Valheim dedicated servers separate difficulty into combat, death penalties, resource yield, raids and portal rules, with additional switches such as No Map and passive mobs. Configure them at startup with -preset, -modifier and -setkey; place custom overrides after a preset, because a preset replaces modifiers that came before it.
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What Valheim’s server difficulty actually controls
Valheim does not use one universal “difficulty” slider. A server’s rules are assembled from independent axes, so you can make combat harder without increasing the material grind, or remove raids while leaving ordinary enemies unchanged. The main categories are combat, death penalty, resources, raids and portals. Checkbox-style keys add rules that do not fit those scales.
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- Death penalty: changes how costly player death is, from forgiving recovery to the severe
hardcoreend. - Resources: changes how much material players obtain from gathering and related sources.
- Raids: controls event frequency, including an option that removes raids.
- Portals: changes travel restrictions between portal-linked locations.
- Checkbox keys: options such as
nomap,passivemobs,nobuildcostandplayereventsalter the world’s baseline play style.
These are official game settings exposed to a dedicated server; they are not automatically mod features. A setting affects everyone using that world, so agree on high-impact choices before inviting players.
Modifier values and what each one means
The dedicated-server guide groups values by category. Use the spelling shown below in launch arguments; values are written in lowercase.
| Category | Documented values | Practical effect |
|---|---|---|
| Combat | veryeasy, easy, hard, veryhard |
Moves the general fighting challenge down or up. |
| DeathPenalty | casual, veryeasy, easy, hard, hardcore |
Determines how punishing a player death is. hardcore is the severe end of this scale. |
| Resources | muchless, less, more, muchmore, most |
Changes the amount of material players receive, from a heavily reduced yield to the highest documented setting. |
| Raids | none, muchless, less, more, muchmore |
Changes event frequency. none removes raids. |
| Portals | casual, hard, veryhard |
Changes how restrictive portal travel is. |
The values are relative choices, not percentages. The documentation does not assign a numeric multiplier to each word, so do not describe more or hard as a specific percentage increase. If your group wants a controlled experiment, change one category at a time and record the result.
Presets: the quickest starting point
Presets provide a bundled baseline. The documented names are Normal, Casual, Easy, Hard, Hardcore, Immersive and Hammer. The preset name is supplied with -preset.
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| Group goal | Starting approach | What to decide before launch |
|---|---|---|
| Relaxed cooperative play | Start with a Normal or Casual baseline. | Whether to increase resources, suppress raids or permit easier travel. |
| Standard progression | Use a Normal baseline and leave most axes unchanged initially. | Whether No Map or passive mobs fit the group’s expectations. |
| Challenge run | Choose a harder baseline, then add one explicit pressure point. | Whether the group accepts a severe death rule, tougher combat, restricted portals or reduced resources. |
Because preset bundles are not expressed as a simple public table of multipliers in the supplied documentation, treat the preset as a starting profile rather than assuming exactly which value every category receives. Override the categories you care about explicitly.
How to configure a dedicated server
1. Define the intended experience
Write down whether the world is meant to be relaxed, a conventional progression run or a challenge. Identify the players’ platforms and time zones, since backend selection and event frequency affect who can join and how often the world needs attention.
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2. Choose a preset
Add one documented preset to the server’s startup arguments. Keep the spelling consistent with the guide and the version of the dedicated-server package installed on your machine.
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Use -modifier followed by a category and value. For checkbox settings, use -setkey followed by the documented key. A pattern for a server that starts from a hard baseline, increases resources, reduces raids and disables the map is:
valheim_server -name "My server" -world "Dedicated" -password "yourpassword" -preset hard -modifier resources more -modifier raids less -setkey nomapThis command is an explanatory syntax pattern, not a tested deployment command. Check the dedicated-server manual shipped with your installed version before using it, and retain any platform-specific executable path or startup wrapper required by your host.
4. Decide on the backend
Add -crossplay when the world must use the PlayFab backend for cross-platform players. If you omit that argument, the Steam backend is used. Make the choice before publishing connection instructions; players should know whether they are joining a Steam-backend or PlayFab-backed server.
5. Choose visibility and networking
For a server that should not appear in the public browser, use -public 0 and give players the address needed to join by IP. When self-hosting, forward the configured server port and the next port (port plus one) through the router. Both forwarded ports must match the values used by the server and be allowed through the host firewall.
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6. Start, inspect and document
Restart the server with the complete argument line, then verify the startup output and have a test player confirm the intended rule set. Save the final command line in an administrator-only location, along with the world name, port, backend choice and backup directory. This prevents a later restart from silently reverting to an older profile.
Understanding the individual axes
Combat
Combat is the right lever when the group wants enemies and encounters to demand more or less execution without changing how often raids occur or how much ore is available. Choose among veryeasy, easy, hard and veryhard. If only new players are struggling, lowering combat is less disruptive than increasing resources for everyone.
DeathPenalty
Death rules determine the recovery cost of mistakes. The range runs from casual, through veryeasy, easy and hard, to hardcore. Announce this choice clearly: a severe death rule can change how players explore, retrieve equipment and decide whether to risk a boss attempt.
Resources
Resource values run from muchless and less through more, muchmore and most. This axis is useful for groups with limited play time, but higher yields can shorten the gathering phase and alter the value of progression milestones. If you want faster construction without changing combat, resource yield is more targeted than a broad easy preset.
Raids
Raids can be set to none, muchless, less, more or muchmore. Use none when scheduled base defense would conflict with the group’s play schedule. Conversely, increasing raids makes settlement defense a larger part of the world’s routine; it does not by itself change ordinary combat settings.
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Portals
Portal rules use casual, hard or veryhard. Treat this as a travel-convenience decision. A restrictive portal setting makes logistics and expedition planning more important, so tell players before they build routes around easy teleportation.
Checkbox keys
The documented keys include:
nomap— removes normal map use.passivemobs— changes the baseline behavior of mobs toward a passive style.nobuildcost— removes ordinary building-cost pressure.playerevents— changes the server’s player-event behavior.
Use each key only when the group understands its consequences. No Map, in particular, affects navigation throughout the entire run rather than one combat encounter.
Crossplay, ports and visibility
-crossplay selects PlayFab. Without it, the server uses Steam. That backend decision is separate from the difficulty axes: you can run a hard world on either backend, subject to the platform and version requirements of the installed server.
An invisible server configured with -public 0 is joined by IP rather than found in the public list. Self-hosters must forward the configured port and port plus one. If players cannot connect, check the argument line, the router’s two forwarding entries, the operating-system firewall and whether the address is reachable from outside the local network. Do not change difficulty values while troubleshooting a network failure; isolate one variable at a time.
Save and backup settings for a persistent world
Difficulty settings only matter if the world survives a crash or an administrator mistake. The official guide lists these defaults:
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| Setting | Default | Operational meaning |
|---|---|---|
saveinterval |
1,800 seconds (30 minutes) | Normal automatic-save interval documented for the server. |
backups |
4 backups | Number of backup copies retained by the default configuration. |
| Short-backup interval | 7,200 seconds (2 hours) | Default interval for the shorter backup cycle. |
| Long-backup interval | 43,200 seconds (12 hours) | Default interval for the longer backup cycle. |
These are configuration defaults, not guarantees that a host has adequate storage or that a restore has been tested. Check available disk space, locate the actual world and backup files, and perform a restore drill on a copy before relying on the process. Back up before changing high-impact rules, changing the startup profile or moving the world to another machine.
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A safe rollout plan for an existing world
- Announce the change: explain the affected axes, especially No Map, Hardcore death rules, veryhard portals and any raid change.
- Stop the server cleanly: avoid editing a live world while it is writing save data.
- Copy the world and backup files: keep a dated copy outside the active save directory.
- Edit the startup arguments: put
-presetfirst, followed by every required-modifierand-setkey. - Restart and verify: confirm the backend, port, world name and intended rule choices before players commit progress.
- Observe one play session: ask players to report a specific symptom, such as excessive material grind or unexpected raid frequency, rather than changing several axes at once.
- Record the final profile: save the exact command and date so a future host migration reproduces the same world rules.
Troubleshooting common configuration mistakes
The server starts with the wrong difficulty
Check argument order first. A later -preset can overwrite modifiers placed before it. Move the preset to the beginning, then repeat the desired overrides afterward. Also check category spelling and value spelling against the installed version’s manual.
Custom settings appear to do nothing
Confirm that the argument is attached to the server process that actually launches the world, not to a discarded shell script or hosting-panel field. Verify that each modifier includes both its category and value, and that checkbox keys use the documented -setkey form.
Cross-platform players cannot join
Confirm whether the server was started with -crossplay. If it was omitted, the Steam backend is in use. Then check that the advertised address, backend, port and port-plus-one forwarding entries match the running configuration.
Players cannot find the server
-public 0 intentionally hides a server from the public browser. Provide the IP-based connection details instead, and verify firewall and router rules before changing world modifiers.
A rule change causes disagreement
Restore the dated backup if necessary, then return to a known command line. For the next attempt, alter one axis only and publish the exact value. This makes it clear whether the problem is combat pressure, death recovery, resource grind, raid disruption or travel restriction.
Choosing a balanced configuration
For a mixed-skill group, Normal or Casual is a practical baseline. Add challenge through one axis at a time: for example, keep resources and portals unchanged while raising combat, or keep combat stable while selecting a stricter death penalty. This makes the source of friction identifiable and avoids turning every session into a debate over an opaque preset.
For a time-limited cooperative server, a moderate resource increase or fewer raids can reduce chores without removing all danger. For a navigation-focused challenge, No Map and a stricter portal value change planning more directly than veryhard combat. For a building-focused world, nobuildcost addresses construction overhead without requiring a global combat change. Whatever profile you choose, write it down and tell players which choices are difficult to reverse socially, even when they are technically easy to edit.
Quick Recap
Administrator checklist
- Choose the world’s purpose and a documented preset.
- Place
-presetbefore all custom modifiers and keys. - Confirm combat, death, resources, raids and portal values explicitly where they matter.
- Decide whether
nomap,passivemobs,nobuildcostorplayereventsbelongs in the profile. - Select PlayFab with
-crossplaywhen cross-platform access is required; otherwise the server uses Steam. - Check visibility, the configured port and port plus one.
- Keep the 30-minute save and four-backup defaults only if storage and restore procedures support them.
- Back up before editing a persistent world and test a restore on a copy.
- Publish high-impact rules before the first login.
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