How to Configure Custom Sons Of The Forest Server Settings

Custom Sons Of The Forest Server Settings

A Sons Of The Forest dedicated server does not have to play exactly like the default game. Custom settings let you shape the world around your group, whether that means a calmer island with more wildlife or a rough survival run where enemies hit harder and supplies feel scarce.

These options are not always obvious at first. Most of the work happens in the server configuration file, then the server needs to be told to use the Custom difficulty and a fresh save slot. Once that is done, the settings can turn a normal server into something far more specific. Pleasant forest hike or panic simulator, the choice is yours.

Why Use Custom Settings

Custom game mode settings are useful when the default difficulties do not quite match the experience you want. Server owners can adjust enemy behavior, survival pressure, world pacing, and environmental details.

For example, raising enemy health, damage, and aggression creates a much harsher co-op session. Lowering hostile activity, increasing animals, and changing season or day length can make the island feel more like a survival sandbox. Other settings can affect food spoilage, container loot, and similar mechanics that shape how players prepare between fights.

Before Editing

The custom options are stored in the server files, mainly inside the dedicatedserver.cfg configuration. You can edit this through your panel's file editor or file manager, so there is no need to download the file, change it locally, and upload it again.

Be careful while changing values. Configuration files are picky. Missing quotation marks, extra commas, wrong capitalization, or renamed options can stop the file from loading correctly. If a value expects true, typing True may be enough to cause problems.

Edit the Configuration File

Use the steps below to open the settings file and adjust the custom game mode values.

1. Open your server panel and select FTP or the file manager near the top left.

1. Enter your panel password, then choose Login.

1. Open the Sons Of The Forest server directory from the file list.

1. Find dedicatedserver.cfg, then select Edit to open it in the file editor.

1. Locate the CustomGameModeSettings section and change the values you want to adjust.

1. Save the file, then return to the main server panel.

Understanding the Values

The CustomGameModeSettings section contains the options that decide how a custom world behaves. Many entries use the same GameSetting prefix, so focus on the part of the name that describes the feature.

Some settings control enemies, such as health, damage, aggression, and how often hostile groups appear. Others affect survival systems like food decay, container loot, animal spawns, season length, and day length. Boolean values normally use true or false, while difficulty-style options may use preset words from the existing configuration.

When experimenting, change a small group of settings at a time. This makes it much easier to identify the problem if the server refuses to apply a value or resets the file. Editing everything at once is technically possible, but so is stepping on a trap because the leaves looked suspiciously organized.

Enable Custom Difficulty

Editing the file is only half of the process. The server also needs to use the Custom difficulty so the custom values are loaded in-game.

1. From the main server panel, open your panel settings near the lower left.

1. Open the Difficulty menu and choose Custom.

1. Select a new Save Slot in the same settings area.

1. Return to the main panel and restart the server.

A new save slot is important because old worlds can keep their existing difficulty data. Starting from a fresh slot gives the custom settings a clean place to apply.

Example Setup Ideas

For a peaceful server, reduce or remove hostile enemies, increase wildlife, and use longer days or seasons. This works well for players who want exploration, base building, and survival management without constant combat.

For a harder survival horror setup, increase enemy health, damage, and aggression. You can also reduce container loot and make survival systems less forgiving. This creates a server where players need to plan routes, share supplies, and think twice before charging into the woods with a half-broken spear.

You do not need to use every available setting. A few targeted changes usually create a clearer experience than changing every value just because it exists.

Troubleshooting

If custom settings are not applying, first confirm that Difficulty is set to Custom in your panel settings. Then make sure a new Save Slot was selected and restart the server. If the world still behaves like the default difficulty, stop the server fully, review the configuration again, save it, and restart.

If settings reset after editing dedicatedserver.cfg, the file format is probably invalid. Check for missing quotation marks, deleted commas, changed option names, incorrect capitalization, or values that do not match the expected format. Reverting your latest changes is usually the fastest fix.

If the file is badly broken, delete dedicatedserver.cfg while the server is stopped, then start the server again so a clean default file can regenerate. After that, reapply your custom settings more gradually.

Related Setup Tasks

Other useful Sons Of The Forest server tasks include joining your server, becoming an admin, setting a server password, and changing the server difficulty.