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Configure world generation by editing worldgenoverride.lua in every shard directory: Master/ for the surface and, when enabled, Caves/ for the underground. Set override_enabled = true, select the appropriate presets, and place individual rules in overrides. Then stop the server, back up the cluster, and generate a new world; existing saves do not adopt these settings automatically.
There is one important precedence rule: if leveldataoverride.lua and worldgenoverride.lua are both present for a shard, community documentation says the level-data file wins. Remove or deliberately manage that second file before troubleshooting a configuration that appears to be ignored.
What controls world generation
Don’t Starve Together separates a server cluster into shards. The surface shard is normally named Master; the underground shard is normally named Caves. World generation is configured per shard, so a setting in the surface file does not automatically configure the caves.
The hand-editable file intended for administrators is worldgenoverride.lua. Create or edit one in each shard directory that you want to customize. A caves shard generally uses a cave-specific world-generation preset, while the Master shard uses a surface preset.
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Do not confuse world-generation configuration with the server’s general cluster settings. The file tree commonly includes cluster.ini, cluster_token.txt, adminlist.txt, whitelist.txt and blocklist.txt. The available documentation identifies the two shard override files as the world-generation controls; it does not establish that cluster.ini changes map generation.
worldgenoverride.lua versus leveldataoverride.lua
| File | Typical origin | Editing model | Precedence when both exist |
|---|---|---|---|
worldgenoverride.lua |
Dedicated-server administration | Human-readable and intended to be edited by hand | Lower |
leveldataoverride.lua |
Generated from a client-hosted world | Usually copied from the game client rather than authored manually | Higher, according to the Don’t Starve Wiki’s dedicated-server guidance |
Older Klei forum discussions describe copying leveldataoverride.lua from a client-hosted world and using it in place of worldgenoverride.lua. More recent dedicated-server guidance favors worldgenoverride.lua. Treat the two approaches as alternatives unless you have a specific reason to keep both. If both files are present, edit the one with precedence or move the other aside while testing.
The keys you can configure
| Key | Purpose | Practical note |
|---|---|---|
override_enabled |
Master switch for the file | If it is false, the file can be read but its settings are not applied. |
worldgen_preset |
Chooses the map-generation preset | Use a preset valid in the game build running on the server. |
settings_preset |
Chooses the world-rules preset | Keep this separate from map generation when the build supports separate presets. |
preset |
Legacy combined preset key | Older configurations use it for both world generation and settings. |
overrides |
Table of individual settings layered over a preset | Only use setting names accepted by the current build. |
The modern pattern is to enable overrides, select a world-generation preset, select a settings preset when needed, and add specific changes inside overrides. The legacy preset key remains relevant to older files. Do not copy keys from a guide written for a different game build without checking the generated file or current game data first.
Back up and stop the server before editing
- Stop the dedicated server cleanly. Editing while the process is writing shard data can leave a partial file or an inconsistent save.
- Make a complete copy of the cluster, including both shard directories and their existing
save/folders. Store the backup outside the live server directory and label it with the date and game build. - Confirm which shard directories are actually enabled. A cluster with no caves should only require the Master configuration; a cluster with caves needs a separate caves configuration.
- Open the existing override file in a plain-text editor. If no file exists, create a file named exactly
worldgenoverride.lua; avoid adding a second extension such as.txt.
Keep the backup even after a successful test. Regenerating a world can remove the only copy of player progress, structures and discovered areas.
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Configure the Master shard
Minimal surface configuration
A typical Lua override file has a returned table. This minimal example enables the file, selects a commonly documented surface preset, and leaves individual overrides empty:
return {
override_enabled = true,
worldgen_preset = 'SURVIVAL_TOGETHER',
settings_preset = 'SURVIVAL_TOGETHER',
overrides = {}
}The exact wrapper and formatting should follow a working file generated by the current game client or server build. The important values are the key names and the enabled switch. If your build expects a legacy combined preset, use preset instead of assuming that separate keys are supported.
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Use the overrides table to change selected world rules without replacing the whole preset. Because accepted rule names and value formats can change, start with an empty table, generate a test world, and add one documented setting at a time. Keep a copy of the last known-good file so a malformed value can be removed quickly.
Do not put arbitrary server options in overrides. It is a world-generation table, not a substitute for authentication, administrator lists, mod configuration or cluster networking settings.
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Configure the Caves shard
If the cluster has an underground shard, create or edit Caves/worldgenoverride.lua separately from the Master file. Community guides commonly point the caves shard at a preset such as DST_CAVE. A deliberately small starting file is:
return {
override_enabled = true,
worldgen_preset = 'DST_CAVE',
overrides = {}
}The preset name is an example reported in community documentation, not a guarantee that every current build accepts it. Verify the spelling against a file produced by the same game version. If the caves shard uses a settings preset in your build, add that key using the value shown by the current client-generated configuration rather than copying a dated list.
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Configure the Master and Caves files independently. Changing the surface preset does not regenerate or rebalance an already-created caves map, and changing the caves file does not alter the surface shard.
Choosing a preset when lists disagree
Preset names are the least stable part of this configuration. The Don’t Starve Wiki lists SURVIVAL_TOGETHER, MOD_MISSING, SURVIVAL_TOGETHER_CLASSIC, SURVIVAL_DEFAULT_PLUS, COMPLETE_DARKNESS, TERRARIA, DST_CAVE, DST_CAVE_PLUS and TERRARIA_CAVE. A separate third-party documentation page lists a similar but not identical set, omitting some newer playstyle names. Older forum posts also mention RELAXED, ENDLESS, WILDERNESS and LIGHTS_OUT, but those names were not confirmed against current game files.
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| Preset group | Names reported in documentation | How to treat it |
|---|---|---|
| Surface or general play | SURVIVAL_TOGETHER, SURVIVAL_TOGETHER_CLASSIC, SURVIVAL_DEFAULT_PLUS |
Check the current build before deployment; do not assume all variants remain available. |
| Special surface styles | MOD_MISSING, COMPLETE_DARKNESS, TERRARIA |
Use only when the server build exposes the exact name. |
| Caves | DST_CAVE, DST_CAVE_PLUS, TERRARIA_CAVE |
Match the caves preset to the shard and verify it in a disposable test. |
| Older playstyle names | RELAXED, ENDLESS, WILDERNESS, LIGHTS_OUT |
Historical references only unless your current files explicitly support them. |
The safest way to resolve a conflict is to use the game client’s Host server workflow to generate a test world with the desired options, then inspect and copy the generated configuration to the dedicated server. This follows the wiki’s recommended workflow and avoids relying on a stale preset list. Test the copied file on the same game build as the dedicated server.
Generate the world so changes take effect
World-generation settings are consumed when a shard creates its world. Editing the Lua file does not rebuild an existing map. To apply a new configuration:
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- Save the final
worldgenoverride.luain the Master directory and, if applicable, the Caves directory. - Check for a
leveldataoverride.luain either shard. If it exists and you intend to useworldgenoverride.lua, move the level-data file out of the shard temporarily or update the file that has precedence. - Move the existing
save/directory from Master to a dated backup location. Do the same for Caves. Moving is safer than deleting because it leaves a reversible copy. - Start the server. Each shard should generate a new world from its current override file.
- Join with a test character and verify the surface and caves separately before inviting players back.
Some older forum posts mention the console command c_regenerateworld(). That command is not a configuration key, and its behavior was not verified for current builds. Treat it as an unconfirmed legacy option rather than your primary regeneration procedure. The file-and-save-folder method is easier to audit and undo.
Verify the result before restoring players
Check the file itself
- The filename is exactly
worldgenoverride.lua. override_enabledis set totrue, not a quoted string such as'true'.- Preset names use the exact capitalization and spelling accepted by the running build.
- Commas, braces and quotation marks form valid Lua syntax.
- Individual rules are nested inside
overrides, not placed beside the table by accident. - The file is in the shard directory that will generate the world.
Check both shards in game
Walk through the newly generated surface and enter the caves. A successful surface generation does not prove that the caves file parsed correctly. If only one shard changes, inspect that shard’s file, its competing leveldataoverride.lua, and its backed-up save/ directory independently.
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Troubleshoot settings that appear to be ignored
The old map loaded unchanged
The most likely cause is that the existing save/ folder was left in place. Stop the server, back it up, move the save folder for the affected shard, and start again. Also check whether a higher-precedence leveldataoverride.lua is supplying the old configuration.
The file is present but nothing changes
Check override_enabled first. A false value deliberately disables the file. Next verify that you edited the active shard directory rather than a similarly named backup, staging or unused cluster. Finally, confirm that the server is running the same build for which the preset and keys were written.
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The server refuses to start after an edit
Restore the last known-good backup and compare the changed lines. Lua punctuation errors, an invalid value type, or a misspelled preset can prevent a shard from loading. Reintroduce one change at a time. If the server starts with an empty overrides table but fails after a rule is added, that rule is either malformed or unsupported by the current build.
The surface works but caves do not
Review Caves/worldgenoverride.lua independently. Confirm that the caves shard exists, that its file uses a cave preset such as DST_CAVE only when the current build recognizes it, and that its own save/ directory was moved before regeneration.
A copied client file behaves differently
Client-generated files can contain leveldataoverride.lua rather than the hand-authored world-generation file. Keep the generated file’s name and precedence in mind, and avoid leaving two competing configurations in the same shard while diagnosing the result.
Safe operating practices for live communities
- Announce regeneration before doing it; creating a new world discards the live world unless you restore the backup.
- Test on a disposable cluster first, especially when changing a preset or adding several overrides.
- Record the game build, preset names and the date of each configuration in a text note beside the backup.
- Keep Master and Caves backups together. Restoring only one shard can leave a cluster with mismatched world state.
- Use a plain-text editor that does not add rich-text formatting or a hidden extension.
- When upgrading the game, revalidate preset names and any individual override keys instead of assuming an older file remains valid.
What is and is not established about current support
Community documentation agrees on the basic workflow: enable worldgenoverride.lua, select presets, add overrides, and regenerate the world. It does not provide a single authoritative, current list of every preset or every individual override key. Guidance also differs by age: recent dedicated-server instructions favor the hand-editable world-generation file, while older forum posts describe client-generated level data. Treat names and syntax as build-sensitive and validate them with a same-version client-generated world whenever possible.
The role of cluster.ini in map generation is likewise not established by the available documentation. Keep world-generation settings in the shard override files unless the current game build’s own generated files explicitly demonstrate another mechanism.
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