ARK Survival Ascended modded hosting — CurseForge / mods for a friends squad (2026)
This page is for modded ARK: Survival Ascended (ASA) — CurseForge mod stacks (ASA dropped Steam Workshop), matching client+server mod IDs, honest RAM for DLC maps + mods on a Discord tribe — not a quiet vanilla friend Island. It is not the same job as Night 11 ASA friend server (friend vanilla / light overview first), Night 64 ARK Survival Evolved (ASE / Steam Workshop — different engine and host SKUs), Night 75 Palworld modded, or Night 70 Rust modded. Among our six hosts (checked 24 Oct 2026, NZDT): Apex Hosting and GameTeam sell ASA (product URLs returned 200 on full GET — curl HEAD 403 is not absence). Shockbyte, BisectHosting, Nodecraft, and PebbleHost returned 404 on ASA product paths (or only publish Survival Evolved ARK pages — see Night 64). CurseForge / mod claims below come only from each host’s own ASA product copy, FAQ, or guide — we do not invent a CurseForge one-click where the listing never prints it.
RAM / slots honesty: modded ASA vs friend-vanilla
- Friend vanilla / light settings (Night 11 job): ASA (UE5) is already heavy — Apex cards 12 GB as the practical entry (“Advanced servers & all modpacks”); GameTeam FAQ prints 12–16 GB as a realistic start. Do not buy a 6 GB “budget” SKU for a populated Ascended map.
- Modded CurseForge stacks (this page): treat 14–16 GB+ (often 16–32 GB with DLC maps + dense mods + breeding) as the working floor. Apex 16 GB / 32 GB cards and EX Series 16 GB dedicated vCores; GameTeam ~/GB lets you dial past 16 GB. Do not reuse ASE Workshop, Palworld UE4SS, or Minecraft modpack RAM tables — different products.
- Slots ≠ RAM: Apex “Unlimited Player Slots” and GameTeam FAQ 20–70 (map + mods + tribe structure matter more than the marketing number) are ceilings. Pay for GB, a documented CurseForge path, and backups — not the biggest slot claim on the card.
- Client + server + mod ID sync: every client must match the server’s CurseForge mod list/versions. ASA uses CurseForge IDs (not ASE Steam Workshop). Confirm the host’s install notes before wipe night — do not assume a Minecraft-style one-click modpack button unless the ASA listing literally prints CurseForge installer language.
CurseForge / mods — host claims only
- Apex Hosting: ASA product page markets panel install mods / maps / settings and Modpack Support. Live guide setting-up-mods-on-ark-survival-ascended-servers documents CurseForge mod IDs → panel Curseforge Mod List under Customizations, then restart. Auto-update on restart claimed in that guide. Recommended memory on the ASA jar data: 12288 MB (12 GB).
- GameTeam: FAQ: “Can I install mods when hosting ARK: Survival Ascended? Yes, through CurseForge. ASA dropped Steam Workshop, so mods are added by ID to the server configuration and downloaded on start.” Marketing UI shows Mods & Plugins with AI copilot install copy. A separate “one-click CurseForge browser” button is not named beyond ID-in-config + Mods & Plugins UI — that is the honest claim.
- Shockbyte: ASA product URLs we tried returned 404. The live /games/ark-server-hosting page is titled ARK: Survival Evolved (Raptor / Sabertooth / Rex; Steam Workshop named) — not Ascended. No sellable ASA SKU to quote for CurseForge or price — 404 for ASA (ASE is Night 64).
- BisectHosting: ASA product URLs we tried returned 404. Live ARK page + llms.txt name ARK: Survival Evolved only (Steam Workshop mod installer / one-click clustering on ASE). No sellable ASA SKU — 404 for ASA.
- Nodecraft: ASA product URLs we tried returned 404. Live /games/ark is ARK: Survival Evolved (Budget / Premium; Sydney / Melbourne / Auckland listed) — not Ascended. No ASA CurseForge claim to quote — 404 for ASA.
- PebbleHost: ASA product URLs we tried returned 404. Live /ark is ARK: Survival Evolved with Steam Workshop one-click mod-installer copy — not Ascended. No ASA SKU — 404 for ASA.
ASA modding is not ASE Steam Workshop and not Minecraft “one-click modpacks.” Backup first, match CurseForge IDs on every client, and expect big stacks to break on game patches. Prefer Night 11 when you want quiet vanilla / light settings, or Night 64 when the tribe is still on Evolved.
Comparison: modded ASA plans
Price sources: every figure below comes from the host’s own ASA product / pricing page (checked 24 Oct 2026, NZDT). Recurring monthly preferred; first-month sales disclosed where shown. 404 when the ASA product URL returned not found (or the only ARK page is Evolved). TBD when a sellable host had no clear plan total or Oceania claim. Product URLs that sell returned 200 on full GET — curl HEAD 403 is not absence. Confirm at checkout — stock and location change. Confirm Ascended vs Evolved before you pay.
| Host | Modded-oriented plan | RAM / slots (printed) | CurseForge / mods (host claims) | Oceania / ping | Approx. monthly (USD) | Best for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shockbyte AU brand | 404 for ASA — live ARK page is Survival Evolved Tried /games/ark-survival-ascended-server-hosting (+ variants) → 404 (24 Oct 2026). ASE Raptor/Sabertooth/Rex on /games/ark-server-hosting |
— | No ASA SKU to quote for CurseForge (ASE page names Steam Workshop) | Melbourne-based brand on ASE page — does not transfer to an ASA SKU we could find | 404 (ASA) | Not an ASA option among our six today — use Apex / GameTeam for Ascended, or Night 64 for Evolved. |
| Apex Hosting | 12 GB “Advanced servers & all modpacks” 16 GB / 32 GB cards · EX Series 16 GB dedicated vCores |
Entry 12 GB · 16 / 32 GB · Unlimited player slots marketed Jar recommended_memory 12288 MB · modded → 16 GB+ |
Panel install mods · live CurseForge guide · Curseforge Mod List in Customizations · Modpack Support marketed | EX Series lists Ryzen 7 5800X for APAC. Confirm Sydney (or closest) at checkout for standard tiers. |
Recurring: $38.99 / $71.99 / $103.99 12 / 16 / 32 GB. First month ~$29.24 / $53.99 / $77.99 (25% off shown). EX 16 GB also cards $71.99 recurring. |
Clearest confirmed ASA + CurseForge Mod List path among our six; budget on the recurring price, not the first-month sale. |
| BisectHosting | 404 for ASA — live ARK page is Survival Evolved Tried ASA slugs → 404; llms.txt lists ARK: Survival Evolved only (24 Oct 2026) |
— | No ASA SKU (ASE page: Steam Workshop mod installer / one-click clustering) | 21 locations on ASE network — does not create an ASA product | 404 (ASA) | Not an ASA option among our six today — ASE clustering fans → Night 64. |
| Nodecraft | 404 for ASA — live /games/ark is Survival Evolved Tried /games/ark-survival-ascended-server-hosting (+ variants) → 404 |
— | No ASA SKU to quote for CurseForge | Sydney / Melbourne / Auckland listed on the ASE page — Oceania story does not transfer to ASA | 404 (ASA) | Strong Oceania ASE host, but not ASA today — pick Apex / GameTeam for Ascended. |
| PebbleHost | 404 for ASA — live /ark is Survival Evolved Tried ASA slugs → 404 (24 Oct 2026) |
— | No ASA SKU (ASE page: Steam Workshop one-click mod-installer) | — | 404 (ASA) | Not an ASA option among our six today — Evolved Workshop fans → Night 64. |
| GameTeam | Budget / Premium · $/GB Unlimited slots marketed · FAQ player range 20–70 |
FAQ: 12–16 GB starting point · clustered maps want more · “6 GB will not hold a populated map” | FAQ: mods through CurseForge · ASA dropped Steam Workshop · mod IDs in server config · marketing: Mods & Plugins + AI copilot | Locations marketed “all over” — AU/SG not named on the ASA page we read (TBD on order). |
Budget from ~$0.49/GB · Premium ~$0.74/GB Illustrative: 12 GB Budget ≈ $5.88 · 16 GB ≈ $7.84 · 16 GB Premium ≈ $11.84 — set RAM on checkout for the real bill. |
Cheapest $/GB when you want a FAQ that names CurseForge on ASA; ping-test if Oceania matters. |
Sources (24 Oct 2026, NZDT): apexminecrafthosting.com/games/ark-server-hosting/ (+ guide setting-up-mods-on-ark-survival-ascended-servers), gameteam.io/ark-survival-ascended-server-hosting/. Shockbyte / Bisect / Nodecraft / PebbleHost: ASA product paths 404 or Evolved-only ARK pages. No host is crowned “#1”.
Oceania / AU–NZ–SG latency wedge
- Apex Hosting: EX Series Ryzen 7 5800X for APAC on the ASA page — strongest published Oceania/APAC hardware note among hosts that actually sell ASA; still confirm Sydney (or closest) at checkout and ping-test with the mod list loaded.
- GameTeam: Oceania for ASA not named on the page we read — TBD.
- Shockbyte / Bisect / Nodecraft / PebbleHost: no ASA SKU — their ASE Oceania notes (Nodecraft Sydney/Melbourne/Auckland, Shockbyte Melbourne brand, Bisect 21 locations) do not transfer to Ascended.
Buy monthly through the first week with your CurseForge stack loaded, measure everyone’s ping (especially combat and flying mounts), then commit. See the Oceania ping guide.
Practical shortlist (not rankings)
- Want confirmed ASA + CurseForge Mod List in panel: Apex 12 GB ($38.99) entry · 16 GB ($71.99) for denser mod stacks · EX 16 GB if you want dedicated vCores / APAC hardware copy.
- Want FAQ that names CurseForge + cheap $/GB: GameTeam Budget/Premium at 12–16 GB (~$0.49 / $0.74 per GB) — ping-test if Oceania matters.
- Shockbyte / Bisect / Nodecraft / PebbleHost: honest 404 for ASA today (they sell Evolved) — do not force an Ascended cart from an Evolved page.
- Quiet friend vanilla / light-settings ASA instead: see Night 11.
- Still on Survival Evolved (Steam Workshop): see Night 64 — different host URLs and mod path.
Official links (affiliate placeholders)
Buttons below point at official ASA pages (or the host’s Evolved / home page when ASA 404s). Tracked affiliate URLs will replace the #aff-* anchors once programs approve — see affiliates.md.
Related
Affiliate disclosure
HostForTheSquad may earn a commission if you purchase through links on this page (Shockbyte, Apex, BisectHosting, GameTeam, and others when approved). Commission rates do not decide table rows or “best for” notes. Prices and stock change — always verify on the host’s site before you pay.