7 Days to Die Server Config Tuning Guide

Optimize your 7 Days to Die server with the complete serverconfig.xml reference — zombie counts, loot abundance, blood moon frequency, and performance settings.

1. 01

   Open serverconfig.xml

   Navigate to your 7 Days to Die server in the MANAfuel dashboard and open the File Manager tab. Click serverconfig.xml in the root directory. The file uses XML format with name-value properties. Every setting has a clear description comment above it in the file. Changes require a server restart to take effect.

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2. 02

   Set Zombie and Horde Settings

   Control the Blood Moon with BloodMoonFrequency (default 7 — one horde every 7 days, set to 0 to disable), BloodMoonRange (0 = exact day, higher = random range), and BloodMoonEnemyCount (zombies per player per wave — default 8, increase for harder challenges). Set MaxSpawnedZombies (default 64) and MaxSpawnedAnimals (default 50) based on your server capacity. Higher zombie counts demand more CPU — the Gamer plan handles 64 zombies smoothly with 6 players.

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3. 03

   Adjust Loot and Economy

   LootAbundance controls how much loot spawns in containers (100 = default, 200 = double). LootRespawnDays sets how often containers refill (default 7). DropOnDeath controls player inventory on death: 0 = nothing dropped, 1 = everything, 2 = toolbelt only, 3 = backpack only. For casual servers, set LootAbundance to 150 and DropOnDeath to 3. For hardcore, use default loot with DropOnDeath 1.

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4. 04

   Configure World and Performance

   WorldGenSize controls random gen map size (default 6144, range 2048 to 10240 — larger worlds use more RAM and disk). WorldGenSeed determines the map layout. For performance, DynamicMeshEnabled and DynamicMeshMaxItemCache control terrain modification caching — lower values reduce memory but increase loading stutters. On the Gamer plan, default values work well for worlds up to 8192.

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5. 05

   Set Player Limits and Network

   ServerMaxPlayerCount sets the player cap. ServerMaxAllowedViewDistance (default 12, range 6 to 12) controls how far players can see — lower values significantly improve server performance with many players. PlayerSafeZoneLevel and PlayerSafeZoneHours control newbie protection. For multiplayer PvP, configure LandClaimExpiryTime and LandClaimDecayMode to manage abandoned bases.

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6. 06

   Apply and Monitor Changes

   Save serverconfig.xml in the File Manager and restart your server. The server reads the config on boot — there is no hot-reload for most settings. After changes, monitor the server metrics in your dashboard. Bob tracks server tick rate and memory usage — if your zombie count or world size pushes the server too hard, Bob surfaces the specific resource bottleneck so you can adjust.