Before you begin
Before you jump into it, a refresher on how to edit the config files may be useful. On Windows, it’s likely you’ll be editing the majority of the options via the Dedicated Server Launcher. This will give you access to basic parameters like the player count, backups, scheduled restarts, and some network configuration.
For more advanced changes, you may need to check your .ini files. These are located in …/conanserver/ConanSandbox/Saved/Config/WindowsServer and include Engine.ini, Game.ini, and ServerSettings.ini. You can open these in any word processing program and save them back as the same file type.
If you followed our Conan Exiles server setup guide, your linux files will be located in /home/server. You can navigate there and edit the files with:
su - conanserver
cd server/conansandbox/saved/config/windowserver
Editing the .ini files can then be achieved with the commands:
nano Engine
nano Game
nano ServerSettings
Remember to replace our references to x with a relevant number
Conan: Exiles .ini parameters explained
Conan has a wealth of parameters server admins can change, affecting anything from the server region and name to damage multipliers, crafting time, and pets. You can change some of these with the DedicatedServerLauncher, but others will require manual .ini editing. We’ll first be covering the ones you should change manually, rather than in-game,
Engine.ini
In Engine.ini, you need to add a port for your server, if it’s not already there. This will ensure your game matches your router and firewall settings:
[URL]
Port = 7777
You should also add the following under the heading [OnlineSubsystemSteam]:
ServerName=MyAwesomeServer
Simply, the name you want players to see when looking for your server. You may want to append details like the mods, crafting rates, and location in square brackets at the end.
ServerQueryPort= 27015
This is the port SteamAPI utilizes to query your server. It looks for basic information, details about each player on the server, and the server’s rules. As a result, it’s a good idea to make sure this matches the ports you forwarded on your router. Generally, you should keep this as the default.
ServerPassword = SecurePassword
This one is quite self-explanatory. Players will have to type whatever’s after the equals sign to access the server. Good if you want to keep things private.
[RconPlugin]
RconEnabled = 1
RconPassword = SecurePassword
RconPort = 25575
RconMaxKarma= 60
Most servers have a remote console option, and Conan: Exiles is no different. These solutions generally give you more functionality than running commands in-game, such as sending multiple commands in one line, font coloring, or access from a different PC to the host.
The first setting enables this option. You should change the password to something secure, and keep the port as 25575, as that’s what you’ll have been instructed to port forward. The karma setting is prevention against DDoS attacks, and its default of 60 should be fine.
ServerSettings.ini
Now, moving on to the server settings. You should add these to the bottom of your .ini, paying particular attention to creating a secure admin password.
LogoutCharactersRemainInTheWorld = False
This determines whether characters stick around when a player accesses the game and can be set to True or False. As players keep their items, you probably want this off if your server is PvP.
PVPEnabled = True/False
Speaking of PvP, this is the setting that controls it. You’ll want this in your config if you don’t want your players killing each other.
AdminPassword = SecurePassword
The most important setting you’ll configure today. The password you set here will be used by yourself and server admins to change options in-game. Make sure it’s not easily guessed or the same as any of your other passwords.
ServerRegion = x
You should set this to wherever your server is located. 0 is Europe, 1 North America, 2 Asia, 3 Australia, 4 South America, and 5 Japan.
IsBattlEyeEnabled = True/False
BattlEye is an anti-cheat solution. Whether you want it enabled likely depends on your use case. We recommend you keep it on.
IsVacEnabled = True/False
This is Valve’s anti-cheat.
Game.ini
This part is a little more complex. Again, these can go at the bottom of the .ini file:
[ConanSandbox]
UserID=steam
Sets Conan to use a user’s SteamID for authentication. This will ensure they don’t log in multiple times, for example.
[/script/engine.gamesession]
MaxPlayers = x
The maximum number of players allowed on the server at one time.
[/script/engine.gamenetworkmanager]
TotalNetBandwidth= 4000000
MaxDynamicBandwidth=100000
MinDynamicBandwidth=40000
Bandwidth optimization is a tricky thing, so it’s generally not recommended that players with little experience mess with these default values. These values are in bytes per second, with MaxDynamic Bandwidth being the speeds your connection can reach in a best-case scenario and Min in the worst case.
Conan: Exiles in-game server settings
Conan: Exiles is a refreshing place to run a server due to the wealth of settings you can easily change in-game. You’ll find the following in under the Server Settings submenu via ESC>Settings>Server Settings.
Difficulty
Difficulty can be set to Civilized, Decadent or Barbaric. Bear in mind that bosses were created with multiplayer in mind, so don’t set this too high if you’re planning on soloing them.
General
Map
Conan only has one official map, ConanSandBox. However, if you want to use a self-made map, you can add this and change it to the correct path.
MaxNudity
Nudity in Conan can be set to either 0, 1, or 2. 0 turns it off completely, 1 shows partial nudity (toplessness) and 2 reveals all.
MessageOfTheDay
Players will see this when they log into the server. You should probably add things like rules, your discord server, and other info.
Make Admin
Gives you admin access to the server. Requires the password you set earlier.
Time-Restrict PVP
You can change this to enable PvP during certain times of day. This helps balance between players who want PvP, and those who don’t.
PvP Blitz Enabled
Lets players progress faster so they can jump straight into late-game PvP.
Time Restirct PvP Building Damage
Like the general time restrict setting, but only applies to structures.
Community
Choose what best suits your server style. The options are Relaxed, HardCore, Purist, RolePlaying, or Experimental. Players use these filters to find your server.
No Ownership
Turning this on means players can loot or dismantle any chests or buildings regardless of who built them. It’s unlikely you want this unless you’re playing with trusted friends.
Containers Ignore Ownership
Like the above, but just for containers. Players can lock some chests even when this is enabled.
Can damage player owned structures
Players can damage the buildings of others.
Can damage players
As above, but for players.
Clan Max Size
Once a clan reaches this limit, members can’t join. Stops one clan from snowballing.
Sever Voice Chat
Disables/enables in-game voice chat.
Progression
Player XP Rate Multiplier
This setting affects the rate of all of the XP in the below settings.
Player XP Time Multiplier
Affects the rate at which players receive passive XP for surviving.
Player XP Kill Multiplier
XP rate for player and monster kills specifically.
Player XP Harvest Multiplier
Same as above, but for resource gathering.
Player XP Craft Multiplier
Setting this to a higher value will increase the XP players get for crafting.
Day/Night Cycle
Day Cycle Speed
By default, 24 hours in Conan takes 30 minutes. This multiplier changes the speed of the 24-hour cycle overall, with 0.5 causing it to take an hour, and 1.5 15 minutes.
Day Time Speed
As you’d expect, day time in Conan takes up half of the full cycle. As a result, changing this to 0.5 will mean day lasts for 30 minutes. 1 will keep it at the default of 15 minutes, and 1.5 will make it last 7.5 minutes. You can change just this setting if you want days to last longer than nights.
Night Time Speed
Same as above, but for night time.
Dawn/Dusk Time Speed
As well as day and night, there’s a transition period between the two. Depending on the multiplier, you can have these last 5 minutes, 2.5 minutes, 1.25 minutes, or whatever else you want.
Use Catch Up Time
Admins can use this to force all new players to start at a preset time. In the day, for example, when it’s easiest to survive. If this is enabled, their day will only progress once the server time catches up to them.
Survival
Player Health Multiplier
The amount of health a player has. Default is 100 HP, so a multiplier of 0.5 sets it to 50, and 1.5 to 150.
Player Health Regen Speed Scale
Passive health regeneration. The default is 5 HP/second.
Player Stamina Multiplier
Same concept as the HP multiplier, but for stamina, which also starts at 100.
Stamina Cost Multiplier
Adjusts how quickly a player gets tired by increasing the amount of stamina per action.
Player Sprint Speed Scale
Gotta go fast? This is the setting you use to do that. Default is 2 m/s.
Stamina Sprint Cost Multiplier
Maybe you want your players to be able to sprint infinitely. You can make sprinting take next to no stamina per second, or a higher amount, if you’re evil. The default is 2 per second.
Player Stamina Regen Speed Scale
Once you run out of stamina, it usually regens at a rate of 5 per second. This multiplies that depending on your value.
Player Active Thirst Multiplier
Players lose water over time. This adjusts the default value of 2 per second.
Player Offline Thirst Multiplier
By default, you still lose water while offline. This changes the default rate of 2.
Player Active Hunger Multiplier
Same as the thirst multiplier, but for hunger.
Player Offline Hunger Multiplier
The rate at which a player’s hunger decays when they’re offline.
Everybody can loot corpse
If this is enabled, anyone can loot a player’s body. Otherwise, only the dead user can recover the items. It’s enabled by default.
Combat
Player Damage Multiplier
The amount of damage a player does. Default is 20.
Player Damage Taken Multiplier
Damage taken from other players. Default is 20 again.
Minion Damage Multiplier
Thralls do a default of 20 damage to other players, you can decrease or increase this if you think they’re too strong/weak.
Minion Damage Taken Multiplier
If you change the above option, you may also want to change the amount of damage minions take. The default is 20.
NPC Damage Multiplier
This modifies the damage monsters and NPCs receive from players. Again, default is 20.
NPC Health Multiplier
Lets you buff the health of all NPCs, from a base of 100.
NPC Respawn Multiplier
This makes NPCs respawn faster or slower, and can be useful depending on your player count. The default is 30 seconds, and a multiplier of 0 theoretically makes them never respawn. Sadly, a lot of NPCs don’t obey this parameter.
Friendly Fire Damage Multiplier
You can change this to 0 if there’s a lot of teamkilling, or reduce it if teammates keep accidentally hitting each other.
Building Damage Multiplier
The higher this value is, the more damage buildings receive.
Durability Multiplier
As you’d expect, this changes how long tools or weapons last. Durability degrades when items are used or hit, with a base of 10 per hit. If the mechanic annoys you, you can set this to 0 to disable degradation entirely.
Shield Durability Multiplier
Shields durability can be controlled independently of the global durability setting. The default is still 10 lost per hit, and you can turn off degradation with 0.
Thrall Wakeup Time
You can tame thralls by knocking them out. This setting changes how long they stay unconscious. By default, they’re out for 10 minutes.
Thrall Damage While Unconscious
By default, Thrall damage while unconscious is the same as regular damage - 20. You can adjust the multiplier to make them take more or less damage, with the option to make them invulnerable.
Avatar Lifetime
Determines how long avatars stay in the world after they’re summoned. It’s usually 60 seconds, but you can make it as long or as short as you like.
Disable Avatars
Meanwhile, if you want to get rid of avatars entirely, you can toggle this option.
Avatar Summon Time
To balance avatars, they take a long time to summon, during which the player can’t move. This changes the duration of that period, from a default of 20 seconds.
Avatar Dome Duration Multiplier
Changes the duration of Avatar domes from a default of 48 hours. Setting this to 0.1 will disable them entirely.
Enable Auto Facing on attack
This is a toggle for gamepad players. Turning it on activates the auto-targeting system for ease of use.
Enable Target Lock
Control whether players can lock on to enemies and neutrals.
Disable Landclaim Notifications
A simple True or False toggle depending on your user’s preferences.
Harvesting
Item Spoil Rate Scale
Foods usually last 2 minutes before spoiling in Conan. You can set them to never spoil with 0, to 4 minutes with a value of 0.5, etc.
Harvest Amount Multiplier
You can make things easier for your players by setting this to 2. This way, they’ll get double the resources.
Resource Respawn Speed Multiplier
Resources usually take 30 seconds to respawn after being harvested. You can speed or slow this process.
Land Claim Radius Multiplier
Placing items in Conan claims land for that player in a preset radius. By default, that measurement is 20 feet, but admins can adjust this to their liking.
Crafting
Crafting Time Multiplier
Adjusts the time it takes to craft items.
Thrall Crafting Time Multiplier
Makes it faster/slower to train a Thrall.
Fuel Burn Multiplier
The higher you set this the longer fuel units burn.
Crafting Speed Multiplier
Adjusts the speed items can be crafted. The lower the setting, the faster things are made.
Abandonment
Disable Building Abandonment
Stops buildings from disappearing over time.
Building Decay Time Multiplier
If enabled, changes the time it takes for building pieces to decay. The lower it is, the slower the deterioration.
Chat
Chat Local Radius
You only see local chat in Conan when you’re close to other players. By default, that’s 30 centimeters. This setting lets you adjust it to your preferences.
Max Message Length
You probably don’t want players filling the chat window with one giant message. With this, you can choose an exact number of characters as the cut-off point.
Chat Has Global
As well as local chat, admins can choose to enable/disable a separate channel where players can communicate regardless of location.
Purge
Enable Purge
Enables/disables purge events.
Purge Level
Changes the difficulty of purges.
Restrict Purge Time
This lets you set it so Purges only run on certain days/times.
Purge Preparation Time
Adjusts the time between the warning message and when the purge actually begins.
Purge Duration
Quite self-explanatory. The max length of the purge.
Minimum Number of Online Players
Lets you decide how many players have to be online for a purge to trigger. You can enable offline purges if set to zero.
Allow Building
Decide whether players can build during purges.
Purge Meter Trigger Value
Purges trigger when a player does enough activities in-game to reach a threshold in their purge meter, so long as the previous conditions are met. Lower numbers here raise the meter more quickly.
Purge NPC Building Damage Multiplier
Modifies the damage NPCs do during purges to adjust the difficulty.
Pets
Enable Hunger System: Thralls
Companions have their own hunger system in Conan, but you can turn it on or off.
Enable Hunger System: Pets
Same as above, but for pets.
Starvation Time In Minutes
Controls how long it takes for your companions to starve.
Starvation Damage Penalty Cap
Companions take damage when they starve. This determines how much of their health they can use as a result. 1 would be 100%, 0.5 50%, etc.
Animal Pen Crafting Time Multiplier
Changes the crafting time in pens.
Food Container Range Multiplier
Food containers can feed companions within a certain distance. This widens/shortens that radius.
Exclusive Diet
Companions have different diets. Enabling this means they’ll only be able to eat those items. Leaving it disabled lets them eat anything.
Conclusion and Resources
As you can tell, Conan: Exiles server config is one of the most robust out there. You get unprecedented control of gameplay mechanics without needing mods, which is very helpful as a server admin.
90% of these settings are best left at the default until you run into something that annoys you or your players complain. If you’ve been playing Conan for a while, you probably already have an idea of what bugs you in the vanilla game. In general, it’s best to be conservative with your increases/decreases, but there are some resources to help you get a good balance:
- Conan Exiles Gamepedia - the official wiki where most of the information from this guide came from. Check here for further information on server settings, especially if they aren’t working how you expect.
- Conan Exiles Crafting Speeds & Fuel Ratios - This excellent spreadsheet will help you balance fuel conversion, craft time, and Thrall craft time for a balanced experience.
- Conan Exiles Reddit - A good place to keep up with the latest news and updates and get community support.
- Conan Admins United Discord - A discord group for more specific discussion about being an admin and config.
- Creature, Weapon, and Thrall Data - another great spreadsheet that may come in useful.
- Funcom Forums - the official forums for Conan.
