Palworld's dedicated server has over 60 configurable settings in PalWorldSettings.ini. The defaults are balanced for a slow-paced singleplayer experience. Most multiplayer servers adjust at least a dozen settings to make the game more enjoyable in a group. This guide explains what each important setting does and gives recommended values.
Where to find the config
The settings file is at Pal/Saved/Config/LinuxServer/PalWorldSettings.ini (or WindowsServer on Windows). On the HostValues game panel, open the Files tab and navigate to this path. All settings go inside the [/Script/Pal.PalGameWorldSettings] section on a single line starting with OptionSettings=(...).
XP and progression
| Setting | Default | Recommended | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|
| ExpRate | 1.0 | 2.0 to 5.0 | XP multiplier for all actions. Higher means faster leveling. |
| PalCaptureRate | 1.0 | 1.5 to 2.0 | Multiplier for catch chance. At 2.0 you need roughly half the spheres. |
| PalSpawnNumRate | 1.0 | 1.0 to 1.5 | How many Pals spawn in the world. Higher means more encounters but more server load. |
Damage and difficulty
| Setting | Default | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| PlayerDamageRateAttack | 1.0 | Damage players deal. Increase for easier combat. |
| PlayerDamageRateDefense | 1.0 | Damage players receive. Decrease for less punishing combat. |
| PalDamageRateAttack | 1.0 | Damage your Pals deal. |
| PalDamageRateDefense | 1.0 | Damage your Pals receive. |
| DeathPenalty | 1 (items) | 0 = drop nothing, 1 = drop items, 2 = drop items and Pals. |
Gathering and crafting
| Setting | Default | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| CollectionDropRate | 1.0 | 2.0 to 3.0. Resources dropped per node. |
| CollectionObjectHpRate | 1.0 | 0.5 to 1.0. Node health. Lower means faster gathering. |
| WorkSpeedRate | 1.0 | 1.5 to 2.0. How fast Pals work at stations. |
Breeding and eggs
| Setting | Default | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| PalEggDefaultHatchingTime | 72.0 | Hatching time in hours. Set to 1.0 to 5.0 for reasonable times. |
Base and guild
| Setting | Default | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| BaseCampMaxNum | 3 | Bases per guild. Raise to 5 or more for building-focused servers. |
| BaseCampWorkerMaxNum | 15 | Pals working per base. More Pals = more server load. |
| GuildPlayerMaxNum | 20 | Players per guild. |
PvP settings
bEnablePlayerToPlayerDamage: true for PvP, false for PvE.bEnableFriendlyFire: whether guild members can hit each other.bIsMultiplay: must be true for multiplayer.
Performance tips
- Keep
PalSpawnNumRateat 1.0 or lower on servers with limited RAM. - Lower
BaseCampWorkerMaxNumto 10 if you have many guilds. - Set
DropItemAliveMaxHoursto 1.0 to clean up dropped items faster.
Do I need to restart the server after changing settings?
Yes. Settings are read at startup. Save the file, stop the server, and start it again.
Can players override server settings?
No. The server settings override everything. Players cannot change difficulty or rates from their client.
What if I use a wrong value?
The server will either ignore the setting or use the default. It will not crash from an invalid number, but extreme values (XP rate of 1000) will break the progression.
Adjust all settings on your Palworld server through the game panel at HostValues.
