Every Enshrouded Server Setting Explained (2026)

Enshrouded configures the dedicated server through a single JSON file: enshrouded_server.json. It gets generated the first time the server starts, and you edit it while the server is off. This guide goes through the file as Keen Games documents it in its Dedicated Server Configuration, Server Roles Configuration and Server Gameplay Settings articles, checked again on 3 November 2026, the day after Patch 1.0.1.0.

Quick answer: Stop the server, open enshrouded_server.json next to the server executable, change the values and start the server again. Individual values in gameSettings only apply with gameSettingsPreset set to Custom, and passwords go in userGroups. If world settings could not be configured on 15 or 16 October, that was a bug from hotfix 1.0.0.1, which Keen fixed in hotfix 1.0.0.2 on 16 October 2026. Patch 1.0.1.0, the newest update as of 3 November 2026, lists no new or changed setting.

Keen did not update those articles for 1.0. The last edits are still from November 2025 (roles and gameplay settings) and February 2025 (configuration). What 1.0 and the updates after it change for this file comes from Keen's 1.0 changelog and its hotfix and patch notes on Steam, and it is marked as such below. For updating the server itself, with backups and save migration, see our Enshrouded dedicated server update guide.

What 1.0 Changes in This File

• New world settings: updraft charge duration, the Flame level needed to push back the Shroud, and an "Automatic" option for the number of enemies per encounter. Keen has still not documented their keys for enshrouded_server.json (checked 3 November 2026); the section New World Settings in 1.0 below describes them.
• Enemy damage: the values behind the enemy damage slider in the server difficulty settings were reworked.
• User groups: unchanged on dedicated servers. Peer-to-peer hosts got one password plus promoting and demoting players in game, but the changelog says that on dedicated servers "the user groups with the associated passwords work as before", and promoting or demoting is not possible while playing on the server.

Updates Since 1.0: Hotfix 1.0.0.2 and Patch 1.0.1.0

Hotfix 1.0.0.2 fixed world settings. Hotfix 1.0.0.1, released a few hours after the 1.0 launch on 15 October, broke editing worlds. Keen added a note to it: "If you're trying to edit your world right now and the edit button doesn't work, try subscribing to something (anything) in adventure sharing, and then try editing your world again." On 16 October, hotfix 1.0.0.2 "Fixed an issue that prevented configuring world settings". Keen says the bug came in by accident while it fixed the session lists in the multiplayer join menus.

Which settings did it affect? Keen names no single one. The note talks about configuring world settings as a whole, and the 1.0.0.1 note puts the problem at the edit button of a world, so it was the whole world settings screen, not one value. Neither note mentions dedicated servers or enshrouded_server.json, which is where a dedicated server reads its settings from. On 1.0.0.2 or newer you no longer need the adventure sharing workaround.

The same hotfix also fixed "an issue that could lead to the server crashing when fighting a very large number of enemies", worth having before you raise the enemy amounts further down this guide. Hotfix 1.0.0.3 on 21 October fixed more crashes and save migration cases and names no setting either.

Patch 1.0.1.0 adds no setting. Keen's changelog for Patch #1 (2 November 2026, version 1283531) lists no new, changed or removed world or server setting. The dedicated server tool on Steam got a new build at 10:30 UTC that day. The lines that matter for a server are "Improved stability in multiplayer when hosting a world with very large player bases" and the save migration fixes: "If a save file caused migration issues before, please try the migration again with this update."

The Config File

The file sits next to the server executable. Keen's latest published default file (labelled version 0.9.0.0) starts like this, with the long gameSettings block and the user groups shortened here:

{
  "name": "Enshrouded Server",
  "saveDirectory": "./savegame",
  "logDirectory": "./logs",
  "ip": "0.0.0.0",
  "queryPort": 15637,
  "slotCount": 16,
  "tags": [],
  "voiceChatMode": "Proximity",
  "enableVoiceChat": false,
  "enableTextChat": false,
  "gameSettingsPreset": "Default",
  "gameSettings": { },
  "userGroups": [ ],
  "bans": []
}

Keen has not published a 1.0 version of the default file. If the file your 1.0 server writes contains lines this guide does not list, Keen has not documented them yet.

There is no gamePort and no top-level password in the current file. Both still turn up in older guides, so if you copy a config from one of those, check it against the layout above.

Server Identity Settings

name (default "Enshrouded Server"): the server name as it appears in the server list. Keen asks for a non-offensive name, since every player can see it. Something like "EU Relaxed PvE 16 slots" is more useful than "Dave's server".

slotCount (default 16): Keen's docs say this must be a number between 1 and 16. Every extra player adds load, and Keen suggests lowering the slot count if CPU or RAM is the bottleneck. Our player limit and RAM guide goes into the numbers. On our Enshrouded server hosting, Flame (8GB RAM, up to 8 players) is the smallest plan we advise for 1.0, and Beacon (12GB) is the first plan sized for a full 16-player world.

ip (default 0.0.0.0): bind address. Leave it as it is unless your network setup needs something else.

voiceChatMode (Proximity or Global, default Proximity), enableVoiceChat and enableTextChat (true or false, both false by default): voice chat can be heard nearby or across the whole server, and voice and text chat can each be switched on or off. Players can filter the server list on voice and text chat.

tags (empty by default): added with the Wake of the Water update in November 2025. Tags help players find your server with the filters in the Join menu. Keen's examples are "LookingForPlayers", "BaseBuilding", "Exploration" and "Roleplay", plus tags for the language spoken on the server. Keen refers to the enshrouded_server_readme.txt that ships with the server for the exact format, so read that file before you fill in the list.

bans (empty by default): the persistent ban list from the same update. Banned players are rejected when they try to join again, until an admin removes them from the list. Admins ban, view the list and unban in game.

Passwords and User Groups

Passwords live in userGroups now. Since Update 2, each group has its own password, and the password a player types when joining decides which group, and so which permissions, they get. A fresh config comes with four groups (Admin, Friend, Guest and Visitor) and randomised passwords, so nobody can walk in until you hand out a password. If you clear a group's password, anyone can join with that group's rights.

One group from Keen's example looks like this:

{
  "name": "Friend",
  "password": "FriendXXXXXXXX",
  "canKickBan": false,
  "canAccessInventories": true,
  "canEditWorld": true,
  "canEditBase": true,
  "canExtendBase": false,
  "reservedSlots": 0
}

What the switches do:

• canKickBan: kick and ban other players.
• canAccessInventories: use chests and other containers.
• canEditWorld: terraform and interact with the open world outside bases. Keen added it in November 2025 together with the Visitor group.
• canEditBase: add and remove blocks and props in bases.
• canExtendBase: Keen does not define this one directly. Its role descriptions say only admins may add, upgrade and remove Flame Altars, so it most likely covers that.
• reservedSlots: keeps slots free for that group. Once the rest of the server fills up, players joining under another group see the server as full, so an admin can still get in on a busy night.

The default groups in Keen's file are set up like this (reservedSlots is 0 for all four):

You can also add your own groups, for example one that may use chests and workstations but not build.

The old top-level "password": "" line is no longer used to protect a dedicated server. If the server still finds a password there, it creates a user group called "default" with that password and Friend-level permissions, so old servers keep working. Keen highly recommends setting passwords, because anyone who can see a server without one can join it.

1.0 does not change this on dedicated servers. Keen's changelog says the user groups with their passwords work as before, and that promoting or demoting is not possible while playing on the server. To change someone's rights, give them the password of another group.

Ports

queryPort (default 15637): the only port Keen's docs list, and the one to change if your firewall needs a different number. Steam also uses its own standard ports on top of that. Keen says the server uses IPv4, but does not say whether the port is UDP or TCP.

If you run more than one Enshrouded server on one machine, give each instance its own queryPort. On a hosted server the port usually comes from the panel.

The query port also matters for players: to add a server as a Steam favourite, they enter IP:QueryPort, for example 203.0.113.10:15637. Our guide on how to join an Enshrouded dedicated server has the steps.

Directories

saveDirectory (default ./savegame): where the world save goes. Character progress stays on each player's own PC, not on the server.

Keen's numbers on saves are all from before 1.0, and two of its articles disagree. The server FAQ puts a save between 1 MB and about 100 MB and says save files are created every 5 minutes. The save game article describes 10 rolling copies per world, with a new one every 10 minutes or on shutdown. 1.0 switched to a new format with smaller save files and a simpler folder layout, and Keen has not published new figures. Back up this folder before the first start on 1.0. If you are bringing a co-op world over, see move an Enshrouded world to a dedicated server.

logDirectory (default ./logs): server logs. Older logs are archived to logs/backup automatically.

Game Settings Presets

The gameSettingsPreset field picks a difficulty template. Keen describes them like this:

• Default: all values at their defaults, the way Enshrouded played up to update 0.7.3.0. Keen recommends it for first-time players.
• Relaxed: fewer enemies, more resources and loot. Aimed at base builders and light adventuring.
• Hard: more enemies, and they are more aggressive.
• Survival: extra survival mechanics on top of more aggressive enemies.
• Custom: the only preset that lets you change the individual values in gameSettings.

So if you edit values in gameSettings, set the preset to Custom as well. Keen's docs say the individual settings can only be tweaked with Custom selected.

Game Settings Reference

These sit inside gameSettings. Numbers above or below the allowed range are replaced by the maximum or minimum. Invalid text is worse: the server does not boot and names the wrong value in the console. The defaults and ranges below are Keen's, from its pre-1.0 Server Gameplay Settings article.

Player

playerHealthFactor, playerManaFactor, playerStaminaFactor (default 1, range 0.25 to 4): scale a player's maximum health, mana and stamina.

playerBodyHeatFactor (default 1; Keen lists 0.5 as low, 1.5 as high and 2 as the maximum): how long players last in very cold areas before hypothermia sets in.

playerDivingTimeFactor (default 1, range 0.5 to 2): starting oxygen, and so time underwater.

enableDurability (default true): set it to false and weapons no longer break.

enableStarvingDebuff (default false): turns on hunger and starvation. Starving players lose health until they eat or drink.

foodBuffDurationFactor (default 1, range 0.5 to 2) and fromHungerToStarving (default 10 minutes, allowed 5 to 20): food buff length and how long the hungry state lasts. The hunger value is written in nanoseconds, so 10 minutes is 600000000000.

Shroud and death

shroudTimeFactor (default 1, range 0.5 to 2): how long players can stay inside the Shroud. A value of 2 doubles the time.

curseModifier (Easy, Normal, Hard; default Normal): Easy switches the Shroud curse off, Hard doubles the chance of getting it.

tombstoneMode (AddBackpackMaterials, Everything, NoTombstone; default AddBackpackMaterials): what happens to the backpack on death. By default players only lose materials, which go into a tombstone they can recover. Everything puts the whole backpack in the tombstone, and NoTombstone lets players keep what they carry.

World and resources

miningDamageFactor (default 1, range 0.5 to 2): more mining damage means more terraforming and more resources per hit.

plantGrowthSpeedFactor (default 1, range 0.25 to 2): how fast plants grow.

resourceDropStackAmountFactor (default 1, range 0.25 to 2): the amount of material per loot stack, in chests, from defeated enemies and so on. Where goo, amber, reptile leather and the other materials come from is in our Enshrouded resource locations guide.

factoryProductionSpeedFactor (default 1, range 0.25 to 2): workstation production times.

perkUpgradeRecyclingFactor (range 0 to 1): runes returned when you salvage upgraded weapons. Keen's docs disagree on the default: the article text gives 0.1, while Keen's default JSON on the same page shows 0.5. Check the value your own server wrote before you change it.

perkCostFactor (default 1, range 0.25 to 2): runes needed to upgrade weapons.

experienceCombatFactor (default 1, range 0.25 to 2), experienceMiningFactor (default 1, range 0 to 2) and experienceExplorationQuestsFactor (default 1, range 0.25 to 2): XP from combat, from mining, and from exploration and quests. How levels turn into skill points and builds is in our Enshrouded skill tree guide.

weatherFrequency (Disabled, Rare, Normal, Often; default Normal), enableGliderTurbulences (default true) and fishingDifficulty (VeryEasy, Easy, Normal, Hard, VeryHard; default Normal) do what their names say.

Enemies

randomSpawnerAmount (Few, Normal, Many, Extreme; default Normal): how many enemies the world has.

aggroPoolAmount (Few, Normal, Many, Extreme; default Normal): how many enemies may attack at the same time.

enemyDamageFactor (default 1, range 0.25 to 5) and enemyHealthFactor (default 1, range 0.25 to 4): enemy damage and health, bosses excluded. 1.0 reworked the enemy damage slider values so they better match the damage increase you actually see in combat. Keen has not said whether that changes how the number in this file is read, so check enemy damage in game after you change it.

enemyStaminaFactor (default 1, range 0.5 to 2): higher values make enemies take longer to stun.

enemyPerceptionRangeFactor (default 1, range 0.5 to 2): how far enemies see and hear players.

bossDamageFactor and bossHealthFactor (default 1, range 0.2 to 5): the same for bosses.

threatBonus (default 1, range 0.25 to 4): how often enemies attack.

pacifyAllEnemies (default false): when true, enemies only fight back once a player attacks them. Bosses are not affected.

tamingStartleRepercussion (KeepProgress, LoseSomeProgress, LoseAllProgress; default LoseSomeProgress): what happens to taming progress when you startle the animal.

Day and night

dayTimeDuration and nightTimeDuration: also in nanoseconds, between 2 minutes (120000000000) and 60 minutes (3600000000000). The defaults are 30 minutes of day (1800000000000) and 12 minutes of night (720000000000).

New World Settings in 1.0

Keen's 1.0 changelog adds these world settings. Keen has not documented how they are written in enshrouded_server.json, so this guide gives no keys for them. Do not guess a key or a value: invalid text stops the server from booting. To see whether your 1.0 server already writes them, compare the gameSettings block it generated with the list above.

• Updraft charge duration: how long an updraft takes to charge. Keen mentions it for players who preferred instant updrafts.
• Flame level for pushing back the Shroud: in 1.0, Flame Altars can push back the Shroud once players reach the final Flame level 11. This setting lowers the Flame level needed for that, down to any level.
• Automatic enemy amount: a new "Automatic" option for the server setting that controls how many enemies spawn in each encounter. With Automatic, the number of enemies scales with the size of the party, counting every player actively playing nearby. Players in other parts of Embervale do not count.

Some other new options in 1.0 are not server settings. Keen describes automatic pickup of scattered loot and the updraft skill behaviour as options players set in their own game settings.

Example: Relaxed Building Server

Set "gameSettingsPreset": "Custom" and change these values in the gameSettings block the server generated:

"playerHealthFactor": 1.5,
"playerStaminaFactor": 1.5,
"enemyDamageFactor": 0.5,
"enemyPerceptionRangeFactor": 0.5,
"shroudTimeFactor": 2,
"miningDamageFactor": 2,
"resourceDropStackAmountFactor": 2,
"plantGrowthSpeedFactor": 2,
"tombstoneMode": "NoTombstone"

That halves enemy damage, doubles mining and loot yields, doubles the Shroud timer and lets players keep their backpack when they die. Edit the existing lines rather than pasting a new block over them, so the settings you did not touch keep their values and the JSON stays valid.

Example: Hard Survival Server

For groups that want a challenge, again with the preset on Custom:

"playerHealthFactor": 0.75,
"enemyDamageFactor": 1.5,
"enemyHealthFactor": 1.5,
"shroudTimeFactor": 0.7,
"miningDamageFactor": 0.75,
"resourceDropStackAmountFactor": 0.75,
"enableStarvingDebuff": true,
"tombstoneMode": "Everything"

Applying Changes

Edit the file while the server is stopped, save it, then start the server. There is no live reload. If a config carried over from an old version behaves oddly, Keen's advice is to delete it and let the server write a fresh one on the next start. Copy your user group passwords, tags and game settings somewhere first, then put them back into the new file.

After an update (1.0, a hotfix or Patch 1.0.1.0), start the server once with your existing file and watch the console. If it does not boot, it prints the value it cannot read. Every plan on our Enshrouded hosting includes full FTP access, so you can edit enshrouded_server.json yourself, and the Proton runtime is already set up.

FAQ

Do I need a new config file for 1.0 or Patch 1.0.1.0? Keen has not said so, and none of the hotfix or patch notes up to 1.0.1.0 mention the file. Start the updated server with your current file and check the console. If the file looks wrongly updated, delete it so a fresh one is written, then copy your settings back.

Where do I set the new 1.0 world settings on a dedicated server? Keen has not documented their keys for enshrouded_server.json yet, and Patch 1.0.1.0 did not change that. Compare the file your 1.0 server writes with the list in this guide, and do not type in guessed keys or values.

Can I promote or demote players in game on a dedicated server? No. That is a 1.0 feature for peer-to-peer hosts. On a dedicated server the user group passwords decide permissions, as before.

Do settings affect existing world progress? They change how the game plays from the next start. They do not undo progress: terrain you already mined or bases you built stay as they are.

Can I change settings without resetting the world? Yes. Settings live in enshrouded_server.json and the world lives in the save folder, so you can adjust difficulty, the Shroud timer or resource rates without losing builds.

Should I start a new world for 1.0? Keen says old saves work and are converted to a new format, but it strongly encourages starting over because the world and the first hours of the game were improved. If a world failed to convert before, Keen asks you to try the migration again on Patch 1.0.1.0. Back up the save folder either way.

What happens if I set slotCount above 16? Keen's docs only allow values from 1 to 16. Do not expect more than 16 players on one server.

Why can't I change world settings in Enshrouded 1.0? If the edit button for your world did nothing on 15 or 16 October, that was the bug from hotfix 1.0.0.1; hotfix 1.0.0.2 fixed it on 16 October 2026, so update the game. On a dedicated server the settings live in gameSettings in enshrouded_server.json, and Keen's docs say the individual values can only be changed with gameSettingsPreset set to Custom.

Where did the server password go? Into userGroups. Each group has its own password, and the password a player enters decides their permissions.

Related: Enshrouded dedicated server setup guide | Enshrouded server update guide | Enshrouded server hosting

Related guides: Enshrouded Hollow Halls update server guide | Best Enshrouded server hosting compared | Enshrouded on Linux with Proton or Wine

Sources

All opened on 3 November 2026:

• Keen Games help center: Dedicated Server Configuration, Server Roles Configuration, Server Gameplay Settings, Dedicated Server FAQ, Save Game Management
• Keen Games on Steam: Wake of the Water update (tags, bans, Visitor group), 1.0 changelog, Hotfix 1.0.0.1, Hotfix 1.0.0.2, Hotfix 1.0.0.3, Patch 1.0.1.0
• Steam app data for the Enshrouded Dedicated Server, app 2278520: api.steamcmd.net