# How to Change the Mob Spawn Rate on Your Minecraft Server (/docs/minecraft/change-mob-spawn-rate) import { Step, Steps } from 'fumadocs-ui/components/steps'; Mob spawn rates control how many mobs can spawn naturally on your server. **Lowering them is one of the most effective performance fixes** for entity-heavy servers — fewer mobs mean fewer entities to tick. **Raising them** makes the world feel busier or more challenging, at a CPU cost. The relevant settings live in `bukkit.yml` and `spigot.yml`, which are only present on Bukkit-derived servers (Spigot, Paper, Purpur, Pufferfish, etc.). Spawn Limits Explained [#spawn-limits-explained] These are **per-player chunk caps**, not per-world totals. The cap applies to mobs in chunks loaded around each player. | Category | Default | What it includes | | ---------------------------- | ------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------- | | `monsters` | 70 | Hostile mobs (zombies, skeletons, creepers, spiders, witches, etc.) | | `animals` | 10 | Passive mobs (cows, pigs, sheep, chickens, horses) | | `water-animals` | 5 | Squid, dolphins | | `water-ambient` | 20 | Tropical fish, salmon, cod | | `water-underground-creature` | 5 | Glow squid | | `axolotls` | 5 | Axolotls | | `ambient` | 15 | Bats | Change Spawn Limits [#change-spawn-limits] Stop the server [#stop-the-server] In the [XGamingServer Panel](https://panel.xgamingserver.com), open **Console** and stop your server. Edit bukkit.yml [#edit-bukkityml] Click **Files** in the sidebar and open `bukkit.yml`. Find the `spawn-limits` section: ```yaml spawn-limits: monsters: 50 animals: 8 water-animals: 5 water-ambient: 15 water-underground-creature: 5 axolotls: 5 ambient: 10 ``` Lower the numbers to reduce spawns; raise them to increase. Click **Save Content**. (Optional) Adjust mob spawn range [#optional-adjust-mob-spawn-range] Open `spigot.yml`. Find: ```yaml mob-spawn-range: 6 ``` Default is `8`. Lower values concentrate spawning closer to players, which can: * Make mob farms more reliable * Reduce the number of "wasted" spawn attempts in chunks players don't visit * Improve mob density in active areas (Paper only) Adjust per-chunk entity caps [#paper-only-adjust-per-chunk-entity-caps] On Paper, you can also set hard per-chunk caps in `config/paper-world-defaults.yml`: ```yaml entity-per-chunk-save-limit: experience_orb: 16 arrow: 16 snowball: 16 ender_pearl: 16 ``` This caps **how many of each entity type can be saved per chunk**, preventing pathological accumulation. Start the server [#start-the-server] Start from **Console**. New spawn limits take effect immediately. Recommended Settings by Use Case [#recommended-settings-by-use-case] Performance Server (Lag Reduction) [#performance-server-lag-reduction] ```yaml spawn-limits: monsters: 35 animals: 5 water-animals: 3 water-ambient: 10 ambient: 5 ``` Reduces total mob count by \~50%. Mob farms still work but are slower. TPS often improves significantly. Vanilla-Like Balance [#vanilla-like-balance] Use the default values (70 / 10 / 5 / 20 / 15). This matches singleplayer feel. Hardcore / High-Difficulty Server [#hardcore--high-difficulty-server] ```yaml spawn-limits: monsters: 100 animals: 15 ``` More mobs, more pressure. Watch TPS — this only works on a server with CPU headroom. Build / Creative Server [#build--creative-server] ```yaml spawn-limits: monsters: 0 animals: 0 water-animals: 0 ambient: 0 ``` Zero spawning. Combine with `gamemode=creative` and `difficulty=peaceful` for a pure-build experience. Other Mob Controls [#other-mob-controls] | Control | File | Effect | | ------------------------- | ------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------- | | `spawn-monsters=false` | `server.properties` | Disable hostile spawning entirely | | `difficulty=peaceful` | `server.properties` | Removes hostile mobs and despawns existing ones | | `entity-activation-range` | `spigot.yml` | Distance at which mobs become "active" (closer = less CPU) | | `merge-radius` | `spigot.yml` | Auto-merge nearby items / XP orbs to reduce entity count | | `nerf-spawner-mobs` | `spigot.yml` | Spawner mobs don't AI — saves CPU on grinders | Reduce Lag from Mob Farms [#reduce-lag-from-mob-farms] Mob farms with hundreds of mobs are the **biggest entity-related lag source** on most servers. Don't just lower spawn limits — also: 1. **Tune `entity-activation-range`** in `spigot.yml`: ```yaml world-settings: default: entity-activation-range: animals: 16 monsters: 24 misc: 8 water: 12 ``` Mobs outside this range stop ticking AI/pathfinding. 2. **Enable spawner nerfing**: ```yaml nerf-spawner-mobs: true ``` Spawner-spawned mobs won't AI — they fall when pushed but don't pathfind. 3. **Install [FarmControl](https://www.spigotmc.org/resources/farmcontrol.86923/)** for per-farm caps. 4. **Install [ClearLagg](https://www.spigotmc.org/resources/clearlagg.68271/)** to auto-clear ground items. See [Optimize Server](/docs/minecraft/optimize-server) for the full performance guide. Common Mistakes [#common-mistakes] | Mistake | Fix | | -------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Setting monsters to 0 expecting peaceful | Use `difficulty=peaceful` instead — `0` doesn't despawn existing mobs | | Wondering why mob farms broke | You lowered spawn caps below what the farm needs | | Editing `bukkit.yml` while server is running | Stop server first — file is overwritten on shutdown | | Editing on Vanilla/Forge servers | These files don't exist on Vanilla/Forge — only Bukkit-derived | | Not restarting after change | Spawn limits load at startup | | Thinking lower = always better | Below 30 monsters can break gameplay (no nighttime mobs) | Tips [#tips] * **Profile first.** Run [Spark](/docs/minecraft/setup-spark) before tuning. If `EntityType.tick` for one mob is huge, lower that specific category. * **Adjust one variable at a time.** Easier to see what worked. * **Test with players online.** Spawn behavior depends on player count. * **Don't go below 30 monsters** unless you genuinely don't want survival difficulty. * **Combine spawn-limits with activation-range** for the biggest gains. Related Guides [#related-guides] * [Optimize Server](/docs/minecraft/optimize-server) * [Setup Spark](/docs/minecraft/setup-spark) * [Server Tick Loop](/docs/minecraft/fix-server-tick-loop) * [Toggle Monsters](/docs/minecraft/toggle-monsters) * [Set Difficulty](/docs/minecraft/set-difficulty) * [Server Properties](/docs/minecraft/server-properties)