# How to Change Difficulty on Your Terraria Server (/docs/terraria/difficulty-settings)



import { Tab, Tabs } from 'fumadocs-ui/components/tabs';
import { Step, Steps } from 'fumadocs-ui/components/steps';

Terraria has four difficulty modes that affect enemy stats, loot drops, and gameplay mechanics. Difficulty is **set when the world is generated** and cannot be changed afterward — to switch difficulty, you need a new world.

Difficulty Modes [#difficulty-modes]

| Value | Mode        | Description                                                    |
| ----- | ----------- | -------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `0`   | **Classic** | Original Terraria experience. Balanced for casual players      |
| `1`   | **Expert**  | Tougher enemies, better loot, new boss mechanics               |
| `2`   | **Master**  | Hardest combat. Maximum challenge for experienced players      |
| `3`   | **Journey** | Creative mode — research items, time control, item duplication |

Set the Difficulty [#set-the-difficulty]

> **Important:** Difficulty is locked when the world is created. Changing it on an existing world has **no effect**. To switch difficulty, you need to generate a new world.

<Tabs items={['Via Startup (Recommended)', 'Via serverconfig.txt']}>
  <Tab value="Via Startup (Recommended)">
    <Steps>
      <Step>
        Stop the server [#stop-the-server]
      </Step>

      <Step>
        Open Startup [#open-startup]

        In the [XGamingServer Panel](https://panel.xgamingserver.com), click **Startup** in the sidebar.
      </Step>

      <Step>
        Set Difficulty [#set-difficulty]

        Find the **Difficulty** variable and set it to `0`, `1`, `2`, or `3`.
      </Step>

      <Step>
        Set a new World Name [#set-a-new-world-name]

        Change the **World Name** to a new value so Terraria creates a fresh world with the new difficulty.
      </Step>

      <Step>
        Start [#start]

        Start from **Console**. The new world generates with your chosen difficulty.
      </Step>
    </Steps>
  </Tab>

  <Tab value="Via serverconfig.txt">
    <Steps>
      <Step>
        Stop the server [#stop-the-server-1]
      </Step>

      <Step>
        Open serverconfig.txt [#open-serverconfigtxt]

        In **Files**, open `serverconfig.txt`.
      </Step>

      <Step>
        Set difficulty and worldname [#set-difficulty-and-worldname]

        ```
        difficulty=2
        worldname=NewMasterWorld
        autocreate=2
        ```

        The `autocreate` setting controls world size: `1` = Small, `2` = Medium, `3` = Large.
      </Step>

      <Step>
        Save and start [#save-and-start]

        Click **Save Content** and start the server.
      </Step>
    </Steps>
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

World Size [#world-size]

Set when the world is generated, alongside difficulty:

| Value | Size   | Approximate dimensions |
| ----- | ------ | ---------------------- |
| `1`   | Small  | 4200 × 1200 tiles      |
| `2`   | Medium | 6400 × 1800 tiles      |
| `3`   | Large  | 8400 × 2400 tiles      |

World Seed [#world-seed]

For reproducible world generation, set a seed:

```
seed=myCustomSeed
```

Same seed + same size + same difficulty = same world layout. Use this for shared starting points or speedrun events.

Special "Easter Egg" Seeds [#special-easter-egg-seeds]

| Seed              | Effect                                             |
| ----------------- | -------------------------------------------------- |
| `for the worthy`  | Master difficulty++ — extra-hard mode              |
| `not the bees`    | Bees-only world for chaotic gameplay               |
| `5162020`         | Don't Starve crossover features                    |
| `celebrationmk10` | Anniversary world with rainbow blocks              |
| `getfixedboi`     | Combines multiple secret seeds — extreme challenge |

Related Guides [#related-guides]

* [Server Configuration](/docs/terraria/server-config)
* [Change Server World Name](/docs/terraria/rename-server)
* [Upload an Existing World](/docs/terraria/upload-save)