BoostDrop

Per-player configurable boosts for Valheim multiplayer.

BoostDrop lets a server give different players different multipliers for drops, gathering, combat, farming and skill XP without sharing the private permission files with clients.

Multiplayer requirement: install the same BoostDrop version on the dedicated server and on every client.

Features

• Different multipliers for each player, such as x1, x1.5, x2, x5, etc.
• Global, group and individual player rules.
• Temporary boosts with automatic expiration.
• Category-specific multipliers.
• Item and creature-specific overrides.
• Server-authoritative permissions.
• Runtime permission reloads without restarting the server.
• Admin GUI with F8.
• Admin console commands.
• Jötunn ConfigSync for synchronized server settings.
• Designed for multiplayer where Valheim may move network ownership between nearby players.

How multiplayer rewards are assigned

BoostDrop does not use the network owner of an object to decide which player's multiplier should be used.

For creatures, bosses, mining nodes and trees, BoostDrop tracks damage caused by real players. The player with the highest accumulated damage provides the multiplier for the reward.

Example:

Player A: x5 -> 700 damage
Player B: x2 -> 300 damage

Reward multiplier: x5

It does not matter which player is standing closer, which player owns the network object, or who happens to be simulating it.

If the final damaging event cannot be attributed to a real player, BoostDrop leaves that reward vanilla instead of guessing.

Pickables such as berries, mushrooms, twigs and flint use the player who actually picked the object.

Supported categories

Category	Description
mining	Mineable rocks, ore and compatible destructible mining resources
wood	Trees and logs
fishing	Fish caught by the player
pickable	Berries, mushrooms, crops, branches, flint and world pickables
mobdrop	Normal creature loot
bossdrop	Boss loot
chestloot	Supported chest/container loot
combatdamage	Player combat damage
farming	Plant growth speed
skillxp	Skill XP gain
building	Reserved for future building-cost support; no building-cost change in 2.0.4

Requirements

BoostDrop 2.0.4 requires:

• Valheim with BepInEx
• denikson-BepInExPack_Valheim-5.4.2350
• ValheimModding-Jotunn-2.30.0

The package includes the files required by BoostDrop itself. When installing through a compatible mod manager, declared dependencies are installed automatically.

Installation

Mod manager

Install BoostDrop through your Valheim mod manager and make sure the same version is installed on:

• the dedicated server;
• every player client.

Restart the game/server after replacing the DLL with a new BoostDrop version.

Manual installation

Copy the BoostDrop plugin files into your BepInEx plugins folder.

Typical location:

Valheim/BepInEx/plugins/BoostDrop/

For a dedicated server, use the server's own BepInEx/plugins directory.

Do not copy the server permission or grant YAML files to players.

First server setup

On first use, BoostDrop uses server-side files under:

BepInEx/config/

Main files:

BoostDrop_permissions.yaml
BoostDrop_grants.yaml

BoostDrop_permissions.yaml contains permanent/static rules.

BoostDrop_grants.yaml stores temporary grants created by admin commands or the admin GUI.

These files are private to the server and do not need to be distributed to clients.

Simple permission example

Give all players vanilla rates by default, while two players receive custom multipliers:

defaultMultiplier: 1.0

userIds:
  76561198000000001: 2.0
  76561198000000002: 1.5

Groups

Groups are useful when several players should share the same multiplier:

defaultMultiplier: 1.0

groups:
  vip:
    multiplier: 2.0
    players:
      - Odin
    userIds:
      - 76561198000000001

Per-player category rules

A player can have different multipliers for different activities:

playerDetails:
  Odin:
    userId: 76561198000000001
    multiplier: 2.0
    categories:
      mining: 3.0
      wood: 2.0
      fishing: 1.5
      pickable: 2.0
      mobDrop: 2.5
      bossDrop: 3.0
      chestLoot: 2.0
      combatDamage: 1.5
      farming: 2.0
      skillXP: 2.0

An explicit 1.0 can be used to exclude a category or item from a broader boost.

Item overrides

Example: a player has a general x2 multiplier, but Coins should remain vanilla:

playerDetails:
  Odin:
    userId: 76561198000000001
    multiplier: 2.0
    items:
      Coins: 1.0

Creature-specific rules are also supported:

playerDetails:
  Odin:
    userId: 76561198000000001
    multiplier: 2.0
    mobs:
      Troll:
        multiplier: 3.0
        items:
          TrollHide: 4.0
          Coins: 1.0

Temporary boosts

Admins can grant a multiplier without editing YAML manually.

boostdrop grant <player|SteamID64> <multiplier> [duration] [category]

Examples:

boostdrop grant Odin 2 7d all
boostdrop grant Odin 1.5 48h mining
boostdrop grant 76561198000000001 3 30m mobdrop
boostdrop grant 76561198000000001 2 permanent all

Supported duration formats:

30m        30 minutes
12h        12 hours
7d         7 days
2w         2 weeks
permanent  no expiration

A number without a suffix is interpreted as days.

Admin commands

boostdrop grant <player|SteamID64> <multiplier> [duration] [category]
boostdrop revoke <player|SteamID64> [all|category]
boostdrop check <player|SteamID64>
boostdrop list
boostdrop reload
boostdrop cleanup
boostdrop gui
boostdrop me

boostdrop me shows only your own effective BoostDrop policy.

Administrative changes are validated by the server. Being able to open the UI or type a command does not grant admin authority.

Admin GUI

Press F8 to open the BoostDrop admin GUI.

From the GUI, server admins can:

• select a player or SteamID64;
• choose a multiplier;
• choose duration;
• choose a category;
• grant/update a boost;
• revoke a boost;
• inspect current rules;
• list active grants;
• reload permission files;
• remove expired grants.

The hotkey can be changed in the BoostDrop client configuration.

Decimal multipliers

Decimal multipliers are supported.

For example, x1.5 does not simply round every quantity up or down. BoostDrop uses proportional scaling so the long-term result remains close to the configured multiplier.

Example:

4 items at x1.5 -> 6 items

For a quantity of 1, the fractional part is handled probabilistically rather than always forcing the same rounded result.

Hot reload

By default, BoostDrop watches its server permission files for changes.

After editing BoostDrop_permissions.yaml, the server can apply the new rules without a complete restart.

You can also force a reload with:

boostdrop reload

Privacy and server authority

The server keeps these files private:

BoostDrop_permissions.yaml
BoostDrop_grants.yaml

Clients receive only the resolved runtime values needed for gameplay. They do not receive the complete permission/group/grant database.

Global gameplay settings are synchronized through Jötunn ConfigSync.

For public or heavily protected servers, using an enforcement mod to require the correct BoostDrop DLL/version on clients is recommended.

Important multiplayer notes

• Use the same BoostDrop version on server and clients.
• Use compatible Jötunn versions on server and clients.
• Do not place BoostDrop only on the dedicated server; this version is designed as a client + server mod.
• Do not distribute the server permission/grant YAML files to players.
• Nearby players do not automatically share the same multiplier.
• Network ownership does not decide who receives a reward multiplier.

Updating from an older BoostDrop version

When upgrading:

1. Stop the server and clients.
2. Replace the old BoostDrop DLL with the new version everywhere.
3. Keep your existing BoostDrop_permissions.yaml unless the release notes say otherwise.
4. Start the server.
5. Start clients with the matching BoostDrop version.

If you previously treated BoostDrop as server-only in an enforcement configuration, change it to a required client + server mod.

Troubleshooting

My multiplier is not being applied

Run:

boostdrop me

This shows the effective policy received by your client.

For an admin checking another player:

boostdrop check <player|SteamID64>

I changed the YAML but nothing changed

Run:

boostdrop reload

Also verify that you edited the YAML inside the server's BepInEx/config folder.

F8 does nothing

The admin GUI is intended for server administrators. Verify that:

• EnableAdminGui is enabled;
• your account is recognized as a Valheim server admin;
• the client has the same BoostDrop/Jötunn setup as the server.

Two nearby players have different multipliers

That is supported. BoostDrop resolves rewards by the responsible player/contributor rather than the current network owner of the object.

For creature, tree and mining damage, the highest accumulated player damage determines the reward policy.

Version 2.0.4 highlights

• Optimized multiplayer damage-contribution tracking.
• Highest-damage player determines mob, boss, mining and wood reward policy.
• Network owner and proximity are not used as reward identity.
• Supports large multiplayer groups with dynamic contributor tracking.
• No player scan, YAML read or BoostDrop RPC for every hit.
• Improved runtime policy synchronization.
• Improved pickable attribution on Valheim 1.0.x.
• Improved hot reload behavior for permission and grant files.

License

BoostDrop is distributed under the license included with the package.