The Combat modifier sets how hard fights are in your Valheim world. Open the World page, find the Difficulty card, choose a Combat level, choose Save and restart the server. The new level starts at the next server start. More about the game: Valheim servers.
The four levels
The levels in the list are Very easy, Easy, Hard and Very hard. Normal is the game’s middle setting, and you get it when the preset sets it. The Valheim wiki lists what each level does, as a percentage of normal:
| Level | Your damage | Enemy damage | Enemy speed and size | Enemy level-up rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Very easy | 125% | 50% | 90% | 100% |
| Easy | 110% | 75% | 90% | 100% |
| Normal | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Hard | 85% | 150% | 110% | 120% |
| Very hard | 70% | 200% | 120% | 140% |
On Hard and Very hard, stronger enemies also appear more often. The wiki notes that the change to your damage is not shown in the numbers on your weapons. Not checked on 1.0.20 as of 21 October 2026: these figures against Iron Gate’s current patch notes.
Change it
- Open the World page.
- In the Difficulty card, open Combat.
- Choose Very easy, Easy, Hard or Very hard. Leave it at As the preset sets it to follow the preset you chose.
- Choose Save.
- Choose Restart at the top of the server page.
- Combat
- Very easy
- Very hard
A preset sets Combat too. Choose the preset first, then Combat, because a modifier chosen after the preset changes it. See Valheim world modifiers.
By hand
In your own start options the manual gives -modifier combat hard. The values are veryeasy, easy, hard and veryhard. Put it after any -preset option.
If it does not work
- Nothing changed. The game reads the setting only at a start. Restart the server.
- Combat is still on the old level after you chose a preset. A world keeps the modifiers it was started with. Tick Clear the world’s own modifiers first, save and restart.
- You want to change the cost of dying. That is a different setting: Valheim death penalty.
Sources: valheim.fandom.com: World Modifiers