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Playing with friends? Godlike.Host runs hosted Palworld servers from 10 data-center locations, with free DDoS protection.
There is no working difficulty slider for a Palworld dedicated server. The Difficulty entry exists in PalWorldSettings.ini, but the Palworld Wiki, Lord Hosting and MintServers currently describe it as unused or ineffective on dedicated servers. To make a server easier or harder, change the individual damage, death-penalty and survival multipliers instead.
The safest starting point is Difficulty=None. Stop the server, back up its configuration, edit the file as a valid two-line file, restart it, and test one change at a time. Preset behavior for Casual, Normal and Hard is disputed by hosting guides, so do not rely on those labels without testing your current Palworld build.
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On a dedicated server, Difficulty is not a functioning slider with selectable levels. It is a text key in PalWorldSettings.ini, but the Palworld Wiki lists the key as “Not currently used.” Lord Hosting says it has no effect on a dedicated server, and MintServers describes it as a legacy setting that Pocketpair has not made functional there.
That means changing Difficulty=Normal to Difficulty=Hard may leave the actual game unchanged. A server can still feel substantially easier or harder, but that result comes from the separate settings that control damage, regeneration, death losses and related systems.
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Keep Difficulty=None unless you are deliberately testing a preset. This avoids implying that an inactive key is controlling the server and gives you a predictable base for manual tuning.
Where PalWorldSettings.ini is stored
Community hosting guides commonly identify these locations, with the folder created after the server has started at least once:
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- Linux dedicated server:
Pal/Saved/Config/LinuxServer/PalWorldSettings.ini - Windows dedicated server:
Pal/Saved/Config/WindowsServer/PalWorldSettings.ini
This path is secondary community guidance rather than a location confirmed in official Pocketpair documentation. A control panel may hide the folders behind a configuration editor, and a managed host may expose an “Advanced settings” or “PalWorldSettings.ini” page instead. If you cannot find the file, start the server once, stop it cleanly, then search the server’s Pal/Saved/Config directory for the filename. Do not edit a similarly named local single-player file when you intend to change a dedicated server.
Back up the server before changing settings
Palworld settings are easy to break with a missing comma, a misplaced quote or a file saved in the wrong directory. Make a copy before every significant change.
- Stop the server before editing. A running process can rewrite the file when it shuts down and discard your changes.
- Copy
PalWorldSettings.inito a dated backup outside the live configuration directory. - If your host provides an automatic backup or snapshot, create one for the world as well as the configuration.
- Record the current values of any keys you plan to change so you can restore only those values instead of replacing later work.
Preserve the required two-line file format
Community configuration guidance warns that the file must remain exactly two lines: the first line is the section header, and the second line contains every setting on one OptionSettings=(...) line. If you wrap that line, add a third line, remove a comma or leave an unclosed quote, Palworld can fall back to defaults.
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[/Script/Pal.PalGameWorldSettings]
OptionSettings=(Difficulty=None,PlayerDamageRateAttack=1.0,PlayerDamageRateDefense=1.0,PalDamageRateAttack=1.0,PalDamageRateDefense=1.0,DeathPenalty=ItemAndEquipment,bHardcore=False)The line above is a formatting example, not a universal recommended profile. Keep every setting already present in your generated file, preserve the spelling and capitalization of each key, and change only the values you understand. The exact set of keys can vary with the Palworld build and the way a host generates the file.
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Settings that make a server easier or harder
Player damage dealt and received
Guides identify PlayerDamageRateAttack and PlayerDamageRateDefense as the principal player combat controls. They are rate multipliers, so compare your new value with the value already in the file rather than assuming a particular default.
| Setting | Controls | Direction for an easier server | Direction for a harder server |
|---|---|---|---|
PlayerDamageRateAttack |
Damage dealt by players | Increase the value so player attacks do more damage | Decrease the value so player attacks do less damage |
PlayerDamageRateDefense |
Damage received by players | Decrease the value so players take less damage | Increase the value so players take more damage |
The second row is counterintuitive. Supercraft specifically notes that a higher PlayerDamageRate defense value means the player takes more damage, not less. Change a small amount, restart, and test against a known enemy before making a larger adjustment.
Pal damage multipliers
Secondary configuration guides use PalDamageRateAttack and PalDamageRateDefense for the corresponding Pal combat rates. In practical terms, the attack rate changes damage dealt by your Pals, while the defense rate changes damage your Pals receive.
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| Setting | Controls | Easier for your side | Harder for your side |
|---|---|---|---|
PalDamageRateAttack |
Damage dealt by Pals | Increase the value | Decrease the value |
PalDamageRateDefense |
Damage received by Pals | Decrease the value | Increase the value |
These names are reported by secondary guides, not by a cited official Pocketpair reference in the available documentation. If a key is absent from the file generated by your current build, do not invent a duplicate entry; first check whether your host exposes the setting and whether the current version still supports it.
DeathPenalty
DeathPenalty determines what a player loses on death in guides that document the setting. The commonly listed choices are:
None: no listed item or equipment loss.Item: items are lost while equipment is retained.ItemAndEquipment: items and equipment are lost.All: the most severe listed loss.
Use the exact spelling shown by your existing file or host panel. A lower death penalty makes exploration and recovery less punishing without changing enemy combat damage. Conversely, retaining a severe penalty can make a server feel harder even when combat multipliers are unchanged.
Hardcore mode
G-Portal documents bHardcore=True as the toggle for hardcore or permadeath behavior. Set it to False for a conventional survival server. Treat this as a separate rule from ordinary difficulty: changing damage rates does not turn hardcore off, and changing DeathPenalty does not necessarily remove permadeath.
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Back up the world and warn players before enabling hardcore. A typo in a Boolean value may be ignored or revert to the server’s default, so verify the live file after restarting.
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Step-by-step: make a Palworld server easier
- Announce maintenance and stop the server. Wait until the process has fully shut down so it cannot overwrite the configuration.
- Open the live configuration. Use the LinuxServer or WindowsServer path described above, or the equivalent file editor supplied by your host.
- Create a backup. Save a copy of the original file before touching the values.
- Set the difficulty key to a neutral value. Use
Difficulty=Nonewhile you tune individual settings. - Reduce incoming damage. Lower
PlayerDamageRateDefenseso players take less damage. If Pals are dying too quickly, lowerPalDamageRateDefenseas well. - Increase outgoing damage if needed. Raise
PlayerDamageRateAttackfor stronger player attacks and raisePalDamageRateAttackfor stronger Pals. - Choose a death rule. Set
DeathPenalty=Noneor another less severe option if recovering from death is the main complaint. KeepbHardcore=Falseunless the group explicitly wants permadeath. - Save without reformatting. Keep the section header on line one and the full
OptionSettings=(...)expression on line two. - Restart the server. Do not assume a panel’s save button applied the change until the server has restarted.
- Test with one controlled encounter. Have one player and one Pal fight the same type of enemy, then compare the result with the previous behavior. Change only one or two related values per restart so you know which setting had an effect.
Step-by-step: make a Palworld server harder
- Stop the server and back up the current configuration.
- Leave
Difficulty=Nonewhile testing manual values. - Increase
PlayerDamageRateDefenseto make players take more damage. - Decrease
PlayerDamageRateAttackif player attacks are too strong. - Increase
PalDamageRateDefenseto make Pals more vulnerable, or decreasePalDamageRateAttackto reduce their damage. - Choose a stricter
DeathPenaltyoption if lost gear or items should matter more. - Set
bHardcore=Trueonly when the group accepts permadeath and you have a recoverable backup. - Save the file in the two-line format, restart, and test the same encounter used for the easier profile.
What to know about Casual, Normal and Hard presets
Third-party guides disagree about whether the named presets work on dedicated servers. Physgun says setting Difficulty to Casual, Normal or Hard applies a bundled preset that can override manually tuned multipliers. GameServerHosting likewise says a non-None preset overrides most multipliers. However, the available Pocketpair documentation and patch notes do not settle that behavior, and other guides describe Difficulty as unused.
Because the claims conflict, treat presets as an experiment rather than a guaranteed shortcut:
- Back up the file and world.
- Record your current multiplier values.
- Change only
Difficultyto the preset you want, leaving the other values unchanged. - Restart the server completely.
- Test player and Pal damage, death behavior and any other setting important to your group.
- Reopen the file after the restart. If the host rewrote the multipliers or the gameplay does not match the label, restore
Difficulty=Noneand tune the individual keys instead.
Preset behavior can change with a Palworld update, so a result observed on one build or hosting platform is not proof that every dedicated server handles the key the same way.
Troubleshooting when the change does not work
The server behaves exactly as before
- Confirm that you edited the dedicated server’s file, not a client or single-player configuration.
- Check that the server was stopped before saving and restarted afterward.
- Verify that the file still has two lines and that the second line starts with
OptionSettings=(and ends with). - Look for a missing comma, unmatched quote or misspelled key.
- Confirm that a hosting panel did not regenerate the file from a separate settings form.
The values revert to defaults
This usually indicates malformed syntax, an edit to the wrong instance, or a panel that owns the configuration. Restore the backup, make one minimal change, save it as plain text and restart. Reopen the file after startup to see whether the server or panel rewrote it.
A preset ignores manual multipliers
That result is consistent with the Physgun and GameServerHosting claims about preset overrides, but it is not established as universal behavior. Set Difficulty=None, restart, and test the same multiplier again. If it then works, keep the neutral setting and manage difficulty through the individual rates.
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Players report different results
Check that everyone reconnected after the restart and is testing the same activity. A server-side combat multiplier will not necessarily change every source of danger, and a death-penalty change affects the consequences of dying rather than the damage calculation. Compare one variable at a time instead of changing combat, death and hardcore settings simultaneously.
A practical tuning method
Start with the problem players are describing, then change only the setting that addresses it:
| Player complaint | First setting to change | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Players die too quickly in ordinary fights | Lower PlayerDamageRateDefense |
It directly reduces damage received by players |
| Players cannot damage enemies efficiently | Raise PlayerDamageRateAttack |
It increases player attack damage |
| Pals are defeated too quickly | Lower PalDamageRateDefense |
It reduces damage received by Pals |
| Pals contribute too little damage | Raise PalDamageRateAttack |
It increases Pal attack damage |
| Death recovery is frustrating | Choose a less severe DeathPenalty |
It changes what is lost, not combat strength |
| The group wants permanent consequences | Review bHardcore and the death rule together |
Hardcore and item-loss settings are separate controls |
After each change, keep a short record of the old value, new value, date and test result. This makes it possible to undo a change and prevents the common mistake of compensating for one multiplier by changing several unrelated settings.
Compatibility and update caution
The guides describing these settings span substantially different Palworld versions. Whether Difficulty becomes functional, whether a preset overrides multipliers, and whether a particular secondary key is still honored can change in a patch. Treat the current generated configuration and your own restart test as authoritative for your server. If a future update adds an official explanation or changes the available keys, update the file from the new template rather than copying an old configuration wholesale.
Quick Recap
Final checklist
- Use
Difficulty=Noneas the neutral baseline. - Change
PlayerDamageRateAttackandPlayerDamageRateDefensefor player combat. - Use the corresponding Pal damage rates only when your current file or host supports them.
- Choose
DeathPenaltyseparately from combat difficulty. - Keep
bHardcore=Falseunless the server intentionally uses permadeath. - Back up the world and configuration before testing.
- Keep
PalWorldSettings.inito its required two-line format. - Restart and test after every meaningful change.
- Do not assume Casual, Normal or Hard presets override behavior consistently across builds.
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