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Godlike.Host offers hosted Core Keeper servers with its own game panel, SFTP access and free DDoS protection, if you would rather not host it yourself.
To enable Hard difficulty, stop the Core Keeper server, set worldMode to 1 in ServerConfig.json (or choose Hard in your host’s World Mode setting), then start the server with an unused world slot or a new world seed. Hard mode is applied when the world is generated; an existing save is not converted.
What changes when you enable Hard mode?
Core Keeper stores the difficulty as part of the generated world. The server reads the mode setting while creating that world, so changing the configuration does not retrofit difficulty onto a map that already exists.
- Hard mode value:
worldMode = 1. - Existing saves: retain the mode with which they were created.
- New world requirement: use an unused world slot or change the seed before starting the server.
- Data safety: stop the server and make a complete save backup before editing anything.
If you point the server at an already-generated slot after changing worldMode, it will normally load that world with its original difficulty. The setting is not a live difficulty switch.
Choose the configuration method
There are two practical ways to set Hard mode. Both methods still require a newly generated world.
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| Method | What you change | Advantages | Important limitation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Direct configuration edit | worldMode in ServerConfig.json, plus an unused world value or a new worldSeed |
Works on self-managed and SteamCMD-style installations; gives you direct control | A JSON typo or editing the wrong installation can prevent the server from starting or leave the old world unchanged |
| Hosting-panel setting | Select Hard in the panel’s World Mode control | No manual JSON editing; labels are easier to verify | You must still select a new world index or seed; the panel cannot convert an existing save |
Prepare the server before changing difficulty
1. Stop the server cleanly
Use the hosting panel’s Stop control or stop the dedicated-server process through your operating system. Do not edit the file while the server is running: a shutdown or an automatic configuration write can overwrite your change, and an active save may be incomplete.
2. Back up the current world
Copy the entire Core Keeper save directory to a separate location before changing the world value. Keep the original backup untouched until you have confirmed that the new Hard world starts correctly. If you want to retain the old map, record its current world index and seed so you can restore them later.
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You need file-manager, FTP/SFTP, or panel access to the dedicated-server installation. A panel account that can only start and stop the server may not expose the configuration fields.
Method 1: Edit ServerConfig.json
Find the file
Host documentation places the file in different directories. Examples reported by server hosts include:
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/core-keeper/DedicatedServer/ServerConfig.jsonon Akliz installations./DedicatedServer/ServerConfig.jsonon Nodecraft installations.
Your installation may use another root directory. Search for the file named exactly ServerConfig.json inside the Core Keeper dedicated-server directory instead of creating a second file in a convenient-looking folder.
Set the Hard mode value
- Open
ServerConfig.jsonin a plain-text editor that preserves UTF-8 text and JSON punctuation. - Locate the
worldModeproperty. - Change its value to the number
1, without quotation marks. The relevant portion should look like"worldMode": 1. - Save the file, keeping the existing braces, commas, and other settings intact.
Do not replace the entire configuration with a short example. The file may contain authentication, networking, password, and world-generation properties that must remain unchanged.
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Change the world slot value to an unused number, or change worldSeed to a seed that has never been generated by this server. An unused slot is usually the safer choice when you want to preserve the old map and return to it later. A new seed is useful when you deliberately want a different layout, but it also creates a completely different world.
Some guides describe a world-slot range of 0–29. That range is not confirmed by a primary game reference, so do not assume every server build accepts exactly those values. Use an unused value accepted by your server’s own configuration or README, and avoid overwriting a slot that contains a map you want to keep.
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Start and verify
- Save the configuration and close the editor.
- Start the server.
- Watch the startup log or panel status until world generation completes.
- Connect with a client and confirm that the server has created the intended new world rather than loading the previous slot.
The first start can take longer because the server is generating and saving a map. Once the new slot exists, restarting it will continue to use the Hard-mode world associated with that slot.
Method 2: Use a hosting-panel World Mode field
BisectHosting
In the BisectHosting panel, open Settings > Startup and set the World Mode dropdown to Hard. Save the startup settings, then change the world index to an unused value before starting the server. The panel removes the need to edit worldMode manually, but it does not change the generation rule: an existing slot remains in its original mode.
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In MintServers, open Game Settings, find the World Mode field, and select Hard. Apply the setting, choose a new world index, and start the server. If the panel exposes both a mode field and a world field, change both before the first start.
Other panels
Panel names vary. Look for a startup or game-settings control labelled World Mode, Difficulty, or similar. Select the option explicitly labelled Hard rather than entering a numeric value unless the panel documentation tells you to do so. Then use a new world slot or seed. If the panel keeps regenerating the old map, stop the server and inspect the underlying configuration to confirm which slot and mode it wrote.
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Keep the old world while creating a Hard world
Changing the world index is the cleanest transition because it leaves the existing save available. A practical layout is:
| Purpose | Configuration choice | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Original map | Restore its original world value and settings |
Loads the existing world with its original difficulty |
| Hard map | worldMode = 1 and a previously unused world value |
Generates a new Hard world |
| Fresh layout | worldMode = 1 and a new worldSeed |
Generates a new Hard world with a different seed |
Do not delete the old slot until everyone has moved any characters, items, or building plans they need. Treat the two worlds as separate saves; changing the active slot does not merge their progress.
World-generation settings and uploaded maps
Difficulty and world-generation parameters are related but not interchangeable. Nodecraft notes that settings such as ore density, tunnels, rivers, and lakes may require a world uploaded from Singleplayer. If you need a specific custom layout, generate that world with the desired settings first, then upload it according to your host’s procedure. Setting worldMode to 1 alone does not guarantee that every other generation preference will be reproduced.
When importing a map, confirm which mode and generation settings were recorded with it. Uploading an already-generated world is not a way to convert it to Hard mode; the save keeps the properties established when it was created.
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Mode numbers: what is confirmed and what conflicts
Community and hosting guides agree on the value for Hard, but they do not agree on every other mode. Use the following table only as a reference for the named guide; it is not a universal contract for every Core Keeper server build.
| Guide or documentation | Normal/Standard | Hard | Creative | Casual |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nodecraft | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| XGamingServer | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| SteamCMD-oriented guide from hebergtonserv.com | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 |
| SurvivalConfigs | 0 | 1 | 2 | Not stated |
The only consistent conclusion across these sources is 1 for Hard. Casual and Creative values conflict, and an older README quoted in a Steam discussion documents only Normal (0) and Hard (1) through command-line options. XGamingServer also warns that Creative and non-Creative worlds cannot be converted. Before using any value other than 1, check the README shipped with your exact dedicated-server build and test on a disposable world.
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Do not infer a mode value from another game, an outdated command-line example, or a different server executable. Game updates can change accepted values and labels.
Troubleshooting Hard-mode setup
The server starts, but the world is still Normal
- The slot already existed: change
worldto an unused value or changeworldSeed, then start again. - The wrong file was edited: verify the active installation path and search for duplicate
ServerConfig.jsonfiles. - The panel overwrote the file: set the panel’s World Mode field, save it, stop the server, and inspect the resulting configuration if the panel permits file access.
- The server was not fully stopped: stop it, wait for the process to exit, make the edit, and start it again.
The server refuses to start after editing
- Validate that the file is still valid JSON: quoted property names, numeric
1rather than"1", matching braces, and commas between properties. - Restore the backup, start the server to confirm the installation works, and reapply only the
worldModeand world-slot changes. - Use a plain-text editor; rich-text editors can insert formatting characters that break parsing.
The new world replaced the map you wanted to keep
Stop immediately and restore the pre-change backup. Do not continue playing or restarting, because additional saves can make recovery harder. In future, assign the Hard world an unused slot and keep a dated copy of every save before changing the active value.
The new map has unexpected ore or terrain settings
Check whether those settings came from an uploaded Singleplayer world or from the server’s generation configuration. Difficulty does not automatically carry over custom ore, tunnel, river, or lake choices. Recreate or upload the intended world using the procedure documented by your host.
Players cannot find the previous world
The old world is still associated with its former slot or seed. Stop the server, restore that original value, and start it when the group wants to return. Keep only one active world value at a time to avoid accidental writes to the wrong save.
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- Stop the server and wait for a clean shutdown.
- Back up the complete current save and record its world value and seed.
- Set
worldModeto numeric1, or select Hard in the panel. - Choose an unused world slot or a never-used seed.
- Save the configuration without altering unrelated properties.
- Start the server and wait for generation to finish.
- Confirm that the server created the new slot and that players are joining the intended map.
- Keep the old backup until the Hard world has been tested.
When to consult the server README
Use the README bundled with your exact server build whenever it conflicts with a host guide. This is especially important for Creative and Casual values, world-slot limits, command-line flags, and save-conversion behavior. Third-party guides consistently identify worldMode = 1 as Hard, but the conflicting mappings for other modes show why a version-specific reference matters.
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