On rAthena, you configure a Ragnarok server in the conf/ folder: experience and drop rates in conf/battle/exp.conf, database login in conf/inter_athena.conf, and ports 6900, 6121 and 5121 must be open.

Key Configuration Files

For rAthena, the main configuration files are in the conf/ directory:

  • conf/char_athena.conf - Character server settings (server name, max players)
  • conf/map_athena.conf - Map server settings
  • conf/login_athena.conf - Login server settings
  • conf/inter_athena.conf - Database connection settings

Setting Experience & Drop Rates

In conf/battle/exp.conf, you can adjust:

  • base_exp_rate - Base experience multiplier (100 = 1x, 1000 = 10x)
  • job_exp_rate - Job experience multiplier
  • item_rate_common - Common item drop rate
  • item_rate_card - Card drop rate (typically kept lower)

Database Configuration

Edit conf/inter_athena.conf to set your MySQL credentials. rAthena uses a single database (typically named ragnarok) with tables for accounts, characters, inventory, guilds, and more.

Opening Firewall Ports

Your server needs these ports open:

  • 6900 - Login server
  • 6121 - Character server
  • 5121 - Map server

Adding Custom Content

Ragnarok servers are highly customizable. You can add custom items, NPCs, and maps through the emulator's scripting system. The rAthena wiki and community forums have extensive documentation on NPC scripting.

Automated Restarts

Set up a cron job to restart your server automatically if it crashes. A simple watchdog script can check if the processes are running and restart them if needed.