PvP (player-vs-player combat) is controlled per world in Hytale. Most servers ship with PvP disabled by default, so you’ll need to enable it in your world settings before players can damage each other.
Option 1: Enable PvP in the LOW.MS panel (recommended)
- Stop your server.
- In your server panel, look for Game Settings or World Settings (wording varies slightly).
- Find PvP Enabled (or similar) and switch it On.
- Save/Apply, then Start (or Restart) the server.
Don’t see a PvP toggle? No worries — use the file method below. LOW.MS gives you full file access, so you can always flip PvP manually.
Option 2: Enable PvP by editing the world config (works on all hosts)
This is the universal method and matches how host guides (like Nitrado) do it.
1) Stop the server
Always stop the server before editing JSON config files to avoid changes being overwritten.
2) Open the world config file
In your server file manager (or FTP), browse to:
universe/worlds/<YourWorldName>/config.json
Each world has its own
config.json. If you run multiple worlds, you must enable PvP in the world players actually join.
3) Change IsPvpEnabled to true
Find this line:
"IsPvpEnabled": false
Change it to:
"IsPvpEnabled": true
Save the file.
4) Start / restart the server
Boot the server back up and test PvP in-game.
Option 3: Enable PvP via command (admin only)
If you have admin permissions, many hosts support enabling PvP from console / in-game with:
/world config pvp true
To disable it again:
/world config pvp false
Notes:
- In some server consoles, you may not need the leading
/. - If you don’t see the setting persist after a restart, use the file method to confirm the value inside the correct world’s
config.json.
Troubleshooting
PvP still doesn’t work
- Double-check you edited the right world:
universe/worlds/<YourWorldName>/config.json - Restart the server after changes.
- Make sure your JSON is valid (commas/quotes matter). A small typo can prevent settings from loading.
My changes revert
Hytale configuration files are read on startup and may be written to when in-game actions occur. If you edit while the server is running, your changes can be overwritten — stop the server first, edit, then restart.
Can I do PvP/PvE zones?
Hytale doesn’t currently expose “zones” for PvP/PvE out of the box on dedicated servers — you generally need mods/plugins for per-area rules. If you want zones, enable PvP globally and then use a zone mod to restrict combat to specific areas.