If you've been itching to trade your dinosaur saddles for a captain's tricorn, you're in luck. The pirate's life has finally arrived in ARK: Survival Ascended! With the release of the Tides of Fortune expansion, we can now build customizable ships, engage in broadside naval battles, dig for buried treasure, and explore a massive nautical frontier across the Genesis ocean.
But as any seasoned survivor knows, the vanilla experience is really just the starting line. The real magic of ARK has always been its modding community. Now that CurseForge is the official home for all Ark Survival Ascended mods, it has never been easier to elevate your seafaring adventures.
Whether you're a solo sloop captain, a merchant building a trading empire, or a pirate king commanding a massive fleet, we've put together a list of outstanding mods that will make your Tides of Fortune experience truly legendary.
What Tides of Fortune Brings to the Table
Before we dive into the mods, let's talk about why Tides of Fortune is such a game-changer. This expansion transforms the Genesis ocean into a map-wide nautical playground. You can craft everything from agile sloops to towering brigantines at the Shipyard, load up on specialized ammunition like incendiary or corrosive cannonballs, and invest your hard-earned loot into three distinct skill trees: Pirate, Merchant, and Luxury.
The DLC also brings some fantastic companion creatures. There's the Tidepup, a semi-aquatic axolotl-like cutie that heals and protects your allies, and treasure-hunting parrots that help you track down loot. Add in shovels for digging up buried treasure, bounty boards for missions, and a player-driven market, and you've got a massive update that completely changes how we play ARK.
The Best CurseForge Mods for Tides of Fortune
1. Pirate Ship - Beta
If you want to immerse yourself in the pirate dream fully, the Pirate Ship - Beta mod is an absolute must-have. While the Tides of Fortune DLC introduces its own ship-building system, this mod offers a fantastic alternative with a different visual style and dedicated controls. It lets you craft a fully functional pirate ship complete with attachable cannons and masts, giving you total control over how your vessel handles and fires. Since you can build structures directly on the deck, you can design anything from a sleek, agile raiding vessel to a massive galleon bristling with heavy firepower. It's absolutely perfect for role-players, fleet commanders, or anyone who simply wants to sail the seas in authentic pirate style.
2. Barques
Sometimes you don't need a massive warship; you just need a reliable way to get from point A to point B. Barques introduces two wonderful new vessels, perfect for coastal exploration. For early-game survivors, there's a handcrafted wooden rowboat unlocked at level 10 that is much lighter and more practical than the clunky vanilla raft. If you're looking for a bit more speed later on, the mod offers a petrol-powered speedboat at level 36, complete with custom sailing animations and built-in storage. Everything is crafted at a dedicated nautical station, giving you a wonderful sense of progression. It's a fantastic addition to Tides of Fortune because while sloops and brigantines are great for major voyages, these smaller boats are ideal for quick coastal scouting and sneaky treasure-hunting runs.
3. Alfa Submarine
The ocean in Tides of Fortune is incredibly vast, but some of its best secrets are hidden deep below the surface. That's where the Alfa Submarine mod comes in. With over 134,000 downloads, this highly popular petrol-powered submarine lets you dive into the deepest trenches of ARK's aquatic ecosystem with total safety and style. It adds a whole new layer of depth to the DLC's emphasis on ocean exploration, giving you the perfect tool to hunt for sunken treasure, discover hidden underwater caves, or simply avoid hostile sea creatures while marveling at the deep-sea beauty. If you're a serious explorer or treasure hunter who wants to conquer what lies beneath the waves, this is your ticket to the abyss.
4. Klinger Additional Ferry Boats
If you're playing with a large tribe or need to move massive amounts of resources across the ocean, standard ships might feel a bit small. Klinger Additional Ferry Boats solves this beautifully by adding massive Wood and Metal Ferry variants. These giant vessels measure 11x5 and offer sprawling deck space, making them perfect as mobile sea bases, transport hubs, or forward operating bases for your pirate raids. They are incredibly fast, easily matching the speed of an alpha Leedsichthys, which balances out their high fuel consumption. The mod also includes a unique Honing Machine crafting station that doubles as a handy fabricator, with extra ammunition slots. It's an essential tool for tribe leaders and resource haulers who want to establish seamless supply lines between their island outposts.
5. Naval Ascension: Sailing Ships
For the builders out there who felt Tides of Fortune's base ship customization wasn't quite enough, Naval Ascension: Sailing Ships is a dream come true. This mod introduces a brand-new raft with massive building space across all three axes, alongside gorgeous Atlas-style sails, figureheads, anchors, and decorative items to make your ship truly unique. With sails and figureheads available in three different sizes, you have unmatched creative control over your vessel's aesthetic. It pairs beautifully with the pirate theme of the DLC, giving ship enthusiasts and creative builders all the room they need to construct the floating fortress of their dreams.
6. Additional Creatures: Aquaria
While Tides of Fortune gives us wonderful companions like the Tidepup and treasure-hunting parrots, the ocean still has plenty of room for more biodiversity. Additional Creatures: Aquaria is a phenomenally popular mod with over 2.7 million downloads, injecting vibrant new life into both freshwater and saltwater ecosystems. It adds a wide variety of beautifully designed aquatic creatures, each with unique taming mechanics, abilities, and ecological niches. Whether you're a dedicated creature collector, a tamer looking for your next underwater mount, or someone who simply wants the oceans and rivers to feel more alive and unpredictable, this mod is an absolute must-have.
7. Aquarium
After a long day of sailing, hunting treasure, and fighting off rival pirates, there's nothing better than coming home to a stunning base. The Aquarium mod lets you turn your seaside fortress into a living museum by adding massive, buildable tanks that automatically generate functional water volumes. Unlocked at level 75, these customizable tanks range from a modest 2x2x2 cube to massive Shasta-sized exhibits capable of safely housing Megalodons or even a fearsome Tusoteuthis. It's the ultimate way for base builders and creature collectors to show off their prized tames, rare color mutations, or fearsome aquatic trophies in spectacular fashion.
8. Z-Variants Oceanlife
Rounding out our list is Z-Variants Oceanlife, a crossplay-compatible gem that brings a vibrant splash of color to ARK's seas. With over 1.2 million downloads, this mod is a massive favorite among survivors because it introduces striking, visually distinct variants for familiar ocean dwellers, including the Z-Basilosaurus, Z-Megalodon, Z-Mosa, and Z-Dolphin. While the DLC gives us great new tools and ships, the native sea life remains mostly unchanged. This mod beautifully addresses that, making every deep-sea dive feel fresh, exciting, and incredibly beautiful for anyone who loves a vibrant underwater world.
Setting Sail: Final Recommendations
The Tides of Fortune DLC is already a spectacular update for ARK: Survival Ascended, turning the ocean into a thriving, adventurous playground. But when you mix the modding community's creativity with it, it becomes something truly legendary. If you're looking for the ultimate pirate fantasy, combining Pirate Ship - Beta, LegionsShips, and Z-Variants Oceanlife will give you the most immersive sailing experience imaginable. For explorers at heart, pairing Barques with the Alfa Submarine ensures no coastline or deep-sea trench goes unseen.
And if you're running a massive operation with your tribe, you absolutely cannot go wrong with Klinger's Ferry Boats to keep your resources flowing and your mobile bases secure. All of these mods are incredibly easy to install directly through the in-game CurseForge browser or the official website, so nothing is stopping you from upgrading your fleet today.
The tides of fortune are waiting, survivor. Gather your crew, load your cannons, and make your mark on the high seas!