How to connect

Epic Games does not support direct server connection from a URL, so this only opens the game. After it loads, follow the steps below.

Joining from Epic Games

Launch ARK: Survival Evolved from the Epic Games Launcher.
From the main menu click Join ARK.
In the bottom-left, open the Session Filter dropdown and pick Unofficial.
In the search box at the top, type Ark Sairaph.
Select the server in the results and click Join.

The Epic Unofficial list can be slow to populate (sometimes 1-2 minutes the first time after a server restart). If you don't see it, search again after a short wait.

If the server doesn't show up after a couple of minutes (fallback methods)

Direct connect via console

Start a single-player session first (Host/Local → Play Single Player). The console will not accept open from the main menu on the Epic build.
Once you can move, press Tab. Press Tab again to expand the console to the larger overlay (easier to read while typing).
Type open 217.154.191.51:7777 and press Enter.

Gotchas

Text you type into the console may not render visibly until you press Enter. Type carefully and don't second-guess the blank field.
If Tab does nothing, open Options → Key Bindings and confirm Toggle Console is still bound. Tilde (~) is a safe alternative.
This is ARK Survival Evolved, NOT Survival Ascended.

Finding your Epic ID (for whitelisting)

If the server is in whitelist mode, the admin needs your Epic ID. Easiest way:

Start a single-player game on any map and spawn a character.
Press Tab twice to open the expanded console.
Type whoami and press Enter.
Two values print: OSS Id and ARK ID. Send the admin the ARK ID.

Alternative: just join the server once. Your ID gets logged automatically and the admin can pull it from the server log.

Troubleshooting

Epic says ARK is "an unavailable version" when you click Join

This is Epic's DLC ownership check failing. The server is running a map that requires a DLC (for example Scorched Earth or Aberration) and Epic does not see the DLC enabled on your account, even if you already own it.

Important quirk on Epic: owning a DLC is not enough. You also have to enable it for the install, otherwise Epic refuses to launch you into the server and does not download the DLC content in the first place.

To enable an owned DLC on Epic:

Open the Epic Games Launcher and go to your Library.
Find ARK: Survival Evolved, click the three dots, choose Manage Add-ons (sometimes Installed Add-ons).
Toggle the DLC you own (e.g. Scorched Earth) to On.
Wait for Epic to download the DLC files. This can be several GB.
Launch ARK again and rejoin the server.

If you do not own the DLC the server is running on, you will need to buy it (Epic sells Scorched Earth, Aberration and Extinction together as the ARK Season Pass) or ask the admin to switch the server to a free map like Ragnarok, The Center, Valguero, Lost Island or Crystal Isles, which any base-game owner can play.

Steam-purchased DLC does not unlock anything on Epic

Steam and Epic are separate stores. If you bought the Ultimate Survivor Edition or any DLC on Steam, that ownership does not carry over to your Epic copy of ARK. You would need to either launch the Steam version, or purchase the DLC again on Epic.

Game crashes immediately or kicks back to server list

Usually the BattlEye anti-cheat handshake. Steps:

Verify the install in the Epic Launcher: three dots → Manage → Verify.
Make sure BattlEye is installed: open ShooterGame/Binaries/Linux/BattlEye/ in your ARK install folder. If it is empty, reinstall ARK.
Restart the Epic Launcher fully (right-click the tray icon → Exit), then relaunch.

Switching characters (cluster transfer)

This server is configured as a single-node cluster, which unlocks the in-game character upload/download UI. You can park a character on the cluster, start a fresh one, then come back to the parked character later. Items and tames stay on the active map and do not transfer.

Walk up to any obelisk, supply drop or tek transmitter.
Hold E (or your interact key) and pick Access Inventory.
Open the Transmit ARK Data tab at the top.
Choose UPLOAD SURVIVOR. Your character is removed from the world and stored on the cluster - safe and recoverable.
Log out. On your next login the server will treat you as a new survivor and put you back in character creation.

Coming back to an uploaded character

Walk to any obelisk / supply drop / transmitter on the active character.
Open Transmit ARK Data → DOWNLOAD SURVIVOR.
Pick the survivor you uploaded. You respawn as that character with all their level / engrams / hair intact.

Notes: you can only have one active character at a time. Items and tames do not follow your character through the cluster (admins intentionally locked item/dino transfers to keep cheating out). Upload slots never expire on this server.

Server details

Server name	`Ark Sairaph`
Map	`TheIsland`
Address	`217.154.191.51:7777` (or `ark.sairaph.com:7777`)
Steam query port	`27015`
Join password	none - open server

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