# Enshrouded Server Settings

> Every Enshrouded server setting: presets, the full gameSettings table, difficulty, loot and the day-night cycle — with three ready-made examples to copy.

**Short answer:** The server only reads the gameSettings block when gameSettingsPreset is set to "Custom". With Default, Relaxed, Hard or Survival it loads the bundled template and ignores your values without a word.

| | |
| --- | --- |
| Game | Enshrouded |
| Category | Configuration |
| Difficulty | Advanced |
| Reading time | 10 min |
| Last updated | 2026-09-16 |
| Language | en |
| Source | https://agrarchaoten.com/en/guides/enshrouded-server-einstellungen |
| Other language | https://agrarchaoten.com/guides/enshrouded-server-einstellungen |

---

## Contents

- [The preset trap](https://agrarchaoten.com/en/guides/enshrouded-server-einstellungen#preset)
- [Player values](https://agrarchaoten.com/en/guides/enshrouded-server-einstellungen#spieler)
- [Enemies, bosses and the shroud](https://agrarchaoten.com/en/guides/enshrouded-server-einstellungen#gegner)
- [Resources and experience](https://agrarchaoten.com/en/guides/enshrouded-server-einstellungen#welt)
- [Day and night length](https://agrarchaoten.com/en/guides/enshrouded-server-einstellungen#zeit)
- [Three ready-made examples](https://agrarchaoten.com/en/guides/enshrouded-server-einstellungen#beispiele)
- [Applying changes](https://agrarchaoten.com/en/guides/enshrouded-server-einstellungen#uebernehmen)

---

## The one line almost everyone misses

**`gameSettings` holds every value that actually changes your game — but the server only reads it when `gameSettingsPreset` is set to `"Custom"`.** With `Default`, `Relaxed`, `Hard` or `Survival` in that line, Enshrouded loads the bundled preset and skips your entire block. No error message, nothing in the log.

**Order matters:** set `"gameSettingsPreset": "Custom"` first, then tune the values. Do it the other way round and you spend half an hour editing numbers nobody reads.

The four bundled presets are still worth using: if you only want things "a bit gentler", pick `Relaxed` and leave `gameSettings` alone. Switch to `Custom` only when no preset fits.

| Preset | Who it is for |
| --- | --- |
| `Relaxed` | Building and exploring come first, fights should not slow you down. |
| `Default` | The game as Keen Games intended it. |
| `Hard` | Enemies hit harder, mistakes cost more. |
| `Survival` | Hunger, durability and death penalties fully active. |
| `Custom` | Everything in your hands — and the only setting where `gameSettings` counts. |

## Player values

Every field ending in `Factor` is a multiplier: `1` is normal, `2` is double, `0.5` is half. That lets you nudge things without bending the whole game out of shape.

| Field | Effect | Normal |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `playerHealthFactor` | Player health | 1 |
| `playerManaFactor` | Mana pool | 1 |
| `playerStaminaFactor` | Stamina for running, climbing and fighting | 1 |
| `playerBodyHeatFactor` | How quickly cold gets to you | 1 |
| `playerDivingTimeFactor` | How long your breath lasts underwater | 1 |
| `enableDurability` | Gear wears down (`true`/`false`) | true |
| `enableStarvingDebuff` | Hunger weakens you rather than just nagging | false |
| `foodBuffDurationFactor` | How long food effects last | 1 |
| `shroudTimeFactor` | How long you survive inside the shroud | 1 |
| `enableGliderTurbulences` | Turbulence on the glider | true |

**For groups with mixed skill levels:** instead of weakening enemies, set `playerHealthFactor` to `1.5`. Fights stay tense, but one mistake does not end the evening.

## Enemies, bosses and the shroud

| Field | Effect | Normal |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `enemyHealthFactor` | Enemy health | 1 |
| `enemyDamageFactor` | Damage enemies deal | 1 |
| `enemyStaminaFactor` | Enemy stamina | 1 |
| `enemyPerceptionRangeFactor` | From how far they notice you | 1 |
| `bossHealthFactor` | Boss health — tuned separately | 1 |
| `bossDamageFactor` | Boss damage | 1 |
| `threatBonus` | How quickly you draw attention | 1 |
| `pacifyAllEnemies` | All enemies peaceful — pure building mode | false |
| `randomSpawnerAmount` | How many enemies populate the world (named level) | Normal |
| `aggroPoolAmount` | How many attack you at once (named level) | Normal |

**Named levels instead of numbers:** fields such as `randomSpawnerAmount`, `weatherFrequency`, `fishingDifficulty` and `curseModifier` expect a word in quotes, not a number. The in-game custom difficulty menu shows which levels exist — those names match the file.

## Resources, experience and bases

| Field | Effect | Normal |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `resourceDropStackAmountFactor` | How much you get per find — the lever against grinding | 1 |
| `miningDamageFactor` | How fast you dig through stone | 1 |
| `plantGrowthSpeedFactor` | Growth speed of your plants | 1 |
| `factoryProductionSpeedFactor` | Speed of production stations | 1 |
| `experienceCombatFactor` | Experience from combat | 1 |
| `experienceMiningFactor` | Experience from mining and crafting | 1 |
| `experienceExplorationQuestsFactor` | Experience from exploring and quests | 1 |
| `perkCostFactor` | What skills cost | 1 |
| `perkUpgradeRecyclingFactor` | How much you get back when respeccing | 0.5 |

## Day, night and all those zeros

Day length trips people up because Enshrouded counts in **nanoseconds**. The default `1800000000000` looks wild but is simply 1800 seconds — a 30 minute day. Night defaults to `720000000000`, or 12 minutes.

**Converting without thinking:** minutes × 60 × 1,000,000,000. A one hour day is `3600000000000`, a five minute night is `300000000000`. Count the zeros once — nine after the seconds.

## Three ready-made examples

All three assume `"gameSettingsPreset": "Custom"`. Copy only the lines you want to change; anything you leave out keeps its normal value.

### Relaxed building

More materials, less pressure, long bright days: for groups who are here to build.

### Balanced for evening sessions

The core stays intact, but two hours in an evening add up to visible progress.

### Hard but fair

For groups who know Embervale and want to respect the shroud again.

## Applying changes properly

**1. Stop the server**

Enshrouded rewrites the config on shutdown. Edit it while the server runs and your changes are overwritten on the next stop.

**2. Edit the file**

Through the file manager in the panel. Watch the commas: no comma after the last value in a block — one wrong place and the server will not start.

**3. Start and check the log**

If the server reports a problem reading the file, it is nearly always a comma or a bracket. The live log in the panel shows it in the first lines after start.

**Everything you built stays.** Settings apply from the next start onwards to combat, loot and time — your world, your bases and your progress are untouched. So you can re-tune whenever the group finds things too easy or too grindy. For opening the file in the first place, see [setting up an Enshrouded server](https://agrarchaoten.com/guides/enshrouded-server-einrichten).

---

## Frequently asked questions

**Q: Why does nothing change after I edit gameSettings?**
A: The server only reads the gameSettings block when gameSettingsPreset is set to "Custom". With Default, Relaxed, Hard or Survival it loads the bundled template and ignores your values without a word.

**Q: Which presets does Enshrouded have?**
A: Relaxed, Default, Hard and Survival as bundled templates, plus Custom for your own values. Only Custom makes the gameSettings block count.

**Q: How do I change day length in Enshrouded?**
A: Through dayTimeDuration and nightTimeDuration, in nanoseconds. The default 1800000000000 is 1800 seconds, a 30 minute day. Convert with minutes times 60 times one billion.

**Q: How do I get more resources per drop?**
A: With resourceDropStackAmountFactor. A value of 2 doubles the yield, 0.5 halves it. It is the most effective lever against grinding without changing how combat feels.

**Q: Can I change the settings later?**
A: Yes, any time. Values apply from the next server start to combat, loot and time. Your world, bases and progress stay untouched.

**Q: How do I make the server easier for a mixed group?**
A: Rather than weakening enemies, set playerHealthFactor to 1.25 or 1.5. Fights stay tense, but one mistake does not end the evening.

---

## About this guide

This guide was written by Agrar Chaoten — a German game server host specialising in Enshrouded.
Rent a server: https://agrarchaoten.com/gameserver

*Source: https://agrarchaoten.com/en/guides/enshrouded-server-einstellungen*
*Agrar Chaoten — https://agrarchaoten.com*
*Support: support@agrarchaoten.com | Discord: https://discord.gg/YgredRdvY6*