If you’ve ever wanted to dive into ARK: Survival Evolved without the chaos of 20+ person public servers, you’re not alone. Many players prefer sticking to a small group, especially if they’re new to the game or just want a more relaxed, low-pressure survival experience. If you’re wondering how can just 2 people play on an ark server without running into technical headaches or unbalanced gameplay, this guide breaks down everything you need to know to get set up and thriving in no time. I’ve run small private ARK servers for myself and friends for over three years, so I’ve tested every tweak and strategy here to make sure it works for pairs of all skill levels.
Choose the Right Server Type for Your Two-Person Playthrough
The first step to setting up your two-person server is picking the server type that fits your play style, schedule, and budget. You have three main options, each with their own pros and cons, and there’s no one right choice for every pair. Non-dedicated servers are the easiest and cheapest option, as one player hosts the game directly from their own gaming PC, and the other joins through their friends list. This option costs nothing, but it comes with a hard tether limit that means you can’t go more than a few hundred meters apart from each other without getting pulled back to the host. If you plan to explore far apart from each other, a dedicated server is the only practical option, as it has no tether limits and lets you access the entire map freely.
Dedicated servers can either be run on a spare home PC or hosted by a third-party provider. If you run one at home, you’ll need to forward port 27015 on your router to let your play partner connect, and your spare PC will need at least 8GB of RAM and a stable internet connection with 10Mbps or faster upload speed to run smoothly. If your home internet has data caps, this option can get expensive fast, as a 24/7 ARK server uses 100GB+ of data per month. For most two-person teams, a $5-$10 monthly hosted server is the best middle ground, as it requires no technical setup, is always online even if one of you is offline, and won’t strain your personal gaming hardware.
Adjust Server Settings to Fit Small-Team Gameplay
Default ARK server settings are tuned for groups of 10 or more players, so playing with just two people on default settings will lead to hours of unnecessary grinding that takes the fun out of the game. You don’t need to change every setting to make it work, but a few small tweaks will make your playthrough feel balanced and rewarding, without making it so easy you get bored after a few days. I recommend starting with these adjustments, and tweaking them further as you figure out what works for you and your play partner:
- Boost harvest rate to 2x-3x default: You won’t have extra team members gathering stone and thatch, so this cuts down on mindless grinding without making resources feel unlimited.
- Lower taming speed to 1.5x-2x: Taming a high-level Rex with only two people takes hours on default settings, so this adjustment keeps taming feel rewarding without eating up an entire play session.
- Disable offline raid protection if you only play at the same time: If you both log off at the same time, you don’t have to worry about people raiding your base while you’re gone, but if one of you plays alone sometimes, leave it enabled to protect your progress.
- Increase player weight capacity by 30%: You’ll be carrying far more resources on your own with no extra team members to haul loads, so this tweak removes a lot of unnecessary back-and-forth trips to base.
Don’t crank all settings up to 10x right away, that makes the game feel boring and unchallenging after a few days, as you’ll be able to build a metal base and tame endgame dinos in just a couple of hours. Test small adjustments first, and only change them if you find yourself getting frustrated with the grind. If you’re playing PvP, you might want to keep harvest rates closer to default to avoid making base raids too quick and unbalanced, as two people with high-tier weapons can destroy a base in minutes if harvest rates are cranked too high.
Divide Roles to Make Two-Person Survival Smoother
When you only have two people, splitting up tasks based on your play styles makes everything way more efficient, no more arguing over who’s gathering wood and who’s building. You don’t need to create strict, unchangeable roles, but having a loose idea of what each person is responsible for early on will help you progress much faster than if you both try to do everything at once. For example, if one of you loves taming dinos, they can focus on putting points into movement speed and taming effectiveness, while the other puts points into combat and crafting to defend the base and make tools.
You don’t have to stick to rigid roles forever, and switching things up regularly will keep the game fun for both of you. If you’re playing on the Island map, one person can spend the first few game days taming a Parasaur and a Pteranodon for scouting and transport, while the other builds a small thatch base near the southern beaches, gathers enough metal to make basic tools, and sets up a crop plot for food. Once you get past the early game, you can switch roles whenever you want: if the tamer wants to take a break and build a new base expansion, the crafter can try their hand at taming an Ankylosaurus for metal farming. I once spent three hours taming a high-level Carnotaurus only to find out my partner had already tamed one earlier that day, so we ended up with two identical dinos we didn’t need, all because we didn’t check in with each other first. A quick 30-second chat at the start of each play session will help you avoid that kind of wasted time.
Key Tips for How Can Just 2 People Play on an Ark Server in PvE or PvP
Whether you’re playing against AI or other players, small teams have unique advantages and disadvantages you need to plan for to be successful. For PvE, the biggest challenge is taking down high-level bosses without a large group to help you deal damage and tank hits. You can beat almost any PvE boss with two people if you level the right dinos and come prepared: stack health and melee damage on your Rexes, bring plenty of healing items and medical brews, and practice the boss fight mechanics a few times on lower difficulty first. The Alpha Broodmother, for example, can be beaten with two well-leveled Rexes and a Yutyrannus for buffs, no extra players needed. You just need to make sure you both focus on avoiding her poison attacks and heal your dinos regularly throughout the fight.
For PvP, your biggest strength is that you’re a small, low-profile target. Most large clans won’t waste time raiding a small two-person base unless you have extremely valuable loot, so you can lay low, build hidden bases in remote parts of the map, and pick off isolated players or small groups if you want to engage in PvP. The biggest mistake two-person PvP teams make is picking fights with large clans early on, so hold off on aggressive play until you have a well-defended base and strong dinos to fall back on. If you do get raided once, don’t give up: small teams can rebuild way faster than large clans, so you can easily relocate and start over in a few hours, while the large clan wastes time defending their massive base from other groups.
At the end of the day, ARK is meant to be fun, and playing with just one other person is one of the best ways to experience the game without the drama of large public servers. You don’t need fancy hardware or tons of technical knowledge to figure out how can just 2 people play on an ark server, just a few small setting tweaks and a little coordination with your play partner. Take the time to test what works for you, don’t be afraid to adjust settings as you progress, and remember that the point is to have fun, not grind for 10 hours a day to keep up with larger groups. Whether you’re playing PvE to beat all the bosses or PvP to dominate the map, a two-person team is more than capable of holding its own and having a great time doing it.