diff --git a/digitalocean/dropletautoscale/datasource_droplet_autoscale_test.go b/digitalocean/dropletautoscale/datasource_droplet_autoscale_test.go
index a20043630..2e10f1df5 100644
--- a/digitalocean/dropletautoscale/datasource_droplet_autoscale_test.go
+++ b/digitalocean/dropletautoscale/datasource_droplet_autoscale_test.go
@@ -61,9 +61,9 @@ data "digitalocean_droplet_autoscale" "foo" {
 					resource.TestCheckResourceAttr(
 						"data.digitalocean_droplet_autoscale.foo", "droplet_template.0.size", "c-2"),
 					resource.TestCheckResourceAttr(
-						"data.digitalocean_droplet_autoscale.foo", "droplet_template.0.region", "s2r1"),
-					resource.TestCheckResourceAttr(
-						"data.digitalocean_droplet_autoscale.foo", "droplet_template.0.image", "547864"),
+						"data.digitalocean_droplet_autoscale.foo", "droplet_template.0.region", "nyc3"),
+					resource.TestCheckResourceAttrSet(
+						"data.digitalocean_droplet_autoscale.foo", "droplet_template.0.image"),
 					resource.TestCheckResourceAttr(
 						"data.digitalocean_droplet_autoscale.foo", "droplet_template.0.with_droplet_agent", "true"),
 					resource.TestCheckResourceAttr(
@@ -109,9 +109,9 @@ data "digitalocean_droplet_autoscale" "foo" {
 					resource.TestCheckResourceAttr(
 						"data.digitalocean_droplet_autoscale.foo", "droplet_template.0.size", "c-2"),
 					resource.TestCheckResourceAttr(
-						"data.digitalocean_droplet_autoscale.foo", "droplet_template.0.region", "s2r1"),
-					resource.TestCheckResourceAttr(
-						"data.digitalocean_droplet_autoscale.foo", "droplet_template.0.image", "547864"),
+						"data.digitalocean_droplet_autoscale.foo", "droplet_template.0.region", "nyc3"),
+					resource.TestCheckResourceAttrSet(
+						"data.digitalocean_droplet_autoscale.foo", "droplet_template.0.image"),
 					resource.TestCheckResourceAttr(
 						"data.digitalocean_droplet_autoscale.foo", "droplet_template.0.with_droplet_agent", "true"),
 					resource.TestCheckResourceAttr(
@@ -187,9 +187,9 @@ data "digitalocean_droplet_autoscale" "foo" {
 					resource.TestCheckResourceAttr(
 						"data.digitalocean_droplet_autoscale.foo", "droplet_template.0.size", "c-2"),
 					resource.TestCheckResourceAttr(
-						"data.digitalocean_droplet_autoscale.foo", "droplet_template.0.region", "s2r1"),
-					resource.TestCheckResourceAttr(
-						"data.digitalocean_droplet_autoscale.foo", "droplet_template.0.image", "547864"),
+						"data.digitalocean_droplet_autoscale.foo", "droplet_template.0.region", "nyc3"),
+					resource.TestCheckResourceAttrSet(
+						"data.digitalocean_droplet_autoscale.foo", "droplet_template.0.image"),
 					resource.TestCheckResourceAttr(
 						"data.digitalocean_droplet_autoscale.foo", "droplet_template.0.with_droplet_agent", "true"),
 					resource.TestCheckResourceAttr(
@@ -235,9 +235,9 @@ data "digitalocean_droplet_autoscale" "foo" {
 					resource.TestCheckResourceAttr(
 						"data.digitalocean_droplet_autoscale.foo", "droplet_template.0.size", "c-2"),
 					resource.TestCheckResourceAttr(
-						"data.digitalocean_droplet_autoscale.foo", "droplet_template.0.region", "s2r1"),
-					resource.TestCheckResourceAttr(
-						"data.digitalocean_droplet_autoscale.foo", "droplet_template.0.image", "547864"),
+						"data.digitalocean_droplet_autoscale.foo", "droplet_template.0.region", "nyc3"),
+					resource.TestCheckResourceAttrSet(
+						"data.digitalocean_droplet_autoscale.foo", "droplet_template.0.image"),
 					resource.TestCheckResourceAttr(
 						"data.digitalocean_droplet_autoscale.foo", "droplet_template.0.with_droplet_agent", "true"),
 					resource.TestCheckResourceAttr(
diff --git a/digitalocean/dropletautoscale/resource_droplet_autoscale.go b/digitalocean/dropletautoscale/resource_droplet_autoscale.go
index 0dfefc02c..077305ec7 100644
--- a/digitalocean/dropletautoscale/resource_droplet_autoscale.go
+++ b/digitalocean/dropletautoscale/resource_droplet_autoscale.go
@@ -37,6 +37,7 @@ func ResourceDigitalOceanDropletAutoscale() *schema.Resource {
 			},
 			"config": {
 				Type:     schema.TypeList,
+				MaxItems: 1,
 				Required: true,
 				Elem: &schema.Resource{
 					Schema: map[string]*schema.Schema{
@@ -81,6 +82,7 @@ func ResourceDigitalOceanDropletAutoscale() *schema.Resource {
 			},
 			"droplet_template": {
 				Type:     schema.TypeList,
+				MaxItems: 1,
 				Required: true,
 				Elem: &schema.Resource{
 					Schema: map[string]*schema.Schema{
@@ -268,12 +270,23 @@ func resourceDigitalOceanDropletAutoscaleRead(ctx context.Context, d *schema.Res
 
 	d.Set("name", pool.Name)
 	d.Set("config", flattenConfig(pool.Config))
-	d.Set("droplet_template", flattenTemplate(pool.DropletTemplate))
 	d.Set("current_utilization", flattenUtilization(pool.CurrentUtilization))
 	d.Set("status", pool.Status)
 	d.Set("created_at", pool.CreatedAt.UTC().String())
 	d.Set("updated_at", pool.UpdatedAt.UTC().String())
 
+	// Persist existing image specification (id/slug) if it exists
+	if t, ok := d.GetOk("droplet_template"); ok {
+		tList := t.([]interface{})
+		if len(tList) > 0 {
+			tMap := tList[0].(map[string]interface{})
+			if tMap["image"] != "" {
+				pool.DropletTemplate.Image = tMap["image"].(string)
+			}
+		}
+	}
+	d.Set("droplet_template", flattenTemplate(pool.DropletTemplate))
+
 	return nil
 }
 
diff --git a/digitalocean/dropletautoscale/resource_droplet_autoscale_test.go b/digitalocean/dropletautoscale/resource_droplet_autoscale_test.go
index afc06f4e2..95565edaf 100644
--- a/digitalocean/dropletautoscale/resource_droplet_autoscale_test.go
+++ b/digitalocean/dropletautoscale/resource_droplet_autoscale_test.go
@@ -53,9 +53,9 @@ func TestAccDigitalOceanDropletAutoscale_Static(t *testing.T) {
 					resource.TestCheckResourceAttr(
 						"digitalocean_droplet_autoscale.foobar", "droplet_template.0.size", "c-2"),
 					resource.TestCheckResourceAttr(
-						"digitalocean_droplet_autoscale.foobar", "droplet_template.0.region", "s2r1"),
-					resource.TestCheckResourceAttr(
-						"digitalocean_droplet_autoscale.foobar", "droplet_template.0.image", "547864"),
+						"digitalocean_droplet_autoscale.foobar", "droplet_template.0.region", "nyc3"),
+					resource.TestCheckResourceAttrSet(
+						"digitalocean_droplet_autoscale.foobar", "droplet_template.0.image"),
 					resource.TestCheckResourceAttr(
 						"digitalocean_droplet_autoscale.foobar", "droplet_template.0.with_droplet_agent", "true"),
 					resource.TestCheckResourceAttr(
@@ -101,9 +101,9 @@ func TestAccDigitalOceanDropletAutoscale_Static(t *testing.T) {
 					resource.TestCheckResourceAttr(
 						"digitalocean_droplet_autoscale.foobar", "droplet_template.0.size", "c-2"),
 					resource.TestCheckResourceAttr(
-						"digitalocean_droplet_autoscale.foobar", "droplet_template.0.region", "s2r1"),
-					resource.TestCheckResourceAttr(
-						"digitalocean_droplet_autoscale.foobar", "droplet_template.0.image", "547864"),
+						"digitalocean_droplet_autoscale.foobar", "droplet_template.0.region", "nyc3"),
+					resource.TestCheckResourceAttrSet(
+						"digitalocean_droplet_autoscale.foobar", "droplet_template.0.image"),
 					resource.TestCheckResourceAttr(
 						"digitalocean_droplet_autoscale.foobar", "droplet_template.0.with_droplet_agent", "true"),
 					resource.TestCheckResourceAttr(
@@ -165,9 +165,9 @@ func TestAccDigitalOceanDropletAutoscale_Dynamic(t *testing.T) {
 					resource.TestCheckResourceAttr(
 						"digitalocean_droplet_autoscale.foobar", "droplet_template.0.size", "c-2"),
 					resource.TestCheckResourceAttr(
-						"digitalocean_droplet_autoscale.foobar", "droplet_template.0.region", "s2r1"),
-					resource.TestCheckResourceAttr(
-						"digitalocean_droplet_autoscale.foobar", "droplet_template.0.image", "547864"),
+						"digitalocean_droplet_autoscale.foobar", "droplet_template.0.region", "nyc3"),
+					resource.TestCheckResourceAttrSet(
+						"digitalocean_droplet_autoscale.foobar", "droplet_template.0.image"),
 					resource.TestCheckResourceAttr(
 						"digitalocean_droplet_autoscale.foobar", "droplet_template.0.with_droplet_agent", "true"),
 					resource.TestCheckResourceAttr(
@@ -213,9 +213,9 @@ func TestAccDigitalOceanDropletAutoscale_Dynamic(t *testing.T) {
 					resource.TestCheckResourceAttr(
 						"digitalocean_droplet_autoscale.foobar", "droplet_template.0.size", "c-2"),
 					resource.TestCheckResourceAttr(
-						"digitalocean_droplet_autoscale.foobar", "droplet_template.0.region", "s2r1"),
-					resource.TestCheckResourceAttr(
-						"digitalocean_droplet_autoscale.foobar", "droplet_template.0.image", "547864"),
+						"digitalocean_droplet_autoscale.foobar", "droplet_template.0.region", "nyc3"),
+					resource.TestCheckResourceAttrSet(
+						"digitalocean_droplet_autoscale.foobar", "droplet_template.0.image"),
 					resource.TestCheckResourceAttr(
 						"digitalocean_droplet_autoscale.foobar", "droplet_template.0.with_droplet_agent", "true"),
 					resource.TestCheckResourceAttr(
@@ -319,8 +319,8 @@ resource "digitalocean_droplet_autoscale" "foobar" {
 
   droplet_template {
     size               = "c-2"
-    region             = "s2r1"
-    image              = "547864"
+    region             = "nyc3"
+    image              = "ubuntu-24-04-x64"
     tags               = [digitalocean_tag.foo.id, digitalocean_tag.bar.id]
     ssh_keys           = [digitalocean_ssh_key.foo.id, digitalocean_ssh_key.bar.id]
     with_droplet_agent = true
@@ -380,8 +380,8 @@ resource "digitalocean_droplet_autoscale" "foobar" {
 
   droplet_template {
     size               = "c-2"
-    region             = "s2r1"
-    image              = "547864"
+    region             = "nyc3"
+    image              = "ubuntu-24-04-x64"
     tags               = [digitalocean_tag.foo.id, digitalocean_tag.bar.id]
     ssh_keys           = [digitalocean_ssh_key.foo.id, digitalocean_ssh_key.bar.id]
     with_droplet_agent = true