually

If you prefer manual setup, here is the basic process:

1. Locate your ARK: Survival Ascended mod folder (usually in Steam/steamapps/common/ARK Survival Ascended/ShooterGame/Content/Mods).
2. Download the mod files and place them in a new folder with the correct mod ID.
3. Add the mod ID to your GameUserSettings.ini under the [ModInstaller] section.
4. Launch the game and verify the mod loads correctly in the main menu.

For server administrators, the configuration is done entirely through GameUserSettings.ini. A basic example looks like this:

[DrakelingTweaks]
NonWildKillXPPercent=100
BreathCooldownMultiplierPercent=100
BiomeBoostCooldownMultiplierPercent=100
GiftOfFortuneCooldownMultiplierPercent=100
ShowBuffInfo=False
DisableHoardChests=False

All settings are optional, and the mod works fine with default values if you just want to install it and forget it. If you use the foxygame.net launcher, its auto-update feature ensures that Drakeling Tweaks stays current with the latest ASA patches, removing the need to manually check for mod updates.

Known Limitations and Visual Bugs

There is one known visual bug: even when DisableHoardChests=True, the HUD may still display a message saying that XP and a Dragon Key will be awarded. This is purely cosmetic—no chest or key is actually granted. The mod's documentation is thorough, and the developer provides a full configuration guide on GitHub for those who want to dive deeper into advanced options.

Final Thoughts on Drakeling Tweaks

For anyone who uses Drakelings regularly, this mod is a must-have. It respects the creature's core design while giving players and admins the flexibility to tune it to their preferred playstyle. Whether you want faster cooldowns for a more aggressive playthrough or a slower, more methodical progression, Drakeling Tweaks for ARK: Survival Ascended delivers exactly what it promises: lightweight, configurable, and free from unnecessary bloat. Give it a try on your next server, and you will wonder how you managed without it.