Your Enshrouded server reads all its settings from one file, enshrouded_server.json. The easy settings in Settings cover the common ones. This page lists every key, its default and what it does.
Where the files are
| File or folder | What’s in it |
|---|---|
enshrouded_server.json |
All server settings, player groups and the ban list |
savegame |
Your world’s save files |
logs |
The server’s log files, with older ones in logs/backup |
enshrouded_server_readme.txt |
Keen Games’ own notes for the current server version |
All of these are in the server’s main folder, next to enshrouded_server.exe. Open them in Files, or over SFTP (works with FileZilla) with the details on the SFTP card in Files.
How to change settings
- Easy settings: open Settings. Server name, slots, difficulty preset and group passwords have plain labels there.
- Advanced: under Settings > Advanced you see the real file.
- Files: edit
enshrouded_server.jsonin Files. The editor checks the JSON before saving, so a missing comma won’t break your server.
The panel reads your hand edits back and won’t overwrite them.
Stop the server before you edit the file by hand. The server writes to it too, for example when an admin bans someone, and can undo changes made while it runs.
Server settings
| Key | Default | What it does |
|---|---|---|
name |
Set at create | The name in the server list. Everyone can see it, so keep it friendly. |
slotCount |
16 |
How many players can be on at once, from 1 to 16. |
gameSettingsPreset |
Default |
The difficulty preset. See below. |
gameSettings |
All defaults | Custom difficulty values. Only used when the preset is Custom. |
userGroups |
Admin, Friend, Guest, Visitor | Player groups, each with a password and rights. See roles and permissions. |
tags |
[] (none) |
Tags that help players find you in the list, like "LookingForPlayers", "BaseBuilding", "Exploration", "Roleplay" or a language such as "English". |
enableTextChat |
false |
true turns on text chat. |
enableVoiceChat |
false |
true turns on voice chat. |
voiceChatMode |
Proximity |
Proximity means you hear players near you. Global means everyone hears everyone. |
password |
Not used | The old single password. Use groups instead. If it’s set, Enshrouded makes a group called default with Friend rights. |
queryPort |
Set by Wilderack | The port on your address card. Don’t change it, or players can’t find you. |
ip |
0.0.0.0 |
The network address the server listens on. Leave it as is. |
saveDirectory |
./savegame |
Where the world is saved. Don’t change it, or backups miss your world. |
logDirectory |
./logs |
Where logs go. |
Difficulty presets
gameSettingsPreset |
What it does |
|---|---|
Default |
The normal game. Best for a first playthrough. |
Relaxed |
Fewer enemies, more resources and loot. For builders and easygoing adventures. |
Hard |
More enemies, and they’re more aggressive. |
Survival |
Aggressive enemies plus extra survival rules, for players who want a real challenge. |
Custom |
Uses every value in gameSettings, below. |
Custom game settings
These keys live inside "gameSettings". They only count when gameSettingsPreset is "Custom". Numbers outside the range are set to the nearest allowed value. Text values must be spelled exactly, capital letters included, or the server won’t start.
Players
| Key | Default | Range | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|
playerHealthFactor |
1 |
0.25 to 4 | Max health |
playerManaFactor |
1 |
0.25 to 4 | Max mana |
playerStaminaFactor |
1 |
0.25 to 4 | Max stamina |
playerBodyHeatFactor |
1 |
0.5 to 2 | How long you last in the cold |
playerDivingTimeFactor |
1 |
0.5 to 2 | How long you can stay underwater |
enableDurability |
true |
true, false | false means weapons never break |
enableStarvingDebuff |
false |
true, false | true turns on hunger and starving |
foodBuffDurationFactor |
1 |
0.5 to 2 | How long food buffs last |
fromHungerToStarving |
600000000000 |
5 to 20 minutes | Time from hungry to starving, in nanoseconds |
shroudTimeFactor |
1 |
0.5 to 2 | How long you can stay in the Shroud |
tombstoneMode |
AddBackpackMaterials |
AddBackpackMaterials, Everything, NoTombstone |
What you drop when you die: materials only, everything, or nothing |
enableGliderTurbulences |
true |
true, false | false turns off air turbulence while gliding |
World and resources
| Key | Default | Range | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|
weatherFrequency |
Normal |
Disabled, Rare, Normal, Often |
How often weather events happen |
fishingDifficulty |
Normal |
VeryEasy, Easy, Normal, Hard, VeryHard |
How hard fish fight |
miningDamageFactor |
1 |
0.5 to 2 | Mining speed and resources per hit |
plantGrowthSpeedFactor |
1 |
0.25 to 2 | How fast plants grow |
resourceDropStackAmountFactor |
1 |
0.25 to 2 | Materials per loot stack |
factoryProductionSpeedFactor |
1 |
0.25 to 2 | Workshop production speed |
perkUpgradeRecyclingFactor |
0.5 |
0 to 1 | Runes returned when you salvage upgraded weapons |
perkCostFactor |
1 |
0.25 to 2 | Runes needed to upgrade weapons |
experienceCombatFactor |
1 |
0.25 to 2 | XP from fighting |
experienceMiningFactor |
1 |
0 to 2 | XP from mining |
experienceExplorationQuestsFactor |
1 |
0.25 to 2 | XP from exploring and quests |
flameLevelFogRemoval |
11 |
0 to 20 | Flame level needed before Flame Altars can push back the Shroud (added in 1.0) |
dayTimeDuration |
1800000000000 |
2 to 60 minutes | Length of the day, in nanoseconds |
nightTimeDuration |
720000000000 |
2 to 60 minutes | Length of the night, in nanoseconds |
Enemies
| Key | Default | Range | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|
randomSpawnerAmount |
Normal |
Few, Normal, Many, Extreme, Automatic |
How many enemies appear. Automatic (new in 1.0) scales them to the players nearby |
aggroPoolAmount |
Normal |
Few, Normal, Many, Extreme |
How many enemies can attack at the same time |
enemyDamageFactor |
1 |
0.25 to 5 | Enemy damage, bosses not included |
enemyHealthFactor |
1 |
0.25 to 4 | Enemy health, bosses not included |
enemyStaminaFactor |
1 |
0.5 to 2 | How hard enemies are to stun |
enemyPerceptionRangeFactor |
1 |
0.5 to 2 | How far enemies see and hear you |
bossDamageFactor |
1 |
0.2 to 5 | Boss damage |
bossHealthFactor |
1 |
0.2 to 5 | Boss health |
threatBonus |
1 |
0.25 to 4 | How often enemies attack |
pacifyAllEnemies |
false |
true, false | true means enemies wait until you attack them, bosses not included |
tamingStartleRepercussion |
LoseSomeProgress |
KeepProgress, LoseSomeProgress, LoseAllProgress |
What happens when you scare an animal you’re taming |
curseModifier |
Normal |
Easy, Normal, Hard |
Shroud curse. Easy turns it off, Hard doubles the chance |
Times in nanoseconds
Day length, night length and hunger time are in nanoseconds. One minute is 60000000000 (60 and nine zeros).
| Minutes | Value |
|---|---|
| 2 (shortest) | 120000000000 |
| 5 | 300000000000 |
| 10 | 600000000000 |
| 12 | 720000000000 |
| 20 | 1200000000000 |
| 30 | 1800000000000 |
| 60 (longest) | 3600000000000 |
Bans
Admins ban players in game, from the social menu. The ban list is saved in enshrouded_server.json, and an admin can unban players from the same menu. If you edit the list by hand, stop the server first and keep the format exactly as the game wrote it.
Which changes need a restart
Enshrouded reads enshrouded_server.json when it starts, so every change needs a restart. The panel offers Restart after you save. If the server is asleep, your changes apply when it next wakes, and that start takes a little longer than usual.
If the server won’t start after an edit
- A text value is misspelled, like
normalinstead ofNormal. The server stops and names the value in Console. Fix the spelling. - The file is broken. Keen Games says a file from an older version can sometimes update badly. Download a copy first, then delete it in Files and restart, and the server makes a fresh one. Your world isn’t touched, but the group passwords are new, so set them again in Settings.
- You can’t find the problem. In Files, open the file and restore an earlier version from before your edit.
Questions
Where is enshrouded_server.json?
In the server's main folder, next to enshrouded_server.exe. On Wilderack you can open it in Files, or change the common settings in Settings without touching the file.
Why are my Enshrouded gameSettings ignored?
The values in gameSettings only count when gameSettingsPreset is set to Custom. With any other preset, the server uses the preset's values instead. Set it to Custom and restart.
How do I make days longer on my Enshrouded server?
Set gameSettingsPreset to Custom and raise dayTimeDuration. It's in nanoseconds, so 30 minutes is 1800000000000 and 60 minutes, the most allowed, is 3600000000000. Restart to apply.
Can I change Enshrouded difficulty settings on an existing world?
Yes. Change the preset or the custom values, then restart the server. The new values apply from the next start, and your world and characters stay as they are.
Sources we checked
- Dedicated Server ConfigurationKeen Games
- Server Gameplay SettingsKeen Games
- Enshrouded 1.0 changelogKeen Games on Steam
