Windrose: World Modifiers

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Introduction

Windrose custom world modifiers let you adjust 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 to your Windrose gameserver.

Preparation

Before you begin, make sure you have the following:

• An active Windrose gameserver at ZAP-Hosting
• Access to the gameserver management
• Your server stopped before editing files
• Access to the Configs or File Manager area in the gameserver management

Configuration File Location

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

Stop the Server First

You should always stop your server before editing WorldDescription.json. This helps prevent file corruption or overwritten changes during startup or autosave operations.

Understanding World Modifiers

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

• float for numeric multipliers such as health or damage
• bool for true or false options
• tag for named difficulty values such as combat difficulty

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

Parameter Types

If you are unfamiliar with the term parameter, it simply means a configurable value used by the game. In this guide, each parameter controls one part of the world difficulty or gameplay behavior.

Open the World Configuration File

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

1. Stop your Windrose server in the gameserver management.
2. Open the File Manager.
3. Navigate to the following path:

R5/Saved/SaveProfiles/Default/RocksDB/<game_version>/Worlds/<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 modify

Finding the Correct World

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

Edit the WorldSettings Block

Inside WorldDescription.json, locate the WorldSettings block. Add or adjust your custom values there.

Use the following structure:

"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"
    }
  }
}

After saving the file, start your server again.

Preset Behavior

If you set any custom value manually, WorldPresetType automatically changes to Custom on the next server start. If you want to use a clean preset instead of custom values, you should use the appropriate preset configuration rather than mixing both methods.

Full Parameter Reference

The following tables provide a complete reference for every available custom world modifier.

Combat Parameters

Parameter	Section	Default	Range	Effect
MobHealthMultiplier	float	1.0	0.2 - 5.0	Enemy health multiplier
MobDamageMultiplier	float	1.0	0.2 - 5.0	Enemy damage multiplier
CombatDifficulty	tag	Normal	Easy, Normal, Hard	Boss aggression and encounter difficulty

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

"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	Enemy ship health multiplier
ShipDamageMultiplier	float	1.0	0.2 - 2.5	Enemy ship damage multiplier
BoardingDifficultyMultiplier	float	1.0	0.2 - 5.0	Number of enemy sailors to defeat in a boarding action

These settings are useful if you want to make sea battles easier for smaller crews or much more demanding 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 posture loss 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 useful for larger crews. They allow you to keep combat balanced as more players join the world.

Exploration Parameters

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

EasyExplore Naming

Despite the name, setting EasyExplore to true makes exploration harder because it disables map markers for points of interest. This is effectively an immersive exploration mode.

Quest Parameters

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

This setting is useful if you want to simplify group progression or require each player to complete objectives individually.

Multiplier Scale Reference

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

Value	Effect
0.5	50% - noticeably easier
1.0	100% - default or normal
2.0	200% - noticeably harder
5.0	500% - extremely difficult

This table is a practical parameters example for balancing your world. Lower values reduce difficulty, while higher values increase it significantly.

Start With Small Adjustments

If you are testing balance changes, increase or decrease one parameter at a time. This makes it easier to understand which setting caused the gameplay difference.

Example Configurations

The following examples can help you build your own custom setup.

Casual Crew

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

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

Hardcore Seas

This setup increases both land and naval difficulty, disables shared quest completion, and enables immersive exploration.

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

Large Group Scaling

This setup is useful for larger groups, such as 8 players, where default scaling may feel too easy.

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

Best Practices for Editing Values

Use Valid Ranges

Each float parameter only supports a defined range. Staying inside the documented range helps avoid 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

Invalid Values

If you use unsupported values, incorrect formatting, or place a parameter in the wrong section, the game may ignore the setting or fail to apply it correctly.

Keep JSON Formatting Correct

When editing WorldDescription.json, make sure that:

• All keys remain in double quotes
• Commas are placed correctly
• Braces {} and brackets are closed properly
• true and false are written in lowercase
• Decimal values use a period, for example 1.5

A broken JSON file may prevent the world configuration from loading correctly.

Restart After Saving

After you finish editing:

1. Save WorldDescription.json
2. Start your server again
3. Join the server and test the changes in gameplay

Some values are easiest to verify in combat, boarding, or co-op sessions rather than immediately at login.

Managing Configs in the Gameserver Management

You can manage Windrose configuration files directly in the ZAP-Hosting gameserver management under the available config and file options. 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 File Manager and navigate manually to the world file path shown earlier in this guide.

Config Management

Depending on the current gameserver interface and your existing world setup, the exact file listing may vary. If a specific config entry is not visible, use the file path directly instead of assuming a missing feature.

Troubleshooting

Changes Do Not Apply

If your modifiers are not active after restarting, 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 more noticeable than others. For example:

• MobHealthMultiplier is easiest to notice in regular combat
• ShipHealthMultiplier is only noticeable during naval combat
• Coop_StatsCorrectionModifier is most visible with multiple players
• EasyExplore only affects exploration behavior 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 the next startup.

Conclusion

Congratulations, you have successfully configured Windrose world modifiers. For further questions or assistance, please don't hesitate to contact our support team, which is available daily to assist you!