What happens if I manually set a custom world value?

WorldPresetType automatically switches to Custom on the next server start – you should not use a separate preset simultaneously.

Windrose: World Modifiers

Q: How do I set the combat difficulty (CombatDifficulty) in Windrose?

As a tag value in the tag block, e.g., "CombatDifficulty": {"TagName": "WDS.Parameter.CombatDifficulty.Hard"} – available values are Easy, Normal, and Hard.

Configure Windrose world modifiers with a complete parameter overview for float values, combat settings, and co-op scaling parameters -> Learn more now

10 November 20266 min read0 Views0 helpful

Introduction

Windrose custom world modifiers allow you to fine-tune combat, naval combat, exploration, quests, and co-op scaling in detail. In this guide, you will learn how to edit the WorldDescription.json file, understand each parameter, and apply custom settings on your Windrose game server.

Preparation

Before you start, make sure you have:

An active Windrose game server at ZAP-Hosting
Access to the game server management
Your server stopped before editing files
Access to the Configuration tab or Files tab in the game server management

Info

Location of the configuration file Custom world modifiers are stored in the WorldDescription.json file under the WorldSettings block.

Warning

Stop server first Always stop your server before editing WorldDescription.json. This prevents file corruption or overwritten changes during startup or autosave.

Understanding World Modifiers

Each custom setting is defined individually in WorldDescription.json under WorldSettings. The game separates values by type:

float for numerical multipliers like health or damage
bool for true or false options
tag for named difficulty values like combat difficulty

This structure is important because each parameter must be in the correct section. If you put a float value in bool or use an invalid tag, the setting may not work as expected.

Info

Parameter types If the term parameter is new to you: it simply means a configurable value used by the game. In this guide, each parameter controls a part of world difficulty or game behavior.

Open the World Configuration File

To apply custom world modifiers, you need to edit the correct world file.

Stop your Windrose server in the game server management.
Open the Files tab.
Navigate to the following path:

text

R5/Saved/SaveProfiles/Default/RocksDB/[your_game_version]/Worlds/[your_world_id]/WorldDescription.json

Replace the placeholders as follows:

Placeholder	Meaning
`[your_game_version]`	Your current Windrose game version folder
`[your_world_id]`	The ID of the world you want to edit

Tip

Find the correct world If you have multiple worlds, make sure to edit the WorldDescription.json in the correct [your_world_id] folder. Otherwise, your changes will affect a different save.

Edit the WorldSettings Block

In WorldDescription.json, find the WorldSettings block. Add or adjust your custom values there.

Use the following structure:

json

"WorldSettings": {
  "bool": {
    "CoopQuests": true,
    "EasyExplore": false
  },
  "float": {
    "MobHealthMultiplier": 1.5,
    "MobDamageMultiplier": 1.2,
    "ShipHealthMultiplier": 1.0,
    "ShipDamageMultiplier": 1.0,
    "BoardingDifficultyMultiplier": 1.0,
    "Coop_StatsCorrectionModifier": 1.0,
    "Coop_ShipStatsCorrectionModifier": 0.5
  },
  "tag": {
    "CombatDifficulty": {
      "TagName": "WDS.Parameter.CombatDifficulty.Hard"
    }
  }
}

Save the file and then restart your server.

Info

Behavior with presets If you manually set a custom value, WorldPresetType will automatically change to Custom on the next server start. If you want to use a clean preset instead, use the corresponding preset configuration and do not mix both methods.

Complete Parameter Overview

The following tables provide a full overview of all available custom world modifiers.

Combat Parameters

Parameter	Section	Default	Range	Effect
`MobHealthMultiplier`	`float`	`1.0`	`0.2 - 5.0`	Multiplier for enemy health
`MobDamageMultiplier`	`float`	`1.0`	`0.2 - 5.0`	Multiplier for enemy damage
`CombatDifficulty`	`tag`	`Normal`	`Easy`, `Normal`, `Hard`	Boss aggression and combat difficulty

CombatDifficulty must be written as a tag value, for example:

json

"tag": {
  "CombatDifficulty": {
    "TagName": "WDS.Parameter.CombatDifficulty.Hard"
  }
}

Available values:

Difficulty	TagName value
Easy	`WDS.Parameter.CombatDifficulty.Easy`
Normal	`WDS.Parameter.CombatDifficulty.Normal`
Hard	`WDS.Parameter.CombatDifficulty.Hard`

Naval Combat Parameters

Parameter	Section	Default	Range	Effect
`ShipHealthMultiplier`	`float`	`1.0`	`0.4 - 5.0`	Multiplier for enemy ship health
`ShipDamageMultiplier`	`float`	`1.0`	`0.2 - 2.5`	Multiplier for enemy ship damage
`BoardingDifficultyMultiplier`	`float`	`1.0`	`0.2 - 5.0`	Number of enemy sailors during boarding

These settings are useful if you want to make naval battles easier for small crews or significantly harder for experienced groups.

Co-op Scaling Parameters

Parameter	Section	Default	Range	Effect
`Coop_StatsCorrectionModifier`	`float`	`1.0`	`0.0 - 2.0`	Adjusts enemy health and behavior based on player count
`Coop_ShipStatsCorrectionModifier`	`float`	`0.0`	`0.0 - 2.0`	Adjusts enemy ship health based on player count

These values are especially practical for larger crews. They help keep combat balanced when more players are in the world.

Exploration Parameters

Parameter	Section	Default	Effect
`EasyExplore`	`bool`	`false`	Disables map markers for points of interest

Info

EasyExplore naming Despite the name, setting EasyExplore to true makes exploration harder because map markers for points of interest are disabled. This effectively creates an immersive exploration mode.

Quest Parameters

Parameter	Section	Default	Effect
`CoopQuests`	`bool`	`true`	When one player completes a co-op quest, it automatically completes for all other active players

This setting is useful if you want to simplify group progress or if each player should complete quests individually.

Multiplier Scale as Reference

If you are unsure how a float value changes gameplay, use this quick scale as a guide.

Value	Effect
`0.5`	`50%` - noticeably easier
`1.0`	`100%` - standard or normal
`2.0`	`200%` - noticeably harder
`5.0`	`500%` - extremely hard

This table is a practical example to balance your world. Lower values reduce difficulty, higher values increase it significantly.

Tip

Start with small changes When testing balance changes, increase or decrease only one parameter at a time. This way, you can more easily identify which setting affected gameplay.

Example Configurations

The following examples help you create your own setup.

Casual Crew

This setup lowers combat pressure, keeps quest sharing enabled, and makes boarding easier.

json

"float": {
  "MobHealthMultiplier": 0.6,
  "MobDamageMultiplier": 0.6,
  "BoardingDifficultyMultiplier": 0.5
}

Hardcore Seas

This setup increases difficulty on land and sea, disables shared quest completions, and enables immersive exploration.

json

"bool": {
  "CoopQuests": false,
  "EasyExplore": true
},
"float": {
  "MobHealthMultiplier": 2.0,
  "MobDamageMultiplier": 1.5,
  "ShipHealthMultiplier": 2.0,
  "ShipDamageMultiplier": 1.5
}

Scaling for Large Groups

This setup is suitable for larger groups, e.g., 8 players, where the standard scaling feels too easy.

json

"float": {
  "MobHealthMultiplier": 1.0,
  "MobDamageMultiplier": 1.0,
  "Coop_StatsCorrectionModifier": 2.0,
  "Coop_ShipStatsCorrectionModifier": 2.0
}

Best Practices When Editing Values

Use valid ranges

Each float parameter supports only a defined range. Staying within the documented range avoids unexpected behavior.

Parameter	Minimum	Maximum
`MobHealthMultiplier`	`0.2`	`5.0`
`MobDamageMultiplier`	`0.2`	`5.0`
`ShipHealthMultiplier`	`0.4`	`5.0`
`ShipDamageMultiplier`	`0.2`	`2.5`
`BoardingDifficultyMultiplier`	`0.2`	`5.0`
`Coop_StatsCorrectionModifier`	`0.0`	`2.0`
`Coop_ShipStatsCorrectionModifier`	`0.0`	`2.0`

Warning

Invalid values Using unsupported values, incorrect formatting, or parameters in the wrong section may cause the game to ignore or incorrectly apply the setting.

Keep JSON formatting correct

When editing WorldDescription.json, ensure:

All keys remain in double quotes
Commas are correctly placed
Curly braces {} and square brackets [] are properly closed
true and false are lowercase
Decimal values use a dot, e.g., 1.5

A malformed JSON file can prevent the world configuration from loading correctly.

Restart after saving

After finishing:

Save WorldDescription.json
Restart your server
Connect to the server and test the gameplay changes

Some values are best tested in combat, boarding, or co-op sessions, not immediately on login.

Managing Configurations in Game Server Management

You can manage Windrose configuration files directly in your ZapX customer account under the Configuration tab or Files tab. This is the recommended way to edit WorldDescription.json if you do not want to use external tools.

If the exact config entry is not listed directly, use the Files tab and navigate manually to the world file path mentioned above.

Info

Config management Depending on the current game server interface and your world configuration, the exact file view may vary. If a specific config entry is not visible, use the file path directly instead of assuming a missing feature.

Troubleshooting

Changes not applied

If your modifiers are not active after restart, check the following:

You edited the correct WorldDescription.json
The server was stopped before editing
The JSON syntax is valid
Each parameter is in the correct section: float, bool, or tag
The server was fully restarted after saving

Difficulty feels unchanged

Some modifiers are easier to notice than others. For example:

MobHealthMultiplier is most noticeable in normal combat
ShipHealthMultiplier only in naval combat
Coop_StatsCorrectionModifier most visible with multiple players
EasyExplore only affects exploration and map markers

Preset changed to Custom

This is expected behavior once you manually set custom values. The game automatically switches the world preset type to Custom on next start.

Conclusion

Congratulations, you have successfully configured Windrose world modifiers. For further questions or support, our support team is available daily! 🙂

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

In the WorldDescription.json file under the WorldSettings block, located at R5/Saved/SaveProfiles/Default/RocksDB/[game_version]/Worlds/[world_id]/WorldDescription.json. The server must be stopped while editing.

float for numerical multipliers (e.g., health/damage), bool for on/off options, and tag for named difficulty values like combat difficulty.

Default is 1.0, valid range is 0.2 to 5.0 – it controls the multiplier for enemy health.

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Introduction

Preparation

Understanding World Modifiers

Open the World Configuration File

Edit the WorldSettings Block

Complete Parameter Overview

Combat Parameters

Naval Combat Parameters

Co-op Scaling Parameters

Exploration Parameters

Quest Parameters

Multiplier Scale as Reference

Example Configurations

Casual Crew

Hardcore Seas

Scaling for Large Groups

Best Practices When Editing Values

Use valid ranges

Keep JSON formatting correct

Restart after saving

Managing Configurations in Game Server Management

Troubleshooting

Changes not applied

Difficulty feels unchanged

Preset changed to Custom

Conclusion

Frequently asked questions

Windrose

Preparation

Understanding World Modifiers

Edit the WorldSettings Block

Example Configurations

Casual Crew

Hardcore Seas

Scaling for Large Groups

Managing Configurations in Game Server Management

Troubleshooting

Changes not applied

Difficulty feels unchanged

Preset changed to Custom

Conclusion

Game Server

Servers & Hosting

ZAPX

Resources

ZAP-Hosting