Editing PalWorldSettings.ini: Rates, Difficulty, and Day Length

All of your Palworld server rules live in one file called `PalWorldSettings.ini`, where a single `OptionSettings` line controls XP rates, capture rates, difficulty, day and night length, and dozens of other values.

3 min read · Updated Sep 24, 2026 · By GuavaHost Team

Where the file lives

On your GuavaHost server the file is at Pal/Saved/Config/LinuxServer/PalWorldSettings.ini. The easiest way to edit it is Server properties, under Game tools in your server's menu in the control panel. It opens the file as World settings and splits the long OptionSettings line into one row per setting, with a search box, so you change a value without touching the brackets and commas around it.

You can also open the file itself on the Files tab, or edit it over SFTP with a client like FileZilla using the details under Connection details on the Settings tab (SFTP is a secure way to move files between your computer and your server).

Before you change anything, take a snapshot on the Backups page. If an edit breaks the file, restoring puts everything back.

How the file is structured

The whole config is packed into one very long line that starts with OptionSettings=( and ends with ). Every setting sits inside those brackets, separated by commas. Server properties handles that for you. If you edit the file as text instead, two rules keep you out of trouble:

• Keep it all on a single line. Do not press Enter inside the brackets.
• Do not add spaces around the commas or equals signs.

If you want to see every available setting with its default, look at DefaultPalWorldSettings.ini in the Pal/Saved/Config/ folder. Copy values from there into your live file rather than guessing names.

The settings people change most

• Difficulty: the overall difficulty preset.
• ExpRate: experience multiplier. 2.000000 means double XP.
• PalCaptureRate: how easy Pals are to catch. Higher is easier.
• PalSpawnNumRate: how many wild Pals spawn in the world.
• DayTimeSpeedRate: how fast daytime passes. A higher number means shorter days.
• NightTimeSpeedRate: the same for night. Raise it to make nights fly by.
• DeathPenalty: what you drop on death. Options include None, Item, ItemAndEquipment, and All.
• WorkSpeedRate: how fast your Pals do base work.
• bEnablePlayerToPlayerDamage: set to True for PvP, False for a peaceful server.
• ServerPlayerMaxNum: the player cap for your world.
• ServerName and ServerDescription: what shows in the server browser.
• ServerPassword: leave empty for an open server, or set a password to lock it.

Rates are written as decimals, so use 1.000000, 0.500000, 3.000000 and so on.

Make an edit safely

1. Take a snapshot on the Backups page.
2. Open Server properties under Game tools in the server menu.
3. Type the setting's name, for example ExpRate, into the search box and change only its value.
4. Click Save changes.
5. Press Restart at the top of the server page. Settings are read at startup, so nothing changes until you restart.

If your changes do not stick

• You edited the wrong file. Only PalWorldSettings.ini in the LinuxServer folder is read. The default reference file is not used at runtime.
• The server was not restarted. Palworld only reads the config at boot.
• A typo broke the line. A stray line break or a missing bracket makes Palworld fall back to defaults. Restore your backup and try again, changing one value at a time.

Change a few values, restart, and test in-game until the server plays the way your group likes.

Still stuck? Jump into our Discord at discord.gg/GuavaHost and the team will help you out.

• palworld
• settings
• config
• difficulty
• rates

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