Enshrouded guide

Enshrouded server settings explained (enshrouded_server.json)

Every Enshrouded dedicated server setting: the difficulty presets, chat, and each gameSettings value with its range, its default and what it does.

Updated October 22, 2026

The server reads enshrouded_server.json, next to enshrouded_server.exe. Stop the server before editing it. Numbers outside a setting's range are set to the nearest limit; any other mistake, such as a misspelled option, stops the server from starting.

Server basics

name: the name in the server list.
slotCount: players, 1 to 16.
queryPort: the one UDP port players connect to, 15637 by default.
saveDirectory and logDirectory: where the world and logs go, ./savegame and ./logs.
userGroups: passwords and what each role may do. See passwords and roles.

Difficulty and chat

Difficulty preset

Key: gameSettingsPreset
Values: Default · Relaxed · Hard · Survival · Custom
HostForge default: Default

The difficulty. Relaxed has fewer enemies and more resources, Hard has more and fiercer enemies, Survival adds survival mechanics on top. The settings under gameSettings only apply with Custom.

Text chat

Key: enableTextChat
Values: true or false
HostForge default: On (true)

Turns text chat on or off.

Voice chat

Key: enableVoiceChat
Values: true or false
HostForge default: Off (false)

Turns voice chat on or off.

Who hears voice chat

Key: voiceChatMode
Values: Proximity · Global (everyone)
HostForge default: Proximity

Proximity: players hear the people near them. Global: everyone hears everyone.

Players

The settings from here on are in the gameSettings section and only apply when gameSettingsPreset is Custom.

Player health

Key: playerHealthFactor in gameSettings
Values: 0.25 to 4, a multiplier (1 is normal)
HostForge default: 1

Players' maximum health.

Player mana

Key: playerManaFactor in gameSettings
Values: 0.25 to 4, a multiplier (1 is normal)
HostForge default: 1

Players' maximum mana.

Player stamina

Key: playerStaminaFactor in gameSettings
Values: 0.25 to 4, a multiplier (1 is normal)
HostForge default: 1

Players' maximum stamina.

Body heat

Key: playerBodyHeatFactor in gameSettings
Values: 0.5 to 2, a multiplier (1 is normal)
HostForge default: 1

How long players can stay in very cold areas before hypothermia sets in.

Diving time

Key: playerDivingTimeFactor in gameSettings
Values: 0.5 to 2, a multiplier (1 is normal)
HostForge default: 1

How long players can stay underwater.

Food buff duration

Key: foodBuffDurationFactor in gameSettings
Values: 0.5 to 2, a multiplier (1 is normal)
HostForge default: 1

How long food buffs last.

Time in the Shroud

Key: shroudTimeFactor in gameSettings
Values: 0.5 to 2, a multiplier (1 is normal)
HostForge default: 1

How long players can stay inside the Shroud.

Hungry before starving

Key: fromHungerToStarving in gameSettings
Values: 5 to 20 minutes, stored in nanoseconds (minutes × 60,000,000,000)
HostForge default: 10 minutes (600,000,000,000)

How long players stay hungry before they start starving, when starvation is on.

Starvation

Key: enableStarvingDebuff in gameSettings
Values: true or false
HostForge default: Off (false)

Hunger and starvation. A starving player loses health until they eat or drink.

Item durability

Key: enableDurability in gameSettings
Values: true or false
HostForge default: On (true)

Weapons wear out and break. Off: they never break.

What players drop on death

Key: tombstoneMode in gameSettings
Values: AddBackpackMaterials (drop backpack materials) · Everything (drop everything) · NoTombstone (keep everything)
HostForge default: AddBackpackMaterials (drop backpack materials)

What players lose to a tombstone when they die: their backpack materials, everything, or nothing.

Enemies

Enemy damage

Key: enemyDamageFactor in gameSettings
Values: 0.25 to 5, a multiplier (1 is normal)
HostForge default: 1

Damage from enemies, except bosses.

Enemy health

Key: enemyHealthFactor in gameSettings
Values: 0.25 to 4, a multiplier (1 is normal)
HostForge default: 1

Enemies' health, except bosses.

Enemy stun resistance

Key: enemyStaminaFactor in gameSettings
Values: 0.5 to 2, a multiplier (1 is normal)
HostForge default: 1

How hard enemies are to stun, except bosses.

Enemy perception

Key: enemyPerceptionRangeFactor in gameSettings
Values: 0.5 to 2, a multiplier (1 is normal)
HostForge default: 1

How far enemies see and hear players, except bosses.

Enemy attack frequency

Key: threatBonus in gameSettings
Values: 0.25 to 4, a multiplier (1 is normal)
HostForge default: 1

How often enemies attack, except bosses.

Boss damage

Key: bossDamageFactor in gameSettings
Values: 0.2 to 5, a multiplier (1 is normal)
HostForge default: 1

Damage from bosses.

Boss health

Key: bossHealthFactor in gameSettings
Values: 0.2 to 5, a multiplier (1 is normal)
HostForge default: 1

Bosses' health.

Enemy numbers

Key: randomSpawnerAmount in gameSettings
Values: Few · Normal · Automatic (automatic (by players nearby)) · Many · Extreme
HostForge default: Normal

How many enemies the world has. Automatic, new in 1.0, scales them to the players nearby.

Enemies attacking at once

Key: aggroPoolAmount in gameSettings
Values: Few · Normal · Many · Extreme
HostForge default: Normal

How many enemies may attack at the same time.

Peaceful enemies

Key: pacifyAllEnemies in gameSettings
Values: true or false
HostForge default: Off (false)

Enemies only fight back once attacked. Bosses still attack.

Shroud curse

Key: curseModifier in gameSettings
Values: Easy (off) · Normal · Hard (twice as likely)
HostForge default: Normal

The Shroud curse some enemies pass on: Easy turns it off, Hard doubles the chance.

World

Mining effectiveness

Key: miningDamageFactor in gameSettings
Values: 0.5 to 2, a multiplier (1 is normal)
HostForge default: 1

Mining damage: more terrain removed and more resources per hit.

Resource yield

Key: resourceDropStackAmountFactor in gameSettings
Values: 0.25 to 2, a multiplier (1 is normal)
HostForge default: 1

Materials per stack from chests, enemies and other loot.

Plant growth speed

Key: plantGrowthSpeedFactor in gameSettings
Values: 0.25 to 2, a multiplier (1 is normal)
HostForge default: 1

How fast plants grow.

Crafting station speed

Key: factoryProductionSpeedFactor in gameSettings
Values: 0.25 to 2, a multiplier (1 is normal)
HostForge default: 1

How fast crafting stations produce.

Weather

Key: weatherFrequency in gameSettings
Values: Disabled (none) · Rare · Normal · Often
HostForge default: Normal

How often weather events happen.

Glider turbulence

Key: enableGliderTurbulences in gameSettings
Values: true or false
HostForge default: On (true)

Air turbulence while gliding.

Fishing difficulty

Key: fishingDifficulty in gameSettings
Values: VeryEasy (very easy) · Easy · Normal · Hard · VeryHard (very hard)
HostForge default: Normal

How strong fish are in the fishing minigame.

Startling animals while taming

Key: tamingStartleRepercussion in gameSettings
Values: KeepProgress (keep progress) · LoseSomeProgress (lose some progress) · LoseAllProgress (lose all progress)
HostForge default: LoseSomeProgress (lose some progress)

What happens to taming progress when a player startles the animal.

Flame Altars in the Shroud

Key: flameLevelFogRemoval in gameSettings
Values: 0 to 20
HostForge default: 11

The Flame level from which Flame Altars can be placed inside the Shroud. 0 allows any level.

Day length

Key: dayTimeDuration in gameSettings
Values: 2 to 60 minutes, stored in nanoseconds (minutes × 60,000,000,000)
HostForge default: 30 minutes (1,800,000,000,000)

How long the day lasts.

Night length

Key: nightTimeDuration in gameSettings
Values: 2 to 60 minutes, stored in nanoseconds (minutes × 60,000,000,000)
HostForge default: 12 minutes (720,000,000,000)

How long the night lasts.

Experience and upgrades

Combat experience

Key: experienceCombatFactor in gameSettings
Values: 0.25 to 2, a multiplier (1 is normal)
HostForge default: 1

Experience from combat.

Mining experience

Key: experienceMiningFactor in gameSettings
Values: 0 to 2, a multiplier (1 is normal)
HostForge default: 1

Experience from mining.

Exploration experience

Key: experienceExplorationQuestsFactor in gameSettings
Values: 0.25 to 2, a multiplier (1 is normal)
HostForge default: 1

Experience from exploring and quests.

Weapon upgrade cost

Key: perkCostFactor in gameSettings
Values: 0.25 to 2, a multiplier (1 is normal)
HostForge default: 1

Runes needed to upgrade weapons.

Runes back from salvage

Key: perkUpgradeRecyclingFactor in gameSettings
Values: 0 to 1, the share returned (0.5 is half)
HostForge default: 0.5

The share of Runes you get back when salvaging an upgraded weapon.

On HostForge

Every setting in one form

Your server's Settings tab has each of these, with the same names: pick a preset, or Custom to set every multiplier. HostForge checks the ranges and writes your changes into the file at the next start. Anything else can still be edited in the file.

HostForge's Enshrouded game settings: the difficulty presets, with Custom open to show player and enemy multipliers. — The difficulty section of the Settings tab.