Palworld 1.0 Dedicated Server Settings: Every Setting Explained

Q: How many players can a Palworld 1.0 dedicated server hold?

Up to 32. That did not change in 1.0. ServerPlayerMaxNum accepts 1 to 32, and 32 is a hard engine limit rather than a config choice, so no setting and no host can raise it. Anyone advertising more than 32 slots for Palworld is describing something the game does not do.

Q: How do I enable PvP on a Palworld server?

Set three keys, not one: bIsPvP=True, bEnablePlayerToPlayerDamage=True, and bEnableDefenseOtherGuildPlayer=True. bIsPvP on its own does almost nothing, which is the single most common Palworld PvP support question. Restart after saving.

Q: How do I enable voice chat on a Palworld server?

Set bEnableVoiceChat=True and restart. In-game proximity voice chat is new in 1.0, it only works on a dedicated server, and it is off by default. VoiceChatMaxVolumeDistance and VoiceChatZeroVolumeDistance control how far a voice carries. Note that it does not work on the Microsoft Store build of the game, which includes the Game Pass PC version.

Palworld 1.0 shipped on 10 July 2026 and brought the dedicated server a genuinely new set of options: in-game proximity voice chat, a full server-side PvP option set, an inactive guild-master handoff, and several performance dials that did not exist during Early Access. Almost every one of them lives in the same place as everything else: one long line inside PalWorldSettings.ini. This guide goes through that file setting by setting, in plain English, with the default, the accepted range, and a recommended value with an actual reason behind it. It also covers the three things that waste the most time on a Palworld server: the settings that silently do nothing, the settings that get overwritten on every boot, and the reason your edit sometimes seems to have no effect at all.

Note: Palworld’s dedicated server is a moving target. Where a value below is disputed between sources, this guide says so rather than picking one and sounding confident. Check the value in your own file before you build a rule around it.

What Is New in 1.0

If you are updating an existing server, these are the keys that did not exist before 1.0. Everything else in the file carries over unchanged, so an Early Access PalWorldSettings.ini still loads on a 1.0 server; it simply will not contain any of the following, and the server will fall back to their defaults.

Key	Group	What it adds
`bEnableVoiceChat`	Voice Chat	In-game proximity voice chat, dedicated servers only, off by default
`VoiceChatMaxVolumeDistance`	Voice Chat	How close another player must be to be heard at full volume
`VoiceChatZeroVolumeDistance`	Voice Chat	How far away a player’s voice fades to silence
`bDisplayPvPItemNumOnWorldMap_Player`	PvP	Shows player PvP item counts on the world map
`bDisplayPvPItemNumOnWorldMap_BaseCamp`	PvP	Shows base PvP item counts on the world map
`AdditionalDropItemWhenPlayerKillingInPvPMode`	PvP	Which extra item a player drops when killed in PvP
`AdditionalDropItemNumWhenPlayerKillingInPvPMode`	PvP	How many of that item drop
`MonsterFarmActionSpeedRate`	Rates	Speed of ranch and grazing production
`PhysicsActiveDropItemMaxNum`	Performance	Caps how many dropped items run full physics
`AutoTransferMasterThresholdDays`	Guilds	Days an offline guild master keeps the crown before it moves
`AutoTransferMasterCheckIntervalSeconds`	Guilds	How often the server checks for that
`bEnableBuildingPlayerUIdDisplay`	Building	Shows who placed a structure
`BuildingNameDisplayCacheTTLSeconds`	Building	Cache lifetime for that lookup
`MaxGuildsPerFrame`	Performance	How many guilds the server processes per frame
`PlayerDataPalStorageUpdateCheckTickInterval`	Performance	How often Pal storage is re-checked
`bAllowEnhanceStat_WorkSpeed`	Combat	Whether Work Speed can be levelled at the Statue of Power

Note: Sources disagree on the exact size of the 1.0 additions. Some list eleven new keys, some more. The table above is the set that is consistently documented across sources; treat any longer list you find elsewhere with suspicion until you have seen the key in your own file.

Warning: PalEggDefaultHatchingTime is not a new key, but its default is widely reported to have changed in 1.0. If your server carries an Early Access config, the value in that file wins, so egg hatching may behave differently from a fresh 1.0 install. Read the section on Pals and eggs below before you assume.

How Palworld Actually Reads Its Settings

This is the part that causes most of the pain, so it is worth understanding before you touch a single value.

PalWorldSettings.ini is a two-line file. Line one is the section header. Line two is a single key called OptionSettings, whose value is one enormous parenthesised list of comma-separated pairs, with no spaces and no line breaks:

[/Script/Pal.PalGameWorldSettings]
OptionSettings=(Difficulty=None,DayTimeSpeedRate=1.000000,ExpRate=1.000000,ServerName="My Server",...)

Every gameplay knob in the game lives inside that one line. The format is unforgiving in three specific ways:

A formatting mistake resets everything. If the line does not parse, Palworld does not throw an error and does not refuse to boot. It boots with one hundred percent default settings, and your entire configuration is silently ignored. The classic version of this mistake is putting each setting on its own line, which is exactly what anyone who has edited a normal INI file would try first.
Types are strict. Booleans are True and False with a capital letter. Floats are written with six decimal places, like 1.000000. Enums are bare words with no quotes, like Difficulty=Hard. Strings are double-quoted, and a stray quote or bracket inside a string breaks the whole line.
Some key names are misspelled, on purpose, forever. Four hunger and stamina keys ship with “Decreace” rather than “Decrease”: PlayerStomachDecreaceRate, PlayerStaminaDecreaceRate, PalStomachDecreaceRate, PalStaminaDecreaceRate. If you “fix” the spelling, the game stops recognising the setting and quietly uses the default. Copy them exactly as they are.

Warning: An invalid OptionSettings line does not produce an error message. The server starts normally and ignores every setting you wrote. If your whole config appears to have been forgotten at once, this is almost always why.

On a Palworld server hosted with LoafHosts, you do not have to hand-edit that line at all. The Palworld Config Editor presents the settings it covers as a grouped form, validates each value against the game’s real ranges before writing, and rewrites only the keys you actually changed, leaving key order and any setting it does not surface untouched. It is a BETA feature and it does not yet surface every key in the file, but it makes the single worst failure mode above impossible for the fields it does cover.

Where the File Lives

On a Linux dedicated server, the file the game reads is:

Pal/Saved/Config/LinuxServer/PalWorldSettings.ini

There is a second file at the server root called DefaultPalWorldSettings.ini. That one is a template. The server does not read it. It exists so you can copy its contents into the file above as a starting point. A large share of “my settings do nothing” reports are somebody who edited the template.

World saves live under Pal/Saved/SaveGames/. Nothing in this guide touches them, but see the section on WorldOption.sav further down, because one file in there can override the settings file entirely.

Settings Your Startup Tab Owns, Not the Config File

Before the field lists, know which settings are not really yours to set in this file on a hosted server.

Palworld’s dedicated server accepts command-line arguments, and an argument beats the config file. On a LoafHosts Palworld server, the launch command is built from your Startup tab every time the server boots, and it passes the server name, the player cap, the admin password and the port on the command line. It also runs a small config step at boot that writes the identity and network keys into PalWorldSettings.ini from your startup variables.

The practical consequence: if you change Server Name, Server Description, Max Players, Admin Password, Server Password, the RCON port, the public IP or port, or the connection platform by editing the config file, your edit is overwritten the next time the server starts. Those settings are set on the Startup tab. That is not a limitation of the config file, it is how the launch command works, and it is why the Config Editor shows the networking and password keys as locked.

Tip: Rename your server on the Startup tab, not in the config file. A rename made in the file reverts on the next restart, because the launch command rewrites it.

Note: There is no config key for the port the server listens on. The listen port is a command-line argument, which is why it is managed by your host and not by you. PublicPort in the config file is only the port the server advertises; it does not change what the server listens on.

Server and Identity Settings

Key	What it does	Default	Range	Recommended
`ServerName`	Name shown in the in-game community server list	`"Default Palworld Server"`	any text	Something searchable. The in-game list is not great at filtering, so a short distinct name beats a long decorated one
`ServerDescription`	Blurb shown under the name	`""`	any text	One line. Say the ruleset (PvE, PvP, boosted rates) so browsers self-select
`ServerPassword`	Join password	`""`	any text	Set it if the server is not meant to be public. It is the only real gate
`AdminPassword`	Admin commands, RCON and the REST API all authenticate with this	`""`	any text	Always set one, and make it long. Everything privileged shares this one credential
`ServerPlayerMaxNum`	Concurrent player cap	`32`	1 to 32	32 is the engine’s hard ceiling. Set it to what your hardware can actually carry, not to the maximum by reflex
`CoopPlayerMaxNum`	Co-op party cap	`4`	n/a on dedicated	Leave it. Widely reported as non-functional on dedicated servers
`CrossplayPlatforms`	Which platforms may connect	`(Steam,Xbox,PS5,Mac)`	any subset	Leave it at all four unless you deliberately want a PC-only world. Restricting it is the most common accidental cause of “my friend cannot see the server”
`bUseAuth`	Require platform authentication	`True`	True/False	`True`. Turning it off is a large open door for a small convenience
`BanListURL`	Where the server pulls its ban list from	the official ban list URL	a URL	Leave it. This is not a tuning knob, and pointing a game server at an arbitrary URL is a bad habit
`bAllowClientMod`	Whether modded clients may connect	`True`	True/False	`False` on a public server if you are not running a modded world. It removes an entire class of “why is that player doing that”
`LogFormatType`	Server log format	`Text`	Text or Json	`Text` unless you are feeding logs into tooling that wants JSON
`ChatPostLimitPerMinute`	Chat rate limit per player	`30`	integer	`30`. Lower it to `10` on a large public server if chat spam becomes a moderation problem
`bShowPlayerList`	Show the player list on the menu	`False`	True/False	`True` on a community server. Players want to know who is on
`bIsShowJoinLeftMessage`	Join and leave messages in chat	`True`	True/False	`True`. It is the cheapest moderation signal you have
`RCONEnabled` / `RCONPort`	Remote admin console	`False` / `25575`	True/False, port	Host-managed. See the note below
`RESTAPIEnabled` / `RESTAPIPort`	HTTP admin API	`False` / `8212`	True/False, port	Leave disabled unless you have a specific need, and never expose the port publicly

Note: On a LoafHosts Palworld server, RCON is enabled for you at a fixed port, and the panel’s Console tab relays admin commands over it automatically. You do not set it up and you should not turn it off in the file. Full details are in the Palworld hosting setup guide.

Warning: The REST API and RCON both authenticate with a single shared AdminPassword over an unencrypted connection. Pocketpair’s own documentation says these interfaces are not designed to be exposed directly to the internet. Do not open those ports to the world.

Can console players join a dedicated server? Yes, and this is worth knowing before you touch CrossplayPlatforms. Steam and Mac players can connect directly with an IP and port. Console players and Microsoft Store players cannot; their client has no direct-connect field at all, so their only route in is the in-game community server list. That is why a strict CrossplayPlatforms value or a name nobody can find in the browser locks console players out completely, even though the server is running perfectly.

World Settings

Key	What it does	Default	Range	Recommended
`Difficulty`	Named difficulty preset	`None`	None, Casual, Normal, Hard	Leave at `None` and tune the individual multipliers. The preset is reported to have little or no effect of its own, and the multipliers below are what actually change the game
`DayTimeSpeedRate`	How fast daytime passes	`1.000000`	roughly 0.1 to 5	`1.0`. Raise it only if your group finds daylight building time too short
`NightTimeSpeedRate`	How fast night passes	`1.000000`	roughly 0.1 to 5	`2.0` on a casual server. Higher means shorter nights, and night is the part most groups sit through rather than enjoy
`bEnableFastTravel`	Fast travel	`True`	True/False	`True`. Disabling it makes the 1.0 map, which is much larger than the Early Access one, genuinely tedious
`bEnableFastTravelOnlyBaseCamp`	Restrict fast travel to your own bases	`False`	True/False	`False` for casual, `True` for a survival-flavoured or PvP world where map control should mean something
`bIsStartLocationSelectByMap`	Players choose their spawn on the map	reported as `True` in the template and `False` in the docs	True/False	`True` on a co-op server, so people can start near their friends. Verify what your own file says, because the two published defaults disagree
`bExistPlayerAfterLogout`	Your body stays in the world after you log out	`False`	True/False	`False` on PvE. `True` on hardcore PvP if you want logging out mid-fight to carry a cost
`bActiveUNKO`	Whether Pals produce waste	`False`	True/False	`False`. It is a physics-object generator on a server that already has a memory problem
`DropItemMaxNum`	Cap on dropped items in the world	`3000`	integer	`3000`. Lower it to around `1500` on a busy 32-player server; every dropped item is a live object
`DropItemMaxNum_UNKO`	Separate cap for waste items	`100`	integer	`100`, or leave it entirely if `bActiveUNKO` is off
`DropItemAliveMaxHours`	How long dropped items survive	`1.000000`	hours	`1.0`. Raising it means more objects alive at once, which is the opposite of what a busy server wants
`RandomizerType`	Randomises which Pals spawn where	`None`	None, Region, All	`None` for a normal world. `Region` is a fun second-playthrough server
`RandomizerSeed`	Seed for the randomizer	`""`	any text	Set a seed if you want the randomised world to be reproducible
`bIsRandomizerPalLevelRandom`	Fully random wild Pal levels	`False`	True/False	`False`. Random levels next to a starting base is a bad first hour
`bAllowGlobalPalboxExport`	Players may export Pals out to their account-wide storage	`True`	True/False	`True`. It is how players move a favourite Pal to another world
`bAllowGlobalPalboxImport`	Players may import Pals in from their account-wide storage	`False`	True/False	`False` on any public or competitive server. This is the one that lets somebody arrive on day one with a fully bred endgame roster
`AutoSaveSpan`	Seconds between world autosaves	`30.000000`	seconds	`30`. Do not push it near zero; the save is a disk write, and a very short interval is a self-inflicted performance problem
`bIsUseBackupSaveData`	Keep rolling save backups	`True`	True/False	`True`. Save corruption is the single most common way a Palworld community dies

Tip: bAllowGlobalPalboxImport is the most consequential toggle in this table for a public server. Left on, anyone can walk in with imported endgame Pals from a private world.

Rates and Progression

These are the multipliers most groups change first, and the ones most likely to be overdone.

Key	What it does	Default	Range	Recommended
`ExpRate`	Experience gain multiplier	`1.000000`	roughly 0.1 to 20	`1.5` to `2.0` for a group of adults with jobs. Above about `3.0` you outlevel the content and the 1.0 story pacing falls apart
`PalCaptureRate`	Catch rate multiplier	`1.000000`	roughly 0.5 to 2	`1.5`. Catching is the core loop, and failing a throw is not interesting the fortieth time. Push it to `2.0` on a casual server
`PalSpawnNumRate`	How densely wild Pals spawn	`1.000000`	multiplier	`1.0`. This is a performance setting disguised as a gameplay setting. Every extra spawn is an AI actor the server ticks
`WorkSpeedRate`	How fast base Pals craft, build and haul	`1.000000`	multiplier	`1.5` to `2.0`. This is the most-tuned setting in Palworld, because base work is where waiting actually happens. It does not trivialise combat or exploration, which is why it is the safest boost in the file
`CollectionDropRate`	Yield from ore, trees and other nodes	`1.000000`	multiplier	`1.5`. Late-game building costs are enormous and the grind for ore is where most servers stall
`CollectionObjectHpRate`	How much health nodes have	`1.000000`	multiplier	`1.0`, or `0.7` if you want faster gathering without more yield per node
`CollectionObjectRespawnSpeedRate`	How long nodes take to come back	`1.000000`	multiplier	This one is inverted. It is an interval, not a speed, so a lower value means faster respawns. Use `0.5` to double respawn speed. Setting `2.0` expecting faster respawns makes it twice as slow
`EnemyDropItemRate`	Loot quantity from enemies	`1.000000`	multiplier	`1.0` to `1.5`
`ItemWeightRate`	How heavy items are	`1.000000`	multiplier	`0.5` on a casual server. Carry weight is the most common quality-of-life complaint and halving it removes an enormous amount of walking
`EquipmentDurabilityDamageRate`	How fast gear wears out	`1.000000`	multiplier	`1.0`, or `0.5` if your group finds repair chores tedious
`ItemCorruptionMultiplier`	How fast perishable items decay	`1.000000`	multiplier	`1.0`
`SupplyDropSpan`	Minutes between supply drops	`180`	minutes	Leave it. Widely reported as ignored on dedicated servers
`MonsterFarmActionSpeedRate` (new in 1.0)	Speed of ranch and grazing production	`1.000000`	multiplier	`1.5` if you also raised `WorkSpeedRate`, so ranch output keeps pace with the rest of your base
`DenyTechnologyList`	Technologies players may never unlock	`""`	comma-separated technology IDs	Empty. This is a tool for a themed or restricted-ruleset server, not a normal one

What is the best EXP rate for a Palworld server? For most private groups, somewhere between 1.5 and 2.0. The honest answer is that EXP rate is not usually the problem people think it is. The thing that makes a Palworld server feel slow is base work and hauling, not levelling, which is why WorkSpeedRate and ItemWeightRate usually produce a better-feeling server than a big EXP boost does.

Pals, Eggs and Breeding

Key	What it does	Default	Range	Recommended
`PalEggDefaultHatchingTime`	Hours a large egg takes to hatch	`72.000000` in Early Access templates, widely reported as `1.000000` in 1.0	hours, 0 means instant	`1.0` to `2.0`. Seventy-two real hours per egg makes breeding a spectator sport. Check the value in your own file before assuming: a config carried over from Early Access will still contain the old number and will keep using it
`PalStomachDecreaceRate`	How fast Pals get hungry (note the spelling)	`1.000000`	multiplier	`0.5`. Starving base Pals while nobody is online is the most common source of “why did my base stop working”
`PalStaminaDecreaceRate`	How fast Pals lose stamina (note the spelling)	`1.000000`	multiplier	`0.7` on a casual server
`PalAutoHPRegeneRate`	Pal health regeneration out of combat	`1.000000`	multiplier	`1.0`
`PalAutoHpRegeneRateInSleep`	Pal health regeneration while in the Palbox	`1.000000`	multiplier	`2.0`. Waiting for a Pal to heal is dead time
`bPalLost`	Party Pals are permanently lost when you die	`False`	True/False	`False` unless you are running a deliberately brutal world. This deletes hours of breeding work in one bad fall
`EnablePredatorBossPal`	Roaming Predator bosses in the world	`True`	True/False	`True`. They are 1.0 content

Warning: PalStomachDecreaceRate, PalStaminaDecreaceRate, PlayerStomachDecreaceRate and PlayerStaminaDecreaceRate really are spelled with “Decreace”. Correcting the spelling silently disables the setting.

Combat and Survival

Key	What it does	Default	Range	Recommended
`PalDamageRateAttack`	Damage your Pals deal	`1.000000`	roughly 0.1 to 5	`1.0`, or `1.5` on a casual server so bosses do not stretch into ten-minute fights
`PalDamageRateDefense`	Damage your Pals take	`1.000000`	roughly 0.1 to 5	`1.0`. Lower to `0.7` if your group keeps losing Pals in raids
`PlayerDamageRateAttack`	Damage players deal	`1.000000`	roughly 0.1 to 5	`1.0`
`PlayerDamageRateDefense`	Damage players take	`1.000000`	roughly 0.1 to 5	`1.0` for balanced. `0.5` for casual, which is the single most effective way to make the game friendlier without making it boring
`PlayerStomachDecreaceRate`	Player hunger drain (note the spelling)	`1.000000`	multiplier	`0.5`. Eating is not the fun part
`PlayerStaminaDecreaceRate`	Player stamina drain (note the spelling)	`1.000000`	multiplier	`0.7`
`PlayerAutoHPRegeneRate`	Player health regeneration out of combat	`1.000000`	multiplier	`1.0`
`PlayerAutoHpRegeneRateInSleep`	Player health regeneration while sleeping	`1.000000`	multiplier	`2.0`
`DeathPenalty`	What you drop when you die	`All` in the shipped template	None, Item, ItemAndEquipment, All	`Item` for most servers: you drop what you were holding, not your entire inventory and gear. `All` on a default install is harsher than most groups expect, and is a common reason people quit a new server in week one
`bHardcore`	Characters do not respawn	`False`	True/False	`False` unless the whole server has agreed to it
`bCharacterRecreateInHardcore`	Allow recreating a dead hardcore character	`False`	True/False	`True` if you run hardcore, otherwise a single death ends someone’s participation permanently
`BlockRespawnTime`	Seconds before you can respawn	`5`	seconds	`5` for PvE. Raise it for PvP so death has weight
`RespawnPenaltyDurationThreshold`	If you die within this many seconds of spawning, a penalty applies	`0`	seconds	`0` for PvE
`RespawnPenaltyTimeScale`	Multiplier on the respawn cooldown when that penalty applies	`2.000000`	multiplier	`2.0`
`bEnableNonLoginPenalty`	Penalty system for not logging in	`True`	True/False	`True`
`bEnableAimAssistPad`	Controller aim assist	`True`	True/False	`True`. Console players share this world
`bEnableAimAssistKeyboard`	Mouse and keyboard aim assist	`False`	True/False	`False`
`bAllowEnhanceStat_Health` / `_Stamina` / `_Attack` / `_Weight` / `_WorkSpeed` (WorkSpeed new in 1.0)	Which stats players may level at the Statue of Power	all `True`	True/False each	Leave all `True` on a normal server. Disabling `_Weight` is a common choice on hardcore servers, because unlimited carry weight investment removes most of the survival pressure

Bases, Building and Guilds

Key	What it does	Default	Range	Recommended
`BaseCampMaxNum`	Total base camps allowed server-wide	`128`	integer	`128`. It is a server-wide budget, so on a full 32-player server this is only four bases each
`BaseCampMaxNumInGuild`	Base camps per guild	`4`	up to 10	`4`. Raising it is the fastest way to fill a shared map with abandoned outposts
`BaseCampWorkerMaxNum`	Pals working at one base	`15`	up to 50	Try `20`. Be aware this key is widely reported as not applying on dedicated servers and staying pinned at 15. If yours does not move, that is the game, not your host, and not your config file
`MaxBuildingLimitNum`	Structures per player	`0` (unlimited)	integer, 0 means unlimited	`0` for a private group. On a public server set a real number, because a single player with unlimited structures is a performance problem for everybody
`bBuildAreaLimit`	Prevent building near fast travel points	`False`	True/False	`True` on a public server. Somebody will wall in a fast travel point otherwise
`BuildObjectHpRate`	Structure health	`1.000000`	multiplier	`1.0` for PvE, higher for PvP if you want raids to require commitment
`BuildObjectDamageRate`	Damage structures take	`1.000000`	multiplier	`1.0`
`BuildObjectDeteriorationDamageRate`	How fast structures decay	`1.000000`	multiplier, 0 disables decay	`0` on a server where people play in bursts. Coming back to a collapsed base after a week away is how you lose players
`bInvisibleOtherGuildBaseCampAreaFX`	Hide other guilds’ base boundary effects	`False`	True/False	`True` on a busy server. It is a visual clutter reduction
`GuildPlayerMaxNum`	Maximum guild size	`20`	integer	`20`, or match it to your player cap if the whole server is one guild
`GuildRejoinCooldownMinutes`	Wait before rejoining a guild after leaving	`0`	minutes	`0` for PvE. On PvP, set `60` or more so people cannot guild-hop to dodge consequences
`bAutoResetGuildNoOnlinePlayers`	Delete guilds whose members have all gone inactive	`False`	True/False	`False` unless map space is genuinely scarce. This deletes people’s bases
`AutoResetGuildTimeNoOnlinePlayers`	Hours of total inactivity before that deletion	`72.000000`	hours	If you enable the above, do not leave this at 72. A week is `168`, and three days is not a long holiday
`AutoTransferMasterThresholdDays` (new in 1.0)	Days an offline guild master keeps leadership before it passes to an active member	`14`	days	`14` on a community server. This is one of the best 1.0 additions: it fixes the classic problem of a guild being frozen because the one person who can manage it stopped playing
`AutoTransferMasterCheckIntervalSeconds` (new in 1.0)	How often the server checks for an inactive master	`3600`	seconds	`3600`. There is no reason to check this more often
`bEnableBuildingPlayerUIdDisplay` (new in 1.0)	Show which player placed a structure	`False`	True/False	`True` on a public server. It is a moderation tool: you can now tell who built the thing blocking the path
`BuildingNameDisplayCacheTTLSeconds` (new in 1.0)	How long that lookup is cached	`60`	seconds	`60`. Only lower it if the displayed names feel stale, and remember it is a lookup cost

How do I increase the base worker count in Palworld? The key is BaseCampWorkerMaxNum, and the honest answer is that it may not work. It has been reported as non-functional on dedicated servers for a long time, staying at 15 regardless of what the file says. Set it, restart, and check in game. If it did not move, no config file and no host can make it move.

PvP Settings

PvP got a real overhaul in 1.0: main missions can now be progressed in PvP mode, and the server-side option set grew from a couple of toggles into an actual ruleset.

How do I enable PvP on a Palworld server? This is the single most common Palworld support question, and the reason is that the obvious switch does not work alone. Setting bIsPvP=True by itself does almost nothing. You need three keys together:

bIsPvP=True
bEnablePlayerToPlayerDamage=True
bEnableDefenseOtherGuildPlayer=True

bIsPvP declares the world PvP. bEnablePlayerToPlayerDamage is what actually lets players hurt each other. bEnableDefenseOtherGuildPlayer is what lets base defence Pals fight trespassers, without which “PvP” means people can shoot each other but nobody’s base can ever be defended. Miss one and you get a half-configured PvP server that feels broken.

Key	What it does	Default	Range	Recommended (PvP world)
`bIsPvP`	Master PvP flag for the world	`False`	True/False	`True`, plus the two keys above. On its own it does nothing
`bEnablePlayerToPlayerDamage`	Players can damage each other	`False`	True/False	`True`
`bEnableDefenseOtherGuildPlayer`	Base Pals attack players from other guilds	`False`	True/False	`True`
`bEnableFriendlyFire`	Players can damage their own guild members	`False`	True/False	`False`. It sounds hardcore and in practice it is mostly accidents
`bCanPickupOtherGuildDeathPenaltyDrop`	Loot what other guilds drop on death	`False`	True/False	`True` on a PvP world. Killing somebody with no reward attached is not a system
`bAdditionalDropItemWhenPlayerKillingInPvPMode` (new in 1.0)	Grant an extra drop for a PvP kill	`False`	True/False	`True` if you want a PvP economy
`AdditionalDropItemWhenPlayerKillingInPvPMode` (new in 1.0)	Which item that is	`PlayerDropItem`	an item ID	Leave the default unless you are building a custom bounty economy
`AdditionalDropItemNumWhenPlayerKillingInPvPMode` (new in 1.0)	How many drop	`1`	integer	`1`. Higher numbers turn kills into farming
`bDisplayPvPItemNumOnWorldMap_Player` (new in 1.0)	Show players’ PvP item counts on the world map	`False`	True/False	`True`. It creates targets, which is the entire point of a PvP map
`bDisplayPvPItemNumOnWorldMap_BaseCamp` (new in 1.0)	Show bases’ PvP item counts on the world map	`False`	True/False	`True` for a raiding server. `False` if you want bases to stay hidden and raids to be a matter of scouting

Warning: Turning PvP on mid-world on an established server is how a community ends. Announce it, or start a second world for it.

Voice Chat, New in 1.0

In-game proximity voice chat is 1.0’s headline multiplayer feature. Two facts about it that most people do not know:

It only works on a dedicated server. Pocketpair’s own patch notes say the feature is available only when enabled in a dedicated server’s world settings. It is not available in a co-op session.
It is off by default. A brand new 1.0 dedicated server has it disabled until somebody sets the key.

Key	What it does	Default	Range	Recommended
`bEnableVoiceChat` (new in 1.0)	Enables in-game proximity voice chat	`False`	True/False	`True`. It is the best reason to be on a dedicated server at all, and it costs you nothing to turn on
`VoiceChatMaxVolumeDistance` (new in 1.0)	Distance within which another player is heard at full volume	`3000`	game units, where 100 is roughly one metre	`3000`, which is roughly 30 metres. This is normal conversation range for a base
`VoiceChatZeroVolumeDistance` (new in 1.0)	Distance at which a voice fades to complete silence	`15000`	game units	`15000`, roughly 150 metres. Widen it if you want to shout across a valley, tighten it to about `8000` on a PvP server so voices do not give away positions from far away

How do I enable voice chat on a Palworld server? Set bEnableVoiceChat=True in PalWorldSettings.ini and restart. The two distance keys are optional; the defaults are sensible.

Warning: Voice chat does not work on the Microsoft Store build of the game, which includes the Game Pass PC version. Those players will still need an external voice app even on a server with voice chat enabled. Tell your group before somebody spends an evening troubleshooting a microphone that was never going to work.

Performance and Stability Settings

Palworld’s dedicated server has a long-standing memory issue: memory use climbs steadily during uptime and is not released, which eventually destabilises the process. Pocketpair recommends at least 16 GB of RAM even for a lightly-populated server for exactly this reason. Buying more memory does not fix it, it only moves the deadline, so the practical answer on every serious Palworld server is a scheduled restart. That is not an admission of defeat, it is the standard operating procedure for this game.

Key	What it does	Default	Range	Recommended
`ServerReplicatePawnCullDistance`	How far from a player Pals are still replicated to that client	`15000`	5000 to 15000	Lower it toward `10000` on a busy 32-player server. Every replicated actor is bandwidth and CPU. The cost is that distant Pals pop in later
`PhysicsActiveDropItemMaxNum` (new in 1.0)	Cap on how many dropped items run full physics	`-1` (unlimited)	-1, or a positive integer	Set a real number, around `200` to `500`. This is the best new performance key in 1.0: a busy base with thousands of loose items on the floor is a physics workload nobody asked for. `-1` means unlimited
`DropItemMaxNum`	Total dropped items alive in the world	`3000`	integer	`1500` on a busy server, as above
`PalSpawnNumRate`	Wild Pal spawn density	`1.000000`	multiplier	`1.0`, or `0.8` if the server is struggling. Every spawn is an AI actor being ticked
`bEnableInvaderEnemy`	Base raids	`True`	True/False	`True`, and here is why that is a real choice. Disabling raids is the single most effective mitigation for the memory problem, and many operators quietly turn it off. But raids were rebuilt in 1.0 into a wave-based system that scales to your base’s Work Pals, so turning them off deletes a headline feature of the update. Keep raids on and schedule restarts instead. Only turn them off if you have already tried restarts and the server still will not stay up
`ItemContainerForceMarkDirtyInterval`	How often open containers re-sync	`1`	seconds	`1`. Raising it makes chest contents feel laggy for a marginal saving
`MaxGuildsPerFrame` (new in 1.0)	Guilds processed per server frame	`10`	integer	`10`. Leave it unless you are running a very large number of guilds and are diagnosing frame time
`PlayerDataPalStorageUpdateCheckTickInterval` (new in 1.0)	How often Pal storage is re-checked	`1`	seconds	`1`
`AutoSaveSpan`	Seconds between autosaves	`30.000000`	seconds	`30`. A short interval multiplies disk writes; a long one multiplies what you lose in a crash
`bIsUseBackupSaveData`	Rolling save backups	`True`	True/False	`True`. It costs disk activity and it is worth every bit of it

Tip: Schedule a restart every 6 to 12 hours in the panel’s Auto-Restart tab. On a Palworld server this is maintenance, not a workaround you should feel bad about, and it is the difference between a server that runs all week and one that gets slower every day.

Note: Pocketpair’s 1.0 documentation now says that leaving the older multithreading startup flags unset may improve performance on 1.0, which reverses the advice that circulated throughout Early Access. Those flags are part of the launch command, not PalWorldSettings.ini, so on a hosted server they are your host’s to set, not yours.

Preset Recipes

Each block below is a set of Key=Value pairs to apply inside OptionSettings. They are additive: paste the values into the corresponding keys, leave everything not listed at its default, then restart. If you use the Config Editor, it ships one-click presets that cover the settings it surfaces, and you can then fine-tune from there.

Casual and Co-op

For a group of friends who want the game to respect their evening. This is the preset most private servers actually want.

ExpRate=2.000000
PalCaptureRate=2.000000
WorkSpeedRate=2.000000
CollectionDropRate=1.500000
ItemWeightRate=0.500000
PlayerDamageRateDefense=0.500000
PalDamageRateAttack=1.500000
PlayerStomachDecreaceRate=0.500000
PalStomachDecreaceRate=0.500000
PalAutoHpRegeneRateInSleep=2.000000
DeathPenalty=Item
PalEggDefaultHatchingTime=1.000000
NightTimeSpeedRate=2.000000
BuildObjectDeteriorationDamageRate=0.000000
bEnableVoiceChat=True
bIsPvP=False
bEnablePlayerToPlayerDamage=False

Why: the boosts are aimed at waiting, not at difficulty. Work speed, carry weight and hatching time remove dead time. Halved incoming player damage makes fights forgiving without making them trivial. Structure decay is off because casual groups play in bursts and should not come home to rubble.

Balanced

Near-vanilla with the sharp edges filed off. A good default for a public PvE community.

ExpRate=1.500000
PalCaptureRate=1.500000
WorkSpeedRate=1.500000
CollectionDropRate=1.250000
ItemWeightRate=0.750000
DeathPenalty=Item
PalEggDefaultHatchingTime=2.000000
bEnableInvaderEnemy=True
bShowPlayerList=True
bBuildAreaLimit=True
bEnableBuildingPlayerUIdDisplay=True
MaxBuildingLimitNum=3000
PhysicsActiveDropItemMaxNum=300
DropItemMaxNum=1500
bAllowGlobalPalboxImport=False
AutoTransferMasterThresholdDays=14
bEnableVoiceChat=True

Why: the gameplay dials barely move, and the work goes into the settings that keep a shared world liveable. Building limits and the build-area restriction stop one player ruining the map. Blocking Palbox imports stops people arriving with endgame Pals. The guild-master handoff keeps guilds alive when someone stops playing.

Hardcore

Slower, meaner, PvE. For a group that wants the survival part to actually be survival.

ExpRate=0.500000
PalCaptureRate=0.800000
WorkSpeedRate=1.000000
CollectionDropRate=1.000000
ItemWeightRate=1.000000
PlayerDamageRateDefense=1.500000
PalDamageRateDefense=1.500000
PlayerStomachDecreaceRate=1.500000
PlayerStaminaDecreaceRate=1.200000
DeathPenalty=All
bPalLost=False
bEnableFastTravelOnlyBaseCamp=True
BlockRespawnTime=30
bEnableInvaderEnemy=True
EnablePredatorBossPal=True
bAllowEnhanceStat_Weight=False
bEnableVoiceChat=True

Why: harder, not tedious. Damage taken is up and death costs your whole inventory, so fights matter. Fast travel is restricted to your own bases, which makes where you build a real decision. bPalLost stays off deliberately: losing hours of breeding to one fall is punishment, not difficulty. Disabling weight enhancement is what keeps late-game logistics a constraint rather than a formality.

PvP

A full-loot PvP world. Start a fresh world for this; do not convert a PvE server.

bIsPvP=True
bEnablePlayerToPlayerDamage=True
bEnableDefenseOtherGuildPlayer=True
bEnableFriendlyFire=False
bCanPickupOtherGuildDeathPenaltyDrop=True
bAdditionalDropItemWhenPlayerKillingInPvPMode=True
AdditionalDropItemNumWhenPlayerKillingInPvPMode=1
bDisplayPvPItemNumOnWorldMap_Player=True
bDisplayPvPItemNumOnWorldMap_BaseCamp=True
DeathPenalty=ItemAndEquipment
BuildObjectHpRate=2.000000
GuildRejoinCooldownMinutes=60
bExistPlayerAfterLogout=True
bAllowGlobalPalboxImport=False
VoiceChatZeroVolumeDistance=8000
bEnableVoiceChat=True
ExpRate=2.000000
WorkSpeedRate=2.000000
PalCaptureRate=2.000000

Why: all three PvP keys are set, because any one of them missing produces the broken-feeling half-PvP server that fills support queues. Structure health is doubled so a raid is a commitment rather than a drive-by. The guild rejoin cooldown stops guild-hopping to dodge consequences. Logging out leaves your body behind, so disconnecting mid-fight is not an escape. Progression rates are boosted on purpose: the interesting part of a PvP server is the conflict, not the twelfth hour of ore mining, and a fast ramp gets everyone to the fighting. Palbox imports stay off, because a PvP server where you can import a bred endgame roster is not a PvP server.

How to Apply Settings Correctly

On a LoafHosts Palworld server:

Open your server in the panel and stop it. Editing the settings file while the server is running is a waste of time, because the running server rewrites its own settings on shutdown and will overwrite you.
Open the Config Editor in the sidebar under Game, or open Pal/Saved/Config/LinuxServer/PalWorldSettings.ini in the File Manager.
Make your changes. In the Config Editor, apply a preset first and then adjust individual fields. If you are hand-editing, keep everything on the one OptionSettings line.
Save.
Start the server, and confirm in game that the change took effect.

Tip: Take a backup before a large config change. It costs one click and it is the only thing that makes a bad change reversible.

Warning: Do not edit PalWorldSettings.ini while the server is running. The server holds its settings in memory and writes them back out when it shuts down, so a running server will happily overwrite your edit.

Why a Setting Seems Not to Apply

Work down this list in order. One of these is the answer roughly every time.

1. You edited the file while the server was running. The server overwrites the file on shutdown. Stop the server first.

2. You edited the wrong file. DefaultPalWorldSettings.ini at the server root is a template and is never read. The real file is Pal/Saved/Config/LinuxServer/PalWorldSettings.ini.

3. The line does not parse, so the whole file was ignored. If every setting reverted at once, not just one, this is your answer. Look for a stray quote, an unbalanced bracket, a line break in the middle of OptionSettings, or a boolean written as true instead of True. Palworld does not warn you; it just boots with defaults.

4. A command-line argument is overriding you. Command-line arguments beat the config file. On a hosted server, the server name, player cap, admin password, passwords and network settings come from the Startup tab and are stamped onto the launch command on every boot, so editing them in the config file cannot stick. Change them on the Startup tab instead.

5. The world already has its own copy of the settings. This is the big one, and it is the reason most “my settings do nothing” threads exist. Once a world has been created, Palworld writes a WorldOption.sav file into the save folder. For the values it contains, the server reads that file instead of PalWorldSettings.ini, so later edits to the INI have no effect on that world. It is a save-embedded snapshot of the options the world was created with.

You have three options when you hit this:

Start a fresh world with the settings you want already in the INI. This is the clean answer, and 1.0 is a natural moment for it anyway.
Delete WorldOption.sav from the save folder so the server falls back to PalWorldSettings.ini. Back the world up first. This is a save-directory edit and it carries risk.
Accept that the affected settings are fixed for the life of that world.

6. The setting is one of the known-broken ones. BaseCampWorkerMaxNum (widely reported as stuck at 15), CoopPlayerMaxNum (reported as non-functional on dedicated), and SupplyDropSpan (reported as ignored on dedicated) do not reliably do anything, regardless of what you set. This is the game, not your config and not your host.

7. The key is misspelled, by you or by the game. The four “Decreace” keys must keep the game’s own spelling. And any key the game does not recognise is ignored in silence.

8. You expected a value to work in the direction it does not. CollectionObjectRespawnSpeedRate is an interval, so a lower number means faster respawns. If you set it to 2.0 and nodes got slower, it is working exactly as designed.

Note: If a single setting did not apply, it is usually the world-save snapshot or a broken key. If every setting reverted at once, it is a formatting error in the OptionSettings line.

What Needs a Restart

Everything. Palworld reads PalWorldSettings.ini once, at boot, and never re-reads it. There is no reload command, no hot-apply, and no partial application. Saving in the Config Editor writes the file; it does not change anything on the running server.

That is actually convenient: batch your edits, apply a preset, tune a dozen fields, save once, and take one restart for the lot. Restarting after each individual change buys you nothing.

Admin commands sent over the console (kick, ban, broadcast, save, shutdown) apply immediately, because they go to the running server rather than to the file. Those are the only Palworld settings-adjacent changes that do not need a restart.

How to Host a Palworld Server on LoafHosts: plan sizing, deployment, startup variables, and getting players connected.
Palworld Config Editor: the grouped form over PalWorldSettings.ini, its presets, and which keys are locked and why.
Remove pre-1.0 mods from your Palworld server before updating: Pocketpair’s instruction is to delete pre-1.0 mods, not disable them, and that applies to the server install as well as the client.
Palworld server hosting: build a server sized for 1.0.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many players can a Palworld 1.0 dedicated server hold?

Up to 32. That did not change in 1.0. ServerPlayerMaxNum accepts 1 to 32, and 32 is a hard engine limit rather than a config choice, so no setting and no host can raise it. Anyone advertising more than 32 slots for Palworld is describing something the game does not do.

How much RAM does a Palworld 1.0 server need?

Pocketpair recommends at least 16 GB, even for a lightly-populated server, because memory use climbs the longer the server runs. That recommendation predates 1.0 and 1.0’s map is larger, so 16 GB is a floor rather than a target for a busy community server. More memory does not eliminate the memory growth, it only delays it, which is why a scheduled restart is standard practice regardless of how much you buy.

Why are my Palworld server settings not applying?

Six things cause almost all of it: you edited the file while the server was running (it gets overwritten on shutdown), you edited DefaultPalWorldSettings.ini instead of the real file, the OptionSettings line has a formatting error so the whole file was ignored, a command-line argument is overriding the key, the world already contains a WorldOption.sav snapshot that takes priority, or the key is one of the handful that are known not to work. Work through them in that order.

What is WorldOption.sav?

It is a file Palworld writes into a world’s save folder that stores that world’s option values. Once it exists, the server reads it in preference to PalWorldSettings.ini for the settings it covers, so editing the INI afterwards changes nothing for that world. It is why a brand new world respects your config and an existing one appears to ignore it.

How do I enable PvP on a Palworld server?

Set three keys, not one: bIsPvP=True, bEnablePlayerToPlayerDamage=True, and bEnableDefenseOtherGuildPlayer=True. bIsPvP on its own does almost nothing, which is the single most common Palworld PvP support question. Restart after saving.

How do I enable voice chat on a Palworld server?

Set bEnableVoiceChat=True and restart. In-game proximity voice chat is new in 1.0, it only works on a dedicated server, and it is off by default. VoiceChatMaxVolumeDistance and VoiceChatZeroVolumeDistance control how far a voice carries. Note that it does not work on the Microsoft Store build of the game, which includes the Game Pass PC version.

What is the best EXP rate for a Palworld server?

Between 1.5 and 2.0 for most groups. Above about 3.0 you outpace the story pacing 1.0 was rebuilt around. If the server feels slow, WorkSpeedRate and ItemWeightRate usually fix the feeling better than a bigger EXP number does, because the waiting in Palworld happens at your base, not in the levelling curve.

Does Palworld 1.0 wipe my save?

No. Early Access saves and dedicated-server worlds carry into 1.0 without a wipe. Pocketpair’s own publishing lead said players do not need to start fresh but probably should, because 1.0 rebuilt the main story, progression and Partner Skills, and an old world misses most of that. The Global Palbox lets you carry your best Pals from an old world into a new one, so starting fresh does not mean starting from nothing.

Do I have to delete my mods before updating to 1.0?

Yes, and disabling them is explicitly not enough. Pocketpair’s guidance is that mod files and mod loaders left in place can still load and can cause crashes, blocked quest progression and corrupted save data. That applies to a dedicated server install too, not just the game client. Back up first, then remove the files. Our pre-1.0 mod removal guide covers the server-side version of that job.

Is RCON still supported in Palworld 1.0?

Yes. RCON came through 1.0 working, and it is what the panel’s console uses to relay admin commands on a LoafHosts Palworld server. Pocketpair has signalled that the newer HTTP admin API is the direction of travel, so anything you build against RCON long-term is building on an interface with a stated successor. For everyday admin work through the panel, none of that matters.

Do I need to restart my Palworld server after changing settings?

Yes, every time. PalWorldSettings.ini is read once, at boot. There is no reload command. Make all your edits, save once, restart once.

What port does a Palworld server use?

8211 over UDP for game traffic, and it is UDP, not TCP. A firewall rule that opens 8211 on TCP only produces a server that boots perfectly and is invisible to everyone, which is the most common cause of a server nobody can find. The query port that populates the in-game community list is a separate UDP port, and RCON is a separate TCP port again. On a hosted server, ports are allocated for you.