Palworld Difficulty & Death Penalty Settings | GPORTAL

Quick answer: Palworld dedicated servers have no single difficulty slider – you build difficulty from individual settings in PalWorldSettings.ini. Lower PlayerDamageRateDefense to take more damage, set DeathPenalty (None, Item, ItemAndEquipment, All) and enable bHardcore for permadeath. Save and restart to apply.

At a glance

• Difficulty control: Individual parameters (no slider)
• Player damage: PlayerDamageRateAttack / PlayerDamageRateDefense
• Death penalty: DeathPenalty: None, Item, ItemAndEquipment, All
• Hardcore mode: bHardcore=True (permadeath)
• Lose Pals on death: bPalLost=True

Table of contents

1. How is difficulty controlled on a dedicated server?
2. Which settings change difficulty?
3. How do I set up a harder server?
4. Common problems
5. Difficulty presets
6. How do hunger and stamina affect difficulty?
7. FAQ

Palworld difficulty settings let you make your dedicated server as forgiving or as brutal as your community likes. Because dedicated servers have no simple difficulty slider, you tune difficulty through individual parameters in PalWorldSettings.ini. This guide walks you through the most important ones on your GPORTAL server.

How is difficulty controlled on a dedicated server?

Unlike a local game, a dedicated server has no single difficulty preset. Instead you combine several parameters that affect players and Pals – damage, stamina, hunger and death penalty – to build the exact difficulty you want.

Which settings change difficulty?

• PlayerDamageRateAttack / PlayerDamageRateDefense – damage dealt and taken by players.
• PalDamageRateAttack / PalDamageRateDefense – damage dealt and taken by Pals.
• PlayerStomachDecreaceRate / PlayerStaminaDecreaceRate – how fast hunger and stamina drain.
• DeathPenalty – what you lose on death (None, Item, ItemAndEquipment, All).
• bHardcore – permanent death, no respawn.
• bPalLost – permanently lose Pals on death.

How do I set up a harder server?

1. Lower PlayerDamageRateDefense below 1.0 so players take more damage.
2. Set DeathPenalty=All to drop all items and Pals on death.
3. Optionally enable bHardcore=True for permadeath.
4. Save and restart the server.

Common problems

Problem: hardcore feels too punishing. Combine bHardcore=True with bCharacterRecreateInHardcore=True so players can recreate their character after death.

Difficulty presets

Casual: PlayerDamageRateDefense 0.5 (players take less damage), DeathPenalty None. Balanced: all damage rates 1.0, DeathPenalty Item. Hardcore: PlayerDamageRateDefense 1.5+ (players take more damage), DeathPenalty All, bHardcore True and optionally bPalLost True. Pair hardcore with bCharacterRecreateInHardcore True so players can rebuild a character after death.

How do hunger and stamina affect difficulty?

Beyond combat, survival pressure comes from PlayerStomachDecreaceRate (how fast hunger drains) and PlayerStaminaDecreaceRate (how fast stamina drains). Raising these makes food and rest management a real challenge; lowering them creates a relaxed experience where players focus on building and exploration.

Related topics

• Palworld server settings explained
• Configure Palworld rates (EXP, capture, drops)
• Overview of admin commands in Palworld

FAQ

How do I enable hardcore mode in Palworld?

Set bHardcore=True in PalWorldSettings.ini, save and restart. Players can no longer respawn on death.

What does DeathPenalty=All do?

On death the player drops all items, all equipment and all Pals on their team – the harshest death penalty option.

Does Palworld have a difficulty setting for dedicated servers?

Not a single slider. You combine parameters such as damage rates, death penalty and hardcore mode in PalWorldSettings.ini to create your desired difficulty.

What is the hardest Palworld server configuration?

Set DeathPenalty=All, enable bHardcore=True and bPalLost=True, and increase enemy and Pal damage. This means permadeath with full loss of items and Pals.

Can players recreate their character in hardcore?

Yes, if you set bCharacterRecreateInHardcore=True, players may recreate their character after a hardcore death.

Still have questions? Our support team is happy to help.

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