Palworld’s DeathPenalty setting decides what a player loses on death. The four supported values are None (nothing drops), Item (inventory items drop but equipment is kept), ItemAndEquipment (items and equipment drop), and All (items, equipment, and every Pal on the player’s team drop). On a dedicated server, change the value in PalWorldSettings.ini using the exact spelling shown in Pocketpair’s configuration reference.
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What DeathPenalty controls in Palworld
DeathPenalty is a server-world rule for player deaths. It does not set how much health a player loses, alter enemy damage, or change whether a character can respawn. Instead, it defines the possessions exposed by a death and therefore how much of the player’s previous progress must be recovered afterward.
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1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minutePocketpair’s current server-configuration reference defines the enum values as: “None : No drops, Item : Drop all items except equipment, ItemAndEquipment : Drop all items, All : Drop all items and all Pals on team.” See the official Palworld configuration parameters page for the source wording and the current list of supported values.
The setting applies to the server world. Players joining that world experience the rule selected by the server configuration rather than a personal preference in their own game client. If you operate several worlds, each world’s configuration must be checked separately.
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Every DeathPenalty value compared
| Value | What drops on death | What is protected by the definition | Best fit |
|---|---|---|---|
None |
Nothing | Items, equipment, and team Pals | Casual co-op, beginners, testing worlds |
Item |
All items except equipment | Equipped equipment | A recovery loop without losing worn gear |
ItemAndEquipment |
All items, including equipment | Team Pals are not included in the documented value | Higher stakes while keeping the team safe |
All |
All items, all equipment, and all Pals on the player’s team | Nothing listed in the definition | Groups that explicitly want the harshest documented rule |
The “best fit” column is practical guidance based on the documented drops, not a published measurement of difficulty, player retention, or satisfaction. No controlled statistic establishes that one value produces a particular percentage increase in challenge.
None: no recovery run
With DeathPenalty=None, a death creates no item or Pal drop under Pocketpair’s definition. The player can resume without returning to the death location to collect possessions. This is usually the least disruptive choice for a cooperative group that values building and exploration more than death-related risk, or for a world being used to test server settings.
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DeathPenalty=Item drops all items except equipment. In practical terms, the recovery decision centers on carried inventory while the equipment category remains protected by the documented rule. This is a middle ground for groups that want death to matter without forcing a player to recover worn tools, armor, or other equipment before continuing.
ItemAndEquipment: a harsher inventory loss
DeathPenalty=ItemAndEquipment drops all items, including equipment. Pocketpair’s definition does not include the player’s team Pals in this value, so it raises the cost of a death without applying the documented Pal loss associated with All. Choose it only when everyone understands that replacing or retrieving equipment is part of the server’s intended challenge.
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All: items, equipment, and team Pals
DeathPenalty=All is the most severe documented option. It includes all items, all equipment, and all Pals on the player’s team in the drop. A group should select this deliberately: a death during exploration, a boss encounter, or an unexpected connection problem can expose both the player’s loadout and the team Pals named by the setting.
How to change DeathPenalty on a dedicated server
The parameter belongs in the dedicated server’s PalWorldSettings.ini file. Pocketpair’s server guide documents the configuration-file workflow; the Palworld Wiki also identifies DeathPenalty as the player-death loss parameter in its World Settings reference.
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- Locate
PalWorldSettings.ini. Use the location and file-access method in Pocketpair’s dedicated-server guide or your host’s file manager. The exact location can vary with the installation method, so do not create a second file in an arbitrary folder. - Back up the existing file. Save a copy before changing the options line. The backup gives you a direct rollback if another setting is accidentally removed or misspelled.
- Find the options line. Palworld stores world parameters in the configuration options entry. Preserve the surrounding syntax and change only the
DeathPenaltyassignment unless you intentionally edit other settings. - Enter one supported enum exactly. Use one of these case-sensitive forms:
DeathPenalty=None,DeathPenalty=Item,DeathPenalty=ItemAndEquipment, orDeathPenalty=All. - Save the file and apply the server guide’s restart or reload procedure. A configuration edit is not useful until the server has loaded the modified world settings. Follow the management controls provided for your installation rather than assuming a client-side change will apply.
- Test with the least risky verification available. Confirm that the server starts with the edited file and that the displayed or saved configuration still contains the intended enum. If you are testing a severe value, avoid carrying irreplaceable possessions during the first check.
For a direct example, a no-drop world uses the assignment DeathPenalty=None. To preserve equipment while dropping carried items, use DeathPenalty=Item. Do not add quotation marks, spaces inside the enum, or a value such as Items; those are not among the four documented names.
Choosing a value for your server
For casual co-op groups
Start with None when the group’s priority is uninterrupted building, exploration, or helping new players learn the game. It removes the recovery trip that can otherwise separate a player from the rest of the group. Because this recommendation is based on the loss definition rather than player-behavior data, discuss it with the group instead of treating it as a universal best setting.
For a meaningful but manageable risk
Select Item when players want a consequence for careless deaths but do not want to lose equipped gear. This creates a clear recovery objective around inventory while protecting the equipment category specified by Pocketpair.
For high-stakes progression without team-Pal loss
Use ItemAndEquipment when replacing or retrieving equipment is acceptable and the group wants more pressure during dangerous activities. The documented definition does not add team Pals to this value, which distinguishes it from All.
For a deliberately unforgiving ruleset
Choose All only after every participant understands that both possessions and the team Pal group can be dropped. Explain the rule before a new player joins, especially if the server is public or shared by players with different tolerance for irreversible setbacks.
Recovery burden and progression risk
Three questions provide a useful way to compare the choices without pretending that the game has published difficulty statistics:
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- How much must be recovered?
Nonecreates no recovery burden;Itemlimits the documented drop to items other than equipment;ItemAndEquipmentadds equipment;Alladds the player’s team Pals as well. - What progression is exposed? The more categories included in the drop, the greater the potential interruption to the player’s next activity. The settings document the categories, but not a monetary or time value for replacing them.
- Can the group accept the edge cases? Decide whether the chosen loss is acceptable after a boss attempt, a dangerous expedition, or a connection-related mishap. The configuration reference does not publish a separate exception for any of those situations.
Write the selected rule in the server’s welcome message or community instructions. A visible explanation prevents a player from assuming that the world uses the same death behavior as another server.
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Troubleshooting a DeathPenalty change
The server rejects or ignores the value
- Check that the assignment uses one of the four exact enum names:
None,Item,ItemAndEquipment, orAll. - Check capitalization and spelling. A descriptive phrase such as
DropNoneis not a documented value. - Confirm that the edit was made in the active world’s
PalWorldSettings.ini, not a backup or an unrelated installation. - Save the file and complete the server’s documented reload or restart process before judging the result.
The setting appears to revert
Restore the backup, compare the options line carefully, and make the smallest possible edit. A server panel or automated deployment process may regenerate configuration files; use the panel’s file editor and restart controls if that is how the installation manages its settings. Keep a dated copy of the intended line so you can identify whether the value changed during a restart.
Players report a different result from the documented rule
First verify the active value and the world in which the death occurred. Then distinguish the categories precisely: Item excludes equipment, ItemAndEquipment includes equipment but does not list team Pals, and All includes team Pals. If behavior still differs, consult Pocketpair’s current configuration page because future Palworld releases can change server behavior or enum definitions.
Version and documentation caveat
The official page linked above is the current server-configuration reference used for these definitions. Palworld is updated over time, so recheck the enum names and descriptions after a major game or dedicated-server release rather than assuming an old configuration remains unchanged. The Palworld Wiki’s PalWorldSettings.ini reference is a useful secondary cross-check, but Pocketpair’s documentation should be the authority when the two sources disagree.
No published statistic establishes how DeathPenalty changes retention, completion rates, or a world’s objective difficulty. Treat the recommendations in this guide as ruleset design advice derived from the documented loss categories, not as measured outcomes.
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