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How to Configure PvP Friendly Fire on a 7 Days to Die Server

Configure 7 Days to Die server PvP with PlayerKillingMode: 0 disables player damage, 1 allows allies only, 2 allows strangers only, and 3 allows everyone. Follow the safe edit-and-restart procedure and troubleshoot legacy settings or missing properties.
Length8 min Posted Quest giverVGSources Team
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On a self-managed 7 Days to Die server, PvP and friendly-fire behavior is controlled by PlayerKillingMode in serverconfig.xml. Stop the server, set the value from 0 through 3, save the file, and restart. Use 0 for no player damage, 1 for allies only, 2 for strangers only, or 3 for everyone, including allies.

What PlayerKillingMode controls

PlayerKillingMode determines whether one player can injure another player on the server. It affects player-versus-player damage, not zombie damage, block damage, loot rules, or other unrelated multiplayer settings. The current host-provider guides that document the setting use this XML property:

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<property name="PlayerKillingMode" value="3"/>

Change only the number inside value. Keep the property name, quotation marks, slash, and angle brackets intact. The available meanings documented by hosting guides are:

Value Who can damage whom Use this when
0 No PvP: players cannot damage one another. You want a completely cooperative PvE server.
1 Allies only: damage is possible only between players who have added one another to their allies list, according to the host description. You want optional combat inside established allied groups.
2 Strangers only: players can damage people who are not their allies, but not their allies. You want faction or group protection while leaving hostile-player combat enabled.
3 Everyone, including allies, can be damaged. You want unrestricted PvP and do not want an ally exception.

Use values 0 through 3. One hosting reference reports a wider range but lists only these four behaviors, while an in-file community comment also uses 0 through 3; the four-value range is the consistent interpretation. A search result claimed that 3 is the default, but that result was unattributed, so do not assume a server’s default without checking its file.

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Before changing the setting

Confirm how your server is managed

There are two practical routes:

  • Dedicated server with file access: edit serverconfig.xml directly through your host’s file manager, FTP/SFTP connection, or local server directory.
  • Managed hosting panel: use the provider’s PvP or friendly-fire control if one is available. Wabbanode, for example, documents PvP and friendly-fire toggles in its control-panel settings tab. Other panels may expose different labels or no toggle at all.

If a panel provides the control, prefer it over manually editing the file. A panel can regenerate or overwrite configuration files when the server starts. Do not edit the file and a panel toggle at the same time unless you know which setting has precedence.

Schedule downtime and make a backup

Stop the server completely before editing. A running process can rewrite the configuration when it shuts down, erasing your change or leaving a partially written file. Download or copy the existing serverconfig.xml first. Record the original value so you can restore it if players report unexpected behavior.

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Check the game build and file format

The available material for this setting comes mainly from hosting-provider guides and community posts rather than an official 7 Days to Die configuration reference. Behavior on a particular 2026 game build is therefore not independently verified. Make sure your build actually recognizes PlayerKillingMode before relying on it, especially if you run a heavily customized or older server.

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How to set PvP friendly fire in serverconfig.xml

  1. Stop the server. Use the host panel’s Stop or Shutdown action and wait until the status shows that the process has exited.
  2. Open the configuration file. Locate serverconfig.xml in the server’s configuration area. On a hosted server this is commonly a file manager or FTP/SFTP directory; the exact path differs by provider.
  3. Back up the file. Download a copy or duplicate it under a clearly identifiable name before making any edit.
  4. Find the property. Search for PlayerKillingMode. It is normally in the multiplayer-related part of the XML.
  5. Set the desired value. Replace only the number in the line. For example, a no-PvP server should contain:
<property name="PlayerKillingMode" value="0"/>
  1. Save the file as XML text. Do not add smart quotes, remove the closing />, or save it with a second extension such as .xml.txt.
  2. Start or restart the server. The game reads the setting during startup; changing the file while the server is running does not reliably apply it to the current process.
  3. Check the result with two accounts. Test a controlled hit between two consenting players after both have joined the newly restarted server. Test the exact relationship that matters to your chosen mode: allies for 1 and 2, and both allies and non-allies for 3.

If the server fails to start after the edit, stop it again, restore the backup, and compare the edited line character by character with the original XML format.

Choosing the right mode

Mode 0: no player damage

Set value="0" when the server’s purpose is cooperative survival and accidental attacks must be impossible. Players can still fight zombies and other non-player threats, but a shotgun blast, melee swing, or explosion from one player should not injure another under the host-guide definition of this mode. This is the clearest choice for family servers, building communities, and PvE events.

Mode 1: allies can damage each other

Set value="1" when PvP should be limited to allies. The documented interpretation is that damage occurs only when both players have added each other to their allies list. Because the setting depends on the game’s alliance system, verify the relationship in-game before testing; the available guides do not define whether an ally entry is one-way or how the game handles pending or removed alliances.

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Mode 2: strangers can damage each other

Set value="2" when allied players should be protected from one another but unaffiliated players remain valid targets. This is the usual choice for a server with groups or factions that want internal safety and external conflict. Confirm which players the game currently treats as allies, because the host description does not document every alliance-state edge case.

Mode 3: unrestricted player damage

Set value="3" when every player can damage every other player, including allies. This enables the most dangerous environment: accidental hits, deliberate betrayal, and combat inside a team are all possible. Do not describe this as the server’s default unless you have verified the value in its configuration; the available default claim is not attributed.

Using a hosting control panel instead

Some managed hosts present the same setting as a switch instead of exposing XML. Wabbanode’s documented workflow places PvP and friendly-fire toggles in the control-panel settings tab. The labels, grouping, and whether the controls are separate can differ among providers.

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  1. Stop the server from the panel.
  2. Open the server’s Settings tab or equivalent configuration page.
  3. Locate the PvP, player-killing, or friendly-fire control.
  4. Select the equivalent behavior: disabled/no PvP, allies-only, strangers-only, or everyone.
  5. Apply or save the setting, then restart the server from the panel.
  6. After startup, confirm that the panel retained the choice. If it reverted, inspect the generated serverconfig.xml or contact the host because the panel may use a different internal property.

A panel toggle is not proof that every host supports every mode. Some providers expose only an on/off friendly-fire switch, while others map directly to all four PlayerKillingMode values.

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Why the older FriendlyFire setting causes confusion

Older player discussions and a forum archive refer to a property named FriendlyFire, sometimes set to false for PvE. Those reports describe it as a simple on/off control and say that its behavior could depend on players being on each other’s friends list. Current hosting guides use PlayerKillingMode instead, so treat FriendlyFire as a legacy name rather than the primary control for a current server.

Do not add both properties and expect them to combine. If an old tutorial tells you to edit FriendlyFire, first determine which game build the tutorial targets. Remove or leave the legacy line only according to that build’s documented requirements, and test the actual result after a restart.

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Troubleshooting when the change does not work

The property is missing

One community report says the setting belongs in the multiplayer section and that adding the line manually fixed the issue. Another report says manually pasting it had no effect. That conflict means a missing line is not, by itself, evidence that the property is supported by your build.

  • Confirm that the file you edited is the file the server actually loads. Hosts may keep separate files for different instances or worlds.
  • Stop the server before adding the line and preserve the surrounding XML structure.
  • Use the exact spelling and capitalization PlayerKillingMode.
  • Restart fully, then test with two players.
  • If there is still no effect, remove the manually added line, restore the backup, and check your provider’s game-version guidance rather than stacking additional copies of the property.

The setting keeps reverting

A panel, startup script, or server update may regenerate serverconfig.xml. Change the value through the panel if it offers a matching control, and verify the file after the server has started. If the panel and file disagree, make one change at a time and restart between tests.

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Players can still hurt one another at value 0

Check that the server was actually restarted after saving, that the active instance uses the edited file, and that the line contains numeric 0 rather than a leftover duplicate property. Test with fresh connections after startup. If damage persists, restore the backup and ask the host which configuration source its server process reads; the available guides do not establish identical behavior for every host or game build.

Allies are not protected at value 2

Mode 2 depends on the game’s alliance classification. Confirm that both players are recognized as allies by the game, not merely members of the same voice chat, clan, or external community. Because the alliance mechanics are not explained in the available documentation, test with the in-game alliance feature itself and record whether the relationship is mutual.

The server will not start

Restore the saved copy of serverconfig.xml, then start the server without other changes. Common editing faults include a missing quote, a removed slash in />, a duplicated property, or saving the file in a format that adds hidden characters. Once the server starts, make one controlled edit and restart again.

A safe verification checklist

  • The server was stopped before the file or panel setting was changed.
  • A backup of the previous configuration exists.
  • Only one active PlayerKillingMode property is present.
  • The value is exactly 0, 1, 2, or 3.
  • The server completed a full restart after the change.
  • Two consenting players tested both an ally relationship and a non-ally relationship where relevant.
  • The result was checked after reconnecting, not only during the same session that preceded the restart.
  • The chosen mode is written in the server rules or welcome message so players understand whether friendly fire is intentional.

What is and is not established about the setting

The property name, four documented values, edit-and-restart workflow, and the distinction between current PlayerKillingMode guidance and older FriendlyFire discussions are consistent across the available host material. No official 7 Days to Die documentation was located for this setting, no 2026-dated guide confirms behavior on the current build, and no authoritative explanation of the alliance system was found. Treat the table as the practical configuration map, then verify your exact server build with an in-game test after every change.

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