How to change difficulty and loot on your 7 Days to Die server
This article will cover the steps needed to adjust difficulty, loot abundance, XP rate, and other gameplay tuning on your 7 Days to Die server.
Config Editor Method:
Step 1: Log into the Game Control Panel and navigate to your 7 Days to Die service.
Step 2: Stop your server.
Step 3: Click on Configuration Files, open serverconfigfull.xml in the Config Editor.
Step 4: Adjust the following properties:
| Property | Default | Range / values | |
|---|---|---|---|
Game Difficulty |
2 |
0 (Scavenger) – 5 (Insane) |
|
Loot Abundance |
100 |
Percentage, 0–300 |
|
Loot Respawn Days |
30 |
In-game days before a loot container respawns | |
XP Multiplier |
100 |
Percentage, 0–1000 |
|
Block Damage Player |
100 |
Percentage, player vs block damage | |
Block Damage AI |
100 |
Percentage, AI vs block damage | |
Block Damage AI Blood Moon |
100 |
AI vs block damage during Blood Moon | |
Player Safe Zone Level |
5 |
Player level at which the starting-zone safety expires | |
Player Safe Zone Hours |
5 |
Hours the safety zone last | |
Blood Moon Frequency |
7 |
Blood Moon every N days, 0 to disable |
|
Blood Moon Range |
0 |
Random ±N days variance | |
Blood Moon Enemy Count |
8 |
Max enemies per player during Blood Moon | |
Day Night Length |
60 |
Real minutes per in-game day | |
Day Light Length |
18 |
In-game hours of daylight (out of 24) |
Step 5: Click Save and start the service.
Existing player progress is preserved — only future gains (loot drops, XP) use the new rates.
Text Editor Method:
Step 1: Log into the Game Control Panel and navigate to your 7 Days to Die service.
Step 2: Stop your server.
Step 3: Click on Configuration Files, open serverconfigfull.xml in the Text Editor.
Step 4: Adjust the following properties:
| Property | Default | Range / values | |
|---|---|---|---|
GameDifficulty |
2 |
0 (Scavenger) – 5 (Insane) |
|
LootAbundance |
100 |
Percentage, 0–300 |
|
LootRespawnDays |
30 |
In-game days before a loot container respawns | |
XPMultiplier |
100 |
Percentage, 0–1000 |
|
BlockDamagePlayer |
100 |
Percentage, player vs block damage | |
BlockDamageAI |
100 |
Percentage, AI vs block damage | |
BlockDamageAIBM |
100 |
AI vs block damage during Blood Moon | |
PlayerSafeZoneLevel |
5 |
Player level at which the starting-zone safety expires | |
PlayerSafeZoneHours |
5 |
Hours the safety zone last | |
BloodMoonFrequency |
7 |
Blood Moon every N days, 0 to disable |
|
BloodMoonRange |
0 |
Random ±N days variance | |
BloodMoonEnemyCount |
8 |
Max enemies per player during Blood Moon | |
DayNightLength |
60 |
Real minutes per in-game day | |
DayLightLength |
18 |
In-game hours of daylight (out of 24) |
Example: easy-mode, fast-progression server
<property name="GameDifficulty" value="1"/>
<property name="LootAbundance" value="200"/>
<property name="XPMultiplier" value="200"/>
<property name="BlockDamageAIBM" value="50"/>
<property name="BloodMoonEnemyCount" value="4"/>
Example: hardcore server
<property name="GameDifficulty" value="4"/>
<property name="LootAbundance" value="50"/>
<property name="LootRespawnDays" value="60"/>
<property name="BlockDamageAIBM" value="150"/>
<property name="BloodMoonEnemyCount" value="16"/>
Step 5: Click Save and start the service.
Existing player progress is preserved — only future gains (loot drops, XP) use the new rates.
