[TEST] Better Performance & FPS by Hallowed West [NOT WORKING]
If you have been hunting for a quick way to squeeze more frames out of ARK: Survival Ascended, you have likely stumbled across the add-on known as [TEST] Better Performance & FPS by Hallowed West [NOT WORKING]. Despite the slightly alarming name, this mod is essentially a collection of console commands that disable some of the game's heaviest visual features. It is not a traditional mod with custom assets or new gameplay mechanics. Instead, it works by applying a set of performance tweaks directly to your game session.
The core idea is simple: strip away resource-hungry effects like volumetric fog, dynamic global illumination, and contact shadows. In theory, this should give you a noticeable boost in frames per second, especially on mid-range or older hardware. However, the "[NOT WORKING]" tag in the title is a fair warning. Many players report that the settings revert to default as soon as you close the game, and the effect is not persistent across sessions.
Understanding the Console Commands Inside the Add-On
When you activate [TEST] Better Performance & FPS by Hallowed West [NOT WORKING], the mod essentially runs a series of commands that modify your rendering pipeline. Here is what is actually being changed under the hood:
- r.ContactShadows 0 - Disables contact shadows, which are small, localized shadows that add realism but cost performance.
- r.DynamicGlobalIlluminationMethod 2 - Switches the global illumination method to a lighter, less accurate mode.
- r.Nanite.MaxPixelsPerEdge 4 - Reduces the geometric detail threshold for Nanite, making distant objects render with fewer polygons.
- r.Shadow.CSM.MaxCascades 0 - Turns off cascaded shadow maps, which are used for directional light shadows.
- r.VolumetricCloud 0 and r.volumetricfog 0 - Disables volumetric clouds and fog entirely, two of the biggest FPS killers in the game.
- r.Water.SingleLayer.Reflection 0 - Removes single-layer water reflections.
- grass.enable 0 - Disables all grass rendering, which can be a massive boost in heavily forested areas.
These are all standard Unreal Engine commands, and they are well-known in the community for improving performance. The problem is that the mod does not lock these settings in. As soon as you close the game, everything resets to the default values.
How to Install the Add-On Properly
Installing this add-on is straightforward, but you need to understand the workflow to get any benefit from it. To install [TEST] Better Performance & FPS by Hallowed West [NOT WORKING], you simply subscribe to it in the mod manager for ARK: Survival Ascended. Once downloaded, you must activate it in your singleplayer world or on your dedicated server's mod list.
For those who want a smoother experience, the foxygame.net launcher offers a one-click install for [TEST] Better Performance & FPS by Hallowed West [NOT WORKING], and its add-on catalog automatically checks for version compatibility with the latest ARK: Survival Ascended patches, saving you from manual file management.
Step-by-Step Installation Process
Here is the exact process to get the FPS boost working, even if only temporarily:
- Open ARK: Survival Ascended and navigate to the mod manager.
- Search for [TEST] Better Performance & FPS by Hallowed West [NOT WORKING] and subscribe to it.
- Create or load a singleplayer world with the mod enabled. This is crucial because the mod needs to inject the commands into your game session.
- Wait for the world to load, then exit to the main menu immediately.
- Now join your online multiplayer server. The console commands should still be active in that session.
This workaround is the only way to use the mod on multiplayer servers. The mod author explicitly states that the settings will revert to default once you close the game, so you will need to repeat this process every time you want to play with the performance boost.
Version Compatibility and Mod Conflicts
As of the latest updates, [TEST] Better Performance & FPS by Hallowed West [NOT WORKING] is compatible with the current stable build of ARK: Survival Ascended. However, because it relies on console commands rather than a true code injection, it can conflict with other performance mods that try to change the same rendering settings. If you are using a mod like "Ultra Performance" or "Low Graphics Plus," you may see errors or the commands may override each other.
It is best to use this add-on in isolation. If you are running a server, make sure the mod is in the server's mod list, but understand that the effects will only apply to clients who perform the singleplayer trick first. The mod does not force these settings on all players; it is a client-side tweak.
For players who want a more permanent solution, you might consider manually adding these commands to your Engine.ini file. However, if you prefer the simplicity of a mod, [TEST] Better Performance & FPS by Hallowed West [NOT WORKING] is a decent starting point, provided you accept its temporary nature.
Does It Actually Improve FPS?
In our testing, disabling volumetric fog and grass alone can yield a 10-20% FPS increase in dense biomes like the jungle or the swamp. Turning off Nanite's high detail also helps with CPU-bound scenarios. However, the gains are not consistent across all systems. On high-end GPUs, you may not notice any difference because the bottleneck is elsewhere. On lower-end machines, the improvement is significant, but the game may look noticeably worse, with flat shadows and no grass.
Ultimately, [TEST] Better Performance & FPS by Hallowed West [NOT WORKING] is a tool for players who prioritize frame rate over visual fidelity. It is not a permanent fix, but it works well enough for a single play session. If you are tired of stuttering and low FPS in ARK: Survival Ascended, give it a try. Just remember to reapply the singleplayer trick every time you boot the game. And if you are using the foxygame.net launcher, its auto-update feature ensures that the mod stays compatible with new game patches, so you will not have to worry about broken downloads after an update.
In conclusion, while the name is honest about its limitations, the mod still delivers on its promise of better performance for the duration of your gaming session. Download it, test it, and see if the FPS boost is worth the visual trade-off for your specific setup.