Tired of your ARK looking like a muddy sock? Meet Shiny! Dinos Ascended—the mod that injects over 40 gorgeous color palettes and wild special abilities into your dino bloodline. Whether you’re a player delighting in rainbow equuses or a server admin wielding INI files like a boss, this mod’s got your back. CurseForgeSteam Community

Why use this mod?

  • Visual panache: Think “Gilded,” “Kraken,” “Goth”—descriptive names for stunning skins. And yes, there’s a whole thread for them. Reddit
  • Special abilities galore: Frozen, Burning, Spectral, Enraged… you name it, there’s something horrifyingly delightful. Steam Community+3Steam Community+3CurseForge+3
  • Cross-map compatible: Works with every ARK map and plays nicely with other mods. It doesn’t duplicate dinos, just upgrades them. Steam Community+6CurseForge+6Steam Community+6
Shiny Dinos Ascended Config Generator

Shiny! Dinos Ascended Config Generator

🧭 Spawn Timing & Lifetimes

Sets the minimum delay between each Shiny Dino spawn cycle on your server. This is the shortest possible time between spawn attempts, with the actual time falling between SpawnIntervalMin and SpawnIntervalMax. Shorter intervals make Shinys! appear more frequently, while longer intervals slow the pace of encounters. The default is 30 minutes, the minimum allowed is 1 minute, and the maximum allowed is 6 hours. 💡 Tip: Keep this lower than SpawnIntervalMax for natural pacing, but avoid setting it too short unless you want the map overflowing with Shinys!
Sets the maximum possible delay between Shiny Dino spawn cycles. The game will randomly choose a time between SpawnIntervalMin and this value before the next spawn check. A tighter window between min and max makes spawns more predictable and frequent, while a wide gap adds unpredictability. Default is 60 minutes, minimum allowed is 1 minute, and maximum allowed is 6 hours. 💡 Tip: Keep SpawnIntervalMax no more than double your SpawnIntervalMin to avoid long dry spells.
Defines the minimum amount of time a wild Shiny Dino will remain in the world if untouched. This timer starts when the dino spawns and ensures it won’t despawn too quickly during a hunt. If you set this too short, players may miss out; too long, and your map may fill with Shinies. Default is 6 hours, minimum allowed is 30 minutes, and maximum allowed is 48 hours. 💡 Tip: Pair this with a reasonable DinoLifetimeMax so casual players still have a fair shot at finding Shinies before they vanish.
Controls the maximum lifespan for an untouched Shiny Dino. Once this time passes, the dino despawns to make room for new spawns. Increasing this gives players more time for hunts, but can delay fresh spawns if old ones linger. Default is 8 hours, minimum allowed is 30 minutes, and maximum allowed is 48 hours. 💡 Tip: Set this slightly above your DinoLifetimeMin to keep hunts fair but still cycle new Shinies onto the map regularly.

🎚 Levels, Counts & Search

🧺 Carrying, Taming & Placement

🚫 Allow / Block Lists

✈️ Species Filters

📍 Tracker, Redaction & Discovery

🔀 Variant Selection & Weights

🧬 Stats, Traits & Breeding

🧪 Essence & Enraged Tuning

🏆 Tek Unlocks & Cosmetics

🌍 Startup, Safety & Events

💥 Variant Ability Toggles & Tunables



IconAbilityPractical Use (or Awkward Pitfall)
EnragedUnholy Alpha boosts, no tamingWant mega XP and loot? Feast on these—if you survive. Steam CommunityNitrado Gameserver
ShinobiNinja-stealth, reduced aggroSneak past predators or get eaten because you forgot “not none at all.” Steam Community
FilthyDirty, stinky, but lvl-boosted when tamedBath time gives you a high-level, protective pet—soap optional. Steam Community
FathomlessBlue & absurd strength; lighter inventoryMy gallimimus replaced an entire caravan—no, I’m not kidding. Steam Community
FrozenFridge-chill body, cold-proof, fire vulnerableNo spoilage, but don’t light it on fire if you like your loot. Steam Community
SpectralGhost-dino; falls safe, zero sound, spectral poopSilent. Spooky. Droppable loot from the spirit plane. Steam Community
SkeletalUndead, no eating or pooping, avoids missilesPet cemetery chic. Also highly impractical—don’t feed it. Steam Community
TaserElectric defenseShocks attackers with chain lightning. Zap ‘em real good. Steam Community
Stat-boost (Hardy, Fierce, etc.)One-stat focus enhances breedingGood for setting up dinos that shred or tank. Reddit

The mod comes with sensible defaults, but the real power lies in the [Shiny] section of your GameUserSettings.ini. Want a shinier spawn rate? Higher level dinos? Tekgrams on kill? It’s all there. Admin commands include ShinySpawnNow, ShinyDestroyAllWild, and even a “ShinyVariantGun” to manually bless your dinos. Steam Community+1


If your ARK is missing pizzazz, Shiny! Dinos Ascended is like adding glitter to your nightmares—beautiful, powerful, and utterly ridiculous. Use the Shiny! Dinos Ascended Settings Config Generator to craft your perfect shiny apocalypse. Feeling adventurous?