Want to make the high seas a little more forgiving, or are you looking for a hardcore pirate experience? Every Windrose world uses a specific configuration file called <strong>WorldDescription.json</strong> to handle gameplay mechanics like difficulty, resource rates, and enemy scaling.

You can easily adjust these settings by applying a global preset (Easy, Medium, Hard) or by switching to a Custom preset to manually tweak individual values. Here is how to configure your world exactly the way your crew likes it.

Step-by-step instructions

1. Shut down your server.

   Always stop the server by going to Actions > Shutdown before editing save files. Editing while the server is running can cause corruption or your changes to be overwritten.

   

    

2. Locate the world folder.

   Go to File Manager and go to the save profiles path. The usual path is:

   <strong>/Server/R5/Saved/SaveProfiles/Default/RocksDB/version/Worlds/</strong><game version="">/Worlds</game>

   

    

3. Open the world folder you want to change and find <strong>WorldDescription.json</strong>.

   If you have multiple worlds, you will have multiple world folders and therefore multiple <strong>WorldDescription.json</strong> files (one per world, obviously); edit the file for the world you intend to modify.

   

    

4. Edit <strong>WorldDescription.json</strong>.

   You can either:

   • Set the preset value to one of <strong>Easy</strong>, <strong>Medium</strong>, or <strong>Hard</strong> to apply a full preset.
   • Set the <strong>preset</strong> value to <strong>Custom</strong> and then manually change the individual boolean, float, and tag entries in the file to fine-tune the world.

    

Use a plain text editor (Notepad, Notepad++, VS Code, etc.). Do not use word processors that add formatting. Keep the file encoding as UTF-8.

Example snippets (Illustrative only):

{
  "WorldPresetType": "Medium",
}

{
  "WorldPreset": "Custom",
  "AllowPVP": true,
  "ResourceMultiplier": 1.25,
  "SpawnRateTag": "High"
}

1. In the <strong>Custom</strong> case, change the boolean values (true/false), the float numbers (like 1.25), and string tags (like "High") as needed.

1. Save the file.

   To save the config, you should see a Save File option at the very bottom.

   

    

   Before saving, it's a best practice to make a backup copy of the original <strong>WorldDescription.json</strong> (for example, <strong>WorldDescription.json.bak</strong>). Save the edited file in the same location.

2. Restart your server.

   Start the server again by going to Actions > Restart. The changes you made in <strong>WorldDescription.json</strong> should apply when the world loads.

   

Values for parameters

Troubleshooting

If your new settings aren't working as expected, run through these common checks:

• Settings aren't applying: Ensure you edited the correct world save. The world folder name must match the World Save ID referenced in your Basic Settings (or your <strong>ServerDescription.json</strong> file). If you edited a different folder, the live world won't see those changes.

• File gets reverted after a restart: This almost always means the JSON syntax was broken. A malformed file gets rejected or replaced by the server. Double-check your formatting (look for missing commas or stray quotes) using a free online JSON validator before starting the server.

• Editor or encoding issues: Ensure the file is saved as UTF-8 without adding a BOM or special formatting. Rich text editors can insert extra hidden characters that break the game's ability to read the file.

• Server overwrites changes on shutdown: Never edit files while the server is running. The server constantly reads and writes data; if it shuts down after you make changes, it will overwrite your edits with its current live state.

   

Conclusion

Taking control of your <strong>WorldDescription.json</strong> lets you tailor the Windrose experience perfectly to your crew's playstyle. Whether you're ramping up boss aggression for a brutal challenge or tweaking resource rates for a more relaxed voyage, a few quick edits can completely change your adventure.

If you have any questions or need assistance, feel free to reach out to our customer care agents through our live chat or email at [email protected]. 

Happy gaming!