Enabling PvP on your Palworld server: the three switches

PvP on a Palworld server only comes alive once you switch on three settings together: bIsPvP, bEnablePlayerToPlayerDamage and bEnableDefenseOtherGuildPlayer. Flipping just one of them does nothing at all, and that is where almost everyone gets stuck. All three live in PalWorldSettings.ini, which sits in Pal/Saved/Config/LinuxServer/ on a Linux server, and you stop the server before you open that file.

Which three switches do you need to turn on?

They sit among the roughly 119 settings on that one long OptionSettings=( line. Search for them by name and set all three to True.

bIsPvP: the master switch

This is the flag that puts the server into PvP mode, and everything else depends on it: leave it on False and you can set the other two to True without a single thing changing. On its own, though, it still does not let players actually hurt each other.

bEnablePlayerToPlayerDamage: the damage itself

This one decides whether attacks between players really land. Without it you will see the animations and feel the hits connect, but the other player's health stays exactly where it was.

bEnableDefenseOtherGuildPlayer: PvP around bases

This governs whether players from another guild count as hostile near a base. Switch it on and defensive structures and guard Pals react to intruders, so a fight can carry all the way into camp. Switch it off and a base becomes a neutral zone, ending any conflict the moment someone sprints home.

Why doesn't PvP work if you only enable one of them?

Because the three settings are not three versions of the same thing, they are three layers. The first turns the mode on, the second allows damage between players, the third extends that to guilds and bases. Palworld throws no error when a layer is missing: your server boots perfectly happily and nobody can touch anybody. Anyone troubleshooting at that point starts doubting the file path, when in reality one of the three is still sitting on False. Test with two accounts in different guilds, because guild members cannot attack each other in the first place.

How do you edit the file without losing your changes?

Always shut the server down before you edit PalWorldSettings.ini. Edit it while the server is running and your changes get overwritten on the next restart.

1. Stop the server completely and check that the process really has gone.
2. If you do not have your own config file yet, copy DefaultPalWorldSettings.ini into Pal/Saved/Config/LinuxServer/ and rename the copy to PalWorldSettings.ini.
3. Open the copy and search for the three names; they all sit on the same long line, separated by commas.
4. Set all three to True. Lose a comma or the closing bracket at the end and the server ignores the entire line, falling back to default values.
5. Save, start the server and test with two accounts in different guilds.

If your server is not up and running yet, start with how to host your own Palworld server.

What do you lose when you die on a PvP server?

DeathPenalty defines the character of your server the moment players can kill each other. On a co-op server it is a footnote; with PvP on it decides whether dying is mildly annoying or genuinely painful.

On All every fight becomes a decision rather than an impulse, but expect to lose players who wiped out after one bad evening. Private servers often run None even with PvP enabled: fighting is a sport there, not a livelihood.

What does PvP mean for guilds, bases and raids?

As soon as PvP is on, a handful of settings you could happily ignore before start calling the shots.

• Guild size. Guild members cannot attack each other. Allow large guilds and everybody ends up in the same one, at which point PvP quietly dies. Smaller guilds keep the tension alive.
• Base protection. With bEnableDefenseOtherGuildPlayer on, bases are no longer safe havens. That is the point, but say so up front: a player who comes back after a weekend to a flattened camp, thinking they signed up for co-op, will not come back twice.
• Abandoned camps. People drop off a PvP server faster, and the bases of departed players cost you performance and building space. Clear them out periodically.

Then there are raids. bEnableInvaderEnemy is the switch for hostile invaders. On a PvE server they are the only source of pressure, but on a PvP server that pressure already comes from other players. There is one more reason to think it through: this setting is closely tied to how quickly your server's memory usage climbs.

That creeping memory usage in the server process is not something you fix with settings. What does work is a scheduled automatic restart, usually every 6 to 12 hours, and a fixed restart slot is fairer than a crash in the middle of a fight anyway. How the leak grows and how to set up such a schedule is covered in our explanation of the Palworld memory leak. If things stutter at busy moments, first read up on what TPS, MSPT, FPS and ping (your delay to the server) actually mean.

Example configurations: friendly versus brutal

Two sets that work: one for a group that builds together and crosses swords now and then, one for a server where winning is the whole point.

Outside of the fighting, the friendly column is deliberately gentle. ExpRate at 2 to 3 and PalEggDefaultHatchingTime at 5 to 10 keep the game manageable if you play a couple of hours a day; the default 72 hour hatching time is harsh by comparison. WorkSpeedRate at 1.5 helps indirectly, because Pals at the breeding farm then get through their work faster. Invaders off means only players threaten your base, which also slows the growth of the memory leak.

The brutal column leaves everything on default, so building up takes real time and losses weigh heavily, with invaders as constant background pressure. If you switch those on, definitely schedule that restart. More dials worth turning are covered in our general Palworld hosting tips.

Which plan suits a PvP server?

PvP itself costs little extra memory, but the behaviour around it does: more bases, more Pals, more simultaneous fights. Pocketpair officially recommends 16 GB for a dedicated server. It will start on 8 GB too, but Pocketpair itself flags that configuration as crash-prone. A maximum of 32 players can join, and above roughly 24 you will get the occasional stutter no matter what: that is a limit of the game engine, not of the hardware.

Playing with three friends? You do not need 32 GB: Gumoss handles that comfortably and Depresso gives you the headroom the memory leak keeps demanding. Pricing at MC-Node Palworld hosting is a flat EUR 1.50 per GB of RAM on every plan, so a step up costs exactly what it gives you.

Two things that come as standard matter extra for PvP. In the Pterodactyl panel, scheduled tasks let you set up that restart every 6 to 12 hours in about a minute, which keeps the memory leak manageable. The automatic backups are your safety net for the save file, which is reassuring on a server where players rob each other blind. On top of that you get DDoS protection from PletX and a choice of four locations: Previder PDC2 in Hengelo, Frankfurt, Warsaw and North America.

Frequently asked questions

Does PvP work if I only enable bIsPvP? No. bIsPvP turns the mode on, but without bEnablePlayerToPlayerDamage attacks deal no damage, and without bEnableDefenseOtherGuildPlayer conflict stops around bases. All three have to be True before you notice anything in game.

Can I enable PvP on a world that is already running? Yes. Stop the server, change the three switches in PalWorldSettings.ini and start it again; your world and bases stay exactly as they were. Never edit the file while the server is running, because your changes get overwritten on restart. Warn your players in advance, especially if you are also changing DeathPenalty.

Should I disable raids on a PvP server? You do not have to. bEnableInvaderEnemy is closely tied to how fast memory usage climbs, though, and on a PvP server the pressure already comes from other players. If you leave invaders on, schedule an automatic restart every 6 to 12 hours.

How many players can a PvP server handle? A maximum of 32, and above roughly 24 players you will get occasional stutters regardless, thanks to a game engine limit. For 4 to 16 players you are safe on 16 GB; 4 to 6 players runs on 8 GB, but with no headroom.

Can console players join in on PvP? Yes. Since version 0.5.0 of 19 March 2025, Steam, Xbox Series X|S and One, PlayStation 5 and Mac all share the same world, and it works the same way on a dedicated server. Mods are PC-only: Xbox, Game Pass and PS5 cannot load PAK mods or PalSchema, so keep a mixed PvP server vanilla.

Further reading

• Palworld mods on a dedicated server: what works and what doesn't
• Palworld backups: move your world without losing anything
• Palworld server: fixing lag, rubber-banding and stuttering