Server Settings

Palworld’s dedicated server is configured through the PalWorldSettings.ini file. This file controls everything from experience rates and capture difficulty to the day/night cycle and death penalties. Adjusting these settings lets you tailor the gameplay experience for your group.

Accessing the Settings File

There are two ways to edit your server settings:

Via the File Manager

Log in to Dashboard and select your server
Go to File Manager in the sidebar
Navigate to Pal/Saved/Config/LinuxServer/
Open PalWorldSettings.ini

Via SFTP

Connect to your server using FileZilla or another SFTP client (see our SFTP guide)
Navigate to Pal/Saved/Config/LinuxServer/
Download, edit, and re-upload PalWorldSettings.ini

Important: Always stop your server before editing the settings file. If the server is running when you save changes, it may overwrite your edits when it shuts down.

Settings File Format

The settings file uses a single long line inside a [/Script/Pal.PalGameWorldSettings] section. The format looks like this:

[/Script/Pal.PalGameWorldSettings]
OptionSettings=(Difficulty=None,DayTimeSpeedRate=1.000000,NightTimeSpeedRate=1.000000,...)

Each setting is separated by a comma with no spaces. Be careful when editing — a misplaced comma or missing parenthesis can prevent the server from reading the file correctly.

Difficulty Settings

Difficulty — The base difficulty preset. Set to None to use fully custom values for all other settings.

DeathPenalty — What happens when a player dies:

None — No penalty on death
Item — Players drop all items on death
ItemAndEquipment — Players drop items and equipped gear
All — Players drop items, equipment, and Pals (hardcore)

bEnablePlayerToPlayerDamage — Set to True to enable PvP combat. When False, players cannot damage each other.

bEnableFriendlyFire — When True, players in the same guild can damage each other. Usually left as False.

Experience and Progression

ExpRate — Multiplier for all experience gained. Default is 1.0. Set to 2.0 for double XP, 0.5 for half XP. Higher values speed up leveling significantly.

PalCaptureRate — Multiplier for Pal capture probability. Default is 1.0. Increasing this makes Pals easier to catch. A value of 2.0 roughly doubles your capture chance.

PalSpawnNumRate — Controls how many wild Pals spawn in the world. Default is 1.0. Higher values mean more Pals roaming around, which increases both encounter frequency and server resource usage.

PalDamageRateAttack — Damage multiplier for Pals attacking enemies. Default is 1.0.

PalDamageRateDefense — Damage reduction multiplier for Pals receiving damage. Default is 1.0. Higher values make your Pals tankier.

PlayerDamageRateAttack — Damage multiplier for player attacks. Default is 1.0.

PlayerDamageRateDefense — Damage reduction multiplier for players. Default is 1.0.

Day/Night Cycle

DayTimeSpeedRate — How fast daytime passes. Default is 1.0. A value of 2.0 makes daytime pass twice as fast. A value of 0.5 makes daytime last twice as long.

NightTimeSpeedRate — How fast nighttime passes. Default is 1.0. Many server owners set this higher than the day rate (e.g., 2.0) so nights pass quickly, since nighttime is darker and some players find it less enjoyable.

Base and Building

BaseCampMaxNum — Maximum number of base camps a guild can own. Default is 3. Increasing this lets players spread out more but increases server load.

BaseCampWorkerMaxNum — Maximum number of Pals that can work at a single base camp. Default is 15. Higher values allow more automation but use more memory.

BuildObjectDamageRate — Damage multiplier for structures. Default is 1.0. Set to 0 to make buildings indestructible (useful for PvE servers).

BuildObjectDeteriorationDamageRate — Rate at which structures deteriorate over time. Default is 1.0. Set to 0 to disable deterioration entirely.

bIsMultiplay — Must be True for multiplayer servers. This should already be set correctly.

Survival and Resources

CollectionDropRate — Multiplier for resource gathering yields. Default is 1.0. Set to 2.0 to get double resources from harvesting, mining, and logging.

CollectionObjectHpRate — Hit points of harvestable objects (trees, rocks). Default is 1.0. Lower values mean fewer hits to gather resources.

CollectionObjectRespawnSpeedRate — How quickly harvestable objects respawn. Default is 1.0. Higher values mean faster respawns.

PalStomachDecreaceRate — Rate at which Pal hunger depletes. Default is 1.0. Lower values mean Pals need feeding less often.

PlayerStomachDecreaceRate — Rate at which player hunger depletes. Default is 1.0.

PalAutoHPRegeneRate — Rate at which Pals regenerate health outside combat. Default is 1.0.

PlayerAutoHPRegeneRate — Rate at which players regenerate health. Default is 1.0.

Server Identity

ServerName — The name displayed in the server browser.

ServerDescription — A short description shown in the server browser.

AdminPassword — Password required to gain admin privileges in-game. Keep this private.

ServerPassword — Password required to join the server. Leave empty for a public server.

ServerPlayerMaxNum — Maximum number of concurrent players. Default is 32. Set this based on your plan and desired experience.

Recommended Configurations

Casual/Relaxed Server

For a laid-back experience with friends where you want to focus on building and collecting:

ExpRate=2.0 — Faster leveling
PalCaptureRate=1.5 — Easier catching
DeathPenalty=None — No penalty on death
CollectionDropRate=2.0 — More resources
NightTimeSpeedRate=2.0 — Shorter nights
PalStomachDecreaceRate=0.5 — Less feeding required

Balanced Server

A middle-ground configuration that keeps the challenge while smoothing out some tedium:

ExpRate=1.5 — Slightly faster progression
PalCaptureRate=1.0 — Default catch rates
DeathPenalty=Item — Drop items on death
CollectionDropRate=1.5 — Slightly boosted gathering

Hardcore PvP Server

For competitive play with real consequences:

ExpRate=1.0 — Standard progression
bEnablePlayerToPlayerDamage=True — PvP enabled
DeathPenalty=ItemAndEquipment — Drop gear on death
BuildObjectDamageRate=2.0 — Destructible bases

Applying Changes

After editing PalWorldSettings.ini:

Save the file
Start (or restart) your server from the control panel
Join the server and verify your changes took effect

Some settings require a full server restart to apply. If a change does not seem to work, stop the server completely, wait a few seconds, and start it again.

Backup Before Editing

Always create a backup before making significant settings changes. Go to the Backups tab in your control panel and create a manual backup. If something goes wrong, you can restore it in a few clicks. For more details, see our Managing Backups guide.