Valheim lets you tune how punishing a world is with a set of presets called world modifiers. A preset bundles several settings at once: combat difficulty, the death penalty, how fast resources gather, whether portals move metals, and whether raids happen. On 2hours.gg you pick one under World modifier when you deploy, so your world runs the way your group wants from the first boot. Your world is saved between sessions on a Valheim dedicated server, so the preset you choose sticks.
The presets you can pick
These are the exact options on the deploy form, under World modifier. Standard is the default and matches the normal Valheim experience.
- Standard: The default Valheim balance. Normal combat, normal death penalty, normal gathering. Pick this if you are not sure.
- Casual: A relaxed run. Easier combat and a gentler death penalty, so a wipe costs you less.
- Easy: A step below Standard. Enemies hit softer, good for a newer group.
- Hard: Tougher, more aggressive enemies for a group that wants a fight.
- Hardcore: The harshest combat settings, for veterans who want Valheim to bite.
- Immersive: An exploration-first run. No map and no portals, so travel and navigation matter.
- Hammer (build): A building run. Building costs no materials, and peaceful conditions let you construct without raids interrupting.
How to choose
Match the preset to your group, not to bragging rights. Building a base with friends who are new to Valheim? Casual or Hammer. A seasoned crew chasing bosses? Hard or Hardcore. Want the survival tension of getting lost with no fast travel? Immersive. You pick it at deploy, and it applies to everyone who joins that session.
- New group: Casual or Easy keeps a bad night from erasing progress.
- Boss rush: Hard or Hardcore raises the challenge without mods.
- Base build: Hammer makes building free and removes raid pressure, so you can focus on the longhouse.
What the preset does not change
The world modifier sets difficulty and world rules, not the size of your group or whether the world is saved. Every preset supports up to 10 players and every world on 2hours.gg is saved between sessions. The modifier you pick on the deploy form is the one the server launches with for that session, including when you resume a saved world. To keep a world's rules the same, pick the same modifier each time you resume it.
Deploy a Valheim server by the hour