Settings · 8 min read

Enshrouded server settings explained (enshrouded_server.json)

Every gameplay setting in enshrouded_server.json with its default and range, the difficulty presets, and why custom values need the Custom preset.

Last checked 13 November 2026

Short answer

An Enshrouded dedicated server keeps every setting in enshrouded_server.json, next to enshrouded_server.exe. Pick a difficulty with gameSettingsPreset: Default, Relaxed, Hard or Survival. To change single values, set the preset to Custom first: the game reads the values under gameSettings only then. Times are written in nanoseconds. Edit the file with the server stopped.

The difficulty presets

The values of gameSettingsPreset in enshrouded_server.json, as Keen Games describe them
Preset	What Keen say it does
`Default`	What Keen say it doesEvery value at its default. Keen recommend it for first-time players
`Relaxed`	What Keen say it doesFewer enemies, more resources and loot, for base building and light adventuring
`Hard`	What Keen say it doesMore enemies, and more aggressive ones, for tougher combat
`Survival`	What Keen say it doesMore aggressive enemies with extra survival mechanics on top
`Custom`	What Keen say it doesUses the individual values in gameSettings

Why your custom values do nothing

This is the trap most people fall into. The file always lists every value under gameSettings, whichever preset is chosen, so it looks as if you can change one and keep the preset. Keen's settings page says the individual settings can be changed only when Custom is selected. Under any other preset the game uses that preset's values and yours are left unread.

"gameSettingsPreset": "Custom",
"gameSettings": {
  ...
  "enemyDamageFactor": 0.5,
  "dayTimeDuration": 2700000000000,
  ...
}

That example halves enemy damage and makes daytime last 45 minutes. The ... stands for the other values, which stay as the server wrote them.

Three rules for editing the file

Times are in nanoseconds. A minute is 60000000000: a 6 with ten zeros. The default day, 1800000000000, is 30 minutes. The game's own menus show the same settings in minutes.
A number outside the range is pulled back into it. Keen: “the maximum or minimum value is used instead.”
A wrong word stops the server. A choice the game doesn't know, such as a misspelt tombstoneMode, keeps the server from starting, and its window names the value it refused. Keep a copy of the working file before you edit. If you can't get a file working again, delete it and the server writes a fresh one at its next start, which is Keen's own fix for a file an update has converted wrongly; you then set your name, slots and passwords again.

Every gameplay setting

Each key below sits inside gameSettings. A value of 1 on a multiplier is the normal amount, 2 is double and 0.5 is half.

Player

Enshrouded gameSettings keys in the group Player, with their defaults and allowed values
Setting	Default	Allowed	What it changes
`playerHealthFactor`	Default`1`	Allowed0.25 to 4	What it changesHow much health players have.
`playerManaFactor`	Default`1`	Allowed0.25 to 4	What it changesHow much mana players have.
`playerStaminaFactor`	Default`1`	Allowed0.25 to 4	What it changesHow much stamina players have.
`playerBodyHeatFactor`	Default`1`	Allowed0.5 to 2	What it changesHow long players can stay in freezing places before they get too cold.
`playerDivingTimeFactor`	Default`1`	Allowed0.5 to 2	What it changesHow long players can stay underwater before they run out of air.

Survival

Enshrouded gameSettings keys in the group Survival, with their defaults and allowed values
Setting	Default	Allowed	What it changes
`enableDurability`	Default`true`	Allowedtrue or false	What it changesWhen this is off, weapons never break.
`enableStarvingDebuff`	Default`false`	Allowedtrue or false	What it changesWhen this is on, players get hungry, and starving players lose health until they eat or drink.
`foodBuffDurationFactor`	Default`1`	Allowed0.5 to 2	What it changesHow long the effects of food last.
`fromHungerToStarving`	Default`600000000000 (10 minutes)`	Allowed5 minutes to 20 minutes	What it changesHow long a player stays hungry before starving begins.
`shroudTimeFactor`	Default`1`	Allowed0.5 to 2	What it changesHow long players can stay inside the Shroud.
`tombstoneMode`	Default`"AddBackpackMaterials"`	AllowedAddBackpackMaterials, Everything, NoTombstone	What it changesWhat players lose from their backpack when they die; lost items wait in a tombstone.
`flameLevelFogRemoval`	Default`11`	Allowed0 to 20	What it changesThe Flame level a world needs before Flame Altars can push back the Shroud. The default, 11, is the last Flame level.
`enableGliderTurbulences`	Default`true`	Allowedtrue or false	What it changesWhen this is off, air turbulence no longer pushes the glider around.

World

Enshrouded gameSettings keys in the group World, with their defaults and allowed values
Setting	Default	Allowed	What it changes
`weatherFrequency`	Default`"Normal"`	AllowedDisabled, Rare, Normal, Often	What it changesHow often new weather events start in the world.
`fishingDifficulty`	Default`"Normal"`	AllowedVeryEasy, Easy, Normal, Hard, VeryHard	What it changesHow strong fish are in the fishing minigame; stronger fish take longer to reel in.
`plantGrowthSpeedFactor`	Default`1`	Allowed0.25 to 2	What it changesHow fast plants grow.
`dayTimeDuration`	Default`1800000000000 (30 minutes)`	Allowed2 minutes to 60 minutes	What it changesHow long daytime lasts, in real time.
`nightTimeDuration`	Default`720000000000 (12 minutes)`	Allowed2 minutes to 60 minutes	What it changesHow long night lasts, in real time.
`tamingStartleRepercussion`	Default`"LoseSomeProgress"`	AllowedKeepProgress, LoseSomeProgress, LoseAllProgress	What it changesWhat happens to your taming progress when you scare the animal.

Gathering and progress

Enshrouded gameSettings keys in the group Gathering and progress, with their defaults and allowed values
Setting	Default	Allowed	What it changes
`miningDamageFactor`	Default`1`	Allowed0.5 to 2	What it changesHow hard players hit when mining, which also means more digging and more resources per hit.
`resourceDropStackAmountFactor`	Default`1`	Allowed0.25 to 2	What it changesHow many materials are in each stack from chests, defeated enemies and similar loot.
`factoryProductionSpeedFactor`	Default`1`	Allowed0.25 to 2	What it changesChanges how long workstations take to make items.
`perkUpgradeRecyclingFactor`	Default`0.5`	Allowed0 to 1	What it changesHow many Runes players get back when they salvage an upgraded weapon.
`perkCostFactor`	Default`1`	Allowed0.25 to 2	What it changesHow many Runes it costs to upgrade weapons.
`experienceCombatFactor`	Default`1`	Allowed0.25 to 2	What it changesHow much experience players get from fighting.
`experienceMiningFactor`	Default`1`	Allowed0 to 2	What it changesHow much experience players get from mining.
`experienceExplorationQuestsFactor`	Default`1`	Allowed0.25 to 2	What it changesHow much experience players get from exploring and finishing quests.

Enemies

Enshrouded gameSettings keys in the group Enemies, with their defaults and allowed values
Setting	Default	Allowed	What it changes
`randomSpawnerAmount`	Default`"Automatic"`	AllowedFew, Normal, Automatic, Many, Extreme	What it changesHow many enemies there are in the world.
`aggroPoolAmount`	Default`"Normal"`	AllowedFew, Normal, Many, Extreme	What it changesHow many enemies are allowed to attack at the same time.
`enemyDamageFactor`	Default`1`	Allowed0.25 to 5	What it changesHow hard enemies hit, except bosses.
`enemyHealthFactor`	Default`1`	Allowed0.25 to 4	What it changesHow much health enemies have, except bosses.
`enemyStaminaFactor`	Default`1`	Allowed0.5 to 2	What it changesHow much stamina enemies have, so it takes longer to stun them when it is higher; bosses are not affected.
`enemyPerceptionRangeFactor`	Default`1`	Allowed0.5 to 2	What it changesHow far enemies can see and hear players, except bosses.
`bossDamageFactor`	Default`1`	Allowed0.2 to 5	What it changesHow hard boss attacks hit.
`bossHealthFactor`	Default`1`	Allowed0.2 to 5	What it changesHow much health bosses have.
`threatBonus`	Default`1`	Allowed0.25 to 4	What it changesHow often enemies attack, except bosses.
`pacifyAllEnemies`	Default`false`	Allowedtrue or false	What it changesWhen this is on, enemies leave players alone until they are attacked; bosses are not affected.
`curseModifier`	Default`"Normal"`	AllowedEasy, Normal, Hard	What it changesHow likely players are to catch the Shroud curse when the right enemies hit them.

Two of these arrived with 1.0: flameLevelFogRemoval, and the Automatic choice for randomSpawnerAmount, which scales the number of enemies with the size of the group. A 1.0 server writes Automatic into a new file.

The settings outside gameSettings

The top-level settings in enshrouded_server.json, with their defaults
Setting	Default	What it does
`name`	Default`"Enshrouded Server"`	What it doesThe name players see in the server list
`slotCount`	Default`16`	What it doesPlayer slots, 1 to 16. Keen note that each slot adds load, so fewer slots can help a server that struggles
`enableVoiceChat`	Default`false`	What it doesVoice chat. It starts switched off
`voiceChatMode`	Default`"Proximity"`	What it does`Proximity` for nearby players only, or `Global` for the whole server
`enableTextChat`	Default`false`	What it doesText chat. It starts switched off too
`tags`	Defaultnone	What it doesLabels players can filter the server list by: `LookingForPlayers`, a language such as `English`, and `BaseBuilding`, `Exploration` or `Roleplay`
`queryPort`	Default`15637`	What it doesThe server's port
`saveDirectory`	Default`"./savegame"`	What it doesWhere the world is saved
`logDirectory`	Default`"./logs"`	What it doesWhere the logs go
`ip`	Default`"0.0.0.0"`	What it doesThe address the server listens on. Keen: change it only for a specific reason

Voice and text chat are worth a look before your first session: both start off, and players who expect to talk will think something is broken.

The file also holds userGroups, the groups whose passwords let players in and decide what they may do.

On our servers

On our Enshrouded servers the panel edits this file for you. The Game page has the settings groups change most often, in four sections: Together, Danger, Pace and Death and hunger. It also has one-press presets for Relaxed, Hard and Survival. All settings → Server config has every setting in the tables above, each with its range.

Change any gameplay value there and the panel moves the preset to Custom for you and says so, which makes your change the one the game reads. It checks each value against its range before it saves, and keeps the saved versions of the file to go back to.

Four values are set from the panel at every start, so change them there and leave them alone in the file: the server name, the join password, the player slots and the port.

Game facts checked against Keen Games' server readme and help centre on 12 November 2026.