# ARK Difficulty Settings & Max Dino Level (/docs/ark-survival-evolved/difficulty-levels)



ARK's difficulty system determines the maximum level of wild dinosaurs.

Key Settings [#key-settings]

In `GameUserSettings.ini` under `[ServerSettings]`:

```ini
DifficultyOffset=1.0
OverrideOfficialDifficulty=5.0
```

Or as a startup parameter: `?OverrideOfficialDifficulty=5.0`

Max Wild Dino Level Formula [#max-wild-dino-level-formula]

**Max Level = Difficulty Value × 30**

| Difficulty | Max Wild Dino | Max Tek Dino |
| :--------: | :-----------: | :----------: |
|     1.0    |       30      |      36      |
|     4.0    |      120      |      144     |
|   **5.0**  |    **150**    |    **180**   |
|    10.0    |      300      |      360     |

Getting Max Level 150 on All Maps [#getting-max-level-150-on-all-maps]

Some maps default to difficulty 4.0 (max level 120). To force level 150 everywhere:

```ini
DifficultyOffset=1.0
OverrideOfficialDifficulty=5.0
```

Then run `cheat destroywilddinos` in-game to respawn all dinos at the new levels.

Maps and Their Base Difficulty [#maps-and-their-base-difficulty]

| Maps                                                                                     | Base Difficulty | Default Max Level |
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | :-------------: | :---------------: |
| The Island, Scorched Earth, Aberration, Gen2                                             |       4.0       |        120        |
| The Center, Ragnarok, Valguero, Crystal Isles, Genesis, Lost Island, Fjordur, Extinction |       5.0       |        150        |

> 💡 **Tip:** Most servers use `OverrideOfficialDifficulty=5.0` to standardize max level 150 across all maps.

Related Guides [#related-guides]

* [Server Configuration](/docs/ark-survival-evolved/server-settings)
* [How to Change the Map](/docs/ark-survival-evolved/map-selection)