How to Edit Palworld Server Settings

Palworld's gameplay settings live in PalWorldSettings.ini. On FSH (Proton)
servers this file is already created and filled with defaults during install, so
in most cases you just open it and change the values you care about.

Path note: FSH Palworld runs the Windows build under Proton, so the active
config is in the WindowsServer folder — not LinuxServer. Editing
LinuxServer will have no effect.

Before You Start — What NOT to Edit Here

A small set of settings are managed by the Startup tab and rewritten into the file
every time the server boots. Editing them in the file does nothing — they get
reset. Change these on the Startup tab instead:

Server Name, Server Password, Admin Password, Max Players, Public IP, RCON,
REST API, Server Description, Difficulty, and Crossplay Platforms.

Everything else (EXP rate, capture rate, drop rates, death penalty, egg hatch
time, etc.) is fair game to edit directly in the file, and your changes will
persist.

Editing the File

1. Log in to the FSH Panel.
2. Stop the server and wait for it to fully shut down.
   (Edits made while running are reset on shutdown.)
3. Open the File Manager and go to:

   Pal/Saved/Config/WindowsServer/PalWorldSettings.ini
   

4. Click the file to open the editor. Under [/Script/Pal.PalGameWorldSettings]
   you'll see one long line: OptionSettings=(Key=Value,Key=Value,...). Find the
   key you want and change its value.
5. Save, then start the server.

Keep the line intact. All settings sit on the single OptionSettings=(...)
line, comma-separated, inside one pair of parentheses. A missing comma or
parenthesis makes Palworld silently ignore the whole line and revert to
defaults.

A full key reference is in the official guide:
https://docs.palworldgame.com/settings-and-operation/configuration/

If the File Is Empty or You Want a Clean Reset

If PalWorldSettings.ini is blank (or you want to start over from defaults):

1. With the server stopped, open DefaultPalWorldSettings.ini in the server's
   root directory.
2. Copy the [/Script/Pal.PalGameWorldSettings] header and the entire
   OptionSettings=(...) line beneath it.
3. Paste them into
   Pal/Saved/Config/WindowsServer/PalWorldSettings.ini, replacing its contents.
4. Edit your values, save, and start the server.

Difficulty

The Difficulty key is not currently functional in Palworld — your individual
settings apply regardless of what it's set to. You do not need to set it to
Casual/Normal/Hard for your custom values to take effect. (On FSH it's a Startup
variable, left at None by default — leave it there and just edit the individual
settings you want.)

Death Penalty

DeathPenalty controls what a player loses when they die. Use one of these exact
values (note Item is singular):