Configuring Your Palworld Server: All Key Settings
XP rate, capture rate, death penalty, egg hatching & more: the most important Palworld server settings explained — right in the RespawnHost panel's config editor.
Configuring your Palworld server
All the gameplay rules of your Palworld server live in PalWorldSettings.ini. At RespawnHost you don’t have to edit it by hand: the panel includes a config editor for your server showing every setting with a description, sensible limits and dropdowns — changes save automatically.
Important: the server must be restarted for changes to take effect.
The most popular settings
Rates & progression
| Setting | Default | Range | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|
XP rate (ExpRate) | 1.0 | 0.1–20 | XP multiplier for players & Pals. 2.0–3.0 is the most popular quality-of-life boost. |
Work speed (WorkSpeedRate) | 1.0 | 0.1–5 | How fast players & Pals work. |
Capture rate (PalCaptureRate) | 1.0 | 0.5–2 | Chance of catching Pals. |
Gathering yield (CollectionDropRate) | 1.0 | 0.5–3 | Yield when gathering (wood, ore …). 2.0 = half the grind. |
Egg hatching time (PalEggDefaultHatchingTime) | 72 h | 0–240 | Hours until large eggs hatch. Lower to 0–2 to skip the long wait. |
Difficulty & death
| Setting | Default | Options / range | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|
Difficulty (Difficulty) | Custom | Casual / Normal / Hard / Custom | Preset — with “Custom” your individual values apply. |
Death penalty (DeathPenalty) | All | None / Items only / Items + equipment / All | What you drop on death. “Items only” is much more relaxed than the default. |
Damage taken (PlayerDamageRateDefense) | 1.0 | 0.1–5 | Lower = players take less punishment. |
Hunger rate (PlayerStomachDecreaceRate) | 1.0 | 0.1–5 | Lower = eat less often. |
Base & Pals
| Setting | Default | Range | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|
Workers per base (BaseCampWorkerMaxNum) | 15 | 1–50 | More Pals per base = more productivity, but also more server load. |
Bases per guild (BaseCampMaxNumInGuild) | 4 | 1–10 | How many bases a guild may build. |
Structure decay (BuildObjectDeteriorationDamageRate) | 1.0 | 0–10 | 0 = no decay — popular if you don’t want buildings to crumble. |
Raids (bEnableInvaderEnemy) | On | On/Off | Random attacks on your base. |
Multiplayer & PvP
| Setting | Default | Effect |
|---|---|---|
Max guild members (GuildPlayerMaxNum) | 20 | Up to 100 possible. |
PvP (bIsPvP) | Off | Player-versus-player mode. |
Crossplay platforms (CrossplayPlatforms) | Steam, Xbox, PS5, Mac | Which platforms may connect. |
Popular “relaxed” configuration
For laid-back sessions with friends, this combination has proven popular:
ExpRate = 2.0
PalCaptureRate = 1.5
CollectionDropRate = 2.0
PalEggDefaultHatchingTime = 1.0
DeathPenalty = Item (items only)
BuildObjectDeteriorationDamageRate = 0
PlayerStomachDecreaceRate = 0.5All of it right in the config editor — restart the server, done.
Hardcore variant
For maximum challenge: bHardcore = On (permadeath), bPalLost = On (Pals are lost on death), DeathPenalty = All. Fair warning — it’s unforgiving.
A note on value ranges
The min/max values match the slider limits of the in-game world settings. The server partly accepts higher values — but extreme values (e.g. XP ×100) can wreck balance or performance. Test bigger changes with a backup in place.
Related guides
- Creating & setting up a server — basics and startup variables
- How much RAM do I need? — package recommendations
- Installing mods — PAK mods from CurseForge