This guide covers how to set up and run the Lost Colony DLC map on your ARK: Survival Ascended server, including memory requirements, map configuration, and performance tuning.

What is Lost Colony?

Lost Colony is the first premium DLC expansion map for ARK: Survival Ascended. It introduces a significantly larger and more detailed world compared to The Island and other base-game maps, along with new creatures, items, and gameplay mechanics. Because of its increased scale and complexity, Lost Colony places higher demands on server resources — particularly memory.

Prerequisites

• An active ARK: Survival Ascended server hosted with Legion Hosting.
• Access to GPanel.
• The Lost Colony DLC must be installed on the server. Legion Hosting servers download DLC content automatically when the map is selected — no manual installation is needed.
• Familiarity with basic server configuration. See the server configuration guide for details on editing GameUserSettings.ini and Game.ini.

Step 1 — Check Your Current Plan

Before switching to Lost Colony, verify that your server plan provides enough memory to handle the larger map.

1. Log in to GPanel.
2. Select your ARK: Survival Ascended server from the server list.
3. On the Console tab, look at the memory usage indicator. This shows your current memory consumption and the total memory allocated to your server.

If your server is already running close to its memory limit on The Island or another base map, it will almost certainly need more resources for Lost Colony. Consider upgrading your plan before switching maps to avoid crashes and poor performance.

Step 2 — Switch to the Lost Colony Map

1. Stop your server from the Console tab. Wait for the status to change to Offline.
2. Navigate to the Startup tab.
3. Find the Map parameter (sometimes labelled Map Name or Server Map depending on your egg configuration).
4. Change the map value to the Lost Colony map name. The expected value is:

   LostColony_WP

5. Click Save (or the equivalent button) to apply the startup parameter change.

Step 3 — Start the Server

1. Return to the Console tab.
2. Click Start.
3. The first startup on a new map will take longer than usual as the server generates the world and downloads any required DLC files. This can take several minutes — do not restart the server during this process.
4. Watch the console output for confirmation that the map has loaded. You should see log lines referencing the Lost Colony map. If the server shuts down immediately or shows an out-of-memory error, see the Troubleshooting section below.

Step 4 — Verify the Map Is Running

1. Once the console shows that the server is fully started, connect to the server from your ARK: Survival Ascended game client.
2. Confirm you load into the Lost Colony map and not The Island or your previous map.
3. In GPanel, check the memory usage indicator on the Console tab. Note the baseline memory consumption — Lost Colony will use more memory than base maps even with no players connected.

Memory and Performance

Lost Colony is one of the most resource-intensive maps available for ARK: Survival Ascended. Server owners should expect higher baseline memory usage compared to The Island, Scorched Earth, or other standard maps.

Why Lost Colony Uses More Memory

• Larger world size — more terrain, biomes, and spawn zones loaded into memory at all times.
• New creatures and assets — DLC-specific content adds to the server's memory footprint.
• Denser environment — more objects, structures, and points of interest compared to base maps.
• Player activity compounds usage — tamed dinos, player-built structures, and active players all add to memory consumption on top of the higher baseline.

How to Monitor Memory Usage

GPanel displays real-time memory usage on the Console tab. Keep an eye on this value, especially during the first few days of running Lost Colony. Memory usage will increase as players join, tame creatures, and build structures.

Performance Tips for Lost Colony

If your server is running close to its memory limit or players are experiencing lag, try the following adjustments in your GameUserSettings.ini (see the server configuration guide for how to edit config files):

Troubleshooting

Server crashes immediately after switching to Lost Colony

• Check the console output for error messages. An "Out of Memory" error confirms the server does not have enough RAM for the map.
• Verify the map name is correct in the Startup tab. A typo in the map parameter will cause the server to fail to start or fall back to The Island.
• If the server ran successfully on The Island but crashes on Lost Colony, your plan likely needs a memory upgrade.

Server runs but crashes under load (players joining, exploring, or taming)

• This usually indicates the server has enough memory to start but not enough headroom for active gameplay.
• Apply the performance tips above — reduce DinoCountMultiplier, set MaxPersonalTamedDinos, and lower MaxPlayers if needed.
• Check GPanel memory usage right before a crash occurs. If it is at or near the allocation limit, upgrading the plan is the most reliable fix.

Out of Memory errors in the console log

• This is a clear indication that your server plan does not provide enough memory for Lost Colony with your current settings.
• Short-term fix: Lower resource-intensive settings as described in the Performance Tips section.
• Long-term fix: Upgrade your server plan to a higher tier with more allocated memory.

Map did not change after updating the Startup parameter

• Confirm you clicked Save on the Startup tab before restarting the server.
• Make sure the server was fully stopped before starting it again. A restart may not always re-read startup parameters.
• Double-check the map name for typos. The value is case-sensitive.

Players cannot connect (DLC not owned)

• All players must own the Lost Colony DLC to connect to a Lost Colony server. Players who only own the base game will receive a connection error.
• Verify the DLC is installed in the player's game client (Steam or Epic Games library).