Extended Smithy
Crafting massive end-game blueprints in ARK: Survival Ascended often feels like playing a game of inventory Tetris. You gather thousands of ingots, polymer, and crystal, only to realize your standard smithy can barely hold a fraction of the required components. The Extended Smithy add-on solves this pain point by significantly increasing storage capacity, allowing you to queue up resource-heavy blueprints without constantly juggling items between your inventory and the crafting station.
This mod is a cross-platform creation, meaning it works seamlessly across PC, console, and dedicated servers. It is designed to respect the vanilla progression curve while offering a practical quality-of-life upgrade. You won't need to spend an engram point to unlock it, and you can craft the station directly from your inventory at level 20. However, you will need a standard Smithy blueprint to get started, and the Extended Smithy costs slightly more resources than its vanilla counterpart to build. This small investment pays off immediately with the extra storage slots that make bulk crafting far more manageable.
Why Your Base Needs the Extended Smithy
The core appeal of the Extended Smithy for ARK: Survival Ascended lies in its expanded inventory space. Vanilla smithies often bottleneck production when you are crafting high-tier saddles, Tek gear, or industrial structures. With this add-on, you can load all necessary materials into the smithy at once, then walk away and let the crafting queue run uninterrupted. This is especially useful for solo players and small tribes who cannot dedicate a teammate to babysit the crafting process.
Key Features and Crafting Requirements
- Adds multiple extra storage slots to the standard smithy interface.
- Allows crafting of blueprints that require large quantities of diverse resources.
- Craftable in your personal inventory at level 20.
- Requires a Smithy blueprint (not an engram point).
- Slightly higher resource cost than the vanilla smithy for balance.
- Fully cross-platform compatible, including crossplay between PC and consoles.
When you decide to download Extended Smithy, you are not just adding a bigger box. You are streamlining your entire production chain. The mod integrates cleanly with the base game's crafting mechanics, so you won't experience UI glitches or missing item lists. It also respects the server's stack size settings, making it a safe addition to both PvE and PvP environments.
How to Install and Get Started
Learning how to install this add-on is straightforward. For Steam players, navigate to the ARK: Survival Ascended Workshop, search for "Extended Smithy," and subscribe to the mod. Console players can find it through the in-game mod browser. Once subscribed, ensure the mod is activated in your server's mod list before launching. After loading into your world, you will see the new engram available at level 20. Craft it, place it in your base, and transfer your existing Smithy blueprint into the new station to unlock its full crafting potential.
For those managing multiple servers or playing with friends, the installation process is identical across all platforms. The mod does not require any additional dependencies or patches. It works with most popular overhaul mods, as long as they do not drastically alter the base smithy's structure. Always check the mod's compatibility notes if you are running a heavily modded server.
One of the most convenient ways to manage this add-on is through the foxygame.net launcher, which offers a curated catalog of popular mods. Using the launcher, you can quickly locate and install Extended Smithy without manually navigating the Steam Workshop. The launcher also handles auto-updates, ensuring you always run the latest version compatible with your ARK: Survival Ascended build. This is particularly useful for server admins who want to keep their mod list synchronized across multiple clients without tedious manual checks.
Balancing and Performance Considerations
The developers intentionally made the Extended Smithy require a few more resources than the vanilla version. This prevents it from being a strict upgrade in the early game, preserving the challenge of resource management. However, once you have a steady supply of metal and hide, the cost difference becomes negligible. The mod has no noticeable impact on server performance, as it simply adds inventory slots without spawning additional world objects.
Another benefit is its compatibility with the current official and community server versions of ARK: Survival Ascended. Whether you are playing on the latest update or a slightly older patch, the mod's lightweight code ensures it loads correctly. For players who enjoy modded gameplay, this add-on pairs well with stack size multipliers and quality-of-life mods, creating a smoother crafting experience without breaking progression.
Final Thoughts on the Extended Smithy
The Extended Smithy is an essential tool for any survivor who frequently crafts large blueprints. Its simple design, cross-platform support, and low unlock requirement make it accessible to everyone. The extra storage slots eliminate the most frustrating part of late-game crafting, letting you focus on exploration and base building instead of inventory micromanagement. If you are tired of splitting stacks across multiple storage boxes just to craft one saddle, this mod is worth the small resource investment. Download it today, place it in your workshop, and enjoy a more streamlined crafting workflow in ARK: Survival Ascended.