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How to Change the Difficulty on a RimWorld Together Server

Learn the two supported ways to change RimWorld Together difficulty: edit the server JSON while stopped or use toggledifficulty with the Storyteller menu. Includes filename conflicts, enforcement checks, version compatibility, backups, and troubleshooting.
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To change difficulty for a RimWorld Together server, either edit the server’s difficulty JSON while the server is stopped, or use the server console command toggledifficulty. The file route gives direct control over stored values; the console route is safer for applying a new setup through the in-game Storyteller menu. The exact filename differs between published guides and builds, so confirm the name and key spelling in your own server files before saving.

If you need hosting for this game, Godlike.Host provides RimWorld Together server hosting with a game panel, SFTP/FTP access, and backups. RimWorld Together’s code is licensed CC BY-NC-ND 4.0, a NonCommercial licence (github.com/RimWorld-Together/Rimworld-Together, 10 Oct 2026).

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What you need before changing difficulty

Difficulty is a server-side setting only when the server enforces custom difficulty. On some installations, each player can choose Storyteller settings locally. Before changing anything, establish which mode your server uses and make a backup of the current configuration.

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  • Administrator access to the hosting control panel, FTP/SFTP, or server filesystem.
  • Permission to open the server console if you plan to use toggledifficulty.
  • A maintenance window, because file edits should be made with the server stopped.
  • The same RimWorld Together server and client build, especially if clients are being forced back to default Storyteller settings.
  • A copy of the existing difficulty file so you can restore it if the server fails to start or values are reset.

Do not edit a live JSON file while the process is running. A running server can overwrite your change when it saves its own state, and a partially written file can prevent startup.

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Route 1: edit the server difficulty file

The official RimWorld Together wiki identifies DifficultyValues.json in the server’s Core folder as the difficulty file. Its documented FTP path is ../rimworld-together/Core. Hosting panels may expose the same data through a different directory and filename, so use the file that actually exists on your build.

1. Stop the server and make a backup

  1. Open your hosting panel or service manager.
  2. Choose Stop and wait until the server process is fully offline.
  3. Open the file manager or connect with FTP/SFTP.
  4. Download a copy of the current difficulty file and record the server version shown by the panel or startup log.

Stopping first is essential. A server that remains online may reload the old values, overwrite your edits, or leave a truncated JSON document.

2. Find the correct file for your build

Published instructions use two names. The official wiki and some host documentation use DifficultyValues.json; another common panel layout exposes /Configs/DifficultyConfig.json. These may represent different releases or packaging conventions. Do not create a second file with the other name unless your build already expects it.

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What documentation calls it Location or access path How to use that information
DifficultyValues.json ../rimworld-together/Core Use this when the server’s Core folder contains the file.
DifficultyConfig.json Often shown under a panel’s Files tab at /Configs/DifficultyConfig.json Use this only when that path and filename exist in your installation.

One guide also refers to an EnforeDifficulty line. That spelling appears to be a documentation typo. Never rename a key based on that spelling; inspect the exact key used by your file and preserve its capitalization.

3. Check the JSON before changing values

Open the file in an editor that preserves plain text and UTF-8 encoding. The key explicitly documented for enabling or disabling custom difficulty is UseCustomDifficulty. Set it to a JSON Boolean, not a quoted word:

"UseCustomDifficulty": true

Use true when the server should enforce the custom values in the file. Use false when the server should fall back to default difficulty settings. JSON Booleans are lowercase and must not be written as "true" or "false".

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The documented ThreatScale key controls the intensity of threats. Other keys in the file control additional storyteller and incident behavior. Keep every parameter assigned a valid value: one hosting guide warns that an unassigned parameter can be interpreted as 0 percent, which can effectively disable that part of the game.

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4. Save, restart, and verify

  1. Change only the values you intend to change and preserve commas, quotation marks, braces, and capitalization.
  2. Save the file in its original location.
  3. Start the server and wait for a successful startup rather than joining immediately.
  4. Watch the console or startup log for JSON parsing errors, missing-key warnings, or a configuration reload message.
  5. Join with a client on the matching game and mod version, then confirm that the expected Storyteller behavior is active.

If the process will not start, stop it, restore the backup, and test again. A missing comma or an extra quotation mark is enough to invalidate the file.

Route 2: use the server console command

The official wiki documents the command toggledifficulty. In the documented workflow, entering it turns custom difficulty off so the default settings apply. It is not a command for typing a numeric threat value directly; it changes whether custom settings are being enforced.

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Recommended console workflow

  1. Open the server console with the server running and make sure you have administrative permission.
  2. Enter toggledifficulty exactly as shown, with no slash or quotation marks.
  3. In a connected game, open Options → Gameplay → Storyteller Settings → Modify.
  4. Choose a preset, or select Custom and adjust the storyteller parameters you want.
  5. Return to the server controls and re-enable custom difficulty using the server’s normal Storyteller workflow.
  6. Click Send Difficulty to transmit the selected settings to the server.
  7. Have every player reconnect or reload the session if the server requests it, then test with a new incident cycle rather than assuming an immediate event.

The command’s important effect is disabling custom enforcement before you edit the Storyteller values. If you change values while custom mode remains active, the server may continue sending the old configuration to clients.

How player-side Storyteller settings differ

Some installations leave difficulty under each player’s control instead of enforcing one server-wide profile. In that arrangement, a player changes settings in Options → Gameplay → Storyteller Settings → Modify, chooses a preset or custom setup, and plays with that local selection. This behavior can vary by build and may conflict with a server configured to enforce custom difficulty.

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If different players see different Storyteller choices, first check whether enforcement is enabled. Do not assume that a local change has altered the server’s stored configuration.

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When difficulty changes do not take effect

Difficulty enforcement has a documented failure mode. GitHub issue #248, titled “Difficulty Configuration Changes Don’t Bind,” describes servers where custom settings were enforced but file edits did not apply; clients were pushed back to default Storyteller settings. Treat a successful file save as only one part of the test.

Check enforcement state

  • Confirm the value of UseCustomDifficulty and any enforcement key present in your actual file.
  • Use toggledifficulty to turn custom mode off before making an in-game adjustment, then send the difficulty and re-enable enforcement through the documented workflow.
  • Check whether a panel regenerates configuration files during startup. If it does, edit the active file or panel setting rather than a stale copy.

Check server and client versions

The issue report specifically points to checking whether the server version matches the client. A mismatch can make a valid setting appear ineffective, especially when the client is forced back to default storyteller values. Update or roll back both sides together, then repeat the configuration test.

Check that every value is present

Review the entire JSON object instead of changing only ThreatScale. If a parameter is absent or left without a value, the game may interpret it as 0 percent. That can look like an enforcement failure when the server is actually applying an incomplete configuration.

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Check logs and restore safely

  1. Stop the server.
  2. Compare the active file with your backup and look for a panel-generated replacement.
  3. Validate commas, braces, quotation marks, Boolean values, and numeric ranges.
  4. Start the server and read the first configuration-related messages.
  5. Test with one connected client before bringing the whole group back.

Choosing the right route

Situation Better first step Reason
You need to change one or more stored server values and have filesystem access. Edit the JSON while stopped. It gives direct control and leaves a reproducible file.
You want to tune a custom Storyteller profile from the game interface. Use toggledifficulty, edit the Custom profile, then send the difficulty. The documented workflow avoids editing raw values by hand.
The server keeps reverting players to defaults. Check enforcement, versions, and the active filename before trying another edit. This matches the known binding failure mode.
You are unsure which filename your host uses. Stop the server and inspect the actual Core or Configs directory. Published guides disagree between DifficultyValues.json and DifficultyConfig.json.

Common mistakes and fixes

Symptom Likely cause Fix
The server starts with old difficulty. The wrong file was edited, or the live server overwrote the change. Stop the server, identify the active file, edit it, and restart.
The server refuses to start after saving. Invalid JSON syntax. Restore the backup, then correct commas, braces, quotes, and data types.
Players are returned to default Storyteller settings. Custom enforcement is binding incorrectly, or server and client builds differ. Check enforcement state and version compatibility; then use the disable-adjust-send-re-enable workflow.
Threats disappear or one category behaves as if disabled. A parameter is missing or has no value and defaults to 0 percent. Assign a deliberate value to every required parameter.
toggledifficulty appears to do nothing. The command was entered without console permission, or custom mode was already off. Confirm console access, check the resulting enforcement state, and send the profile after editing.
One player sees a different difficulty. The server allows player-side Storyteller settings. Check whether server enforcement is enabled before comparing local menus.

Rollback plan

Keep the original file until the group has completed a test session. To roll back, stop the server, replace the active difficulty file with the backup, and start the server again. If the panel recreates the file, save the backup under the filename and path that the panel actually loads. Verify the server version and client version after a rollback because a restored file from another release may contain keys your current build does not recognize.

Practical verification checklist

  • The server was stopped before a file edit.
  • You edited the file that exists in your installation, not a similarly named example file.
  • UseCustomDifficulty is a real JSON Boolean with the intended value.
  • ThreatScale and every other required parameter have explicit values.
  • The server starts without JSON or configuration errors.
  • The server and all clients use compatible versions.
  • Players received the profile through Send Difficulty when using the console workflow.
  • A test player observed the intended Storyteller behavior before the full group resumed play.

Bottom line

Use the stopped-server file edit when you need precise, persistent control, but first verify whether your build calls the file DifficultyValues.json or DifficultyConfig.json. Use toggledifficulty when you want to adjust a custom Storyteller profile in game: disable custom mode, modify the profile, send the difficulty, and re-enable enforcement. If changes revert, investigate the active file, enforcement state, missing values, and server-client version alignment before making further edits.

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