FAQ and Guidelines for Hotdog's Ark Cluster

Guides and FAQ
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Welcome to Hotdog’s

1. Finding the Servers In-Game

Since Hotdog’s is an unofficial community, you won’t find it under the “Official” tab. Follow these steps to find the session:

  1. Open the Server Browser: Select Join Game from the main menu.

  2. Toggle Filters: Set the Session Filter to Unofficial.

    • Ensure “Show Player Servers” is checked.

    • Ensure “Show Password protected Servers“ is unchecked.

  3. Search the Name: Type Hotdog's or Hotdog into the search bar.

    • Note: you can select “PVE“ to make sure you find our Cluster easier.

  4. Check for Mods: Hotdog’s usually runs a “No Mods” or “Event Mods” setup to keep performance high. If you can’t find it, ensure your “Auto-favorite” or “Map” filters aren’t accidentally hiding results.

2. Server Rates & Rules

Hotdog’s is known for being a “Slightly Boosted” PvE cluster. While rates can shift during events (like Evolution Weekends), the standard setup usually includes:

  • Rates: ~3x Harvesting and ~4x Breeding/Taming.

  • Maps: we typically host all official maps (The Island, Scorched Earth, etc.) plus premium maps like Astraeos.

  • Community: we have an active admin presence and a helpful player base that often gives starter gear to newcomers.

3. Joining the Community (Discord)

Most of the cluster’s coordination, trading, and support happen on Discord. This is also where you find the password if we decide to lock a specific map for an event.

Discord Link: Join the Hotdog’s Ark Discord

Use the Discord to check the #rules channel before building, as most clusters have specific rules about building near high-resource nodes or blocking paths.

4. How to Transfer (Clustering)

Once you are on one Hotdog’s server, you can move to any other map in their cluster:

  1. Go to an Obelisk or Supply Drop.

  2. Select “Travel to Another Server” in the UI.

  3. Look for the prefix Hotdog's in the list that pops up.

  4. Confirm Transfer: Your character will “upload” and immediately “download” onto the new map.

    • Tip: In this cluster, you can usually keep your inventory items on you during the jump!