---
title: "SCUM Loot Configuration: How to Change What Spawns"
description: "Changing what spawns on a SCUM server: the Loot folder, export commands, and why only the Override folder does anything."
url: "https://www.gameserverkings.com/knowledge-base/scum/scum-loot-configuration/"
category: "SCUM"
category_url: "https://www.gameserverkings.com/knowledge-base/scum/"
published: "2026-09-12T06:30:37.890Z"
updated: "2026-09-12T06:32:35.847Z"
source_format: "markdown"
site: "GameServerKings"
---

# SCUM Loot Configuration: How to Change What Spawns

Loot on a SCUM server is not a slider. There is no "3x loot" setting — instead SCUM exports its entire loot system to JSON files that you edit and put back, in a `Loot` folder that does not exist until you create it. Gamepires document the whole system themselves, and the short version is: **export the defaults with an admin command, copy what you want to change into an `Override` folder, and reload.**

> [!NOTE] Checked against SCUM **1.3.3.4.149664** (11 September 2026)
> Paths and field names below come from Gamepires' own loot-modification guide, the one their server tutorial links to as "our extensive guide". Loot customisation has been in the game since October 2023 and the mechanism has not changed since.

## Where the files go

On a [SCUM game server](/games/scum/) the loot root is:

```text
SCUM/Saved/Config/WindowsServer/Loot
```

That folder is created the first time you run an export command. Everything beneath it follows one rule that is worth reading twice:

> [!IMPORTANT] The game only reads the `Override` folders
> "Only the changes done in the 'Override' folder will modify the changes of spawner presets, everything else you have extracted are their default values." Editing a file under `Default/` does nothing at all. `Default/` is your reference copy; `Override/` is your server.

| Path under `Loot/` | What it holds | How it gets there |
|---|---|---|
| `Nodes/Default/` | The whole built-in loot tree | `#ExportDefaultLootTree` |
| `Nodes/Override/` | Your loot-tree changes | You create it |
| `Items/Default/Parameters.json` | Per-item spawn rules | `#ExportDefaultItemSpawningParameters` |
| `Items/Override/` | Your per-item changes | You create it |
| `Spawners/Presets/Default/` | Every built-in spawner preset | `#ExportDefaultItemSpawnerPresets` |
| `Spawners/Presets/Override/<Zone>/` | Presets scoped to an area | `#ExportItemSpawnerPresetsInZone` |
| `CooldownGroups/Default/` | Loot cooldown groups | `#ExportDefaultItemSpawningCooldownGroups` |
| `CooldownGroups/Override/` | Your cooldown changes | You create it |
| `GeneralZoneModifiers.json` | Area-wide loot multipliers | You create it, in the `Loot` root |

All of the `#Export` commands are [admin chat commands](/knowledge-base/scum/scum-admin-commands/) — you type them in-game, as an admin, exactly like `#SpawnItem`.

## Spawner presets: the part you will actually edit

A spawner preset is the list of things one searchable object can give you. Every object in the world has one, and the names tell you which kind:

- Presets with **`Examine`** in the name belong to objects you Search — `Buildings-Kitchen-Examine_Cabinet` is the kitchen cabinets in houses.
- Presets with **`World`** in the name spawn items into the vicinity — `Buildings-Garage-Residential-World_Shelf` is the shelves in residential garages.

To find out which preset an object uses, run `#SetShouldPrintExamineSpawnerPresets true` and search it. The preset name prints to chat and to the loot log in `SCUM/Saved/SaveFiles/Logs/`, in the form `LogItemSpawning: Examine spawner preset: Buildings-Office-Police-Examine_File_Cabinet`.

Inside a preset, these are the fields:

| Field | What it does |
|---|---|
| `Probability` | Drop chance as a percentage — **multiplied** by your `ServerSettings.ini` and zone modifiers |
| `QuantityMin` / `QuantityMax` | How many items drop; the game picks a number in the range |
| `AllowDuplicates` | `false` collapses repeats, so 7 rolls with 3 duplicates gives you 4 items |
| `InitialDamage` | Flat percentage of durability removed at spawn |
| `RandomDamage` | A random 0-to-N percentage of durability removed on top |
| `InitialUsage` / `RandomUsage` | The same, for items measured in uses rather than durability |
| `ShouldFilterItemsByZone` | Whether `Coastal` / `Continental` / `Mountain` restrictions from `Parameters.json` apply |
| `Items` | The list, each entry a `Rarity` and an `Id` |
| `FixedItems` | Items that always drop, ignoring cooldowns |

> [!CAUTION] `Probability: 100` is not a 100% drop chance
> Gamepires are explicit about this: "Beware if you put Probability": 100, it will still multiply with the ServerSettings.ini and zone modifiers, and your drop chance won't be 100%." If you genuinely want a guaranteed drop, delete the `Probability` line entirely.

## Rarity is a weight, not a percentage

Every item in a set carries one of six rarities, and the ladder doubles at each step:

| Rarity | Relative weight |
|---|---|
| Abundant | 32× |
| Common | 16× |
| Uncommon | 8× |
| Rare | 4× |
| Very Rare | 2× |
| Extremely Rare | 1× |

Those are odds *within one set*, not global drop rates. An `Abundant` item in a set of two is not the same thing as an `Abundant` item in a set of forty.

## Scoping changes to one place: Zones.json

Drop presets straight into `Override/` and the change is global. To limit it, you export by area instead, and SCUM lets you name a **sector**:

```console
#ExportItemSpawnerPresetsInZone A2
```

That writes every preset used in the A2 sector to `Loot/Spawners/Presets/Override/A2`, along with a `Zones.json` holding the `TopLeft` and `BottomRight` corners of that sector. For something smaller than a sector, the command also takes a rectangle — `#ExportItemSpawnerPresetsInZone X Y X Y Name` — using two corner coordinates and a folder name of your choosing.

The resolution rule is simple and nests: "If there is no Zones file in a certain folder, it will use the Zones from the parent folder (so the child Zones file overrides the parents' Zones file). If there is no Zones file included anywhere in the entire 'Override' folder then it will use the global location." So a folder tree of `Override/A2/Tisno/TisnoPort` applies the narrowest definition that covers a given spot.

## Area-wide multipliers without touching presets

If you only want "more loot over there", create `GeneralZoneModifiers.json` in the `Loot` root by hand. It takes a `Name`, a `TopLeft` and a `BottomRight`, and multipliers that stack on top of your server settings — Gamepires' worked example sets `ExamineSpawnerQuantity` to 5 for the whole A1 sector against a server value of 0.5, giving an effective 2.5.

## Cooldown groups

Cooldown groups are how SCUM stops one player emptying a town of rifles in ten minutes. Each group has a `Name`, a `CooldownMin` and `CooldownMax` **in hours**, and an `IsAffectedByLowerGroups` flag. One minute is `0.01667`, because 1 ÷ 60. Loot an item and its group goes on cooldown, along with every group that has a longer cooldown than it.

Two `ServerSettings.ini` keys govern the system server-wide, both documented by Gamepires under `[Features]` → `ITEM SPAWNING`:

```ini
scum.EnableItemCooldownGroups=1
scum.ItemCooldownGroupsDurationMultiplier=1.000000
```

The multiplier scales every `CooldownMin` and `CooldownMax` at once, which is far less work than editing every group.

## Testing without restarting

```console
#ReloadLootCustomizationsAndResetSpawners
```

Gamepires' description: "Reloads all loot customizations you have made in the Config/Loot. Also resets examine spawners so that they roll which items to spawn without waiting on a cooldown (if they have been searched recently). Vicinity spawners are not reset so you need to wait for a cooldown to pass to test those."

So searchable containers refresh instantly; World spawns do not. Also note that "Items that already exist on the map will not be replaced once the spawner preset is modified" — you are changing what spawns next, not what is lying on the ground now.

## Common Questions

### Is there a loot multiplier setting in SCUM?

Not a single one. The closest are the spawner multipliers in `ServerSettings.ini`, which scale every preset's `Probability` at once, and `GeneralZoneModifiers.json`, which scales an area. Item-by-item control needs the `Loot` folder.

### Why did my loot edits do nothing?

Almost always because they were made in a `Default` folder. The game reads `Override` only. The second most common cause is a JSON syntax error — a missing comma stops the whole file loading.

### Do I need to restart the server after changing loot?

No. `#ReloadLootCustomizationsAndResetSpawners` reloads everything under `Config/Loot` live. A restart works too, since the JSON is read at startup.

### How do I find an item's code for a loot file?

The same names the spawn commands use. `#ListItems <string>` filters the spawnable asset list in-game — see [SCUM admin commands](/knowledge-base/scum/scum-admin-commands/) for the full command set.

### Can I copy another server's Loot folder?

Yes, but re-export `Default` on your own build first and compare. Item names change between updates, and a preset referencing an item that no longer exists will not spawn it.

### Where is the loot log?

`SCUM/Saved/SaveFiles/Logs/`, alongside the admin, economy, kill and login logs. Filter it for `Examine spawner preset` to see exactly which preset every search rolled against.

## What to Read Next

- [SCUM Server Settings: How ServerSettings.ini Works](/knowledge-base/scum/scum-server-settings-ini/) — where the spawner multipliers and cooldown keys live.
- [SCUM Trader Economy: EconomyOverride.json Explained](/knowledge-base/scum/scum-trader-economy/) — the other half of item availability, and the fame gate on it.
- [SCUM Whitelist, Priority Slots and Bans](/knowledge-base/scum/scum-whitelist-and-admin-access/) — who gets on the server in the first place.
- [SCUM Admin Commands and AdminUsers.ini Setup](/knowledge-base/scum/scum-admin-commands/) — every `#` command, including the exports used here.
- [How to upload files via SFTP](/knowledge-base/general/how-to-upload-files-via-sftp/) — you will be moving a lot of JSON.
- [How to create a backup](/knowledge-base/general/how-to-create-a-backup/) — take one before your first `Override` folder.

---

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