Change the Terraria Server Respawn Timer

TShock can hold a player back for a number of seconds after they die. The Server Settings tab has two boxes for it: one for ordinary deaths and one for deaths with a boss close by.

This needs TShock, which is the default software. A tModLoader server has no respawn setting, so TShock's timer doesn't exist there. Checked against TShock 6.2.1 (Terraria 1.4.5.8), October 2026.

Set the timers

1. Open the Server Settings tab and find the Gameplay section.
2. Type a number of seconds in Respawn time. This is the wait after an ordinary death.
3. Type a number of seconds in Respawn time during a boss. This is the wait when a boss is near the player who died.
4. Press Save changes in that section.
5. Restart the server from the Console tab. Settings apply on the next start.

Both boxes start at 0, and 0 means TShock adds no wait of its own. Only enter a number if you want TShock to hold players back.

Keep the numbers small

The boxes accept anything from 0 to 600, but TShock documents a much narrower range. For Respawn time it is "0 (default) to 15 seconds", and for Respawn time during a boss it is "0 (default) to 30 seconds". Both come with the warning "Use at your own risk." Stay inside those limits, and change one value at a time so you can tell which one did what.

When a player can skip the wait

Even with a number set, TShock lets a player respawn early unless one of these is true:

• they have turned into a ghost,
• they were killed by another player,
• they are near an enemy that blocks respawning,
• a boss is making respawn times longer,
• a Pumpkin Moon, Frost Moon or Old One's Army event is running.

In those cases the player waits out the full timer. After an ordinary death TShock accepts an early respawn request, and if the player hasn't asked by the time the timer runs out, TShock respawns them itself. The one exception is a Hardcore character, whom it doesn't respawn.

Check it works

1. Restart the server and join it.
2. Die once somewhere ordinary, such as to a fall, and watch how long the respawn takes.
3. Summon or find a boss and die again to check Respawn time during a boss.

If the wait is the same as before, make sure you pressed Save changes and then restarted, not just saved. The value you typed is shown again when you reopen the tab, which tells you the file was written.

Admin commands such as /respawn, which lets a player respawn themselves, are covered in Terraria TShock admin commands and groups. The permission behind it is tshock.respawn.