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World desk9 min

How to Disable Death Penalties on an Abiotic Factor Server

Set DeathPenalties=0 to remove item loss after death in an Abiotic Factor world. This guide covers host panels, SandboxSettings.ini paths, Steam launch parameters, per-world scope, related durability settings, and troubleshooting.
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Set DeathPenalties to 0 for the specific world. If your host has a game-settings panel, choose No Loss in its Death Penalty menu; otherwise stop the server and edit that world’s SandboxSettings.ini. File locations differ between hosts, so confirm the path in your own server files before saving.

If you want a hosted Abiotic Factor server, Godlike.Host offers its own game panel and up to three free backups a day with restore. Not on the Abiotic Factor dedicated server wiki’s list of Verified Server Providers (github.com/DFJacob/AbioticFactorDedicatedServer, 10 Oct 2026).

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What changing DeathPenalties does

DeathPenalties controls which items a player loses when dying on an Abiotic Factor server. The value is an integer from 0 through 5. A value of 0 means no item loss, which is the setting most administrators mean by “no death penalty.”

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Value Reported behavior
0 No loss on death
1 Keep equipped items and hotbar contents
2 Keep hotbar contents only
3 Keep equipped items only
4 Lose everything, including the hotbar
5 All items are destroyed

Third-party host guides describe this scale, but there is no verified Hinterland server manual establishing the current defaults or every host’s storage model. One Steam community discussion reports 1 as the default; treat that as an unconfirmed report rather than a guaranteed default for every release or server setup.

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Check your server type before editing

The procedure depends on whether your provider exposes Abiotic Factor settings in a control panel or gives you file access. In both cases, stop the server first. A running instance can rewrite its configuration during shutdown, leaving your edit unapplied or replacing it with the previous value.

  • Hosted control panel: use the provider’s configuration page when a Death Penalty selector is available.
  • File-managed hosted server: edit the SandboxSettings.ini belonging to the world you want to change.
  • Steam dedicated server: use the world’s sandbox INI, and add a launch argument if the file is stored in a custom location.

Back up the existing INI before changing it. Keep the copy outside the live configuration folder and give it a date or world name so you can restore the previous settings if the server fails to start.

Method 1: Use a host control panel

A panel is the quickest and least error-prone option when it exposes the setting. BisectHosting’s published guidance, for example, describes a Death Penalty dropdown with a No Loss choice. Other providers may use different menu names or place the option under world, gameplay, or sandbox settings.

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  1. Open your host’s game-server control panel.
  2. Stop the Abiotic Factor server and wait until its status shows that it is fully offline.
  3. Open the configuration area. Look for labels such as Death Penalty, Death Penalties, Sandbox, or Gameplay.
  4. Select No Loss. If the panel displays numeric values instead of descriptive labels, select 0.
  5. Choose the panel’s save, apply, or save-and-restart command. If it offers a separate restart button, start the server only after the save has completed.
  6. Join the same world and perform a controlled test with inexpensive items, or inspect the generated configuration if your host provides file access.

Do not assume a similarly named setting changes inventory loss. A server may list durability, experience, corpse, or death-message options separately. The item-retention setting is the one whose underlying key is DeathPenalties.

Method 2: Edit SandboxSettings.ini manually

1. Stop the server

Use the panel’s Stop action or stop the dedicated-server process cleanly. Wait for the process to exit before opening the file. Editing while the process is running risks a lost change and can create a partial write.

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2. Locate the INI for the correct world

Guides from different providers show more than one layout. Shockbyte identifies a world directory under:

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

Citadel Servers shows a server-level file at:

AbioticFactorrom the server root
efer to your host's WindowsServer pathrom the server root

For clarity, the Citadel example is commonly written as:

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AbioticFactorrom your server root	o Saved	o Config	o WindowsServer	o SandboxSettings.ini

Some references instead name AbioticFactor/Saved/SandboxSettings.ini. Another description says sandbox values are created with a world and stored in the world save data, meaning a standalone INI may not be generated automatically. These layouts are not consistent across hosts or installations.

Use your provider’s file manager, SFTP client, or local server directory search to find SandboxSettings.ini. If several copies exist, identify the one associated with the save you actually run. Check the folder names, modification times, and the panel’s selected world rather than editing the first matching file.

3. Add or change the key

Open the correct file in a plain-text editor. Find a line beginning with DeathPenalties= and change only the number:

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DeathPenalties=0

If the key is absent, add that line in the sandbox settings section, preserving the file’s existing INI formatting. Do not add quotation marks, spaces inside the key name, or a comment on the same line. Save as plain text with the original filename and .ini extension.

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4. Start and verify

  1. Upload the edited file if you changed it locally.
  2. Confirm that the remote file’s timestamp or contents reflect the new value.
  3. Start the server and wait for it to finish loading.
  4. Connect to the world whose file you edited.
  5. Test with a low-value item. A value of 0 should prevent the item-loss behavior controlled by DeathPenalties.

If the server changes the line back, the host may generate settings from a panel, copy values from a world template, or be reading a different file. Stop it again, identify the active world and configuration path, and make the change through the panel or the file that the startup process actually uses.

Steam dedicated servers and a custom INI path

Some Steam dedicated-server setups keep sandbox settings outside the location the server checks by default. TechRaptor’s guidance says to pass the custom location with the -SandboxIniPath launch parameter in the server’s run script.

The argument must point to the directory or file arrangement expected by your installation. Add it to the same startup script that launches the dedicated server, for example:

-SandboxIniPath=<path-to-your-sandbox-configuration>

Use the exact path syntax required by your operating system and script. Do not copy a Windows path into a Linux script, or vice versa. After changing the run script, stop any existing server process, launch it again through that script, and verify that the process is reading the intended world configuration. If the argument is malformed, the server can continue using its default location, making a correct DeathPenalties=0 line appear to have no effect.

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Understand per-world scope

Host guidance describes these settings as per-world. Editing one save does not automatically change every save on the server. This allows one world to use no item loss while another retains a harsher rule, provided your host exposes separate world configuration or the files are stored separately.

When you administer multiple worlds, make a short inventory before editing:

  • World or save name shown in the panel
  • Active file path
  • Current DeathPenalties value
  • Target value and date changed

If players report different behavior in different worlds, compare those files first. A successful change in one save is not evidence that another save uses the same file.

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Related settings that are not the same thing

DurabilityLossOnDeathMultiplier

One third-party reference lists DurabilityLossOnDeathMultiplier=0.1 as a multiplier for durability lost on death. The evidence for this key is limited, and it is not established that setting DeathPenalties=0 also removes durability loss. If your goal is to prevent both item loss and equipment wear, inspect whether your installation exposes this separate key and test the result independently.

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Do not change the multiplier blindly. A value of 0.1 is a specific reported example, not a universal recommendation or confirmed default. Keep a backup and record the previous value before experimenting.

ShowDeathMessages

ShowDeathMessages controls whether the server announces deaths. One host reference reports a default of True. It affects chat or notification visibility, not inventory retention. Leave it enabled if players need public death notices, or change it separately if you want deaths to remain private. Changing this key will not disable the penalty.

Panel versus manual editing

Consideration Control-panel option Manual INI option
Ease Fastest when a Death Penalty menu is available Requires file access and knowledge of the active world path
Control Usually limited to labels the host exposes Lets you edit related keys such as durability and death-message behavior
Risk Lower chance of a syntax error, but labels can vary Requires a stopped server, correct file, valid INI syntax, and a backup
World targeting Depends on which world the panel currently selects Explicit when each save has a separate configuration file

Choose the panel when it offers an explicit No Loss option and you only need the standard behavior. Use manual editing when the panel lacks the setting, when you need related sandbox keys, or when you must manage several worlds individually.

Troubleshooting a change that does not work

The setting is not visible in the panel

Look under world-specific settings rather than general server settings. Some panels hide advanced sandbox controls until the server is stopped. If no Death Penalty or sandbox option exists, use file access or ask the host which configuration file its current Abiotic Factor image reads.

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The file cannot be found

Search for SandboxSettings.ini from the server’s top-level directory. Check both the world save tree and a Saved/Config/WindowsServer tree. If there is no file, the installation may create sandbox data only when a world is created. In that case, inspect the world-management controls and consult the host’s current path convention instead of creating an arbitrary duplicate file.

The server starts, but players still lose items

  • Confirm the line is exactly DeathPenalties=0, with no second copy later in the file overriding it.
  • Verify that you edited the active world, not a similarly named backup or another save.
  • Ensure the server was stopped before saving and restarted afterward.
  • Check whether a panel or startup script regenerates the INI from another template.
  • For a custom Steam setup, confirm the run script includes the intended -SandboxIniPath.

The change disappears after a restart

This usually indicates that the server is loading a different path or that the control panel is rewriting the file. Compare the file immediately before startup and after shutdown. If the value changes only after shutdown, the process is likely saving settings from another source. Apply the value through that source or move the edit to the file it actually writes.

Only one world changed

That is expected when settings are per-world. Repeat the procedure for each save, selecting the correct world before editing or applying the panel option.

The server fails to start after editing

Stop the process, restore your backup, and confirm that the file remains plain text with a valid .ini extension. Remove accidental quotation marks, rich-text formatting, duplicated section headers, or unrelated edits. Once the server starts with the backup, reapply only DeathPenalties=0 and test again.

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Safe change checklist

  • Record the world name and current penalty value.
  • Stop the server completely.
  • Back up the active configuration.
  • Use the panel’s No Loss choice or set DeathPenalties=0.
  • Save in plain-text INI format.
  • Restart through the normal panel or run script.
  • Verify the setting in the intended world with a low-value test.
  • Repeat for other worlds only when you want the same rule there.

What is and is not confirmed

The consistent operational instruction across host guidance is that DeathPenalties=0 represents no loss, and that a panel may expose the same value as No Loss. The exact file path, whether a file is generated automatically, the reported default of 1, and the interaction between death penalties and durability are less certain and can vary by host, server build, or world-creation workflow. Treat your own panel and file tree as authoritative for the installation you operate.

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