How to Enable or Disable PvP on a Soulmask Server (2026 Guide)

For most Soulmask dedicated servers, add -pvp to the server’s launch arguments to enable player-versus-player combat, or replace it with -pve to disable PvP. Stop and restart the server after changing the argument, then confirm the mode in the server browser or in-game. Rented servers often provide the same switch as a Game Type or PvP setting in their control panel.

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What actually changes a Soulmask server’s PvP mode?

The most consistently reported method is a startup argument: append -pvp for PvP or -pve for PvE to the command that launches your dedicated server. Guides from Bisect Hosting and Oxygenserv both describe this approach. The argument is read when the process starts, so changing a file or panel value without a full restart will not change an already running world.

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There is no single, reliably documented configuration-file key for every Soulmask build. Guides disagree about whether the setting belongs in ServerSettings.ini, Engine.ini or GameXishu.json. Those names may reflect different releases, hosting templates or translated documentation. Use a launch argument or a host-panel switch when available; use a file only after checking which key your installation actually contains.

Before you change the setting

Make the change during a maintenance window. A mode switch can affect how players approach bases, storage and character safety, and a restart briefly disconnects everyone.

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• Record the current setting. Copy the complete launch command or take a screenshot of the control-panel values before changing them.
• Stop the server cleanly. Use the host’s Stop button or the normal shutdown command. Do not edit a file while the server is writing it.
• Back up configuration and world data. Keep a dated copy of the relevant configuration folder and save files so you can revert a bad edit.
• Know who controls the process. A self-hosted installation lets you edit the startup shortcut, service or script. A rented server may hide those files and expose only a panel setting.
• Check the build date. File paths and key names can change between Soulmask updates. A guide labelled version 1.0 and dated April 2026 is among the newer setup references, but it still does not establish that every current build uses the same paths.

Method 1: enable PvP with the -pvp launch argument

Self-hosted Windows server

Find the shortcut, batch file, scheduled task or service command that starts the dedicated server. Add a space followed by -pvp after the existing arguments. Do not remove the executable path, ports, world name or other options.

"C:PathToSoulmaskServer.exe" [existing arguments] -pvp

The square-bracketed text above means your existing options; it is not text to type literally. If your startup file already has a quoted executable path, keep the closing quote exactly where it is and put -pvp outside that quote. Save the file, start the server and wait until it finishes loading before joining.

Linux, container or service launch

Add the flag to the command or service definition that invokes the server executable. The syntax depends on the wrapper you use, but the important part is that -pvp is passed to the Soulmask process, not to an unrelated shell script or container management command.

./SoulmaskServer [existing arguments] -pvp

If a panel generates the command automatically, make the change in the panel instead of editing a generated file. A later restart may overwrite manual edits.

Disable PvP again

Stop the server, remove -pvp and add -pve in its place:

"C:PathToSoulmaskServer.exe" [existing arguments] -pve

Do not leave both flags in the command while troubleshooting. Startup arguments are reported to have higher priority than file values, so two contradictory arguments or an argument combined with a file edit can make the result appear unpredictable.

Restart and verify

1. Save the startup command.
2. Start the server and allow it to complete its normal initialization.
3. Open the server browser from a separate client, or join with an administrator account.
4. Check the server’s displayed mode and perform a safe test with consenting players. Do not use an unprotected base or valuable inventory for the first test.
5. If the browser still shows the old mode, stop the process and inspect the command that actually ran; a control panel, service manager or shortcut may be launching a different copy of the server.

Method 2: use a rented server’s control panel

Many game-server hosts expose a Game Type, Server Type or PvP selector in the Soulmask server-settings page. The exact label and location differ by provider. Documentation from several hosts, including Shockbyte and NameHero, describes a panel-based option.

1. Open the server-management panel and select the Soulmask instance.
2. Stop the server from the panel.
3. Open Configuration, Server Settings or the equivalent page.
4. Set Game Type to PvP, or enable the panel’s PvP switch. To disable combat, choose PvE or turn the switch off.
5. Save the change, then start or restart the server.
6. Verify the mode in the browser or in-game. If the panel offers both a Game Type and a raw startup-argument field, inspect both; a lingering -pvp or -pve flag can override the visual toggle.

Panel controls are preferable to hand-editing when the host owns the installation. They usually write the correct file for that host’s template and are less likely to be replaced during an update. You still need to check for a conflicting custom launch argument, because the process may obey that argument first.

Method 3: edit a configuration file only when your build supports it

Use this route when you self-host and cannot change the launch command, or when your host specifically documents a file and key for your installation. Stop the server before opening any file. If the expected file does not exist, one setup guide recommends starting the server once to let it generate its configuration, stopping it again, and then editing the generated file.

Candidate A: ServerSettings.ini

Valebyte’s setup guide lists a [ServerSettings] section with this value:

[ServerSettings]
PVPMode=0

In that guide, 0 means PvE and 1 means PvP. Keep the section header exactly as shown, use one setting per line and preserve the file’s encoding. If the key is absent, do not assume that adding it will work in your build; first search the other configuration files and check the host’s current documentation.

Candidate B: Engine.ini

Other server-configuration references place a toggle in Engine.ini under [Dedicated.Settings]:

[Dedicated.Settings]
pvp=True

This form is reported by some host and community documentation, but it conflicts with the ServerSettings.ini method above. A key that works on one build may be ignored by another. If you test this route, change only the documented section, restart, and verify the result instead of treating the edit as successful merely because the file saved.

Candidate C: GameXishu.json

One community reference names a JSON property called HuXiangShangHaiKaiGuan, with 1 for on and 0 for off. JSON syntax is strict: use a colon, quote string keys, keep commas between properties and do not add an extra comma at the end of the object.

"HuXiangShangHaiKaiGuan": 1

This is a reported candidate rather than a universally confirmed Soulmask setting. Make a backup before touching the file, and validate that the server still starts after saving. If it fails to load, restore the backup immediately and use the launch argument instead.

Which setting wins when values conflict?

Some configuration guides describe a precedence order in which startup parameters take priority, followed by Engine.ini values. This hierarchy is not established by an official, versioned Soulmask manual, but it is a useful troubleshooting assumption: a launch flag can make a file edit appear to do nothing.

For a clean test, stop the server, remove or comment out conflicting file values, set one method, restart and verify. Once the mode is correct, document the winning setting so a future update or host migration does not leave you guessing.

How to locate the right file and key

Paths vary by installation method, so searching is safer than copying a path from an older guide. Search the folder that contains your dedicated-server executable and its configuration subfolders.

Windows PowerShell

Get-ChildItem -Recurse -Include *.ini,*.json | Select-String -Pattern "PVP|pvp|HuXiangShangHaiKaiGuan"

This lists matching filenames and lines. Open the result with a text editor only after the server has stopped. If PowerShell finds several copies, compare their directories with the executable used by your startup command.

Linux

grep -RniE 'PVP|pvp|HuXiangShangHaiKaiGuan' /path/to/your/soulmask-server

Replace the path with the actual installation directory. A match in a backup, cache or workshop download is not necessarily the active configuration. Confirm the path from the process or service definition that launches the server.

When ServerSettings.ini is missing

Do not create a blank file and expect the server to recognize it. Start the server once, let it generate its normal configuration, stop it, then search again. If no relevant key appears, prefer the launch argument or panel control rather than inventing a new section.

Verification: prove the server is running the mode you intended

A successful restart only proves that the process started; it does not prove that the PvP value was read. Verify from more than one place when possible.

• Server browser: Look for the PvP or PvE designation shown for the instance after it refreshes.
• In-game behavior: Use a controlled test with consenting players and no valuable equipment. Confirm that the expected combat rules apply.
• Active command: Re-open the panel, shortcut or service definition and make sure it still contains the intended flag.
• File timestamp: Check that the file you edited changed in the active installation, not in a backup or a second server directory.
• Persistence: Stop and start the server once more. A panel or update process that rewrites configuration may undo a manual edit.

If the browser takes time to refresh, disconnect and reconnect rather than relying on an old cached listing. Make the first test with administrators or volunteers who understand that the mode may have changed.

Troubleshooting common failures

The server remains PvE after adding -pvp

• Confirm that the flag is in the command that actually launches Soulmask, not in a documentation note or an unused shortcut.
• Check spelling and hyphen placement: use -pvp, not pvp or a typographic dash.
• Inspect the panel for a separate Game Type value or a generated -pve argument that comes later in the command.
• Stop the process completely and start it again; changing a running process’s files does not reload startup arguments.
• Verify the result after the browser refreshes and after a second restart.

A file edit has no effect

A startup flag may be overriding the file, the file may belong to another installation, or the key may not exist in your build. Remove contradictory flags for a controlled test, search all active configuration folders, and return to -pvp or -pve if the documented key is not present.

The server will not start after a JSON edit

Restore the backup first. Then check for a missing comma, an extra comma, mismatched quotation marks or an accidental change to another property. JSON parsers generally reject syntax errors rather than ignoring only the PvP line.

The panel switch and the browser disagree

Read the panel’s generated startup command if it exposes one. A stale launch argument, a second server instance on the same account or a cached browser listing can explain the mismatch. Stop every duplicate process, start the intended instance and verify its address and mode again.

The setting resets after an update

Keep a copy of the working command and configuration, then reapply the supported panel or launch setting after the update. Do not blindly restore old file paths: compare the new build’s generated files first because key names and locations are version-dependent.

PvP mode versus PvP damage tuning

Switching PvP on or off is separate from balancing damage. A GameXishu.json reference lists PVP_ShangHaiRatio_JinZhan for melee damage and PVP_ShangHaiRatio_YuanCheng for ranged damage, each reported with a default of 0.4. Those are combat-tuning values, not substitutes for the server’s PvP-mode switch.

Do not change damage ratios while troubleshooting the on/off setting. First establish that the server is in the intended mode, then make one balance change at a time and record the original values so you can undo it. Because the reported defaults and keys are not confirmed for every current build, treat them as optional tuning references rather than guaranteed controls.

Self-hosted versus rented servers

Version and documentation caveats

Soulmask server guides do not all describe the same release. The April 2026 setup guide on games.gg is labelled version 1.0 in its search summary, while several host and community pages are older. Treat every copied path and key as version-specific until your own files confirm it.

Community discussions and fan references can help identify candidates, but they are not a substitute for testing the active build. A Steam community discussion and the Soulmask private-server reference are useful starting points when your installation exposes unfamiliar names. Keep the launch-argument method as your fallback because it is the setting most consistently described across current hosting instructions.

Safe change checklist

1. Announce the maintenance window to players.
2. Stop the server and back up configuration and world data.
3. Choose one control path: panel, launch argument or a documented file key.
4. Remove contradictory -pvp/-pve flags and stale overrides before testing.
5. Apply -pvp for PvP or -pve for PvE, then save.
6. Restart fully and wait for the server to finish loading.
7. Confirm the mode in the browser and with a controlled in-game test.
8. Record the working setting, file path and build date for the next update.

If a file route fails, restore the backup and use the launch flag or host-panel selector instead of layering more unverified keys onto the installation.

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