Palworld Server Settings and Admin Commands

The file the server actually reads

There are two files with almost the same name, and this is where most people go wrong.

File	Role
Pal/Saved/Config/LinuxServer/PalWorldSettings.ini	The one the server reads. This is what you edit
DefaultPalWorldSettings.ini (in the server root)	Only a template with default values. Editing it does nothing

The Pal/Saved/Config/LinuxServer/ folder is only created after the server has been started once. If it is empty, start the server, stop it again, and copy DefaultPalWorldSettings.ini in there as PalWorldSettings.ini.

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The file format - read this first

The file is two lines. No more.

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

Every setting sits inside the single OptionSettings=(...) bracket, separated by commas. The rules:

• No spaces around equals signs or after commas
• No line breaks inside the bracket
• Text values in quotation marks: ServerName="My server"
• True and false are capitalised: True / False
• The bracket has to be closed again

One missing bracket or one missing quotation mark and the server ignores the whole line and runs on defaults. It looks exactly like "my settings are not applying".

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How to edit the file

1. Stop the server in the Potionhost control panel and wait until it is fully down.
2. Open Files and find Pal/Saved/Config/LinuxServer/PalWorldSettings.ini.
3. Change the values and save.
4. Start the server.

Never edit the file while the server is running. Palworld keeps the settings in memory and writes them back over your file when the server shuts down. Your changes disappear.

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The settings you will most often change

Server and access

Setting	Default	Meaning
ServerName	"Default Palworld Server"	The name in the server list
ServerDescription	""	Description in the server list
AdminPassword	""	Required for admin commands. Set it
ServerPassword	""	Password to join. Empty = open server
ServerPlayerMaxNum	32	Maximum players
PublicPort	8211	The game port

Difficulty and rates

Setting	Default	Meaning
ExpRate	1.000000	Experience. Higher = faster levelling
PalCaptureRate	1.000000	Chance of catching a Pal
PalSpawnNumRate	1.000000	How many Pals spawn in the world
CollectionDropRate	1.000000	Yield from trees, rocks and ore
CollectionObjectRespawnSpeedRate	1.000000	How fast resources come back
EnemyDropItemRate	1.000000	Loot from enemies

Damage

Setting	Default	Meaning
PlayerDamageRateAttack	1.000000	Damage the player deals
PlayerDamageRateDefense	1.000000	Damage the player takes
PalDamageRateAttack	1.000000	Damage your Pals deal
PalDamageRateDefense	1.000000	Damage your Pals take

Watch the defense rates. PlayerDamageRateDefense controls the damage you receive. Raising it makes the game harder, not easier. For a gentler game, turn it down.

Bases, guilds and PvP

Setting	Default	Meaning
bIsPvP	False	Player versus player
GuildPlayerMaxNum	20	Maximum members in a guild
BaseCampMaxNum	128	Bases across the whole server
BaseCampMaxNumInGuild	4	Bases per guild. Max 10 - higher costs performance
DropItemMaxNum	3000	Maximum items lying in the world
bEnableInvaderEnemy	True	Raids on your bases

Death penalty

DeathPenalty decides what you lose when you die:

Value	What you lose
None	Nothing
Item	All items except equipment
ItemAndEquipment	All items including equipment
All	All items and the Pals on your team

The default in the file the server ships with is All. Check your own DefaultPalWorldSettings.ini if you are unsure.

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Admin commands

Commands are typed in in-game chat. Log in as admin first - once per session:

/AdminPassword your_password

This requires AdminPassword to be set in the ini file.

Command	What it does
/ShowPlayers	Lists everyone on the server with name, Player UID and Steam ID
/Info	Server information
/Save	Saves the world now
/Broadcast text	Sends a message to everyone
/KickPlayer SteamID	Kicks a player
/BanPlayer SteamID	Bans a player
/UnBanPlayer SteamID	Lifts a ban
/TeleportToPlayer SteamID	Teleports you to the player
/TeleportToMe SteamID	Brings the player to you
/Shutdown seconds message	Shuts the server down after a countdown
/DoExit	Stops the server immediately

/DoExit stops the server without warning and without saving. Run /Save first, or use /Shutdown instead.

You get the IDs from /ShowPlayers. Players on Xbox, Game Pass or PlayStation have no Steam ID - use their Player UID instead.

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Troubleshooting

Symptom	Likely cause	Fix
None of my settings apply	You edited DefaultPalWorldSettings.ini	Edit Pal/Saved/Config/LinuxServer/PalWorldSettings.ini instead
The changes disappeared again	The server was running when you saved	Stop the server, edit, start
The server runs on default values	A format error: spaces, line breaks or a missing bracket	Go through the line character by character
Only some settings apply	A missing quotation mark on a text value breaks the rest of the line	Check ServerName and ServerDescription
Settings ignored even though the file is correct	A WorldOption.sav in the save folder overrides the ini	Delete Pal/Saved/SaveGames/0/WORLD/WorldOption.sav and restart
Admin commands are refused	AdminPassword is empty, or you are not logged in	Set the password and run /AdminPassword again
The game got harder after I raised defense	The defense rates control damage received	Turn them down instead

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Good advice

• Take a copy of your PalWorldSettings.ini before touching it. One line is easy to break and hard to rebuild.
• Change a few values at a time and restart in between, so you know what worked.
• BaseCampMaxNumInGuild costs performance - raise it carefully.
• AdminPassword should be different from ServerPassword.

Brand new to the server? Start with Getting Started with Your Palworld Server.