# Skyrim Together Server Hosting - everything RE:NODE has published

> A Skyrim Together server on RE:NODE: plans, how the panel runs it, and every tutorial RE:NODE has published about it.

Generated from https://www.renode.space/game-servers/skyrim-together, the live catalogue, the deploy docs, the panel guides and the RE:NODE blog. English. Source of truth for anything that changes: https://www.renode.space/game-servers/skyrim-together.

Contents: what it is, plans and prices, panel how-to, tutorials, rules for the assistant.

## What it is

Play Skyrim with friends. Servers for Skyrim Together Reborn — you and your players each need Skyrim Special Edition and the mod installed. Nothing else to configure.

- Genres: RPG
- Developer: Bethesda Game Studios
- Released: 27 Oct, 2016
- Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/489830/

### What comes with every Skyrim Together server

- Configured before you see it: The install runs, the configuration is written and the server starts. No first-boot checklist, and nothing left on a default password shared with every other Skyrim Together server on the internet.
- The real console: Live output, command input and the server's own logs - not a filtered summary. Web-server noise is folded behind a counter you can switch off.
- Files and SFTP: A full file manager with an editor, plus SFTP credentials. Upload mods, edit configs, pull a world down to your machine.
- 2-2 backup slots: Taken on demand or on a schedule, restored with a button. Deleting a server takes its backups with it, on purpose.
- 1 port allocated: Add and remove ports yourself from the Network tab, including the query and RCON ports where the game wants them.
- People on the same server: Invite friends or staff with granular permissions - console only, files only, no billing - through subusers, roles and teams.

### Which Skyrim Together plan do you need?

Memory is what decides whether a server holds together, so start there. The Starter tier gives 1 GB and 0.8 vCPU, which suits a private group. The Advanced tier at 3 GB is where most public servers sit, and Premium at 6 GB exists for the servers that stay full.

Storage matters more than people expect once mods and backups are involved - plans here run from 10 GB to 40 GB of NVMe. Moving up or down a tier later does not rebuild your world; it changes the limits on the container you already have.

If you are not sure, take the middle tier. It is cheaper to move up after a busy weekend than to spend one explaining lag to your players.

More game servers: https://www.renode.space/ai/game-servers.md

### General questions

### Getting started

**How quickly is my server ready?**

Game, app, web and database servers are created the moment payment clears, usually inside a minute. The game or runtime is installed and started for you, and the console is live in your browser while it happens. VDS and dedicated servers are prepared by hand and delivered within 24 hours.

**Do I need to configure anything before it works?**

No. The install runs, the configuration is written, and admin passwords are generated for your server rather than shared with everybody else's. The exception is four games whose publisher issues a credential to a person - those say so on the shop before you pay, and ask for it on a Setup tab afterwards.

**Which games need a key from me?**

Counter-Strike 2 needs a Steam game-server token, Don't Starve Together a Klei cluster token, FiveM a Cfx.re licence, and DayZ, Project Zomboid, 7 Days to Die, Arma 3 and Unturned need a Steam account or token of your own. We cannot create any of them and we never share one between customers. Your server is built immediately and the installation waits until you paste yours in.

**Can I try before buying?**

There is no free tier. The entry plans start at $1.50 a month precisely so that trying something costs about as much as a coffee.

**Can Claude or ChatGPT set my project up?**

Yes, and the panel gives it what it needs. On a server's Console tab, pick a purpose and press Connect AI: the panel copies a private link with the runtime, the port the code must read from SERVER_PORT, the code path, the GitHub branch, the databases and the limits. Paste it into Claude, ChatGPT or any assistant that can open links; the same link followed by /mcp works as an MCP server URL. It stops by itself after 7 days unused. You can also connect Claude, or any MCP client, to your whole account at https://panel.renode.space/api/client/mcp. Linked repositories get a pre-flight check that shows what will break before a deploy, no AI needed. No password or token is ever shown to the assistant - the AI setup page explains it all.

### Running the server

**Do I get full file access?**

Yes - a complete file manager with an in-browser editor, plus SFTP credentials. There is no plan on which the file manager is disabled or read-only.

**Can I install mods and plugins?**

Yes. Upload them through the file manager or SFTP, or use the game's own workshop support where it has any. Nothing here whitelists which mods you are allowed to run.

**Can other people help me run it?**

Yes. Invite subusers with granular permissions - console only, files only, no billing - or build a team with a role and grant it access to several servers at once. Permissions are a union, so nobody loses access they were given elsewhere.

**What happens if my server runs out of memory?**

New servers are configured so the kernel stops the container and it restarts clean, rather than swapping and dragging the whole machine down. If a server restarts repeatedly we warn you on the server page and open a support ticket before anything is suspended - you get told twice before it stops.

**Is the CPU limit a hard limit?**

Yes, and it cannot be breached: the container is throttled to the share you bought. A server sitting at 100% is slow, not broken, and is never suspended for it.

### Backups and safety

**Are backups included?**

Every plan carries backup slots - two on the entry tiers, more further up. Take them on demand or on a schedule, and restore with a button rather than a support ticket.

**Where are backups stored?**

Off the machine they protect. A backup sitting on the same disk as the thing it is insuring covers you deleting your world and covers nothing at all about the disk failing.

**What happens to my backups if I cancel?**

Deleting a server deletes its backups with it, deliberately and including locked ones. Download anything you want to keep first - the panel lets you.

### Billing

**How do I pay?**

PayPal, card, your wallet balance, or bank transfer. Every method produces a proper invoice you can download or print, with our details and the bank account on it while it is unpaid.

**Can I pay in Georgian lari?**

The panel displays every figure in lari at the National Bank of Georgia's published rate, marks converted figures as approximate, and always shows the amount that will actually be charged. Invoices stay in the currency they were raised in, because an invoice is a demand for a specific amount.

**What happens when my subscription is due?**

An invoice is raised and emailed to you seven days before expiry, and again on the day. Paying it settles that same document rather than raising a second one.

**Can I upgrade or downgrade later?**

Yes, and it does not rebuild anything. Changing plan changes the limits on the container you already have - your world, files and database stay exactly where they are.

**Do you offer refunds?**

There is no automatic refund button. If a server cannot do what it was sold to do, open a ticket and we will sort it out - including refunding you. We would rather fix the plan than argue about the policy.

### Support and the honest bits

**How do I get help?**

Open a ticket from the panel - it reaches every member of staff and every administrator, not a queue aimed at nobody in particular. Attach a screenshot if it helps; attachments are private to your ticket rather than sitting at a guessable public URL. Discord is there for faster, less formal questions.

**Where are the servers?**

Germany, on hardware we run. That is one location: if you need players in another region on a low ping, say so before buying rather than after.

**Is there an uptime guarantee?**

We measure node availability every five minutes and report it in the panel rather than printing a number with four decimal places we have not earned. If something is down you will usually hear it from us first.

**Who actually runs this?**

A small team that writes the panel, the shop and the automation itself. When something is wrong the fix is a code change, which is why the list of things wrong keeps getting shorter.

## Plans and prices

Read from the live catalogue at 2026-10-15 03:31 UTC. Prices are in US dollars per month; checkout also takes Georgian lari and bills for 1, 3, 6, 12 or 24 months. Prices change - re-check on https://www.renode.space/game-servers/skyrim-together or in the panel shop at https://panel.renode.space before quoting one.

| Plan | Price / month | Memory | CPU | NVMe disk | Databases | Backups | Ports |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | $5 | 1 GB | 0.8 vCPU | 10 GB | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| Standard | $7 | 2 GB | 1 vCPU | 15 GB | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| Advanced | $10 | 3 GB | 1.5 vCPU | 20 GB | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| Pro | $13 | 4 GB | 2 vCPU | 30 GB | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| Premium | $17 | 6 GB | 2.5 vCPU | 40 GB | 1 | 2 | 1 |


## Panel how-to

From the panel guides at https://www.renode.space/guides.

### Ordering a server

Ordering takes about a minute and happens in three screens: find what you want to run, pick a plan, and pay. Pay by card or PayPal and the server is set up the moment the payment goes through - you can watch it install in its console.

- Takes: About a minute
- Pay with: Card, PayPal or bank transfer
- Billed for: 1, 3, 6, 12 or 24 months
- Prices in: US dollars or Georgian lari

Open the shop and find what you want to run:

1. Sign in to the panel and open the shop. The tabs along the top are the product lines: VDS, Game Servers, App Hosting, Web Hosting and Databases.
2. Find your game - there is a search box - and press View plans. The card already shows the lowest price and the range of memory on offer.

Compare the plans and pick one:

3. Every plan lists its memory, CPU and NVMe storage, roughly how many players it suits, and what is included - updates, backup slots, file and SFTP access.
4. Press Get Started on the one you want. Not sure? Start smaller: you can move to a bigger plan later without losing your world.

Choose how long, then pay:

5. Pick a billing period - 1, 3, 6, 12 or 24 months. The total for the whole period is shown before you pay, so there are no surprises.
6. Pay with PayPal, or press Debit or Credit Card - paying by card does not need a PayPal account. The server is created as soon as the payment completes.

Paying by bank transfer instead: Prefer to pay from your bank? Choose bank transfer at checkout. The server is set up once the payment arrives, usually the next working day.

1. Switch the payment tab to Bank transfer. The account details for Bank of Georgia and TBC Bank appear, each with a Copy button.
2. Press Order & get invoice, then pay that invoice from your banking app, quoting the reference on it.

After you pay:

- The server appears under My Servers and installs itself. Open it to watch the install in the console.
- Your orders, invoices and subscriptions are under Finances in the side menu.
- Stuck at any step? Open Support in the side menu and raise a ticket.

### The console

Live output, a command line, power controls and the resource graphs. It is the server's own output rather than a filtered summary - if the game prints it, you see it.

- Start, stop, restart and kill, with the current state always visible.
- Command history with the arrow keys, and tab completion for common commands.
- Web-server noise - the internet knocking on doors that are not there - is folded behind a count you can switch off. A real error always prints.
- Graphs for memory, CPU and disk against your limits, so whether it is the plan or the mod is answerable.

### Files and SFTP

A complete file manager with an editor in the browser, plus SFTP credentials for the tools you already use. Upload a modpack, fix a config, pull a world down to your machine.

- Drag files in, or upload a folder. Archives can be unpacked in place.
- Edit any text file with syntax highlighting and save without downloading it.
- PDFs and images preview in the panel rather than downloading first.
- SFTP on the same credentials - use FileZilla, WinSCP or your editor's remote mode.

### Backups

Take one before you try something. Restore it when the something goes wrong. Lock the ones that matter so they are not rotated away.

- Slots on every plan - two on the entry tiers, more further up.
- Take one on demand, or on a schedule you set.
- Download any backup to your own machine.

> Important: Deleting a server deletes its backups, including the locked ones. A lock stops you removing a backup by accident; it is not a claim on the disk after the server is gone. Download what you want to keep before you cancel.

### Subusers, roles and teams

Give somebody the console without giving them your files, or the files without your billing. Three separate ideas, kept apart deliberately.

- A role holds permissions - what may be done.
- A team holds people.
- A grant joins a team to a server with a role, so adding a moderator to the team gives them the same access everywhere at once.
- Invite by link, by a join code, or by email address - and require approval on the codes if you would rather vet people.
- Access can be time-boxed, and expiry stops working immediately rather than overnight.

### Scheduled tasks

Restart nightly, back up before the restart, announce it to players first. Tasks run in order with delays between them, so a schedule can be a small routine rather than one action.

- Send a console command - a warning to players, a save, a world flush.
- Take a backup.
- Power actions: start, stop, restart.

### Games that need a key from you

A few games want a credential their publisher issues to a person - a Steam game-server token, a Steam account that owns the server files, a Klei cluster token, a Cfx.re licence. We cannot create one and we never share one between customers.

> Note: Those games say so on the shop before you pay. Your server is built immediately, and the game installation is held until you paste the value into a Setup tab, because installing without it produces a server with no game files in it and no explanation.

## Tutorials

2 posts, newest first. Each one follows in full after the list.

- [Skyrim Together mods: what syncs and breaks](https://www.renode.space/blog/skyrim-together-mods-and-sync) (2026-10-07): Which mods work with Skyrim Together Reborn and which break co-op: what the mod actually syncs, load order parity, bEnableModCheck and testing a mod list.
- [Skyrim Together Reborn server setup](https://www.renode.space/blog/skyrim-together-reborn-server) (2026-09-21): Running a Skyrim Together Reborn server: supported game versions, Docker and panel installs, every STServer.ini key, port 10578, admin commands and mod parity.

---

### Skyrim Together mods: what syncs and breaks

Published 2026-10-07 by RE:NODE Team. https://www.renode.space/blog/skyrim-together-mods-and-sync

No mod is synced by Skyrim Together Reborn. The developers say it plainly: there are no mods that are explicitly synced, and mods only sync by accident. Whether a mod survives co-op depends entirely on what it changes. Mods that change only what one player sees - textures, meshes, lighting, most interface mods - are safe, because there is nothing to agree on. Mods that add items or armour usually work if every player has the same plugins in the same order. Mods that change scripts, AI, quests or the engine itself are where co-op sessions fall apart, because each player's Skyrim runs that logic on its own and Skyrim Together only mirrors part of the result. The rest of this guide explains why, sorts common mod categories by risk, and shows how to build and enforce a mod list that a group can actually play on.

The server side of this - installing the server, every `STServer.ini` key and the admin commands - is covered in the [Skyrim Together Reborn server guide](https://www.renode.space/blog/skyrim-together-reborn-server). This post is about the part that happens on players' machines, which is where nearly every co-op problem starts.

#### What Skyrim Together actually syncs

Every player runs a complete, single-player copy of Skyrim. Skyrim Together hooks into each copy and exchanges a defined set of state through the server: who is where, what they are doing, and a selection of world events. Anything outside that set happens separately on each machine, and two machines running the same game logic independently will drift apart.

| Area | Synced? | Notes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Player position, animation, equipment | Yes | The core of the mod |
| Combat, damage and magic between players and NPCs | Yes | NPC targeting can get confused |
| NPCs and creatures near players | Yes | Each actor is owned and driven by one client |
| Main quests and side quests | Yes | Through the party leader, see below |
| Miscellaneous quests | Optional | `bEnableMiscQuestSync`, experimental |
| Experience for combat skills | Yes | `bEnableXpSync`, on by default |
| Time of day | Yes | The server owns the clock, `uTimeScale` |
| Calendar date | Optional | `bSyncPlayerCalendar` |
| Dialogue and scenes | Partly | Driven by the party leader |
| Dropped items in the world | Optional | `bEnableItemDrops`, off because it has crashed servers |
| Player home chests | Optional | `bSyncPlayerHomes`, off by default |
| Characters, inventories and saves | No | Each player's own save file |

The quest model explains a lot of "broken quest" reports. The party leader effectively hosts the world: progression syncs to everyone when the leader advances a quest. The official playguide's rules follow from that - only the leader talks to quest NPCs and picks up quest items, the leader enters a location first, there is one party per server and one leader per playthrough rather than per session. Members can kill quest enemies, clear dungeons and solve puzzles while the leader is present.

Now consider what a quest mod does. It adds new quest records and scripts that run on each client. Skyrim Together syncs quest stages for quests it knows how to follow, but the scripts behind a new quest still run independently on every machine, and any script that depends on something only one client did - a trigger box, a dialogue choice, an item pickup - can leave the clients in different states. That is the general shape of every sync failure: logic that runs locally on each machine, reacting to events that only one machine saw.

#### Why load order matters more in co-op

Skyrim refers to every object - every sword, NPC, door and spell - by a form ID. The first part of a form ID comes from the position of the plugin that defines it in the load order. A sword from the fifth plugin in your list and the same sword from the sixth plugin in your friend's list are, as far as each engine is concerned, different numbers.

That is why "we have the same mods" is not enough. Same mods in a different order, or the same mods with one extra patch on one machine, gives you a party in which equipment, NPCs and objects can fail to match - the naked NPC or naked player that the troubleshooting pages describe is the most visible symptom, though it has other causes too. Light plugins (`.esl`) do not escape this: they live in their own slot but their order still matters.

The only arrangement that can be relied on is the same plugins, at the same versions, in the same order, on every machine. Skyrim Together gives you a tool to enforce exactly that.

#### bEnableModCheck and loadorder.txt

With `bEnableModCheck=true` in `STServer.ini`, the server compares each joining player's `loadorder.txt` with a reference copy and refuses anyone whose list does not match. It turns a two-hour desync investigation into a rejection at the door.

1. On one player's machine, enable exactly the mods the group will use, in the order you want, in Mod Organizer 2 or Vortex.
2. Find that profile's `loadorder.txt`. In Mod Organizer 2 it is in the profile folder; in Vortex, use Open, then Open Game Application Data Folder.
3. Stop the server and place the file in a folder called `Data` - capital D - beside the server, so the server reads `Data/loadorder.txt`.
4. Set `bEnableModCheck=true`, start the server, and look for `ModPolicy is active` in the console.

config/STServer.ini:

```ini
[ModPolicy]
bAllowMO2=true
bAllowSKSE=true
bEnableModCheck=true
```

Data/loadorder.txt:

```text
Skyrim.esm
Update.esm
Dawnguard.esm
HearthFires.esm
Dragonborn.esm
SkyUI_SE.esp
ImmersiveWeapons.esp
```

Two limits are worth understanding. The check compares the list of plugins, not the files inside them, so two players with different versions of the same `.esp` pass it. And mods with no plugin at all - texture packs, SKSE DLLs, animation files - do not appear in `loadorder.txt` and are not checked. The mod check enforces load order parity; it does not enforce mod parity. Versions are still a matter of discipline, which is why the next sections exist.

Edit `STServer.ini` only while the server is stopped. The running server writes its in-memory configuration back on shutdown, so a change saved to a running server is overwritten.

#### Mod categories, sorted by risk

What follows is practical guidance from how the sync model works, not an official compatibility list. For individual mods, the community compatibility tracker on GitHub and the [official wiki](https://wiki.tiltedphoques.com/) are more current than any article.

| Category | Typical risk | Why |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Textures, meshes, weather visuals, ENB or ReShade | Low | Changes what one client draws, nothing is exchanged |
| Interface mods such as SkyUI | Low | Local presentation, though menus that pause the game behave differently |
| New weapons, armour, items | Low to medium | Fine with identical load order, needs the plugin on every machine |
| New NPCs and followers | Medium | NPC ownership is handled, follower AI is not reliable |
| Combat, perk and AI overhauls | High | Each client calculates differently; damage and behaviour diverge |
| Quest and story mods | High | Local scripts reacting to events only one client saw |
| Script-heavy gameplay mods (needs, survival, economy) | High | Constant local script state that nobody shares |
| SKSE plugins that hook the engine, renderer or save system | High | Can conflict with Skyrim Together's own hooks |
| Animation frameworks and behaviour patches | High | Every client must have identical generated output |
| The bundled Creation Club files | Remove | The official guide strongly advises removing them |

A few of those deserve detail.

##### Visual mods

Texture and mesh replacers are the safe end. Another player's armour is drawn with your textures, so a group can even disagree about visuals without consequences - although a mesh replacer that changes a body shape will look odd next to somebody without it. Lighting and weather visual mods are local, but weather itself is driven by the party leader, so a weather mod that adds new weather types is a data mod, not a visual one.

##### Content mods: new items, armour and NPCs

These add records through a plugin. With matching load order they usually behave: a player wearing modded armour appears in it to others who have the same plugin. Without the plugin, the item cannot exist on the other machine at all. New NPCs work in the sense that Skyrim Together will mirror them like any other actor, but anything they do through custom scripts is local.

Followers are the weak spot even in vanilla. A follower's AI runs on whichever client owns it, and the developers recommend dismissing followers before connecting. A party of players does not need a follower mod.

##### Overhauls and script-heavy mods

Combat overhauls change damage formulas, stagger, AI packages and perks. Two clients running different maths on the same fight disagree about who hit whom, and even identical copies can drift because each client resolves its own timing. Survival and needs mods run constant scripts on every machine with no shared state, so one player's hunger has nothing to do with another's and the results of shared events - a shared camp, a cooked meal - are not mirrored. These mods can be playable for a forgiving group; they are not something to expect to work.

##### SKSE plugins and engine hooks

SKSE itself is fine, and the server can allow or refuse it with `bAllowSKSE`. The risk is DLL plugins that hook the same engine functions Skyrim Together does - renderer, camera, save system, input. The official wiki names several that do not load well, including KiLoader, Smoothcam, Alternate Conversation Camera variants, S.L.A.C.K., Wheeler and Master Occlusion Field, while others such as Engine Fixes 7 and Skyrim Souls RE Updated were reported to load with 1.8 after earlier versions did not. Address Library for SKSE is a requirement of the mod, not an optional extra.

##### Animation mods

Skyrim Together mirrors animations largely by sending the state of each character's behaviour graph rather than the animation itself. Animation frameworks change that graph by generating new behaviour files on each machine. If two players' generated output differs, the same signal means different animations on each screen, which ranges from cosmetic to broken. If your group runs animation mods, every player needs the identical set and should regenerate from the same mod list.

#### Building a co-op mod list that holds up

The approach that works is the boring one: start from vanilla Skyrim Together, add a little at a time, and test each addition with two people.

1. **Start clean.** Get the whole group connected on unmodded Skyrim Together with Address Library, the Creation Club files removed and the same game build. Play one session. Every later problem is now attributable to something you added.
2. **Add visuals first.** They are safe and they make the game feel modded without risk.
3. **Add content in small batches.** Five plugins at a time, then test. Regenerate and distribute `loadorder.txt` after every batch.
4. **Avoid overhauls unless the group accepts the risk.** If you add one, add it alone and play a full session before adding anything else.
5. **Write everything down.** Mod name, version, file name and download link, in a shared document. When something breaks in week three, the list is how you find what changed.

Distribute the list as a package rather than as instructions. A Mod Organizer 2 profile copied between machines, or a curated collection that installs identical files, removes the "I installed the newer version" class of problem. Mod managers and collections cannot fix a mod that does not sync, but they can make sure that everyone is at least running the same thing - and [mod load order explained](https://www.renode.space/blog/mod-load-order-explained) covers sorting rules if you have never had to think about them.

##### A two-player test for any new mod

| Test | What it catches |
| --- | --- |
| Both equip a modded item and look at each other | Missing records, load order mismatch |
| One drops an item, the other tries to pick it up | Item sync, which is off by default for a reason |
| Fight a group of NPCs together | AI and combat overhaul divergence |
| Leader advances a quest stage, member checks journal | Quest sync with the mod's scripts present |
| Enter and leave an interior together | Cell transitions, the most common crash point |
| Both save, quit, reload, reconnect | Save compatibility with the mod |

Fifteen minutes of that before a session catches most of what would otherwise ruin an evening.

#### Updates: Skyrim, the mod and everything in between

Skyrim Together Reborn is tied to a specific Skyrim Special Edition build, currently the latest 1.6.x on Steam or GOG. When Bethesda patches the game, Skyrim Together, SKSE, Address Library and any SKSE plugins all need matching updates, and they do not arrive on the same day. The usual result is a group where some players have updated Skyrim and nothing works.

- Tell the group not to launch Skyrim through Steam on a patch day until the mod authors catch up.
- Update the client mod and the server together. A client on one version and a server on another do not talk.
- Pin the server version rather than tracking the latest image, so it does not move underneath a group still on the old client.
- Keep a copy of every player's working save before updating anything. Removing or changing mods can make a save unloadable - the official guide warns this applies even to removing the bundled Creation Club content.

[What to do when a mod update breaks](https://www.renode.space/blog/what-to-do-when-a-mod-update-breaks) has the general recovery order; for this game, the short version is that the group rolls back together or not at all.

#### The server's part

The server holds no world and runs no mods. Its contribution to mod stability is the policy section and a handful of sync switches:

| Key | Recommendation for a modded group |
| --- | --- |
| `bEnableModCheck` | `true`, with a `Data/loadorder.txt` you control |
| `bAllowSKSE` | `true` if any mod in the list needs SKSE, otherwise `false` |
| `bAllowMO2` | `true` unless everyone uses Vortex |
| `bEnableItemDrops` | Leave `false`. Item drops are where modded items cause most crashes |
| `bSyncPlayerHomes` | Leave `false` unless the group wants shared chests and accepts the risk |
| `bEnableMiscQuestSync` | Leave `false` until vanilla quests are reliable for your group |

On RE:NODE the Skyrim Together server has its one port allocated, `STServer.ini` is editable in the browser and the `Data` folder can be created in the file manager, so dropping in a new `loadorder.txt` is a stop, upload and start. Keep the current `loadorder.txt` in a backup slot alongside the config; when a new batch of mods goes wrong, restoring the previous policy file is quicker than reconstructing it. [Backups that actually restore](https://www.renode.space/blog/backups-that-actually-restore) covers why that restore should be practised once, and [keeping a modded server clean](https://www.renode.space/blog/keeping-a-modded-server-clean) the wider habit.

#### Troubleshooting desync

**NPCs or players appear naked.** A well-known problem. Reconnect, or walk into and out of an interior; restart the server if it persists. If it keeps happening only to modded gear, compare load orders.

**A player is refused with a mod policy error.** Their `loadorder.txt` differs from the server's. Compare the two files line by line; a single extra patch plugin is the usual culprit.

**Everyone has the same load order and items still look wrong.** Different versions of the same plugin, or a missing texture or mesh pack the mod check cannot see. Compare versions from the shared mod list.

**A modded quest is stuck for one player only.** The quest's scripts ran differently on their client. The quest debugger opened with F3 then F2 can unstick a party, with the warning that it may skip the quest entirely. Save before using it.

**Enemies only attack one player.** Combat targeting lost track. Leave the area and return. Combat overhauls make this more frequent.

**The game crashes on connecting to any server.** Before blaming mods: the client and server need a CPU with AES-NI support, because the networking library depends on it. Then check for engine-hooking SKSE plugins.

**Crashes started after a Steam update.** Skyrim updated and the mod, SKSE or a plugin did not. Wait for updates or restore the previous game build.

#### FAQ

##### Which mods are officially supported by Skyrim Together Reborn?

None. The official position is that you should run no other mods for the most stable experience, and that no mods are explicitly synced. Mods that happen to work do so because of what they change, not because of an integration.

##### Do texture and graphics mods work in co-op?

Generally yes. They change only what one client draws and exchange nothing with the server, so players can even run different visual mods. Weather mods that add new weather types are data mods and behave differently.

##### Does bEnableModCheck make sure everyone has the same mods?

It makes sure everyone has the same plugins in the same order. It does not compare file versions and cannot see mods without a plugin file, such as texture packs or SKSE DLLs.

##### Can we use a survival or needs mod together?

You can install one, but its state is not shared between players. Each player's hunger, cold and fatigue runs separately, and shared events are not mirrored. Treat it as a single-player layer that happens to be present in co-op.

##### Why do followers break in Skyrim Together?

A follower's AI runs on the client that owns it, and that does not hold up well with several players. The developers recommend dismissing followers before connecting.

##### Do I need to install mods on the server?

No. The server runs no mods. It only needs `loadorder.txt` in its `Data` folder if you want it to enforce load order parity with `bEnableModCheck`.

Skyrim Together servers on RE:NODE start at 1 GB with the single port this game needs already allocated, `STServer.ini` editable in the browser, and the file manager for placing `Data/loadorder.txt`. Backup slots on every tier keep the config and the load order policy you know works.

[See Skyrim Together plans](https://www.renode.space/game-servers/skyrim-together)

---

### Skyrim Together Reborn server setup

Published 2026-09-21 by RE:NODE Team. https://www.renode.space/blog/skyrim-together-reborn-server

A Skyrim Together Reborn server is small, stateless and almost aggressively simple: one process, one port, one configuration file, and no world save to lose. It holds the rules, the clock and the connection between players, while every character, every quest flag and every piece of loot lives in each player's own local Skyrim save. That design makes it cheap to host - 1 to 2 GB of memory covers the group size the developers actually recommend - and it also means the hard parts of running one are not on the server at all. They are the game version everybody must be on, the mods everybody must not have, and the handful of settings in `STServer.ini` that decide how the co-op plays.

#### What Skyrim Together Reborn is, and what it needs

Skyrim Together Reborn is a community mod, not a Bethesda feature. It is built on a codebase called Tilted Online, developed by Tilted Phoques and released open source, and it comes in two halves: a client mod installed into Skyrim through a mod manager, and a standalone dedicated server that anybody can run. The two are versioned together, so a 1.8 client talks to a 1.8 server and nothing else.

The client half has requirements that are stricter than most mods, and they are the first thing to settle before you rent or build anything:

- **Skyrim Special Edition on its latest 1.6.x build.** The wiki's supported-games page lists Steam and GOG copies. The Anniversary Upgrade is not required, and the developers recommend playing without it and disabling the Creation Club content it adds.
- **Not supported, permanently**: Skyrim VR, the original Skyrim and Legendary Edition, the Epic Games version, the Game Pass version, and every console edition. There is no workaround for any of these.
- **Windows for the client.** The server runs on both Windows and Linux; the mod itself does not.
- **A mod manager.** Mod Organizer 2 and Vortex both have step-by-step guides on the [official wiki](https://wiki.tiltedphoques.com/), and the server has switches that allow or forbid each of them.

The server half is the easy half. It is a single executable - `SkyrimTogetherServer.exe` on Windows, an equivalent binary on Linux, and an official Docker image - and it is distributed free alongside the mod. It does not need a copy of Skyrim, a Steam login or a game server token of any kind, which puts it in a much smaller class of trouble than the Steam games covered in [Steam game server tokens explained](https://www.renode.space/blog/steam-game-server-tokens-gslt).

What the server stores is worth stating plainly, because it changes how you think about backups. The official Docker command mounts exactly three folders: `config`, `Data` and `logs`. There is no world directory. The server keeps the time of day, the difficulty, the party structure and the live state of a session; when it stops, that session is over and every player's progress is sitting in their own Skyrim save on their own machine. You cannot lose a world here, and you also cannot restore one.

#### Requirements and resource usage

The server simulates nothing. It relays position, animation, combat and inventory state between clients, holds the world clock and enforces the rules in its config. Cost scales with players, not with how much of Skyrim has been explored.

| Group | RAM | CPU | Notes |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2-4 players | 1 GB | 1 core | The common case, and comfortable |
| 5-8 players | 2 GB | 1-1.5 cores | The recommended maximum group |
| 9-16 players | 3-4 GB | 2 cores | Possible, unsupported, expect desync |
| Scripted server (Lua resources) | +1 GB | 2 cores | Depends entirely on what you run |

The official answer on player count is that there is no hard limit in the code and the developers recommend 2 to 8 people for a good experience. The default `uMaxPlayerCount` is `8`, and that default is a recommendation rather than a licence check. Skyrim's quest and dialogue systems were built for one player; every extra body multiplies the number of ways two clients can disagree about what an NPC is doing.

Disk is negligible. The server is a few hundred megabytes with its dependencies, the logs are the only thing that grows, and the one file you might add is a `loadorder.txt` of a few kilobytes. Network use is modest but latency-sensitive in the way all action games are: player positions and animations are being relayed continuously, so a 40 ms link feels different from a 140 ms one even though neither is saturating anything. [Latency, jitter and packet loss](https://www.renode.space/blog/latency-jitter-and-packet-loss) covers how to tell which of the three you actually have before blaming the mod.

#### Installing and starting the server

On Linux the supported route is Docker, and the official image is `tiltedphoques/st-reborn-server`. Create the three folders the container expects to find, then run it:

```bash
$ sudo mkdir -p /opt/docker/skyrimserver/{config,Data,logs}
$ sudo chown -R ${USER}:${USER} /opt/docker
$ docker run -d -it --name skyrimserver -p 10578:10578/udp \
    -v /opt/docker/skyrimserver/config:/st-server/config \
    -v /opt/docker/skyrimserver/Data:/st-server/Data \
    -v /opt/docker/skyrimserver/logs:/st-server/logs \
    tiltedphoques/st-reborn-server:latest
```

The first start writes a default `STServer.ini` into the `config` folder. Three commands cover day-to-day operation:

```bash
$ docker logs -tf skyrimserver     # follow the log
$ docker attach skyrimserver       # console; detach with CTRL+P then Q
$ docker stop skyrimserver -t 1    # stop
```

On Windows you run `SkyrimTogetherServer.exe` from the folder the mod installed it into, and the same `config/STServer.ini` appears beside it on first launch. On a Pterodactyl-based panel the server runs from a community egg built on the same image; the wiki's Pterodactyl page is worth reading for one reason in particular, which is its warning to pin an image version rather than track `latest`. A server that silently moves to a new release while your group is on the old client mod is a server nobody can join.

> [!WARNING]
> Edit `STServer.ini` only while the server is stopped. The running server holds its configuration in memory and writes it back out on shutdown, so any change you make to the file while it is up is overwritten the moment you stop it. This catches almost everyone once.

#### STServer.ini, line by line

One file, five sections, and this is the whole of it. The defaults as shipped:

config/STServer.ini:

```ini
[general]
sLogLevel=info
bConsole=true

[LiveServices]
bAnnounceServer=false

[Gameplay]
bEnableMiscQuestSync=false
fGoldLossFactor=0
bAutoPartyJoin=true
bEnableItemDrops=false
bEnableXpSync=true
bSyncPlayerCalendar=false
uTimeScale=20
bEnableDeathSystem=true
bSyncPlayerHomes=false
bEnablePvp=false
bEnableGreetings=false
uDifficulty=4

[ModPolicy]
bAllowMO2=true
bAllowSKSE=true
bEnableModCheck=false

[GameServer]
sPassword=
sAdminPassword=
sServerName=Dedicated Together Server
bPremiumMode=true
uMaxPlayerCount=8
uPort=10578
```

The ones that change how the game feels:

| Key | Default | What it does |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `uDifficulty` | `4` | 0 to 5, Novice to Legendary. Server-wide, overrides each client |
| `uTimeScale` | `20` | How fast the world clock runs, 0 to 1000 |
| `bEnableDeathSystem` | `true` | Respawn instead of reloading a save, and pay off bounties |
| `fGoldLossFactor` | `0` | Fraction of gold lost on death, `0` to `1` |
| `bEnableXpSync` | `true` | Combat-skill experience is shared across the party |
| `bEnablePvp` | `false` | Whether players can damage each other |
| `bEnableItemDrops` | `false` | Syncing of dropped items, off because it has crashed servers |
| `bSyncPlayerHomes` | `false` | Chests in vanilla player homes, deliberately not synced |
| `bAutoPartyJoin` | `true` | Join the only party on the server automatically |
| `bEnableGreetings` | `false` | Whether NPC greeting lines fire for everyone |
| `bEnableMiscQuestSync` | `false` | Experimental sync for miscellaneous quests |
| `bSyncPlayerCalendar` | `false` | Pull every player's calendar to the furthest-ahead date |

And the ones that decide what the server is:

| Key | Default | What it does |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `sServerName` | `Dedicated Together Server` | Name on the public list |
| `uMaxPlayerCount` | `8` | Slot count |
| `uPort` | `10578` | The one port the server uses |
| `sPassword` | empty | Join password. Setting one hides the server from the list |
| `sAdminPassword` | empty | Entered in the Connect window to join as an admin |
| `bPremiumMode` | `true` | `true` is a 60 Hz tick, `false` is 30 Hz |
| `bAnnounceServer` | `false` | Whether to appear on the public server list |
| `bConsole` | `true` | Whether the interactive console is available |

`uDifficulty` deserves the paragraph. The default is `4`, which is Expert, and that is deliberate: Skyrim's encounter design assumes one Dragonborn, and four of them turn Legendary into a fair fight and Adept into a walking tour. Raise it rather than lower it. `uTimeScale` is the other one worth thinking about before the first session, because the server owns the clock and players cannot wait or sleep to pass time. Leave it at `20`, which matches vanilla, unless you want dragon attacks and shop restocks on a different rhythm.

`bPremiumMode` is badly named. It is not a paywall and it is not a licence tier - it is the tick rate, `true` for 60 Hz and `false` for 30 Hz. Leave it on unless you are hosting on something genuinely underpowered, in which case halving the tick rate is a real saving.

#### Ports, the server list and connecting

One port, `10578`, and that is the entire network surface.

| Port | Protocol | Purpose |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `10578` | UDP | All game traffic. Set with `uPort` |
| `10578` | TCP | Only if your router or firewall cannot do both in one rule |

The official Docker command publishes UDP alone, which is what the traffic actually uses. The wiki's port-forwarding page tells home hosts to choose "Both" where the router offers it, and to create two rules where it does not. Open UDP first; if the server runs and nobody can reach it, add TCP before you go looking for anything more exotic. [Game server ports explained](https://www.renode.space/blog/game-server-ports-explained) covers why this distinction breaks so many servers and how to test one port at a time.

There are two ways in. Setting `bAnnounceServer=true` puts the server on the in-game list, where players find it by name. Leaving it `false` - the default - means players type the address and port into the Connect window themselves, which for a group of five friends is simpler and gives you nothing to moderate. A server with `sPassword` set is hidden from the public list whether or not it is announced, so a password and an announcement are close to mutually exclusive.

```diagram
title: What each machine holds in a Skyrim Together session
client = Player's Skyrim | own save, own mods
leader = Party leader | dialogue and weather
server = STR server | UDP 10578
config = STServer.ini | rules, clock, difficulty
list = Public list | bAnnounceServer
client -> server : position, combat, inventory
leader -> server : dialogue choices, weather
config --> server : read once at start
server -> list : only if announced
```

If you want a name rather than an address, that is an ordinary A record pointing at the server's IP - [connecting a domain to a game server](https://www.renode.space/blog/connecting-a-domain-to-a-game-server) has the records and the propagation caveat. Players still have to append `:10578` unless you leave the port alone and they are joining by list.

#### Admins and console commands

Admin support arrived in 1.7.0 and works differently from most games. There is no persistent admin list. `sAdminPassword` is a password a player types in the Connect window to join with admin rights for that session, and if the field is empty nobody can join as an admin at all. Privileges are also revoked automatically when the admin disconnects, so nothing accumulates.

The server console - `docker attach`, the Windows console window, or the console tab on a panel - takes these:

| Command | Parameters | Effect |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `/help` | | List the commands available |
| `/players` | | Everyone currently connected |
| `/admins` | | Everyone currently holding admin |
| `/uptime` | | How long the server has been up |
| `/mods` | | Mods installed on the server |
| `/resources` | | Loaded server-side scripting resources |
| `/SetTime` | `0-23 0-59` | Set the in-game hour and minute |
| `/SetDate` | `day month year` | Set the in-game date, 1.6.x and later |
| `/AddAdmin` | `player_name` | Grant admin to a connected player |
| `/RemoveAdmin` | `player_name` | Take it away again |
| `/quit` | | Stop the server |

Player names with spaces are typed with underscores: `/AddAdmin Skyrim_Together` targets the player called "Skyrim Together". If the name does not match anyone connected, the console prints a warning rather than failing silently, which is more than most games manage.

In chat, players get `/help`, `/local` for a message to people nearby and `/party` for a message to their party. Admins additionally get `/settime`. That is the complete in-game command set - there is no kick or ban command, which is the strongest argument for running a password rather than an announced public server. Reading the console is a skill in itself; [reading the console](https://www.renode.space/blog/reading-the-console) covers what to look for when a join fails.

#### Mods, load order and bEnableModCheck

The official position is that you should run no other mods for the most stable experience, and it is worth taking seriously rather than treating as boilerplate. Nothing in Skyrim Together is explicitly synced with any other mod. Where a mod appears to work across a party, that is an accident of how it happens to change the game, not a supported integration.

What generally survives:

- **Graphics and texture mods.** They change what one client draws and touch nothing the server relays.
- **SKSE**, which the mod loads for you if it is installed, subject to `bAllowSKSE` on the server.
- **Address Library for SKSE**, which the install guides treat as a prerequisite rather than a mod.

What reliably causes trouble: anything that hooks the renderer or the save system early. The wiki names KiLoader, Alternate Conversation Camera variants, Smoothcam, S.L.A.C.K., Wheeler and Master Occlusion Field among the things that will not load well, and there is a community mod-compatibility tracker on GitHub that is more current than any blog post, this one included. Some entries have moved the other way: Engine Fixes 7 and Skyrim Souls RE Updated load with 1.8 after earlier versions did not.

If your group is running mods, `bEnableModCheck` is the switch that stops the whole thing degenerating into a week of "it works for me". With it set to `true`, the server compares each joining client's `loadorder.txt` against the one you place in the server's `Data` folder and refuses anyone who does not match. Generate the file from Mod Organizer 2 or Vortex on one player's machine, drop it into `Data/`, stop the server, set the flag, start it again.

Data/loadorder.txt:

```text
Skyrim.esm
Update.esm
Dawnguard.esm
HearthFires.esm
Dragonborn.esm
SkyUI_SE.esp
```

The check is exact-match, which is the point: it turns "somebody has a different version of something" from a symptom you diagnose over two hours into a rejection at the door. `bAllowMO2` and `bAllowSKSE` sit beside it and control whether clients using Mod Organizer 2 or SKSE are admitted at all.

Every Skyrim Together release is tied to a Skyrim build, so a Steam update to the game can break the mod until Tilted Phoques ship a matching version. The same discipline that applies to any modded server applies here: do not let anything auto-update on patch day, keep a note of the versions that worked, and read [what to do when a mod update breaks](https://www.renode.space/blog/what-to-do-when-a-mod-update-breaks) before you need it. [Keeping a modded server clean](https://www.renode.space/blog/keeping-a-modded-server-clean) covers the general hygiene.

#### Saves, restarts and updates

Because the server has no world file, "backups" means something different here. What is worth protecting is `STServer.ini`, the `Data/loadorder.txt` if you use one, and each player's own Skyrim save on their own PC. Tell your group to back up their saves; you cannot do it for them, and a corrupt local save is the only way anyone loses progress in this game.

On the server side:

1. **Stop before you edit.** The running configuration wins at shutdown. This is the single most common reason a setting "does not apply".
2. **Restart on a schedule.** A daily or every-other-day restart is cheap insurance against the drift that long-running sessions accumulate - stuck horse animations, NPCs in odd states, the naked-NPC bug. [Restart schedules that help](https://www.renode.space/blog/restart-schedules-that-help) covers picking a time that annoys the fewest people.
3. **Pin the version.** Whether you run Docker or a panel egg, use an explicit tag rather than `latest` so the server does not move underneath a group that has not updated the client mod.
4. **Update the client and server together.** Everyone updates, or nobody plays.

On RE:NODE, Skyrim Together servers get one port allocation, which is exactly what this game needs, and the Startup tab is where the port and the server name live. The console has history and tab completion for the slash commands above, `STServer.ini` is editable in the browser or over SFTP, and backup slots on every tier cover the config and load order even though there is no world to protect. If a server ever reaches its memory limit it is stopped and restarted clean rather than left to swap - on most games that costs you unsaved progress, and on this one it costs you a session.

#### Troubleshooting

**The server list does not load.** Confirm the mod is on its latest version, then check the client's firewall. The list is fetched by the client from Tilted Phoques' service, so a server-side problem is not the cause.

**Nobody can connect, but the server says it started.** Port `10578` is not reachable. Test from outside your network rather than from the host machine, and add the TCP rule if your router only accepts one protocol per entry.

**Settings in `STServer.ini` keep reverting.** The server was running when you saved the file. Stop it, edit, start.

**NPCs and other players are naked.** A well-known bug. Disconnect and reconnect, or restart the server. Walking into and out of an interior sometimes fixes it for one player. If it keeps happening, mismatched mods between clients is the usual cause.

**Hostile NPCs only attack one player.** The combat targeting system has lost track. Restarting the fight - leaving the area and returning - usually redistributes aggression.

**Followers wander off mid-quest.** Expected. A follower's AI runs on whichever client owns it, and the developers recommend dismissing followers before connecting. A party of Dragonborns does not need them.

**Quests desync between players.** Check that everyone is on the same mod version and the same Skyrim build, then check the playguide: quest sync has rules about who should be leading and when to hand in objectives, and most "broken quest" reports are a group ignoring them.

**A player joins and immediately crashes.** Almost always a mod the server has not seen or a Creation Club item. Turn on `bEnableModCheck` with a known-good `loadorder.txt` and the problem stops being a mystery.

#### FAQ

##### How many players can a Skyrim Together Reborn server hold?

There is no hard cap in the code, and the default `uMaxPlayerCount` is 8. The developers recommend 2 to 8 people. Beyond that the game's own quest and dialogue systems, not the server, are what fall over.

##### Does the server save the world?

No. The server keeps configuration, logs and live session state only. Every character, quest and item lives in each player's local Skyrim save, which is why the official Docker setup mounts no world directory and why you cannot restore a session after the fact.

##### Which version of Skyrim do I need?

Skyrim Special Edition on its latest 1.6.x build. The Anniversary Upgrade is not required and is better disabled. Skyrim VR, Legendary Edition, the original Skyrim, the Epic and Game Pass versions and every console edition are not supported and never will be.

##### Can I use other mods?

You can, and the developers advise against it. Nothing is explicitly synced; graphics mods generally behave and anything that hooks the renderer or the save system generally does not. If you do run mods, set `bEnableModCheck=true` and make every client match a `loadorder.txt` you control.

##### Why is my server not showing in the list?

Either `bAnnounceServer` is `false`, or `sPassword` is set - a password-protected server is hidden from the public list regardless of the announce setting. Players can still join it by address.

##### What does bPremiumMode actually do?

It sets the tick rate: `true` gives 60 Hz, `false` gives 30 Hz. It is not a paid feature and it does not unlock anything. Leave it on unless the host machine is struggling.

Skyrim Together servers on RE:NODE start at 1 GB with the single port this game needs already allocated, `STServer.ini` editable in the browser or over SFTP, a console with command history for `/AddAdmin` and the rest, and scheduled restarts on every tier. Changing tier changes the limit on the server you already have.

[See Skyrim Together plans](https://www.renode.space/game-servers/skyrim-together)

## Rules for the assistant

- Never ask the user for a password, token, API key or `.env` contents, and tell them not to paste one into this chat. Describe where a secret goes instead.
- Secrets reach the server through the panel: `.env` is uploaded through the Files tab, startup variables are set on the Startup tab. `.env` never goes in the repository.
- An app server has exactly one reachable port. Read it from `SERVER_PORT` (also `PORT` when the panel starts a linked repository) and bind `0.0.0.0`; never hard-code a port.
- On every panel-managed server (everything except VDS and dedicated servers, which come with full root) only `/home/container` persists, and the process runs unprivileged: no root, `sudo`, `apt`, `systemd` or Docker.
- Memory is a hard limit; a process that reaches it is killed with no error message. Suggest a bigger plan only after ruling out a leak.
- Do not suggest changing the server's startup command or image to work around a code problem - fix the code or the repository.
- Prices and plans above were read when this file was generated. Send the user to the page linked at the top before quoting a price as current.
- For a specific server, the panel's Connect AI link (Console tab) gives the exact runtime, port, path and branch. Prefer it over these general rules when the user has one.
- If something here does not answer the question, the full deploy docs are at https://www.renode.space/llms-full.txt and support is at https://www.renode.space/contact.