How to Change the Difficulty on Your Conan Exiles Server

Conan Exiles gives you a lot of control over how tough the world is for your players. Whether you want a brutal hardcore experience or a relaxed setting where newcomers can explore without constant punishment, you can adjust the difficulty from the RiverHosting panel without editing any files by hand.

This guide walks you through finding and changing the difficulty and related survival settings on your Conan Exiles server.

Before you start

• Make sure you have an active Conan Exiles server on RiverHosting.
• Log in to the RiverHosting panel at panel.riverhosting.com.
• Your server should be running before you apply changes, but you will need to restart it afterward for the new settings to take effect.

1. Open the Server Config page

The Server Config page is the easiest place to adjust difficulty and survival settings for your Conan Exiles server. Follow these steps:

1. Log in to the RiverHosting panel.
2. Click on your Conan Exiles server from the server list.
3. In the left-hand menu, click Server Config.
4. The Server Config page will load with a set of options for your server.

2. Adjust the difficulty and survival settings

Once you are on the Server Config page, look for the settings related to difficulty and player survival. These typically include options such as:

• Server difficulty: Sets the overall challenge level of the world, including enemy damage and health scaling.
• Player damage taken: Controls how much damage players receive from enemies and the environment.
• NPC damage: Controls how much damage non-player characters deal to players.
• Stamina cost multiplier: Adjusts how quickly your players use stamina during combat and movement.
• Hunger and thirst settings: Control how quickly hunger and thirst build up for players on the server.

To change a setting:

1. Find the setting you want to change on the Server Config page.
2. Update the value using the input field or dropdown provided.
3. When you are happy with your changes, scroll to the bottom of the page and click Save.

3. Restart your server to apply the changes

Difficulty and survival settings do not take effect until your server restarts. Here is how to restart it:

1. Go back to your server's main page in the RiverHosting panel.
2. Click the Restart button at the top of the page.
3. Wait for the server to finish starting up. You can watch the progress in the Console tab.
4. Once the server is back online, the new difficulty settings will be active.

4. Fine-tune settings using the File Manager (advanced)

If you need to adjust a setting that is not available on the Server Config page, you can edit the server's configuration file directly using the File Manager.

1. In the left-hand menu, click Files to open the File Manager.
2. Navigate to the ConanSandbox/Saved/Config/WindowsServer/ folder.
3. Open the file called ServerSettings.ini.
4. Find the setting you want to change and update the value. Common difficulty-related keys include settings like ServerDifficulty, PlayerDamageMultiplier, and NPCDamageMultiplier.
5. Save the file and restart your server from the main server page.

Troubleshooting

• Settings did not change after saving: Make sure you clicked Save on the Server Config page and then fully restarted the server. A simple stop and start may be needed rather than just a reload.
• Players do not notice a difference: Some difficulty settings only apply to newly spawned enemies. Enemies that were already in the world may retain their old values until they respawn.
• Server Config page shows an error: Try refreshing the panel page. If the error continues, reach out to RiverHosting support.
• Cannot find the ServerSettings.ini file: Make sure your server has been started at least once, as the configuration files are generated on first run.
• Changes reverted after restart: If settings keep resetting, another configuration file or startup variable may be overriding your saved values. Contact support for help identifying the conflict.

Need help?

If you run into any issues adjusting the difficulty on your Conan Exiles server, the RiverHosting support team is happy to help.