V Rising Server Settings and Admin

Two files control everything

File	What it controls
ServerHostSettings.json	The technical side: name, ports, player count, autosave, RCON
ServerGameSettings.json	The gameplay: PvP or PvE, rates, castle rules, clan size

They live in the server's settings folder - typically save-data/Settings/. You will find them under Files in the Potionhost control panel.

Do not edit the templates under VRisingServer_Data/StreamingAssets/Settings/. Those are defaults only, and they are overwritten by every game update. Your changes belong in the settings folder.

You do not have to write the whole file. The server reads the defaults first and lays your file on top. A three-line file is perfectly valid - anything you do not mention uses the default. It also means future game updates will not break your setup.

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Read this first: why your settings are not applying

This is by far the most common V Rising support case, and it is almost always one of three things:

1. A preset is overriding you. If GameSettingsPreset or GameDifficultyPreset in ServerHostSettings.json holds a value, that preset is loaded instead of your settings. Both have to be empty ("") for your own file to apply.
2. An old copy in the save folder wins. Your save folder holds its own copies of both files, and they take priority over the ones in the settings folder.
3. Control panel fields beat the file. If the panel sets the server name or port as a startup parameter, that wins over whatever you wrote in the JSON.

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ServerHostSettings.json

Key	Default	Meaning
Name	"V Rising Server"	The name in the server list
Description	""	Description
Port	9876	Game port (UDP)
QueryPort	9877	Required to appear in the server list (UDP)
MaxConnectedUsers	40	Maximum players. The technical ceiling is 128
MaxConnectedAdmins	4	Reserved slots so admins can join a full server
ServerFps	30	The server tick rate
SaveName	"world1"	The name of the save folder
Password	""	Password to join
ListOnEOS	false	Show the server in the game's own list
ListOnSteam	false	Show the server in the Steam server browser
AutoSaveCount	20	Number of autosaves kept
AutoSaveInterval	120	Seconds between autosaves
GameSettingsPreset	""	Leave it empty if you manage the settings yourself

ListOnMasterServer no longer exists. It was split into ListOnEOS and ListOnSteam. Older guides still use the old name - it does nothing today.

RCON is an object, not loose keys:

"Rcon": {
  "Enabled": true,
  "Port": 25575,
  "Password": "something-long-and-random"
}

RCON will not work without a password. Note that RCON only supports a limited command set: announce, announcerestart, shutdown, cancelshutdown, name, description, password and time. Kick and ban are in-game console commands.

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ServerGameSettings.json

Key	Default	Values
GameModeType	"PvP"	PvP or PvE
GameDifficulty	"Normal"	Relaxed, Normal, Hard
CastleDamageMode	"Never"	Never, Always, TimeRestricted
PlayerDamageMode	"Always"	Always, TimeRestricted
CastleHeartDamageMode	"CanBeDestroyedByPlayers"	Also CanBeDestroyedOnlyWhenDecayed and Invulnerable
DeathContainerPermission	"Anyone"	Anyone, ClanMembers, OnlySelf
ClanSize	4	1 to 50
InventoryStacksModifier	1.0	0.25 to 3.0
MaterialYieldModifier_Global	1.0	0.25 to 3.0
DropTableModifier_General	1.0	0.25 to 3.0
CraftRateModifier	1.0	Higher = faster crafting
BloodBoundEquipment	true	Equipment bound to the player
TeleportBoundItems	true	Whether bound items may be teleported
CastleBloodEssenceDrainModifier	1.0	0 to 3

The stat modifiers are objects:

"VampireStatModifiers": {
  "MaxHealthModifier": 1.0,
  "PhysicalPowerModifier": 1.0,
  "SpellPowerModifier": 1.0
},
"UnitStatModifiers_Global": {
  "MaxHealthModifier": 1.0,
  "PowerModifier": 1.0,
  "LevelIncrease": 0
}

There is no key called UnitStatModifiers. It is two separate objects: UnitStatModifiers_Global and UnitStatModifiers_VBlood. Write the wrong name and it is simply ignored without an error.

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PvP in a fixed time window

If you want raids in a set evening window instead of around the clock:

"PlayerDamageMode": "TimeRestricted",
"CastleDamageMode": "TimeRestricted",
"PlayerInteractionSettings": {
  "TimeZone": "Local",
  "VSPlayerWeekdayTime": { "StartHour": 20, "StartMinute": 0, "EndHour": 22, "EndMinute": 0 },
  "VSCastleWeekdayTime": { "StartHour": 20, "StartMinute": 0, "EndHour": 22, "EndMinute": 0 }
}

There are matching VSPlayerWeekendTime and VSCastleWeekendTime settings for weekends.

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Admins

Two text files in the settings folder, with one SteamID64 per line:

adminlist.txt
banlist.txt

adminlist.txt can be edited without restarting the server. It is the one file you can safely change while it is running.

How to become admin in-game:

1. Enable the console in the client: Options → General → Console Enabled.
2. Press the key below Esc to open the console.
3. Type adminauth.

You then have access to kick, banuser, bancharacter, banned and unban. If you ban someone through the console, the server writes to banlist.txt itself.

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Saves and backup

Your saves live under Saves/v4/<SaveName>/ and are named AutoSave_0.save.gz, AutoSave_1.save.gz and so on. Only the highest one is loaded.

• AutoSaveInterval of 120 means an autosave every two minutes
• AutoSaveCount of 20 means the twenty newest are kept

v4 is the save format version. V Rising 1.0 used v3. If you see a guide with v3 in the path, it is out of date.

There is no built-in backup. Stop the server and download the whole settings and save folder before every game update - it contains your saves, your settings and your admin list.

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Troubleshooting

Symptom	Likely cause	Fix
My gameplay settings do nothing	A preset is overriding them	Set GameSettingsPreset and GameDifficultyPreset to ""
The settings still do not apply	An old copy in the save folder wins	Edit or delete the copies in Saves/v4/<SaveName>/
The server name is wrong despite the file	The control panel sets it as a startup parameter	Change the name in the panel instead
Changes vanished after a game update	You edited the templates in StreamingAssets	Edit the files in the settings folder
The server is not in the list	ListOnEOS is false, or QueryPort is not open	Enable listing and open both UDP ports
RCON does not respond	Empty password	Set a Password in the Rcon object
The server runs on plain defaults	Invalid JSON - an extra comma or wrong quotation marks	Validate the file before restarting
A stat modifier does nothing	Wrong key name, e.g. UnitStatModifiers	Use UnitStatModifiers_Global

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Good advice

• Stop the server, edit the file, start again. Editing while it runs can let the server write the old settings back on shutdown.
• Only put the keys you actually change in the file. Shorter files survive game updates better.
• Take a backup before changing anything that affects a world with players on it.
• Stunlock recommends a daily restart, ideally outside prime time.
• Check your settings in-game under See Detailed Settings - that tells you for certain what the server is actually running.

Cannot get a setting to apply? Send us your ServerGameSettings.json in a ticket and we will go through it.