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World desk9 min

How to Change the Starting Weapon on an Abiotic Factor Server

Configure an Abiotic Factor server's first-join weapon through the Sandbox Settings panel or SandboxSettings.ini, with exact values, paths, testing steps and troubleshooting.
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Set FirstTimeStartingWeapon in the server’s SandboxSettings.ini, then restart the server before players join. The documented values are 0 for no weapon, 1 for a Shiv, 2 for a Desk Leg, 3 for a Kitchen Knife, 4 for a Starter Baton, 5 for a Pipe Club and 6 for a random choice from those weapons. The setting is applied when a player joins the world for the first time, so changing it may not alter equipment for characters who have already spawned.

What the setting controls

FirstTimeStartingWeapon is a sandbox option for an Abiotic Factor dedicated server. It determines the weapon awarded during a player’s first spawn in that world. A death and respawn do not normally trigger the award again, according to hosting documentation, so this is not a way to refill a weapon after every death.

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The setting belongs in the [SandboxSettings] section of SandboxSettings.ini. If the section header is missing or misspelled, the game may ignore the file. Hosting panels that expose the same option are writing an equivalent sandbox value for you.

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Guides from Shockbyte and TechRaptor document values from 0 through 6. SparkedHost and BisectHosting list only 0 through 5, so the random value should be treated as build- and host-dependent. If value 6 is rejected or silently ignored on your installation, use a fixed value from 0 through 5 or check the server log after a restart.

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Starting weapon values

Value Weapon or result Use case
0 None Players begin without a weapon from this setting.
1 Shiv A fixed, lightweight starting choice.
2 Desk Leg A fixed improvised weapon.
3 Kitchen Knife A fixed blade choice.
4 Starter Baton A fixed baton choice.
5 Pipe Club A fixed blunt weapon choice.
6 Random Selects from the weapons represented by values 1 through 5; availability is not confirmed on every build.

The table describes the values reported by the guides, not an official developer reference. No official patch note or dedicated-server manual confirming the option for every 2026 build was located, so test the result on the exact server version you run.

Before you edit the server

  • Make a backup. Download the world save and copy the current configuration before changing anything.
  • Stop the server completely. Do not edit while the process is running; a shutdown can overwrite your change or leave a partial file.
  • Record the current value. This makes it easy to restore the previous behavior.
  • Decide whether the world is new or established. The setting is intended for first-time spawns, and sources disagree about how reliably a later edit reaches an existing save.
  • Confirm access. You need either a host control panel with sandbox settings or file-manager/FTP access to the save and configuration files.

If you want to run this setting on a hosted Abiotic Factor server, Godlike.Host Abiotic Factor servers provide a Pterodactyl-based game panel for configuration and file access. Not on the Abiotic Factor dedicated server wiki’s list of Verified Server Providers (github.com/DFJacob/AbioticFactorDedicatedServer, 10 Oct 2026).

Method 1: change it in a hosting panel

Some game-server hosts expose the option as First Time Starting Weapon in a Sandbox Settings tab. The exact menu names vary by provider, and not every panel includes the field.

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  1. Open your server’s control panel and choose the Abiotic Factor instance.
  2. Click Stop and wait until the process reports that it is offline.
  3. Open Sandbox Settings (or the equivalent configuration page).
  4. Find First Time Starting Weapon or search for FirstTimeStartingWeapon.
  5. Enter one of the supported numeric values. Use 0 for no weapon, 1–5 for a specific weapon, or 6 for random only if your host and build accept it.
  6. Save or apply the configuration.
  7. Start the server again and wait for it to finish loading before connecting.

A panel is the safer choice when it validates numeric input and writes the section header automatically. It is also the only practical route when the host does not expose the save filesystem. If the field is absent, use the manual method or ask the host whether sandbox options are generated elsewhere.

Method 2: edit SandboxSettings.ini manually

Shockbyte and MintServers describe the world-folder route as:

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AbioticFactor/Saved/SaveGames/Server/Worlds/<Your Save Name>

Replace <Your Save Name> with the directory for the world you intend to change. Depending on the host, you may reach this path through a web file manager, SFTP or FTP. Download the file first so you retain a rollback copy.

Create or update the section

  1. Stop the server from its panel or service manager.
  2. Open the world’s SandboxSettings.ini. If the file exists, preserve unrelated settings.
  3. Ensure the file contains this section header exactly: [SandboxSettings].
  4. Add or change the setting on its own line:
[SandboxSettings]
FirstTimeStartingWeapon=4

That example selects the Starter Baton. Substitute 0, 1, 2, 3, 5 or (where supported) 6 for another result. Keep the spelling, capitalization and equals sign intact. Do not put quotes around the number, and do not append comments to the same line unless your host explicitly supports them.

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  1. Save the file as plain text with the .ini extension. Avoid accidentally creating SandboxSettings.ini.txt.
  2. Upload it back to the same world directory if you edited a local copy.
  3. Start the server and watch the startup output for configuration or file-format errors.
  4. Have a test account join the world for the first time and inspect the initial inventory.

When the file is not in the world folder

XGamingServer reports a different arrangement: sandbox values may be written into save data at world creation, without an automatically generated SandboxSettings.ini. Its workaround is to place a SandboxSettings.ini in the server root and launch with -SandboxIniPath pointing to that file.

This is not confirmed as a universal requirement. Do not add the launch parameter blindly. First check your host’s startup command, documentation or support response to learn whether it honors -SandboxIniPath, what path syntax it expects and whether a root-level file overrides values embedded in the save. If the host uses a generated configuration system, changing a file that the server never reads will have no effect.

New worlds versus existing worlds

The safest time to choose a starting weapon is before creating the world or before the first player joins it. Several guides assume that editing the world-folder file is sufficient, while XGamingServer says sandbox settings are stored when the world is created. Those descriptions cannot establish one behavior for every host, server build or save format.

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For a new world

  1. Stop the server.
  2. Set the panel field or edit the configuration file.
  3. Start the server and create the world.
  4. Join with a character that has never entered that world.
  5. Confirm the selected weapon before inviting the rest of the group.

This sequence avoids confusing a correct setting with a character who already received a starting item.

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For an existing world

Back up the save, change the value while the server is stopped, then test with a genuinely new character or a separate test world. Do not delete or reset player data merely to force a test. If a new character still receives the previous result, the host may have stored the sandbox value in the save at creation time. Restore the backup if necessary and ask the host whether it supports a world-level migration or a -SandboxIniPath override.

How to verify that the change loaded

Use a controlled test rather than relying on a veteran character’s inventory.

  1. Check the file after saving and confirm the section and numeric line are present.
  2. Restart the server, not just the game client.
  3. Read the startup log for an invalid-option, missing-file or parse error.
  4. Join using a player profile that has never spawned in that world, or use a disposable test world.
  5. Record the item received and compare it with the selected value.
  6. If you chose 6, repeat the test with several new profiles; random selection can legitimately produce the same weapon more than once.

Do not use a death-and-respawn cycle as the test. The documented behavior is that the first-join award is not granted again after death.

Troubleshooting

The server starts, but the old weapon remains

  • Test with a first-time character. A character that already joined may retain its original award.
  • Confirm that you edited the active world’s folder, not a similarly named backup or test save.
  • Check whether your host stores sandbox values in save data and requires a root file plus -SandboxIniPath.
  • Verify that the panel did not regenerate the file from a different template during startup.

The server fails to load the file

  • Check for the exact [SandboxSettings] header.
  • Make sure the filename ends in .ini, not .txt.
  • Remove smart quotes, extra punctuation and nonnumeric characters from the value.
  • Restore the backup if the server reports a broader configuration parse error, then reapply only the single setting.

Value 6 does nothing or is rejected

Some hosting guides document only 0–5. Set a fixed value from 0 through 5 to confirm that the file is being read. If fixed values work but 6 does not, your build or host may not expose random selection even though other guides list it.

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The panel has no starting-weapon field

That usually means the provider has not mapped this sandbox option into its interface. Use the manual file route if filesystem access is available. Otherwise, ask support which configuration file is authoritative and whether custom launch parameters are allowed.

The selected weapon appears alongside other gear

FirstTimeStartingWeapon controls the weapon from this sandbox setting only. A job or other gameplay system can provide separate equipment. One guide claims that the Defense Analyst job starts with a Basic Baton, but that report is not corroborated; treat job-based gear as independent and unverified rather than as evidence that the server setting failed.

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Panel edit or file edit?

Consideration Hosting-panel field Manual configuration
Ease Fast, with labels and often input validation. Requires file access and careful syntax.
Control Limited to options the provider exposes. Direct access to the numeric value and surrounding sandbox settings.
Availability Depends on the provider’s panel. Depends on file-manager, FTP/SFTP or startup-command access.
Existing-world behavior Not established universally. Not established universally; save-embedded settings may take precedence.
Recovery Usually revert by selecting the previous value. Restore the downloaded backup or replace the edited file.

Important limits and version caveats

No official Deep Field Games dedicated-server guide or patch note confirming this setting across all current builds was identified. Host documentation is therefore the practical reference, not a guarantee of identical behavior on every platform.

Reports also disagree about the dedicated server’s platform support: one source describes an officially Windows-only server, while another describes running it on Linux through Wine. The starting-weapon syntax itself does not establish platform support. Follow the requirements for your server build and host rather than assuming that a Windows configuration file will behave identically under Wine.

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Several guides cite different Steam application IDs, including 2857200 and 427410. Because those identifiers are unresolved in the available documentation, do not use either number as a diagnostic shortcut. Identify the server package from your host’s current installation instructions.

A practical configuration checklist

  • Choose the desired weapon value and decide whether random selection is supported on your build.
  • Back up the world and current configuration.
  • Stop the server.
  • Use the panel field or edit the active SandboxSettings.ini.
  • Keep the [SandboxSettings] header and exact key spelling.
  • Start the server and inspect logs.
  • Test with a first-time player in a disposable world or backed-up save.
  • For an existing world that ignores the change, consult the host about save-embedded settings and -SandboxIniPath.

Frequently asked questions

Can I give every player a new weapon after they die?

No. This option is described as a first-join award. It does not function as a respawn loadout setting.

What value gives a random starting weapon?

Value 6 is documented as random by Shockbyte and TechRaptor, but some guides list only 0–5. Verify value 6 on your server before relying on it.

Do I have to create a new world?

Not necessarily, but existing-world behavior is host- and build-dependent. A new world or a first-time character is the reliable way to test the setting; ask the host about migration or launch-parameter behavior for an established save.

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Where exactly does the file go?

Two hosts describe the world path as AbioticFactor/Saved/SaveGames/Server/Worlds/<Your Save Name>. Another host describes a server-root file selected with -SandboxIniPath. Use the location your provider’s server actually reads.

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