Best Palworld Server Settings for Small Groups (1.0, 2026)

Q: Can I change settings while the server is running?

No. The server reads PalWorldSettings.ini only when it starts, so stop it, edit, save and start again.

Q: Does a higher Pal spawn rate cause lag?

Yes. PalSpawnNumRate is the setting Pocketpair flags as affecting performance. Keep it at 1.0 unless you have memory to spare. More on that in Palworld server lag and memory fix.

For a small Palworld server, the settings that matter most are ExpRate 2, PalCaptureRate 1.5, DeathPenalty Item, BaseCampWorkerMaxNum around 20, DayTimeSpeedRate 1 with NightTimeSpeedRate 2, and raids (bEnableInvaderEnemy) left on unless memory is tight. All of them live on one line in PalWorldSettings.ini. Below is where that file is, how the line works, and what we would set for a group of 4 to 8 friends.

Where is PalWorldSettings.ini?

The server reads one file at startup:

System	Path
Windows	`steamapps\common\PalServer\Pal\Saved\Config\WindowsServer\PalWorldSettings.ini`
Linux	`steamapps/common/PalServer/Pal/Saved/Config/LinuxServer/PalWorldSettings.ini`

If the file is empty or missing, copy the contents of DefaultPalWorldSettings.ini from the server's main folder into it. Editing DefaultPalWorldSettings.ini itself does nothing, which trips up a lot of people. The folder only appears after the server has started once.

How does the OptionSettings line work?

Everything sits under one header, on one single line:

[/Script/Pal.PalGameWorldSettings]
OptionSettings=(Difficulty=None,DayTimeSpeedRate=1.000000,NightTimeSpeedRate=1.000000,ExpRate=1.000000,PalCaptureRate=1.000000,...,CrossplayPlatforms=(Steam,Xbox,PS5,Mac))

Rules that keep it working:

One line. If your editor wraps or splits it, the server can skip the whole thing and fall back to defaults.
Commas between settings, a closing bracket at the end. One missing comma breaks every value after it.
Quotes around text, like ServerName="Pal Pals" and ServerPassword="hunter2". No commas inside text values.
Stop the server before editing. It only reads the file on start.

If your changes still do nothing, a WorldOption.sav in the world's save folder is overriding them. Our settings not working fix covers that.

Best rates for a small group

These are the multipliers people change first. Defaults are the 1.0 values.

Setting	Default	What it does	Our pick for 4 to 8 friends
`ExpRate`	1.0	XP multiplier	2.0. Leveling stays meaningful but nobody falls behind after missing a weekend.
`PalCaptureRate`	1.0	Capture chance multiplier	1.5. Fewer wasted spheres, still a challenge on alphas.
`PalSpawnNumRate`	1.0	How many wild Pals spawn	Leave at 1.0. Higher costs real CPU and memory.
`CollectionDropRate`	1.0	Wood, stone and ore from gathering	1.5 to 2.0 for groups who hate grinding.
`CollectionObjectRespawnSpeedRate`	1.0	Resource node respawn interval	1.0. Lower numbers bring nodes back faster.
`EnemyDropItemRate`	1.0	Loot from defeated Pals and enemies	1.5 if you breed or craft a lot.
`WorkSpeedRate`	1.0	How fast base Pals work	1.5. Bases feel alive without trivializing production.
`PalEggDefaultHatchingTime`	72.0	Hours to hatch a Huge Egg	2 to 8. 72 real hours is painful on a group server.
`ItemWeightRate`	1.0	Item weight multiplier	0.5 if your group hates juggling inventory.

Our honest take: double XP and faster eggs fix most of the friction for groups with jobs. Pushing everything to 5x makes the server feel finished in a week.

Which death penalty should you use?

DeathPenalty takes one of four words:

Value	What drops on death
`None`	Nothing
`Item`	Everything except equipped gear
`ItemAndEquipment`	All items including equipment
`All`	All items plus the Pals on your team (default)

For friends, use Item. Dying still costs you your materials, but you keep your armor and weapons and do not have to run back for your Pals. All is the default and works for hardcore groups. Related toggles: bHardcore=True stops players respawning at all, and bPalLost=True makes Pals lost on death gone for good. Leave both off unless your group asked for them.

Base camp limits

Setting	Default	Notes
`BaseCampWorkerMaxNum`	15	Pals working per base, max 50
`BaseCampMaxNumInGuild`	4	Bases per guild, max 10
`BaseCampMaxNum`	128	Bases across the whole server
`GuildPlayerMaxNum`	20	Players per guild
`MaxBuildingLimitNum`	0	Structures per player, 0 is unlimited

Pocketpair's own docs warn that raising base limits raises processing load, and it shows. Every working Pal is pathing, eating and doing work on the server. For a small group we would set BaseCampWorkerMaxNum to 20 and BaseCampMaxNumInGuild to 5 or 6. Going to 50 workers in several bases is the fastest way to a laggy server. Some admins report the worker count only changes through WorldOption.sav on dedicated servers, so check it in game after a restart.

Should you turn raids off?

bEnableInvaderEnemy controls the raids where enemies attack your base. Default is True.

Leave it on if your group enjoys defending. It is part of the game loop and drops useful loot.
Turn it off if bases get raided while nobody is online, or if the server is struggling with memory. Raids spawn extra characters near bases, and turning them off lowers memory use.

bAllowEnemyCampSpawnNearBaseCamp is a separate toggle that stops enemy camps appearing near player bases, worth turning off if camps keep spawning on top of your farm.

Day and night speed

DayTimeSpeedRate and NightTimeSpeedRate both default to 1.0. Higher numbers make that part of the day pass faster.

Our pick: DayTimeSpeedRate=1.0 and NightTimeSpeedRate=2.0. Nights are dark, slower to work in and your Pals sleep anyway, so shortening them keeps sessions moving. If your group plays in short bursts, lower DayTimeSpeedRate to 0.7 so a day lasts longer.

PvP, server and quality of life settings

Setting	Default	What we would set
`bIsPvP`	False	False for co-op groups
`bEnableFriendlyFire`	False	False, unless you like chaos
`bEnableFastTravel`	True	True
`bExistPlayerAfterLogout`	False	False, so offline players cannot be killed
`DropItemAliveMaxHours`	1.0	1.0. Raising it leaves more items on the ground, which costs performance.
`bAutoResetGuildNoOnlinePlayers`	False	True on public servers, so abandoned bases get cleared
`bIsUseBackupSaveData`	True	True. Turn off only if disk load is a problem.
`ServerPlayerMaxNum`	32	Your real group size plus a couple of spare slots
`CrossplayPlatforms`	(Steam,Xbox,PS5,Mac)	Leave it unless you want to block a platform

Two newer toggles worth turning on for friends: bShowPlayerList=True puts a player list on the ESC menu, and bIsShowJoinLeftMessage=True announces joins and leaves in game.

Crossplay has its own guide: Palworld dedicated server crossplay.

A ready made small group line

This is a shortened example of what we would change for 4 to 8 friends. Paste the values into your own line rather than replacing it, because the real line has many more settings and every one must stay.

OptionSettings=(...,DayTimeSpeedRate=1.000000,NightTimeSpeedRate=2.000000,ExpRate=2.000000,PalCaptureRate=1.500000,PalSpawnNumRate=1.000000,CollectionDropRate=1.500000,EnemyDropItemRate=1.500000,DeathPenalty=Item,bEnableInvaderEnemy=True,BaseCampWorkerMaxNum=20,BaseCampMaxNumInGuild=5,PalEggDefaultHatchingTime=4.000000,WorkSpeedRate=1.500000,...)

Changing these on a GamezServers server

The most used settings are menus in the panel's Settings page: XP rate, capture rate, day speed, night speed, Pal work speed, egg hatching hours, Pals per base, death penalty, PvP, raids, crossplay platforms and the join and admin passwords. They are written into PalWorldSettings.ini on every start, so change those in the panel.

For everything else, press Backup, then Stop, open the Files tab and edit Pal/Saved/Config/LinuxServer/PalWorldSettings.ini, then Start. If you are still picking a plan, the Palworld quick start walks through it, and Palworld server hosting has the plans.

FAQ

Do Palworld settings changes need a new world?

No. Most settings apply to the existing world after a restart. Changes to spawn counts or resource rates show up as areas reload, not instantly.

What is the best XP rate for a Palworld server?

2x suits most friend groups. 3x works if people only play a few hours a week. Above that, the level curve stops meaning much.

Can I change settings while the server is running?

No. The server reads PalWorldSettings.ini only when it starts, so stop it, edit, save and start again.

Why did my Palworld settings reset to default?

The OptionSettings line is broken, usually by a line break, a missing comma or bracket, or a missing quote around text. Copy a fresh line from DefaultPalWorldSettings.ini and change one value at a time.

Does a higher Pal spawn rate cause lag?

Yes. PalSpawnNumRate is the setting Pocketpair flags as affecting performance. Keep it at 1.0 unless you have memory to spare. More on that in Palworld server lag and memory fix.