DropNSpawn

Customize Valheim's drops, loot, spawners, world spawning, and raids with YAML. Use generated references to find prefab names and values, then edit only what you need.

Character drops	Object loot	Spawners

What you can change

Install

Install the same DropNSpawn version and its dependencies on the server and all clients. A mod manager is the simplest option; for manual installation, place DropNSpawn.dll in BepInEx/plugins/.

Requires BepInExPack Valheim 5.4.2351. Expand World Data is optional: DNS's basic drops, spawners, world spawning, raids, and native faction overrides work without it. Install EWD 1.71 or newer on the server and clients to use spawn data/fields/objects, event startCommands/endCommands, or EWD custom biomes. Without EWD, nonempty extension settings reject the affected domain's configuration update and retain its previous accepted configuration; they are not silently ignored. Empty extension fields are allowed.

The current target is Valheim 1.0.15; see the compatibility notes for reviewed EWD builds and existing-YAML update notes. Restart after changing the installed mod set; mixed EWD capability between peers is not supported for EWD-dependent configurations.

Quick start

1. Start the game or server and load a world once to generate the configuration files.
2. Open BepInEx/config/DropNSpawn/ and find the relevant DNS_<domain>.reference.yml.
3. Copy the entries you want to customize into DNS_<domain>.yml, or a supplemental file such as DNS_character_wolves.yml.
4. Save. Loaded YAML files reload at runtime; on a multiplayer server, edit the server's files.

For example, put this in DNS_character.yml to replace Lox loot:

- prefab: Lox
  characterDrop:
    drops:
    - item: LoxMeat
      amount: 4~6
    - item: LoxPelt
      amount: 2~3
    - item: TrophyLox
      chance: 0.1
      levelMultiplier: false

Global options live in BepInEx/config/sighsorry.DropNSpawn.cfg. All five domains start enabled; toggle them under 4 - Domains. Loot scaling, stacked drops, trophy scaling, and event scheduling have their own settings; most server-facing settings sync from the server.

Under 2 - Character, monster instant loot drop blacklist defaults to Dragon, Hatchling. These creature prefabs keep normal ragdoll loot timing even when instant loot is enabled. Use comma-separated names, or leave it empty for no exclusions; changes affect new ragdolls.

Know before editing

• SpawnSystem replaces the main world spawn table. Keep every row you still want across your loaded SpawnSystem files. Unlike the other domains, it is not a set of small patches to existing rows. Valheim's separate AltBiome lists remain native.
• Custom drop lists replace native loot, not add to it. Matching Character rules merge their custom drops. Put conditions at the entry level, not on individual drop items. Omitted or null drops leave existing loot unchanged; drops: [] explicitly contributes an empty replacement.
• Spawner rules select one winner. The most specific passing selector wins; later-loaded entries break ties. Use top-level locations to scope a rule to a location.
• CreatureSpawner cumulative limits are optional. Use creatureSpawner.maxTotalSpawns or Default CreatureSpawner Max Total Spawns in the config. 0 adds no limit and preserves one-time behavior; a positive limit counts successful spawns while enabled and stops the spawner without destroying it. See the spawner guide.
• Generated files are lookup material. Do not edit .reference.yml or .full.yml to change gameplay. Generated .sample.yml files in examples/ are inactive until copied or renamed to a loaded override filename.

Both .yml and .yaml are supported. Loaded names are DNS_<domain> and DNS_<domain>_*, with either extension. Use events for raids, for example DNS_events.yml.

Scale spawn intervals per file

Place this optional header before all prefab entries in a SpawnSystem override file:

- spawnIntervalMultiplier: 2.0

- prefab: Deer
  spawnSystem:
    spawnInterval: 36

This sets an effective interval of 72 seconds. 0.5 halves intervals; 2.0 doubles them. The multiplier must be finite and greater than zero, defaults to 1.0, and affects only that file—not event spawns. Decimal intervals are preserved. Keep the other world spawn rows you want; this is only a header example.

References and commands

Reference files are generated automatically and refreshed when source data changes. Object and Spawner also provide .locations.reference.yml files for location lookup.

Events use DNS_events.reference.yml instead of a separate full scaffold.

Using More World Locations AIO? Automatic Object/Spawner references skip MWL location interiors to avoid loading every bundle. Registered prefabs and override rules remain usable, and partial exports are labeled. If the MWL manifest is unavailable, automatic interior scanning is deferred for all locations.

Manual dns:reference object, dns:reference spawner, and dns:full spawner can load all location interiors, take minutes, and use substantial memory. Avoid these full exports on low-memory clients.

Compatibility

• Expand World Data 1.73: DNS manages normal world spawns, raids, and loot. EWD's corresponding Spawn/Event/Drop features are suppressed at runtime without changing its settings or YAML. World and AltBiome data remain EWD-owned, including AltBiome spawn data, fields, objects, and faction. DNS domain Off restores DNS's baseline; it does not enable EWD's overlapping features. Install matching builds on the server and clients and restart after changing the mod set. See the integration notes.
• VNEI can display configured character drops. ESP is useful for inspecting spawns and objects.
• Creature Level & Loot Control: DNS's own character loot scaling is inactive by default when CLLC is installed. YAML overrides, stacked drops, instant loot, and OnePerPlayer range still work.
• If another mod owns the same system, disable the overlapping DNS domain: MonsterDB (character, spawnsystem), Drop That! (object, character), Spawn That! (spawner, spawnsystem), or Expand World Spawns (spawnsystem).
• Boss altar and boss-management features belong to BossRules; runestone pins and Vegvisir rewards belong to UsefulRunestones. DropNSpawn retains location lookup for Object and Spawner selectors.

Guides and support

• Override rules and conditional drops
• Spawner configuration
• Omitted, null, and empty YAML values
• Build and validation guide
• Changelog · Source and issues · Discord

1.3.16 — CreatureSpawner cumulative spawn limits

• Added the synchronized Default CreatureSpawner Max Total Spawns config and per-entry creatureSpawner.maxTotalSpawns YAML field. Omitted/null values inherit the config default; 0 adds no cumulative limit, and 1–1000 limits successful spawns per spawner instance.
• Stored owner-counted successes in the spawner's ZDO while a positive limit is active. Reloading or disabling the limit preserves its saved count; earlier unlimited/pre-feature spawns are not counted retroactively. Reaching the limit stops spawning without destroying the CreatureSpawner, and raising the limit can allow spawning to resume under native rules.
• Preserved native one-time behavior, respawn timing, spawn connections and living-group limits. Exhausted group members are excluded from both candidate selection and the weight sum, so they cannot consume eligible members' spawn opportunities. Existing SpawnArea destruction behavior is unchanged.
• Updated generated templates, full scaffolds, cloning and synchronized payloads for the new field. The Spawner network schema is now 8; existing YAML remains valid, but update the server and all clients to 1.3.16 together and restart.
• Added original-game-DLL contract checks and isolated Mono coverage for counters, ownership, live default changes, one-time YAML values, patch installation and weighted group selection. Actual world-save/restart, ownership-transfer and multiplayer gameplay checks remain in-game verification steps.

1.3.15 — Standalone support and optional Expand World Data

• Made Expand World Data a soft dependency and removed it from the required package dependencies. Basic drops, spawners, world spawning, raids and faction overrides now work without EWD; existing optional CreatureManager faction integration is retained.
• Preserved spawn data/fields/objects, event startCommands/endCommands, custom biomes, AltBiome metadata and overlapping-feature protection when EWD 1.71 or newer is installed. EWD is not bundled or modified.
• Without EWD, nonempty EWD-only settings reject the affected domain's configuration update and retain its previous accepted configuration instead of silently ignoring those settings. Empty extension fields and disabled spawn rows remain valid.
• Kept YAML formats and all five domain network schemas unchanged. Added standalone loading, configuration rejection and EWD-present regression coverage using original client/server assemblies and isolated Unity Mono checks; actual gameplay and multiplayer still require in-game verification.
• Updated the BepInExPack Valheim package dependency to 5.4.2351. Update DNS on the server and all clients together and restart; install EWD on all participating peers when using EWD-dependent configurations.

1.3.14 — Expand World Data 1.73 compatibility

• Added runtime compatibility for EWD 1.73's integrated Spawn/Event/Drop features. DNS retains control of normal world spawns, raids and loot even when EWD's overlapping options are enabled, without rewriting EWD configuration values or YAML files. EWD's Multiple events and Check per player modes are also suppressed through the event feature gate.
• Preserved EWD's world, biome and AltBiome systems. AltBiome spawn data, fields, objects and faction now use the existing DNS spawn payload path, and these extension fields are retained when EWD exports AltBiome data for server synchronization.
• Stopped retaining discarded AltBiome spawn metadata across reloads while preserving payloads still used by live heightmaps. No per-frame reflection or scene scanning was added.
• Prevented numeric global-key consumption from custom-data spawns when the DNS SpawnSystem domain is Off. DNS domain Off remains baseline restoration, not a handoff to EWD.
• Added official EWD DLL contract checks and isolated Mono coverage for patch installation, reload/sync entrypoint suppression, setting preservation and AltBiome metadata lifetime. Actual host/dedicated multiplayer spawning and synchronization remain in-game verification steps.
• Kept the existing EWD dependency minimum, YAML formats and DNS network schemas. Update the server and all clients to 1.3.14 together and restart. Legacy standalone EWS/EWE installations are outside this compatibility patch's supported scope.

1.3.13 — Instant loot exclusions and documentation cleanup

• Added the synced monster instant loot drop blacklist setting, defaulting to Dragon, Hatchling. Matching creature prefabs keep their normal ragdoll loot timing while instant loot remains enabled for other creatures; drop contents, amounts and existing duplicate prevention are unchanged.
• Made blacklist matching case-insensitive and live-updatable. Commas, semicolons and newlines are accepted, and an empty value removes all exclusions. Changes apply to newly created ragdolls.
• Simplified the README around installation, generated references, active YAML files, authoritative SpawnSystem behavior, MWL export safety and the most important override rules while keeping all existing images.
• Removed duplicate Character baseline storage and made config reload comparison use the existing domain-toggle map, reducing maintenance paths without changing YAML, network or public integration contracts.
• Added managed coverage for instant-loot defaults, exact prefab matching, live edits, cache invalidation and empty-list behavior. Actual ragdoll timing and multiplayer execution still require in-game verification; update all peers together for the mod version check.

1.3.12 — MWL reference generation safety

• Automatic Object/Spawner reference generation now skips More World Locations AIO location interiors before loading their assets. MWL is identified by its plugin GUID and manifest asset IDs; already registered prefab references and override behavior remain unchanged.
• Preserved existing full references instead of replacing them with partial automatic exports. New partial references are labeled and use distinct cache signatures. If the MWL manifest cannot be read, automatic location-interior scanning is deferred rather than force-loading all locations.
• Balanced location-scan soft-reference loads with releases, including failed loads, exceptions and early iterator disposal. Reused Spawner location results across its two reference outputs and stopped retaining every conflicting Object reference variant.
• Kept explicit dns:reference object and dns:reference spawner full exports available, with an MWL memory/time warning. Manual full exports can still be expensive on low-memory systems.
• Added managed regression coverage for MWL asset exclusion, reference preservation, partial-export metadata, load/release structure and Object reference ambiguity. Steam Deck performance and gameplay with MWL have not been verified. YAML and network schemas are unchanged; update all peers together for the mod version check.

1.3.11 — Valheim 1.0.12 / Expand World Data 1.71

• Updated the Expand World Data dependency to 1.71.0 and the vendored ServerSync to the reviewed valheim-1.0.7-r1 reference, including its RPC constant and connection-buffer fixes.
• Switched to original game assembly references and cached Harmony accessors for nonpublic game members. Updated location zone keys, the location-spawn patch signature, and event environment selection for the new biome sectors.
• Preserved the native persistent-event spawn requirement in YAML, reference/scaffold output, clones, signatures, and network payloads. spawnSystem.requiredPersistentEvent accepts the event's internal name; an empty string clears the requirement. SpawnSystem DTO is now 4 and Event DTO is 3; update all peers to 1.3.11 together. Existing YAML remains valid.
• Preserved the game's cheated item provenance in custom and stacked character drops. Matched parent-owned SpawnArea networking for total-spawn caps and persisted location selectors.
• Added checks against both client and dedicated-server original assemblies, plus isolated tests using the game's Mono runtime and Harmony. Actual gameplay and multiplayer sessions have not been verified.

1.3.10

• Fixed explicit character drops: [] being ignored. Omitted/null lists still preserve existing drops; matching rules still combine their valid rows, and invalid-only lists do not clear loot.
• Released event metadata and custom spawn payloads when their owning events/rows are no longer referenced, while retaining data for live clones.
• Added VNEI callback/coroutine cleanup and refresh failure recovery without discarding queued work on temporary indexing-readiness failures.
• Reduced redundant configuration/drop cloning and location reference scans, removed unreachable branches and forwarding methods, and moved related preparation/application code into existing files.
• Kept package generation out of Debug builds and retained ordinary Release ZIP packaging. Added managed regression checks and a separate gameplay validation guide.

1.3.9

• Added disabled-by-default synced require player-aligned killer for character drops and victim-prefab blacklist settings. When enabled, vanilla and YAML-driven non-player CharacterDrop loot requires a lethal source from a Player, tamed character, or the Players / PlayerSpawned factions.
• Preserved player-aligned poison, fire, and spirit kill credit with low-overhead attribution across ragdoll and direct custom-drop paths; hostile, environmental, self, unknown, and mixed player-aligned/hostile lethal sources are suppressed.

1.3.8

• Deep-cloned static, snapshot, and conditional character-drop templates when assigning them to prefabs and live creatures, preventing in-place changes by other drop modifiers from leaking across same-prefab deaths or corrupting cached drop state.

1.3.7

• Fixed custom-handled and stacked character drops being snapped to the highest solid or terrain surface; they now use vanilla spherical placement around the character or ragdoll origin, preserving indoor, dungeon, structure, and airborne heights.

1.3.6

• Fixed MultiplePerPlayer event scheduling on dedicated servers by restoring the periodic current-event broadcast, keeping clients synchronized so event creature spawners can activate.
• Added an optional per-file spawnIntervalMultiplier header for SpawnSystem override YAML, scaling explicit and native-default intervals before synchronized live application without changing prefab row order.

1.3.5

• Fixed a float-precision bug that could stop queued runtime work after about nine hours of uninterrupted uptime, preventing server-sync manifest publication, client payload application, and SpawnSystem live table updates.
• Extended the double-precision frame deadline to object and spawner reconciliation, object and character snapshot work, SpawnSystem and ESP refresh work, and VNEI refreshes.
• Added an ESP 1.37 SpawnSystem hover guard and cleared stale marker references during marker replacement to avoid invalid ZNetView/ZDO reads.

1.3.4

• Hardened correctness across hot reloads, temporary object overrides, delayed spawner activation, and synchronized payload worker shutdown.
• Reduced runtime and maintenance complexity by removing redundant state, forwarding layers, wrappers, and duplicated domain-specific paths while keeping related behavior co-located.
• Added Expand World Data 1.66-1.68 readiness compatibility, aligned the runtime and compile-time minimum with EWD 1.66, and retained support for the latest cloned-location and custom-biome behavior.

1.3.3

• Added optional CreatureManager faction integration so registered custom factions can be resolved, applied, listed in validation guidance, and restored from spawned-creature ZDO data.
• Preserved native and ExpandWorldFactions handling while adding a soft dependency to ensure CreatureManager's faction API is available before DropNSpawn initializes.

1.3.2

• Fixed character loot system = CalculateChance so non-trophy drops participate in linear per-star amount scaling only when their native or YAML levelMultiplier is true.
• Kept global trophy level multiplier as an explicit exception: enabled, non-blacklisted trophy drops use linear per-star amount scaling regardless of levelMultiplier; disabled or blacklisted trophies retain their native or YAML behavior.

1.3.1

• Replaced the separate synced Multiple events and Check per player settings with Event scheduling mode: Vanilla, MultipleGlobal, or MultiplePerPlayer. The former config keys are no longer read.
• Changed multiple-event collision handling so a new attempt inside Minimum distance between events is discarded while the existing event continues, instead of stopping and replacing the existing event.
• Fixed per-player event scheduling so the global timer advances correctly, non-positive standalone intervals remain disabled, and each matured standalone event evaluates every player before its timer resets once.
• Added synced Event duration multiplier with a 0~3 range. Positive values scale durations not explicitly set by YAML settings[2]; 0 disables every event whose effective duration is positive while leaving duration-0 events enabled.
• Preserved positional '' placeholders in event settings, allowing later fields to be overridden while an earlier field is omitted, and documented the syntax in generated override YAML.
• Canonicalized the known duplicate vanilla army_moder and army_theelder variants in event references, applied same-name overrides to every original variant, and collapsed equivalent overridden variants to avoid duplicate selection weight.

1.3.0

• Breaking: SpawnSystem override rows now accept only one flat spawnSystem block in DNS_spawnsystem.yml, supplemental DNS_spawnsystem_*.yml/.yaml files, and event spawns. The former nested spawn conditions and modifiers blocks are no longer supported.
• Back up edited overrides, then either regenerate the SpawnSystem/Event override YAML from the new templates and reapply your entries, or manually remove each nested conditions: and modifiers: header and move those fields under spawnSystem: as shown below. Event-level conditions remains unchanged.
• Unified SpawnSystem and event-spawn models, clone paths, generated reference/full output, and synchronized payloads. Event spawns now expose the same custom-data fields, including objects.
• SpawnSystem schema and full output now show the native effective spawnRadius default as 40~80; 0 endpoints still use the native 40/80 fallback.

Before:

- prefab: Boar
  spawnSystem:
    level: 1~3
    groupRadius: 5
  conditions:
    noSpawnRadius: 64
    biomes: [Meadows]
  modifiers:
    faction: Demon

After:

- prefab: Boar
  spawnSystem:
    level: 1~3
    groupRadius: 5
    noSpawnRadius: 64
    biomes: [Meadows]
    faction: Demon