The world rules are inside the world
In Dragonwilds, PvP, difficulty and the world type (Standard, Custom, Creative) are chosen on the create world screen, and they are saved inside the world file itself. The dedicated server never shows that screen. Its configuration only covers the owner, the admin and join passwords, the server name and the world name.
So on its first start, a dedicated server simply creates a default world under the name you gave it, and its configuration has no setting to switch that world to PvP or to a different difficulty afterwards.
| What you want to change | Where it is set |
|---|---|
| PvP, difficulty, Standard / Custom / Creative | The create world screen in the game, saved into the world file |
| World name, server name | The server settings |
| Owner, admin password, join password | The server settings |
On a server hosted with us: change them from the dashboard
Servers hosted here have a World Settings tab in the dashboard that does what the server configuration cannot. It reads the rules of the world your group is playing and lets you change them in place: the world type (Standard, Hard, Custom or Creative), PvP on any world, and every rule of a Custom world, with the world and everything built on it kept (a Custom or Creative world is played with characters made for it). It also starts a new world of any type, Standard, Hard, Custom or Creative, with the rules you choose, under your server's world name. No PC, no save file and no upload.
Bringing your own world: create it in the game, then upload it
This is the method Jagex describes in its own dedicated server guide, and it is how you move a world you have already played onto a server. You make the world on your PC with exactly the rules you want, and the server then runs that world instead of its default one.
- Open Dragonwilds on your PC and create a new world with the settings you want.
- Enter the world once, then exit it, so the game writes the save file.
- Find the save in %LOCALAPPDATA%\RSDragonwilds\Saved\SaveGames. The file is named after your world, for example MyWorld.sav.
- Put that file in the server's RSDragonwilds/Saved/SaveGames folder, with the server stopped, and start it again.
On a server hosted with us
You do not need to touch any folders. Set World name in Deployment Settings to the world's name, wait for the restart, then upload the .sav with Upload world in the Backup tab, and the dashboard installs it and restarts the server. The same steps move a world you have already been playing, with all its progress, and the Xbox app version has a From Xbox app button of its own. Our guide to moving a world has every step.
If you host the server yourself
- Stop the server before copying. It keeps the world in memory and saves it every few minutes and again on shutdown, so a file copied under a running server is overwritten.
- Back up the server's SaveGames folder before replacing anything in it.
- Set DefaultWorldName in DedicatedServer.ini to the same name as the file, so the server and the save agree on which world is live.
Frequently asked questions
How do I enable PvP on a Dragonwilds dedicated server?
PvP is a world setting, not a server setting. On a server hosted with us, turn it on from the World Settings tab in the dashboard, in the world you already play. Elsewhere, create a world with PvP enabled in the game on your PC, then upload its .sav file to the server.
How do I change the difficulty on my Dragonwilds server?
Difficulty is saved inside the world. On a server hosted with us, World Settings moves the world you already play between Standard, Hard and Custom, and on a Custom world it changes every rule, all without starting over. Elsewhere, create a world with the difficulty you want in the game, then upload that save to your server.
Can a Dragonwilds dedicated server run a Creative world?
Yes. The server cannot create one by itself, but on a server hosted with us World Settings starts one for you, and anywhere else a Creative world created in the game can be uploaded as a .sav file.
Where are Dragonwilds world saves on my PC?
On the Steam version, in %LOCALAPPDATA%\RSDragonwilds\Saved\SaveGames, one .sav file per world, named after the world. The Xbox app and PC Game Pass version has no .sav: its saves are in %LOCALAPPDATA%\Packages\JagexLimited.Dominion_srxstwq7wczqa\SystemAppData\wgs, and the dashboard's From Xbox app button takes the world from there.
Can I upload a world from the Xbox app version of Dragonwilds?
Yes. Set the server's World name to the world's name, then use From Xbox app in the Backup tab and pick the wgs folder of the Xbox app. The dashboard converts the world and installs it.
Is my uploaded Dragonwilds world crossplay on the server?
Yes. The server runs every world with crossplay on, even one created in the game with crossplay off. The join password also comes from the server settings, not from the world.
Can I move my single player Dragonwilds world to a server?
Yes. Upload that world's .sav file to the server without renaming it, and set the server's world name to match. The world keeps its progress.
Why is there no PvP option when I buy a Dragonwilds server?
Because the game has no server setting for it: the server creates a default world on its first start. On a server hosted with us, the World Settings tab sets PvP afterwards, on the world you already have.