---
title: "Conan Exiles Server Settings and Config Files"
description: "Every Conan Exiles setting explained: ServerSettings.ini, Engine.ini, Game.ini, rate multipliers, raid windows, and why a running server undoes edits."
url: "https://www.gameserverkings.com/knowledge-base/conan-exiles/configuration-overview/"
category: "Conan Exiles"
category_url: "https://www.gameserverkings.com/knowledge-base/conan-exiles/"
published: "2026-07-02T03:06:17.520Z"
updated: "2026-08-07T20:33:19.340Z"
source_format: "markdown"
site: "GameServerKings"
---

# Conan Exiles Server Settings and Config Files

Conan Exiles keeps its server settings in three `.ini` files, and there is one behaviour that catches almost every new admin: **the game rewrites those files itself**. Edit them at the wrong moment and your changes vanish with no error. This guide covers the files, the editing order that actually works, and what each group of settings does.

## The three config files

They live in `ConanSandbox/Saved/Config/WindowsServer/`:

| File | What it controls |
|---|---|
| `ServerSettings.ini` | Almost everything: rates, PvP, clans, purge, admin password |
| `Engine.ini` | Networking and tick rate |
| `Game.ini` | Occasional custom values, mostly used by mods |

> [!NOTE] The `WindowsServer` folder name is correct on Linux
> Conan Exiles ships no Linux server build, so your [hosted Conan Exiles server](/games/conan-exiles/) runs the Windows build through a compatibility layer you never interact with. The path really does say `WindowsServer` — that is not a mistake, and renaming it breaks the server.

## The trap: the game overwrites your edits

Conan Exiles' **in-game admin panel is the authority on `ServerSettings.ini`**, not the file. When the server shuts down it writes its current in-memory settings back out to disk, overwriting whatever is there.

So editing the file while the server is running does nothing useful. Your edit sits on disk until shutdown, then gets replaced by the server's own copy. There is no warning and no error in the console — the setting simply reverts.

> [!IMPORTANT] Always stop the server before editing config files
> The order that works is **stop → edit → save → start**. Any other order risks losing the change. This is the single most common "my settings keep resetting" cause on Conan servers, and it is not a fault with your host or your panel.

This also means the in-game admin panel is a perfectly good way to change settings — arguably the better way for anything it exposes, because it writes valid values back to the file for you. Use the file for the things the panel does not show.

> [!TIP] Keep a copy of a config you are happy with
> Once your server plays the way you want, download `ServerSettings.ini` from the **File Manager** and keep it locally. Game updates occasionally reset or reshuffle settings, and restoring a known-good file takes seconds. See [How to Upload Files via SFTP](/knowledge-base/general/how-to-upload-files-via-sftp/) for bulk transfers.

## ServerSettings.ini

A representative section — your file will contain more, because the server generates every key it knows about:

```ini title="ServerSettings.ini"
[ServerSettings]
ServerName=My GSK Conan Server
ServerPassword=
AdminPassword=STRONG_ADMIN_PASSWORD
MaxPlayers=40
ServerRegion=2
ServerCommunity=2
PVPEnabled=True
PVPBlitzServer=False
NudityType=2
HarvestAmountMultiplier=1.0
ResourceRespawnSpeedMultiplier=1.0
PlayerXPRateMultiplier=1.0
PlayerXPKillMultiplier=1.0
PlayerXPHarvestMultiplier=1.0
PlayerXPCraftMultiplier=1.0
PlayerXPTimeMultiplier=1.0
ThrallConversionMultiplier=1.0
ThrallCraftingTimeMultiplier=1.0
NPCRespawnMultiplier=1.0
StaminaCostMultiplier=1.0
ItemSpoilRateScale=1.0
ItemConvertionMultiplier=1.0
FuelBurnTimeMultiplier=1.0
CraftingTimeMultiplier=1.0
DayCycleSpeedScale=1.0
DayTimeSpeedScale=1.0
NightTimeSpeedScale=1.0
DawnDuskSpeedScale=1.0
StaminaOnHorseMultiplier=1.0
LandClaimRadiusMultiplier=1.0
PurgeLevel=0
ClanMaxSize=10
EnableSandStorm=True
NoOwnerShip=False
EnableTargetLock=True
DeactivateThrallsBuffsWhenLoggedOff=True
EnableServerWhitelist=False
```

> [!NOTE] The file itself is the definitive list for your build
> Conan writes out every setting it supports, so the file on your server is always accurate for the version you are running — more so than any list on the web, including this one. If a setting is not in your file, your build does not have it.

### Server identity and access

| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| `ServerName` | Name shown in the server browser |
| `ServerPassword` | Leave empty for a public server |
| `AdminPassword` | Required to become admin in game. Not the same as your panel login |
| `MaxPlayers` | Slot cap. Set it to what your plan supports, not higher |
| `ServerRegion` / `ServerCommunity` | Browser filters — region and playstyle (roleplay, PvP, and so on) |
| `EnableServerWhitelist` | Restrict joining to a whitelist |
| `NudityType` | Content level. Some regions and communities expect this restricted |

### Rates and multipliers

These are the dials people actually come to change. All default to `1.0`, and the naming is consistent: higher is more, except where the value is a *cost* or a *time*.

| Setting | Effect of raising it |
|---|---|
| `HarvestAmountMultiplier` | More resources per gather swing |
| `ResourceRespawnSpeedMultiplier` | Nodes come back faster |
| `PlayerXPRateMultiplier` | Faster levelling overall |
| `PlayerXPKillMultiplier` / `XPHarvestMultiplier` / `XPCraftMultiplier` / `XPTimeMultiplier` | Faster levelling from that specific source |
| `ItemSpoilRateScale` | Food spoils faster |
| `FuelBurnTimeMultiplier` | Fuel lasts longer |
| `CraftingTimeMultiplier` | Crafting takes **longer** — lower this to speed crafting up |
| `ThrallConversionMultiplier` | Thralls take **longer** to break — lower this to speed them up |
| `StaminaCostMultiplier` | Actions cost more stamina |
| `LandClaimRadiusMultiplier` | Bigger land claim per foundation |

> [!IMPORTANT] Two of these run backwards
> `CraftingTimeMultiplier` and `ThrallConversionMultiplier` are *durations*, so raising them makes things slower. A "2x crafting speed" server sets these to `0.5`, not `2.0`. Getting this wrong is the most common misconfiguration on boosted servers.

A common "2x" quality-of-life preset looks like:

```ini
HarvestAmountMultiplier=2.0
PlayerXPRateMultiplier=2.0
ItemConvertionMultiplier=0.5
ThrallConversionMultiplier=0.5
CraftingTimeMultiplier=0.5
```

### Clans, purge and world

| Setting | Notes |
|---|---|
| `ClanMaxSize` | Members per clan. `1` effectively forces solo play |
| `PurgeLevel` | `0` disables the purge; higher values increase severity |
| `NoOwnerShip` | Removes building ownership — everything is destructible by anyone |
| `EnableSandStorm` | Sandstorm weather event |
| `DayCycleSpeedScale` and the Day/Night/DawnDusk scales | Length of the full cycle and of each phase independently |
| `DeactivateThrallsBuffsWhenLoggedOff` | Reduces idle CPU on busy servers |

Since the Age of War rework, purges are triggered at treasure thresholds rather than by filling a meter, and the related keys sit in the same section with self-describing names.

## PvP, PvE and PvE-Conflict

Conan servers run in one of three shapes, and they are built from a small number of settings rather than a single mode switch:

| Mode | Roughly means |
|---|---|
| **PvE** | `PVPEnabled=False`. Players cannot damage each other |
| **PvP** | `PVPEnabled=True`. Combat and raiding at any time |
| **PvE-Conflict** | PvP enabled, but building damage restricted to scheduled windows |

PvE-Conflict is the popular middle ground: players can fight whenever, but bases can only be raided during announced hours. It is assembled from the PvP time-restriction and building-damage-time settings, which use a 24-hour clock and have separate weekday and weekend windows.

> [!TIP] Set the PvP mode from the in-game admin panel
> This is the clearest case for using the panel rather than the file. The time-window settings interact — combat restriction, building-damage restriction, and their weekday/weekend variants — and the panel presents them together with the right value formats. Set it there, then stop the server if you want to copy the resulting file somewhere safe.

`PVPBlitzServer` is a separate accelerated ruleset, not a PvP toggle — leave it `False` unless you specifically want a Blitz server.

## Engine.ini and tick rate

Conan defaults to a 20 Hz server tick. Raising it makes combat noticeably smoother at the cost of CPU:

```ini title="Engine.ini"
[Net.RPC]
MaxRPCPerNetUpdate=8

[/Script/OnlineSubsystemUtils.IpNetDriver]
NetServerMaxTickRate=30
```

30 is the usual choice for servers above roughly 30 players. Going higher rarely helps and will cost you performance elsewhere — see the performance notes in [Getting started with your Conan Exiles server](/knowledge-base/conan-exiles/getting-started-with-your-server/).

## Applying changes

1. **Stop** the server from the Console tab.
2. Edit the file in the **File Manager**.
3. Save.
4. **Start** the server.

Settings are read at boot. There is no reload command that picks up file changes on a running server.

## What to read next

- [Getting started with your Conan Exiles server](/knowledge-base/conan-exiles/getting-started-with-your-server/) — first boot, map selection, wipes and backups
- [How to add admins and common commands for Conan Exiles](/knowledge-base/conan-exiles/how-to-add-admins-and-commands/) — using `AdminPassword` to get into admin mode
- [How to install mods for Conan Exiles](/knowledge-base/conan-exiles/how-to-install-mods/) — mods add their own settings, often to `Game.ini`

## FAQ

### Why do my Conan Exiles server settings keep resetting?

Because you edited the file while the server was running. Conan writes its in-memory settings back over `ServerSettings.ini` when it shuts down, discarding your edit. Stop the server first, then edit.

### Where is ServerSettings.ini?

`ConanSandbox/Saved/Config/WindowsServer/ServerSettings.ini`. The `WindowsServer` folder name is correct even though our nodes are Linux.

### Should I edit the file or use the in-game admin panel?

Use the admin panel for anything it exposes — it writes valid values back to the file for you and avoids the overwrite problem entirely. Use the file for settings the panel does not show, and only with the server stopped.

### How do I make a 2x harvest server?

`HarvestAmountMultiplier=2.0`. If you also want faster crafting and thralls, *lower* `CraftingTimeMultiplier` and `ThrallConversionMultiplier` to `0.5` — those are durations, so raising them would slow things down.

### How do I set up raid hours?

Run PvP enabled with building damage restricted to a time window — the PvE-Conflict shape. Configure it from the in-game admin panel, where the weekday and weekend windows are presented together in the right format.

### Do config changes need a restart?

Yes. Settings are read at boot and there is no live reload.

### What is the AdminPassword for?

Becoming admin inside the game — you enter it under Settings, Server Settings. It is unrelated to your GSK panel login. See [How to add admins and common commands for Conan Exiles](/knowledge-base/conan-exiles/how-to-add-admins-and-commands/).

---

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