Change a Valheim dedicated server’s death penalty by adding -modifier DeathPenalty <value> to its startup command. The accepted values are casual, veryeasy, easy, hard, and hardcore. Stop the server, edit a copy of its startup script, place any -preset before the DeathPenalty modifier, save the file, and restart. Iron Gate’s official guide names the five levels but does not publish a complete numerical table for item retention, equipment loss, or skill loss, so treat them as an ordered severity scale rather than as percentage settings.
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The DeathPenalty setting in one command
The setting is a startup argument, not a world-file value that you change from the in-game menu:
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-modifier DeathPenalty casualReplace casual with one of the other accepted values:
-modifier DeathPenalty veryeasy
-modifier DeathPenalty easy
-modifier DeathPenalty hard
-modifier DeathPenalty hardcoreThe server reads this argument when it launches. A running server will not adopt a new value until you stop it and start it again with the edited command.
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What the five levels mean
Iron Gate’s dedicated-server documentation lists the values from casual to hardcore. They represent progressively harsher death-penalty choices, but the guide does not provide a complete numeric breakdown of what percentage of skills, equipment, or inventory is retained at each level.
| Value | Position on the documented scale | What can be stated safely |
|---|---|---|
casual |
Least severe | Use when the group wants the most forgiving option in the documented range. Exact retention percentages are not published. |
veryeasy |
Very forgiving | A lower-severity choice than easy, hard, or hardcore; exact item and skill effects are not specified in the official guide. |
easy |
Forgiving | A lower-severity setting than the hard modes; no official percentage table is supplied. |
hard |
Severe | A harsher choice for groups that want deaths to carry more weight; the guide does not quantify each loss. |
hardcore |
Most severe | The harshest named option in the documented scale; do not infer a specific percentage from the label. |
If your group asks, “Which setting keeps my gear?” the official material does not establish a universal item-retention percentage for every value. Choose a level by the intended severity, then verify the behavior in a disposable test world before applying it to a long-running shared world.
Change the setting on a Windows dedicated server
1. Stop the server cleanly
Have players disconnect and stop the dedicated-server process through the control method you normally use. Editing a startup file while the process is still running does not change the command that launched it and can leave the latest world state unsaved.
2. Preserve the original script
Locate start_headless_server.bat and make a copy before editing. Iron Gate recommends working from a copy because Steam updates can reset the original startup file. Keep the unmodified file and the previous command line somewhere you can restore quickly.
3. Find the launch command
Open the copy in a text editor and locate the command beginning with start valheim_server. Do not remove existing arguments such as the world name, server name, password, or network flags.
4. Add the modifier
Add the argument to the same command line, separated from the existing options by a space. For example:
start valheim_server ... -modifier DeathPenalty casualUse one DeathPenalty value at a time. Keep the capitalization and spelling shown in the official syntax: DeathPenalty followed by a lowercase value.
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5. Save and restart
Save the edited copy, start the server with that file, and wait for the normal world-ready message. Connect with a client and confirm that the server is loading the expected world. If the process exits immediately, restore the previous command and inspect the troubleshooting section below.
Change the setting on a Linux dedicated server
1. Stop the service or shell process
Stop the server through your service manager, panel, or terminal command. A clean stop gives the world a chance to finish its current save.
2. Back up the launch script
Find start_server.sh (or the equivalent script used by your installation) and copy it before editing. Keep the copy outside the update-managed directory when practical so a later Steam update does not overwrite your known-good command.
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Open the script and find the line that launches the Linux server executable. Add the modifier to that line:
./valheim_server.x86_64 ... -modifier DeathPenalty casualThe executable path and other arguments vary by installation; the important part is the exact -modifier DeathPenalty <value> pair.
4. Save, then launch the script
Save the file, start it using your normal method, and watch the console for a successful startup. If the script is run directly, retain its executable permission. If it is managed by systemd or another service, make sure the service points to the edited script rather than to an older copy.
Presets must come before custom modifiers
The -preset argument accepts Normal, Casual, Easy, Hard, Hardcore, Immersive, and Hammer. A preset overwrites modifiers that appear before it. Therefore, put the preset first and the custom DeathPenalty argument afterward:
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-preset normal -modifier DeathPenalty casualA command arranged the other way around can appear to work while silently replacing your chosen death penalty when the preset is applied:
-modifier DeathPenalty casual -preset normalWhen changing an existing server, copy the complete old command into a text file, then edit the new line. This makes it possible to compare arguments and quickly recover if a preset or typo changes another world setting.
A complete editing workflow for a live world
- Record the current command. Save the entire Windows or Linux launch line before changing anything.
- Stop the server cleanly. Do not overwrite a script while the old process is still writing world data.
- Make a script copy. Use a copy of
start_headless_server.baton Windows orstart_server.shon Linux. - Check presets first. If the command has
-preset, move it before all custom modifiers. - Add one DeathPenalty argument. Use exactly
-modifier DeathPenalty casual,veryeasy,easy,hard, orhardcore. - Save the file. Confirm that the edited script is the one your shortcut, service, panel, or scheduled task actually launches.
- Start and observe. Watch the server output until it reports a normal startup, then join with a client.
- Check the world and settings. Confirm that the intended world loaded and that no other command-line argument disappeared.
- Keep the rollback copy. Retain the previous script until the server has run normally and you have confirmed a usable backup.
Back up before changing a death rule
A death-penalty change affects how future deaths are handled, so preserve a known-good world before restarting. Iron Gate documents these backup-related launch arguments:
| Argument | Documented value | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
-saveinterval 1800 |
1,800 seconds | A 30-minute save interval. |
-backups 4 |
4 | Keep four backups. |
-backupshort 7200 |
7,200 seconds | Short backup interval of two hours. |
-backuplong 43200 |
43,200 seconds | Long backup interval of 12 hours. |
These are startup arguments, just like the modifier. Keep the values that suit your existing backup policy, and verify that backup files are actually being created rather than assuming that the arguments alone protect the world.
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Default save locations
On Linux, the default Valheim data location is ~/.config/unity3d/IronGate/Valheim. On Windows, the official location is under %USERPROFILE%/AppData/LocalLow/IronGate/Valheim. Your installation, service account, or hosting panel can change the effective location, so identify the account running the server before copying files.
What to retain
- The current and previous startup scripts.
- A copy of the world data made while the server is stopped or after a confirmed save.
- A note of the world name, server name, password, port flags, preset, and modifier values.
- At least one backup stored separately from the live server directory.
Networking does not change the DeathPenalty syntax
Steam-backend dedicated servers use ports 2456–2457 by default and normally require router port forwarding for external players. Crossplay uses a relay and does not require router port forwarding for external access. These backend choices affect how players connect; they do not change the syntax or ordering of -modifier DeathPenalty.
If players can no longer connect after an edit, compare the new command with the saved old command. A missing port, world, password, or backend argument is a separate launch-configuration problem, not a different DeathPenalty format.
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Troubleshooting a modifier that did not apply
The server reverted after adding a preset
Move -preset <preset> before the DeathPenalty argument. Presets overwrite earlier modifiers, so the final portion of the command should contain the custom setting.
The process starts but the penalty is unchanged
- Confirm that the server was fully stopped before the edit.
- Check that you launched the edited copy rather than the original update-managed script.
- Look for a second
-modifier DeathPenaltylater in the command; remove the duplicate and leave one intended value. - Verify the spelling and case of
DeathPenaltyand use one of the five documented lowercase values. - Confirm that the command belongs to the world players are actually joining.
The server will not start
Restore the last known-good script, then add the DeathPenalty argument again with no other changes. A missing space, malformed quote, or accidentally deleted argument can stop a batch file, shell script, service, or hosting-panel command from launching. Compare the edited line character by character with the backup.
Steam updates removed the change
Steam updates can reset the original startup file. Keep your working copy outside the file most likely to be replaced, and recheck the launch command after updates. If a service or shortcut points to a fixed filename, update that target deliberately rather than editing a file that is no longer used.
Players report unexpected losses
First confirm the active value and preset order. The official guide does not provide a complete percentage table, so do not diagnose an incident by assuming an undocumented retention formula. Test the selected value in a disposable world, document the observed result for your group, and restore the backed-up command if the live world’s policy is unacceptable.
Choosing a level for a shared server
Use the least severe end for recovery-focused groups
casual, veryeasy, and easy sit on the forgiving side of the documented scale. They are reasonable starting points when a persistent world includes new players, infrequent players, or long travel times that make corpse recovery disruptive. The labels establish relative severity, not a promise that every item or skill is retained.
Use the severe end for deliberate risk
hard and hardcore are the harsher choices. They fit groups that want a death to create a meaningful recovery task and that have agreed on the consequences before beginning a shared world.
Agree before changing a persistent world
Changing the rule affects every future death on that server. Write the chosen value in the server’s rules document, announce the restart window, and retain the previous setting so the group can reverse the decision without losing unrelated launch options.
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Answers to common setup questions
Can I change the penalty from the normal in-game settings menu?
The documented dedicated-server method is a startup argument. Edit the server launch command and restart it; do not expect a client-side menu change to modify a dedicated server.
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The documentation establishes how to supply the setting at launch but does not specify retroactive treatment of corpses created under an earlier value. Back up the world and test any change before relying on a particular result.
Do Steam and crossplay servers use different DeathPenalty commands?
No. Steam-backend and crossplay networking differ in connection handling, but the DeathPenalty modifier uses the same command syntax. Steam-backend servers normally use ports 2456–2457 with forwarding; crossplay uses a relay.
Can I combine DeathPenalty with other world modifiers?
Yes. DeathPenalty is one member of Valheim’s world-modifier system, alongside Combat, Resources, Raids, and Portals modifier families. Keep a single clear command line, place any preset first, and put custom modifiers after it.
Recommended command patterns
Windows or Linux with no preset
-modifier DeathPenalty easyPreset plus a custom death penalty
-preset normal -modifier DeathPenalty casualPreset plus several custom modifiers
-preset normal -modifier DeathPenalty easy -modifier Combat hardThe exact set of additional modifier names depends on the installed server version and the options you intend to use. Preserve the complete previous command before experimenting, and change one policy at a time so a failed launch has an obvious cause.
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Use -modifier DeathPenalty <value> in the dedicated server’s startup script, with one of the five documented values. Put -preset first because it overwrites earlier modifiers, edit a copy of the Windows or Linux script, and back up the world before restarting. The official documentation confirms the ordered labels but not exact percentages for gear, item, or skill loss; choose by intended severity and verify behavior in a test world before applying the rule to a valuable shared save.
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