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On a dedicated Don’t Starve Together (DST) server, enable PvP by stopping the server, opening the active cluster.ini, adding pvp = true under [GAMEPLAY], saving the file, and restarting the server. PvP is optional and defaults to false. If you host the world from the game rather than running a dedicated server, select the PvP option in the server-creation screen before launching it.
What controls PvP in Don’t Starve Together?
PvP is a server-side setting. The server operator decides whether the world permits player-versus-player combat; individual players cannot turn it on for themselves after joining. Klei Entertainment’s settings reference defines the pvp key as Enable PVP
and lists its default as false. A new world therefore starts with PvP disabled unless the operator changes the setting during creation or in the server configuration.
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[GAMEPLAY]
pvp = trueChanging a file while the server process is running is unreliable because the process can write its current configuration back to disk when it shuts down. Always make the edit while the server is stopped, then start it again so the new value is loaded.
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How do I turn on PvP on my DST server?
Use these steps for a dedicated server that you administer directly or through a hosting panel.
- Stop the server cleanly. Use the server console, service manager, or hosting panel’s Stop command. Wait until the process has fully exited before opening the configuration.
- Find the active cluster directory. Open the configuration directory for the world you actually run. A common installation uses
DoNotStarveTogether/config/server/cluster.ini. Installations with multiple worlds or named cluster folders can place the file inside the active cluster’s own directory. - Open
cluster.iniin a plain-text editor. Do not use a word processor that can add formatting. Make a backup copy first if you may need to roll back the change. - Locate the
[GAMEPLAY]section. If the section already exists, add or edit the PvP line there. If it is missing, create the section and then add the line. - Set the value. The resulting entry should be exactly
pvp = true. Remove an olderpvp = falseentry rather than leaving two entries in the same section. - Save the file. Keep the filename as
cluster.iniand preserve the plain-text format. - Start the server again. Use the same service, script, or panel that normally launches this cluster. Confirm that the startup process is using the intended world.
- Test with a joining player. Have a player connect to the restarted world and verify that the server is the one whose configuration you changed.
Correct section and value
A minimal configuration fragment looks like this:
[GAMEPLAY]
pvp = trueThe [GAMEPLAY] header must be on its own line, and the key must be spelled pvp. Use a Boolean value, not a quoted string such as "true". If other gameplay settings are already present, leave them unchanged unless you have a separate reason to modify them.
Where is cluster.ini?
The exact location depends on how the server was installed and how many clusters it contains. The commonly documented layout is:
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DoNotStarveTogether/config/server/cluster.iniThat path is a starting point, not a guarantee that every installation has one file at exactly that level. A dedicated server guide describes cluster configuration files in the server’s configuration directory; separate world instances can have separate cluster folders. Look for the configuration directory belonging to the cluster name or save slot that your launch command, service, or panel uses.
How to identify the active file
- Check the launch command, service definition, or panel entry for the cluster or save-slot name.
- Within the server configuration directory, distinguish the live cluster from sample files or templates.
- If several
cluster.inifiles exist, edit the one inside the directory used by the running instance, not the first file found by a global search. - After saving, restart the same instance and watch its startup output or panel status to confirm that it loaded successfully.
Editing a valid-looking file in a different cluster directory is the most common reason a PvP change appears to have no effect.
What to check before editing
Prepare the change so that you can restore the old configuration if the server does not start as expected.
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- Administrative access: You need permission to stop and start the server and to edit its configuration directory.
- A clean shutdown: Do not modify the file while the server process is still writing world data.
- A backup: Copy the current
cluster.inito a separate filename before changing it. Keep the backup outside any automated template directory. - The correct instance: Know the cluster, world, or save slot your players use.
- A text editor: Use an editor that preserves ordinary text and line breaks.
These checks do not change the setting; they prevent an edit from being overwritten or applied to the wrong world.
Player-hosted and LAN worlds
You do not edit a dedicated-server file when you create a world from the game’s host flow. DST supports dedicated, player-hosted, and LAN servers, and PvP is an optional setting controlled by the host. In the server-creation flow, choose the option to enable PvP before launching the world.
- Open the game’s host or server-creation screen.
- Choose the world settings or gameplay options for the new session.
- Find the PvP toggle and enable it.
- Finish creating or launching the world.
- Have players join the newly launched session and confirm that they connected to that host.
Labels and the exact location of the toggle can vary by platform or game build, so look for a PvP option in the host-game or server-settings screen. If the world has already been launched without PvP, stop it and use the creation or world-settings flow available for that host rather than editing a dedicated-server cluster.ini that the session does not use.
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Multi-shard clusters: Master and Caves
A multi-shard installation needs more care than a single-world server. Dedicated-server documentation distinguishes settings that are master-only from settings that must match across the relevant cluster configuration files. It also warns against copying values indiscriminately between Master and Caves.
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- Determine whether the setting is read from the Master configuration, a shard-specific configuration, or both.
- If the guide marks a setting as requiring a match, use the same value in every configuration file covered by that rule.
- Do not assume that every line belongs in both Master and Caves; follow the scope annotations for your server version and layout.
- Restart the complete cluster, not just one shard, when your management method treats Master and Caves as a single service.
The pvp key is documented under [GAMEPLAY]. The important operational point is to apply it to the active configuration files and obey the master-only or must-match instructions that accompany your cluster setup. If only one shard is restarted or one of several required files is left unchanged, players can end up connecting to a cluster whose settings are inconsistent.
Using a hosting panel
Managed hosting panels often present server settings as web-form controls instead of exposing the file system. If your panel includes a PvP switch, set it there, save the configuration, and use the panel’s restart control. The underlying server setting is still the [GAMEPLAY] entry pvp = true; the panel is writing that value for you.
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Panel-specific precautions
- Stop the server before changing the setting if the panel provides separate Stop and Start controls.
- Use the panel’s configuration page for the correct cluster or instance.
- Save or apply the form before restarting.
- Do not edit a downloaded template and expect it to affect a running instance unless the panel explicitly imports that file.
- After restart, confirm that the panel reports the intended cluster as online.
If a panel regenerates configuration files automatically, a manual edit can be replaced the next time the server is started. In that case, make the change through the panel’s PvP control or its documented custom-configuration field.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Why is PvP still off after I changed the setting?
Work through the checks below in order. Each one addresses a different failure mode.
| Symptom | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| No visible change after editing | The server was not restarted, or the old process overwrote the file on shutdown. | Stop the process completely, confirm it has exited, verify the saved line, and start the server again. |
| The file looks correct but players still join a non-PvP world | You edited a template, sample, or another cluster. | Identify the active cluster from the launch command or panel and edit that instance’s cluster.ini. |
| The setting is ignored | The key is misspelled, placed outside [GAMEPLAY], or uses an invalid value. |
Use the exact section header and the unquoted Boolean line pvp = true. |
| PvP changes disappear after a panel restart | The panel regenerated the file from its stored settings. | Set PvP in the panel’s own configuration control or persistent custom-settings field, then apply and restart. |
| One part of a multi-shard cluster behaves differently | Master/Caves scope or must-match rules were not followed. | Review the cluster guide’s scope notes, update every required configuration file consistently, and restart the affected cluster services. |
| A player-hosted world has no PvP option in the file system | The session is not using a dedicated-server configuration. | Enable PvP in the host-game or server-creation screen before launching the world. |
Verify the value, not just the filename
Open the file after stopping the server and check that there is one active PvP line under the correct section. A line beginning with a comment character is not an active setting. Likewise, changing a file with a similar name in a neighboring directory will not affect the running cluster. After correcting the file, save it, start the server, and test the same world address or session that players normally use.
How to disable PvP again
To revert the change on a dedicated server, stop the server, change the line to pvp = false (or restore your backup), save the file, and restart. The Klei settings reference lists false as the default. In a player-hosted world, use the host’s server-creation or world-settings control to turn PvP off before launching the session.
Practical change record
For a server shared by several administrators, record the cluster name, the date of the change, the previous value, and the new value. This makes it easier to determine whether a later restart or panel synchronization restored the old setting. Keep the backup associated with the same cluster so that a rollback does not accidentally replace another world’s configuration.
Quick reference
| Server type | Where to enable PvP | What applies the change |
|---|---|---|
| Dedicated, single cluster | Active cluster.ini, under [GAMEPLAY]: pvp = true |
Stop, save, then restart the server |
| Dedicated, multi-shard | Active cluster configuration, following Master/Caves scope and must-match notes | Apply required files, then restart the relevant cluster services |
| Hosted through a panel | Panel’s PvP control or persistent custom setting that writes the same key | Apply the form and use the panel restart |
| Player-hosted or LAN | PvP option in the host-game/server-creation flow | Enable it before launching the world |
The essential dedicated-server sequence is: stop the correct instance, edit its active cluster.ini, place pvp = true in [GAMEPLAY], save, restart, and verify that players joined that same instance.
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