MSQ QoL
If you play on a busy server or run a large tribe in ARK: Survival Ascended, you know that the smallest inefficiencies can become massive time sinks. Manually adding Leeds to your Auto Turret list, dealing with finicky Plant X targeting, or struggling to place a Vault on your raft are all classic frustrations. The MSQ QoL add-on tackles these exact problems head-on. This isn't a total conversion or a new map; it is a focused toolkit designed to make your daily survival loop smoother, letting you spend less time managing defenses and more time actually playing the game.
What Does MSQ QoL Actually Change?
This mod is a collection of targeted tweaks and new engrams built for the modern ARK experience. It respects the vanilla balance while removing the "busy work" that often comes with base defense and water travel. The core philosophy is simple: if a setting or item is annoying to manage, this mod fixes it. Below is a breakdown of the most impactful changes you will notice immediately after installation.
Automated Defense and Targeting
One of the most praised features is the overhaul of the Auto Turret targeting list. In vanilla ASA, you must physically travel to a turret to manually add creatures like Leedsichthys to its targeting filter. With MSQ QoL, these aquatic threats—including Alpha Leeds and Ichthyornis—are added by default. This means your water defenses are immediately effective against the most common raft-killers without any setup. Furthermore, Plant X now features a robust Exclusion/Inclusion targeting system. You can set it to ignore tamed creatures or specific wild dinos, and it also includes the default aquatic threats, ensuring your plant-based defenses work in perfect harmony with your automated guns.
Maritime and Structure Building Overhaul
Building on the water has always been a pain point in ARK. This mod directly addresses that with several key additions. The Motorboat has been rebalanced to require 30 Blueprint points but grants 300 Structure Points for crafting, giving you more room to build a functional sea base. The camera view offset has also been increased, making it much easier to see what you are doing while piloting. For those looking to expand their floating fortress, you can now craft Stone Ceiling Foundations (both Square and Triangle variants) specifically to create larger, more stable boat platforms. This opens up new possibilities for creative ship designs that were previously impossible with standard thatch or wood limits.
Platform Saddle and Utility Additions
The mod shines when it comes to platform saddles. You can now place Stone Large and Extra Large Cellar Doors on platform saddles and boats, allowing for secure, walk-in access to your mobile bases. Additionally, a Medium Elevator and Track system is available for platform saddles, making it much easier to transport dinos or resources from the ground to the top of a Bronto or Paracer platform. Perhaps the most requested feature is the ability to place a Vault directly on platform saddles and boats. No more worrying about your storage being destroyed by a single errant explosion—your valuables are now as mobile as your base. Finally, the mod adds Smaller Omni Lights that can be placed on floors, walls, or ceilings, perfect for illuminating tight spaces without the bulky glow of standard torches. The Tek Trough range has also been updated for better feeding coverage.
Compatibility and Installation
Before you download, it is important to understand how this mod fits into your current setup. MSQ QoL for ARK: Survival Ascended is designed to work with the latest official game versions. It does not modify core game files in a way that breaks other mods, but as with any mod, you should check for conflicts if you are running a heavily modded server. It generally plays well with stack mods and QoL frameworks, but you should always test new combinations on a single-player session first.
When you are ready to get started, the installation process is straightforward. To download MSQ QoL, you will need to add it to your server's mod list or your client's mod folder. If you are using a third-party launcher, you can often find it through the add-on catalog. For example, the foxygame.net launcher provides a one-click install feature that automatically handles version compatibility, ensuring that your server and client are running the same build of the mod without manual file management. This is a huge time-saver for server admins who want to deploy MSQ QoL across a cluster quickly.
How to Install on a Dedicated Server
If you are running a dedicated server, the process is simple. First, locate your server's GameUserSettings.ini file. You will need to add the mod's Steam Workshop ID to the ActiveMods line. After that, restart the server to allow it to download and cache the mod files. Once the server is back up, players will need to subscribe to the mod on the Steam Workshop or via their client launcher to see the new engrams. Remember to wipe any existing structures that might be affected by the new building pieces, as the mod may require a fresh placement for the new foundations and doors to function correctly.
For players who are not hosting a server, you simply need to subscribe to the mod and ensure it is enabled in your single-player world or when joining a server that has it active. The mod is client-authoritative for UI elements like the Plant X targeting menu, so you will see the new options immediately.
Final Thoughts on MSQ QoL
In a game as vast as ARK, quality-of-life mods are the difference between a chore and a joy. MSQ QoL successfully targets the most annoying aspects of base defense and water building, providing elegant solutions that feel native to the game. Whether you are a solo player building a small raft or a mega-tribe defending a massive water base, the improvements to turret targeting, structure support, and storage options are immediately noticeable. It is a must-have for anyone who spends significant time on the ocean or managing automated defenses. If you are tired of losing rafts to sneaky Leeds or struggling with limited platform space, give this mod a try—it will likely become a permanent fixture in your mod list.