ARK: SA Hide Engrams Guide

Hiding engrams on your ARK: SA server — OverrideNamedEngramEntries reference

You want to disable Tek tier on a primitive-only PvE server. Or hide explosives on a strict roleplay server. Or remove a mod's overpowered engram from the learn list without uninstalling the mod. The tool for all three is OverrideNamedEngramEntries, set in Game.ini on your dedicated server. This page is the syntax reference and the engram-name finder, because most "hide engrams not working" threads come down to either a wrong class name or a malformed entry.

The full syntax

One line per engram in the [/script/shootergame.shootergamemode] section of Game.ini:

OverrideNamedEngramEntries=(EngramClassName="<class_name>",EngramHidden=<true|false>,EngramPointsCost=<cost>,EngramLevelRequirement=<level>,RemoveEngramPreReq=<true|false>)

Only EngramClassName is required. The other four arguments are optional, but at least one must be present in addition to the class name (otherwise the entry does nothing). The most common use is just hiding:

OverrideNamedEngramEntries=(EngramClassName="EngramEntry_Campfire_C",EngramHidden=True)

Repeat the line once per engram you want to override. Multiple entries are allowed; each entry must be on its own line.

The four rules that catch everyone

Rule 1: One line per engram. No line breaks inside the parentheses.

The INI parser ends each entry at the first newline. Splitting one entry across two lines for readability silently breaks it.

Rule 2: No spaces inside the entry.

This works:

OverrideNamedEngramEntries=(EngramClassName="EngramEntry_Campfire_C",EngramHidden=True)

This silently does nothing:

OverrideNamedEngramEntries=(EngramClassName = "EngramEntry_Campfire_C", EngramHidden = True)

Spaces around the = signs or after commas break the parser. Strip them all.

Rule 3: Class name is exact and case-sensitive.

EngramEntry_Campfire_C works. engramentry_campfire_c, EngramEntry_CampFire_C, Engram_Campfire_C all silently do nothing. Get the exact class name from the engram name list below or from your mod's documentation.

Rule 4: Each engram class name should appear only once in the file.

Two OverrideNamedEngramEntries for the same class name produce undefined behavior — sometimes the first wins, sometimes the second, sometimes both are ignored. Search your Game.ini for duplicate class names before saving.

Common engram class names

A starting list of frequently-disabled engram classes (vanilla ARK: Survival Ascended). The full list is several hundred entries; use the in-game cheat cheat GFI or the ARK wiki engram page for anything not on this list.

Common hide patterns

Hide entire Tek tier

OverrideNamedEngramEntries=(EngramClassName="EngramEntry_TekFloor_C",EngramHidden=True)
OverrideNamedEngramEntries=(EngramClassName="EngramEntry_TekRifle_C",EngramHidden=True)
OverrideNamedEngramEntries=(EngramClassName="EngramEntry_TekReplicator_C",EngramHidden=True)
OverrideNamedEngramEntries=(EngramClassName="EngramEntry_TekGenerator_C",EngramHidden=True)
; ... continue for every Tek_* engram you find

For a primitive-only server this list runs to roughly 80 entries. Maintain it in a text file you paste into Game.ini, not by hand-editing every time.

Hide explosives

OverrideNamedEngramEntries=(EngramClassName="EngramEntry_WeaponC4_C",EngramHidden=True)
OverrideNamedEngramEntries=(EngramClassName="EngramEntry_GrenadeSmoke_C",EngramHidden=True)
OverrideNamedEngramEntries=(EngramClassName="EngramEntry_RocketLauncher_C",EngramHidden=True)
OverrideNamedEngramEntries=(EngramClassName="EngramEntry_Grenade_C",EngramHidden=True)

Lower engram cost without hiding

OverrideNamedEngramEntries=(EngramClassName="EngramEntry_MetalFloor_C",EngramPointsCost=0)
OverrideNamedEngramEntries=(EngramClassName="EngramEntry_TekFloor_C",EngramPointsCost=10,EngramLevelRequirement=50)

Setting EngramPointsCost=0 makes an engram free to learn. Reducing EngramLevelRequirement opens it earlier in the level curve.

Remove prerequisites for advanced engrams

OverrideNamedEngramEntries=(EngramClassName="EngramEntry_MetalFloor_C",RemoveEngramPreReq=True)

The player can learn the engram without learning its prerequisites first. Useful for "skip Stone tier, go straight to Metal" rulesets.

Hiding mod engrams

Mod engrams use the mod author's chosen class name. The format is the same:

OverrideNamedEngramEntries=(EngramClassName="EngramEntry_ModWeaponXYZ_C",EngramHidden=True)

Find the class name in the mod's workshop page or by enabling cheats and running cheat GiveEngrams while looking at the in-game engram list. Mod-added engrams are not always documented; you may have to disable them by trial and error.

How to verify your hides loaded

After stopping the server, saving Game.ini, and restarting:

1. Join as a player.
2. Open the engram menu (press the engram button on the player HUD).
3. The hidden engrams should be absent from the list entirely (not greyed-out, gone).
4. If a hidden engram still shows: the parse failed. Check the four rules above, then check the server log for engram-override warnings.

What this does not do

Hiding an engram via EngramHidden=True prevents new learners from picking it up. Players who already learned the engram before you hid it keep the recipe permanently. To force-forget engrams the player already knows, you would need ResetCharacter commands per player, which is usually too disruptive. The practical workaround: announce the change a week ahead and accept that existing learners keep their recipes.

Engram blacklists also do not prevent crafting via Spawn or Cheat commands; admins can still bypass them.

For a server panel that lists every vanilla engram with one-click hide toggles, see Supercraft ARK: Survival Ascended hosting. The Config tab includes a searchable engram override builder that writes the correct INI syntax for you.

Looking for managed ARK: Survival Evolved server hosting? Supercraft runs ARK: Survival Evolved dedicated servers with daily backups, instant setup, and 5 region options. Plans from $5.99/mo.