V Rising
Your V Rising server is controlled by two files: ServerHostSettings.json, which handles server infrastructure like your save name, port, and admin options, and ServerGameSettings.json, which handles gameplay rules like difficulty, resource rates, and PvP behavior. This guide covers where to find both files and one important quirk that trips up a lot of server owners: presets silently overriding your custom settings.
Finding Your Configuration Files
- Log into your MintServers panel and click the Stop button to safely shut down your server.
- Navigate to the Files tab on the left-hand sidebar.
- Browse to the Settings folder using the path below:
- Click on either file to open it in the text editor.
📁 server (or your main server directory)
📁 save-data
📁 Settings
📄 ServerGameSettings.json
adminlist.txt and banlist.txt, if you need to manage admins or bans.
Understanding Presets (Read This Before Editing Settings)
V Rising ships with built-in presets that bundle a whole set of gameplay values together. If a preset is active, it will silently override the matching values in ServerGameSettings.json, even if you've already edited them. This is the number one reason a setting change "doesn't work."
Two fields in ServerHostSettings.json control this:
GameSettingsPreset— Sets the overall game mode. Common values areStandardPvP(the default),StandardPvE, andDuoPvP. Additional presets exist for specific rule sets.GameDifficultyPreset— Sets a difficulty bundle that adjusts sun damage, blood drain, enemy stats, loot, and durability all at once. Values areDifficulty_Easy,Difficulty_Normal, orDifficulty_Brutal.
ServerGameSettings.json, set both GameSettingsPreset and GameDifficultyPreset to an empty value ("") in ServerHostSettings.json. As long as either field names an actual preset, it wins over your custom edits.
Editing A Setting
- Stop your server if it's running.
- Open
ServerGameSettings.jsonfor gameplay values, orServerHostSettings.jsonfor infrastructure values like save name or port. - If you're editing
ServerGameSettings.json, confirmGameSettingsPresetandGameDifficultyPresetare both set to""inServerHostSettings.json, otherwise your change may be overridden on startup. - Make your edit, keeping the existing JSON formatting intact.
- Save the file and start your server.
🛠️ Troubleshooting Common Configuration Issues
I changed a setting and nothing happened:Check thatGameSettingsPresetandGameDifficultyPresetinServerHostSettings.jsonare both blank. A named preset will override your custom values.Server won't start after editing:This almost always means a JSON syntax error, such as a missing comma or bracket. Paste your file into an online JSON validator to spot the issue.A setting still won't change even with presets blank:A small number of settings are locked in once a world is created and can't be changed after the fact, even with a restart.
Once your settings are dialed in the way you want, you're ready to play. If you run into any trouble getting a configuration change to stick, no worries! Just open a support ticket and our team will gladly take a look.