PalWorldSettings.iniAll server settings explained

Published on August 4, 2026 · last updated on October 21, 2026

How the file is structured

All settings are on the OptionSettings line inside a single bracket, separated by commas. At MainHoster.de, you edit the file conveniently via the config editor in the web interface. A server restart is required after every change.

The tables below show the most commonly used parameters with their default values, sorted into five groups - from the server identity to the remote console.

Server identity & access

Game world & rates

Combat & PvP

Bases & items

RCON & administration

The one line everything depends on

The list shows the most frequently used parameters. Palworld knows numerous other values on top of that - the complete reference is provided by the bundled DefaultPalWorldSettings.ini. Values and keys can change between Palworld versions.

Palworld deviates from what you would expect from an INI file. Instead of one setting per line, everything is on a single, very long line after OptionSettings=, enclosed in round brackets and separated by commas:

[/Script/Pal.PalGameWorldSettings]
OptionSettings=(Difficulty=None,DayTimeSpeedRate=1.000000,
ExpRate=1.000000,PalCaptureRate=1.000000,ServerName="My Server",
ServerPassword="",AdminPassword="secret",RCONEnabled=True)

That leads to the most important rule on this page: a single typo does not break one setting, but all of them. If a comma, a bracket or a quotation mark is missing, Palworld silently discards the entire line and starts with the default values. The server then runs completely normally - just with entirely different rules from the ones you entered.

So change only a few values per round, restart and check in the game whether they take effect. If you touch ten values at once and then find that nothing was applied, the search for the error takes considerably longer.

Values that cannot be changed afterwards

Most parameters take effect on an existing world after a restart. But a few things are fixed by Palworld during world generation and are not touched afterwards - this includes the basic difficulty setting. If you want to adjust these values later, there is no way around a new world.

A second case that regularly causes confusion: if there is a WorldOption.sav in the save folder - typically because a single-player world was transferred - this file takes precedence over the INI. Your entries are then correct and ineffective at the same time. More on this under Transfer a world.

Sensible starting values

For the first round with friends, this direction has proven itself: ExpRate and the gathering rates slightly above 1.0 - around 1.5 to 2.0 - so that getting started does not drag, but progress is still worth something. Leave PalCaptureRate at 1.0; higher values quickly take the excitement out of catching. Soften DeathPenalty if you want to play in a relaxed way - losing your entire inventory is the most common reason why someone does not come back.

For a later round, you can tighten the values at any time. The other way round is harder: a server that ran with ten times the XP rate for two weeks cannot sensibly be turned back to vanilla without everyone getting bored. So start on the conservative side.

Password and access rules belong here too - how to keep the server private is explained under Whitelist & server password. And if you activate RCON, you absolutely need an AdminPassword as well: Palworld uses the same password for both, see Admin commands & RCON. How much memory the plans offer is shown in How much RAM does a Palworld server need?.

Frequently asked questions