# Valheim Server Hosting - everything RE:NODE has published > A Valheim 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/valheim, 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/valheim. > This file is trimmed to stay under 400,000 characters: every post is listed with its link, but only the newest ones are included in full. Open a post's link for its text. Contents: what it is, plans and prices, panel how-to, tutorials, rules for the assistant. ## What it is Valheim servers with crossplay on and a join password generated for you. - Genres: Action, Adventure, Indie, RPG - Developer: Iron Gate AB - Released: Sep 9, 2026 - Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/892970/ ### What comes with every Valheim 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 Valheim 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. - 2 ports 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 Valheim plan do you need? Memory is what decides whether a server holds together, so start there. The Starter tier gives 2 GB and 1 vCPU, which suits a private group. The Advanced tier at 4 GB is where most public servers sit, and Premium at 8 GB exists for the servers that stay full. Storage matters more than people expect once mods and backups are involved - plans here run from 15 GB to 50 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 22:30 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/valheim or in the panel shop at https://panel.renode.space before quoting one. | Plan | Price / month | Memory | CPU | NVMe disk | Databases | Backups | Ports | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | Starter | $6 | 2 GB | 1 vCPU | 15 GB | 1 | 2 | 2 | | Standard | $9 | 3 GB | 1.5 vCPU | 20 GB | 1 | 2 | 2 | | Advanced | $12 | 4 GB | 2 vCPU | 30 GB | 1 | 2 | 2 | | Pro | $16 | 6 GB | 2.5 vCPU | 40 GB | 1 | 2 | 2 | | Premium | $20 | 8 GB | 3 vCPU | 50 GB | 1 | 2 | 2 | ## 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 109 posts, newest first. The newest 21 follow in full after the list; open the link for the rest. - [Renting a Valheim server: what to check before you pay](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-server-rent-what-to-look-for) (2026-10-15): Before you rent a Valheim server: RAM and CPU by group size, ping and location, BepInEx mods, world upload, backups, crossplay and the pricing traps to avoid. - [Valheim lost tombstone: admin recovery on a server](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-admin-tools-for-lost-tombstones) (2026-10-14): How a Valheim server admin finds and recovers a player's lost tombstone with pos, goto, ghost and god, the vanilla workarounds, and when to spawn the gear back. - [Valheim Ashlands on a server: fortresses, Flametal and Fader](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-ashlands-and-fader-on-a-server) (2026-10-14): How a group takes on the Ashlands on a dedicated server: the Drakkar crossing, a safe landing, siege weapons, Flametal, Fader, and the load the biome puts on players. - [Valheim BepInEx logs: reading LogOutput.log to fix mods](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-bepinex-log-troubleshooting) (2026-10-14): How to read a Valheim server's BepInEx log: where LogOutput.log is, Doorstop and preloader failures, missing dependencies, exceptions, and bisecting a broken mod set. - [Valheim boss summoning for groups on a server](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-boss-summoning-for-groups) (2026-10-14): How to summon every Valheim boss as a group: offerings and altars, arena prep, zone ownership on a server, scaling, wipes and corpse runs done safely. - [Valheim building mods: PlanBuild, Gizmo and Infinity Hammer](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-building-mods-planbuild-and-gizmo) (2026-10-14): What PlanBuild, Gizmo and Infinity Hammer each do, which side of a dedicated server they belong on, how blueprints move between them, and the settings to lock down. - [Valheim cartography table: sharing maps on a server](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-cartography-table-and-shared-maps) (2026-10-14): Valheim maps belong to each character, not the server. How the cartography table shares exploration and pins, what nomap does, and what a new character loses. - [Valheim casual and family server: easy settings for kids](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-casual-and-family-servers) (2026-10-14): Set up a relaxed Valheim server for family or casual friends: the casual preset, passive mobs, raids off, easy combat, play hours and safe passwords for children. - [Valheim character files and cheating on a server](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-character-files-and-cheating) (2026-10-14): Why Valheim characters live on each player's PC, how items move between worlds, how dupes happen, what admins can and cannot stop, and server-side character mods. - [Valheim chat, emotes and player commands on a server](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-chat-emotes-and-player-commands) (2026-10-14): Every Valheim chat and console command a normal player can use on a server - talk, shout, whisper, emotes, ping, info, lodbias, binds - and what needs admin or cheats. - [Valheim server event ideas, with the commands to run them](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-community-event-ideas) (2026-10-14): Events that bring a Valheim server back to life: boss nights, build contests, sailing races, treasure hunts and raid defences, with the setup and commands for each. - [Valheim server rules: a template for public servers](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-community-server-rules) (2026-10-14): How to write rules for a public Valheim server: base spacing, raids, tames, PvP consent, admin conduct, and enforcing them with the ban and allow list files. - [Valheim ConfigurationManager (F1) on a modded server](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-configuration-manager-on-servers) (2026-10-14): Using BepInEx ConfigurationManager in Valheim: the F1 menu, what an in-game edit changes on a server, admin-only synced settings, and when to edit the file instead. - [Valheim Creature Level and Loot Control on a server](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-creature-level-and-loot-control) (2026-10-14): What Creature Level and Loot Control changes - stars, affixes, infusions, loot - how to install it on a server and clients, its deprecated status and the alternatives. - [Valheim death penalty and tombstones on a server](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-death-penalty-and-tombstones) (2026-10-14): What dying costs on a Valheim server: skill loss, the no-skill-drain window, tombstones and corpse runs, logging off with gear out, and each deathpenalty value. - [Valheim dedicated server on a Linux VPS: sizing to updates](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-dedicated-server-on-a-vps) (2026-10-14): Run Valheim on a Linux VPS: how big the box should be, ufw and iptables rules for UDP 2456-2457, tmux or screen versus a service, and keeping OS and game updated. - [Valheim Discord Connector: webhooks, joins and deaths](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-discord-connector-mod) (2026-10-14): Set up the Discord Connector mod on a Valheim server: webhook, join, leave and death messages, routing events to channels, leaderboards and privacy settings. - [Valheim dropped items and world cleanup on a server](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-dropped-items-and-world-cleanup) (2026-10-14): What happens to dropped items, tombstones and dead tames on a Valheim server, how removedrops works, and what really grows the world file over months. - [Valheim enemy scaling with player count, explained](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-enemy-scaling-with-player-count) (2026-10-14): How Valheim scales creature and boss health and damage with nearby players: the per-player numbers, the range, the five-player cap and what it means for groups. - [Valheim Forsaken powers in multiplayer: sharing and timing](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-forsaken-powers-in-multiplayer) (2026-10-14): How Forsaken powers work on a Valheim server: hanging trophies once, per-player selection, cooldowns, sharing buffs with nearby players and which power to use where. - [Valheim Game Pass world files: find them and upload to a server](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-game-pass-and-microsoft-store-world-files) (2026-10-14): Where the Game Pass and Microsoft Store versions of Valheim keep worlds, how to get one onto a dedicated server, and how Steam, Xbox and PC saves differ. - [Valheim hardcore servers: permadeath, nomap and rules](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-hardcore-permadeath-servers) (2026-10-14): How to run a hardcore or permadeath Valheim server: the hardcore death penalty, nomap, what the server can and cannot enforce, and the rules that keep a group playing. - [Valheim: hosting from your own PC vs a rented server](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-home-hosting-vs-rented-server) (2026-10-14): Hosting Valheim in-game, running a dedicated server at home, or renting one: upload speed, CGNAT, uptime, electricity, IP exposure and when each is right. - [How to join a Valheim server: IP, favourites and join codes](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-join-by-ip-and-steam-favorites) (2026-10-14): Every way to join a Valheim dedicated server - Add Server by IP, Steam favourites, joining through Steam friends and crossplay join codes - and which to use when. - [Valheim Legends on a dedicated server: classes and install](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-legends-mod-server) (2026-10-14): Run the Valheim Legends class mod on a server: the twelve classes and their altar offerings, installing on both sides, config, balance, PvP and its maintenance status. - [LinuxGSM vhserver: Valheim server install and commands](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-linuxgsm-vhserver) (2026-10-14): Run Valheim with LinuxGSM's vhserver: install, the config file hierarchy, start, update, backup and monitor commands, cron jobs and when a plain script is better. - [Valheim resources run out: copper, silver and crypts on old servers](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-long-running-server-resource-depletion) (2026-10-14): What respawns on a long-running Valheim server and what never does - ore, crypts, trees, forage - and how to find fresh land, stretch supplies or reset areas. - [Valheim Meadows and Black Forest: a group start guide](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-meadows-and-black-forest-group-start) (2026-10-14): The first days on a shared Valheim server: splitting jobs, picking a base, Eikthyr and The Elder as a group, bronze, portals and the first raids. - [Valheim Mistlands on a server: wisps, Dvergr and the Queen](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-mistlands-and-the-queen-on-a-server) (2026-10-14): How a group gets through the Mistlands on a dedicated server: wisplights, Dvergr, infested mines, the Queen fight, and why the biome is so hard on clients. - [Valheim mod conflicts: dependencies, patches and bisecting](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-mod-conflicts-and-dependencies) (2026-10-14): Find which Valheim mod broke your server: missing dependencies, clashing Harmony patches, two mods doing one job, reading LogOutput.log and bisecting the set. - [Valheim modded server after a game patch: patch day](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-modded-server-after-a-game-patch) (2026-10-14): A worked patch day for a modded Valheim group server: hold the update, check every mod page, test on a copy of the world, then roll out in a safe order. - [Valheim modded server for friends: a full walkthrough](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-modded-server-for-friends-walkthrough) (2026-10-14): Build a modded Valheim server for your group from zero: picking 10-20 mods, one shared r2modman profile, server install, the first join and safe updates. - [Valheim Mountains and Moder: a group guide for servers](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-mountains-and-moder-group-guide) (2026-10-14): Taking a Valheim group through the Mountains: frost resistance, silver with the wishbone, frost caves, wolves and tames, dragon eggs, Moder and the drake raids. - [Running multiple Valheim worlds on one host or server](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-multiple-worlds-one-host) (2026-10-14): How to keep several Valheim worlds on one machine: switching with -world, running servers side by side on separate ports and save folders, and crossplay codes. - [Valheim creative server: no build cost, no raids, safe builds](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-no-build-cost-creative-servers) (2026-10-14): Set up a Valheim creative building server: nobuildcost and the hammer preset, raids off, passive mobs, devcommands for builders, wards and showing builds off. - [Valheim RCON: remote admin without a built-in console](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-no-rcon-remote-admin-options) (2026-10-14): Valheim has no RCON and no server console input. Here is what works instead: the in-game console, list files, panels, SSH, docker exec and RCON mods. - [Valheim old worlds and new biomes: do you need a new world?](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-old-worlds-and-new-biomes) (2026-10-14): Why a Valheim update only adds new biomes and dungeons to unexplored zones, how to find fresh land in an old world, and when starting a new world is the honest fix. - [Valheim late joiners: onboarding a new player to an old world](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-onboarding-late-joiners) (2026-10-14): How to bring a new player into a late-game Valheim server: what the world keys mean for them, catching up skills and gear, safe starts and fair kit rules. - [Valheim ore logistics: ships, carts and staging bases](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-ore-logistics-ships-and-carts) (2026-10-14): How a group moves ore in Valheim without teleporting it: carts, the Karve, Longship and Drakkar, forward smelting bases, and when to switch portals to casual. - [Valheim Plains and Yagluth: a group guide for servers](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-plains-and-yagluth-group-guide) (2026-10-14): Running the Plains as a group on a Valheim server: Deathsquitos, Fuling villages, black metal, barley and flax farms, Yagluth, and defending bases from Fuling raids. - [PlantEverything on a Valheim server: install and config](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-planteverything-mod) (2026-10-14): Run Advize's PlantEverything on a dedicated Valheim server: what players can plant, the config that matters, ServerSync locking, balance for groups and removal. - [Valheim portal hub design for a shared server](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-portal-hub-design) (2026-10-14): How to build a Valheim portal hub a whole group can use: where to put it, a tag naming scheme that avoids collisions, signs, upkeep and keeping it light to load. - [Valheim modpack on Thunderstore: build, publish, update](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-private-thunderstore-modpack) (2026-10-14): How to publish a Valheim modpack for your server on Thunderstore: the zip layout, manifest.json, dependency strings, icon and README, and updating it safely. - [Valheim on Pterodactyl: egg, ports and startup variables](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-pterodactyl-egg-setup) (2026-10-14): Set up a Valheim server on a Pterodactyl panel: importing the egg, startup variables, UDP allocations for both ports, saves in the file manager and the BepInEx variant. - [Running a public Valheim community server: a playbook](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-public-community-server-playbook) (2026-10-14): How to run a public PvE Valheim server for months: allow list or open, Discord onboarding, an admin team, mods that keep crossplay, and keeping the world alive. - [Valheim public test branch on a dedicated server](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-public-test-branch-server) (2026-10-14): Run Valheim's public-test beta on a dedicated server: the beta branch and password, testing a patch on a copy of the world, mods, and rolling back to stable. - [Valheim quality-of-life mods for groups and servers](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-quality-of-life-mods-for-groups) (2026-10-14): The QoL mods Valheim groups actually run: crafting from chests, quick stack and sorting, shared chests, map pins - and which must be installed on the server. - [Valheim roleplay servers: rules, mods, towns and trading](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-roleplay-servers) (2026-10-14): How to run a Valheim roleplay server: lore-friendly rules, in-character conventions, world settings, mods often used, building towns, player trading and moderation. - [Valheim sailing in multiplayer: ships, crews and lag at sea](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-sailing-and-ships-in-multiplayer) (2026-10-14): How ships work on a Valheim server: who controls the ship, why boats rubber-band, crewing a Longship or Drakkar, storms, serpents and getting a lost ship back. - [Valheim scheduled restarts: cron, panel schedules and updates](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-scheduled-restarts-and-automation) (2026-10-14): Schedule Valheim server restarts that save the world first: cron and systemd, panel schedules, warning players, skipping busy hours and updating on restart. - [Valheim server CPU and disk sizing: what the hardware needs](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-server-cpu-and-disk-sizing) (2026-10-14): How much CPU and storage a Valheim dedicated server needs: single-thread speed vs cores, NVMe vs HDD for saves, world file growth, and sizing by group size. - [Valheim server log explained: start-up, joins and errors](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-server-log-file-explained) (2026-10-14): How to read a Valheim dedicated server log: where it goes, -logFile, a normal start-up, join code lines, connects and disconnects, and the error lines worth acting on. - [Valheim server monitoring: player counts, A2S and uptime alerts](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-server-monitoring-and-player-counts) (2026-10-14): Watch a Valheim server properly: query port 2457 with A2S tools, player tracking from the log, uptime checks that work over UDP, and alerts that are not noise. - [Valheim server password rules: length, name clash, rotation](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-server-password-rules) (2026-10-14): The rules a Valheim server password must pass, why it cannot share a word with the server name, running without one, and how to rotate a leaked password safely. - [Valheim server security and privacy: locking it down](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-server-security-and-privacy) (2026-10-14): How to lock down a Valheim server: public vs private, passwords, the allow list, admin rights, IP exposure, mods as risk, and what DDoS means for small servers. - [Valheim server as a systemd service: unit, restarts, logs](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-server-systemd-service) (2026-10-14): Run a Valheim dedicated server under systemd: a unit that stops with SIGINT so the world saves, restart policy, journalctl logs and timers for restarts and backups. - [Valheim server wipes and seasons for community servers](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-server-wipes-and-seasons) (2026-10-14): Plan wipes on a Valheim community server: when to start a season, how to announce it, archiving the old world, and fresh-character vs carry-over seasons. - [Valheim ServerSync: how mod configs sync to clients](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-serversync-and-config-enforcement) (2026-10-14): How Valheim mods push config from server to players with ServerSync and Jotunn, what Lock Configuration does, who can edit synced values, and fixing sync failures. - [Valheim group farming: crops, cooking and food duty](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-shared-farming-and-food) (2026-10-14): Run a shared Valheim farm on a server: which crops grow where, the cultivator, replanting without losing seed, fermenters and cooking stations, and who does what. - [Valheim group base: shared storage and crafting layout](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-shared-storage-and-crafting-base) (2026-10-14): Plan a Valheim group base that works: chest layout and labels, crafting station upgrades, a smelting row, who builds what, and how to stop duplicated effort. - [Valheim sleep on a server: skipping the night together](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-sleep-and-day-night-on-servers) (2026-10-14): Why the night will not skip on a Valheim server, what a bed needs, how Rested works, what tod and skiptime really do, and fair sleep rules for groups. - [Spawn That, Drop That and Custom Raids on a Valheim server](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-spawn-that-drop-that-custom-raids) (2026-10-14): Configure Spawn That, Drop That and Custom Raids on a dedicated server: file names, dumping vanilla tables, spawn and drop entries, raid configs and why they fail. - [Valheim stuck on connecting or loading: what to check first](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-stuck-on-connecting-and-loading) (2026-10-14): Why Valheim hangs on Connecting or a long loading screen when joining a server: ports, crossplay relay, big bases, mod sync, slow disks, and the logs that tell you which. - [Valheim Swamp and Bonemass guide for groups on a server](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-swamp-and-bonemass-group-guide) (2026-10-14): Running the Swamp as a group on a Valheim server: sunken crypts, iron runs without portals, poison resistance, the Bonemass fight, the wishbone and swamp raids. - [Valheim tames on a server: breeding, pens and lag](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-tames-breeding-and-server-load) (2026-10-14): How taming and breeding work on a Valheim dedicated server, why big pens of wolves, boars and lox cause lag, and the tame rules worth setting for a group. - [Valheim terraforming on servers: hoe, pickaxe and lag](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-terraforming-on-servers) (2026-10-14): How Valheim stores hoe, pickaxe and cultivator terrain edits, why big flattened areas slow a shared world, the 8 m limit, and safer terraforming habits. - [Valheim traders on a server: Haldor, Hildir, Bog Witch](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-traders-haldor-hildir-bog-witch) (2026-10-14): Where Haldor, Hildir and the Bog Witch spawn, what they sell, which stock waits on boss kills, and what is shared or per player on a Valheim server. - [Valheim update history for server owners, 2021 to 1.0](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-update-history-for-server-owners) (2026-10-14): Every major Valheim update from Hearth and Home to the 1.0 Deep North release, and what each one changed for dedicated servers, saves, mods and old worlds. - [Valheim Upgrade World mod: new content in old worlds](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-upgrade-world-mod) (2026-10-14): How to use Upgrade World by JereKuusela on a Valheim dedicated server: install, the upgrade commands, zone resets, base protection, and backups before every run. - [Valheim world rollback after griefing or an admin mistake](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-world-rollback-for-griefing) (2026-10-14): How to roll a Valheim server back after griefing or a bad admin command: picking the right save, what players lose, characters vs world, and telling the group. - [Valheim world size mods: Expand World Size and Better Continents](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-world-size-and-continent-mods) (2026-10-14): How Expand World Size and Better Continents change Valheim's map, why every player needs them, how to make a new world with them, and why old worlds suffer. - [Valheim admin console commands: the vanilla reference](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-admin-console-commands-reference) (2026-10-12): Every vanilla Valheim admin command on a dedicated server - kick, ban, unban, banned, save, ping, lodbias, info - and how to open the console with -console. - [Valheim adminlist, bannedlist and permittedlist explained](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-adminlist-bannedlist-permittedlist) (2026-10-12): How Valheim's adminlist.txt, bannedlist.txt and permittedlist.txt work: where they live, which ID format to use, crossplay prefixes and private allow lists. - [Valheim base placement on a shared server](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-base-placement-for-shared-servers) (2026-10-12): Where to build Valheim bases on a shared server: zones and ownership, how far apart player bases should be, portal hubs, and how to avoid shared-zone lag. - [Valheim boss progression on a shared server](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-boss-progression-on-shared-servers) (2026-10-12): How Valheim boss kills work on a shared server: world keys, late joiners, trophies and powers, trader stock, raids that unlock, and undoing a kill. - [Valheim devcommands explained for server admins](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-devcommands-explained) (2026-10-12): What god, ghost, fly, debugmode, tod, env, killall, removedrops and exploremap do, where devcommands works, and what each costs on a shared world. - [Valheim server in Docker with lloesche/valheim-server](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-docker-server-guide) (2026-10-12): Run a Valheim dedicated server in Docker with the lloesche/valheim-server image: compose file, env vars, volumes, update and backup jobs, and BepInEx. - [Epic Loot on a Valheim server: install, sync and balance](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-epic-loot-server-guide) (2026-10-12): Run Epic Loot on a Valheim dedicated server: install on server and clients, how config sync works, rarities and enchanting, and balance settings for a group world. - [Valheim 'Failed to connect' and other join errors fixed](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-failed-to-connect-errors) (2026-10-12): What each Valheim connection error means - Failed to connect, Incompatible version, Server is full, Incorrect password, Disconnected - and how to fix it. - [Valheim global keys: listkeys, setkey and boss keys](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-global-keys-and-setkey) (2026-10-12): What Valheim global keys are, the boss and creature keys and what each unlocks for the world, and how to use listkeys, setkey, removekey and resetkeys safely. - [Jotunn for Valheim: what it does and why it kicks players](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-jotunn-library-explained) (2026-10-12): What the Jotunn library does for Valheim mods, how its version check decides who gets kicked, how admin config sync works, and how to keep it current on a server. - [Valheim server launch arguments: the complete reference](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-launch-arguments-reference) (2026-10-12): Every Valheim dedicated server argument in one place - -name, -port, -world, -password, -savedir, -saveinterval, backups, -crossplay, presets - with defaults. - [Valheim mod version mismatch: why you get kicked on join](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-mod-version-mismatch-kicks) (2026-10-12): Kicked from a modded Valheim server on connect? How to read the mismatch message, how Jotunn and ServerSync check versions, and how to match client and server mods. - [Valheim performance by biome: what costs the most](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-performance-by-biome) (2026-10-12): Why Mistlands and Ashlands run worse than the Meadows, what each biome costs the server and each player's PC, and what to change for each one. - [Valheim player limit: the 10-player cap and bigger groups](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-player-limit-and-larger-groups) (2026-10-12): Why a Valheim server stops at 10 players, what the eleventh sees, how mods raise the cap, and what a group of 15 or 20 costs in RAM, CPU and lag. - [Valheim portals: tags, pairing and teleport rules](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-portal-rules-and-teleport-restrictions) (2026-10-12): How Valheim portals pair by tag, what happens with duplicate tags, which items cannot be teleported, and what each portals modifier value changes on a server. - [Valheim server ports: 2456, 2457 and 2458 explained](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-ports-2456-2458-explained) (2026-10-12): Which UDP ports a Valheim server really uses, how -port shifts them, how to forward them at home, and how to run several Valheim servers on one IP. - [Valheim PvP server: toggle, raiding rules and mods](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-pvp-server-guide) (2026-10-12): How PvP works on a Valheim dedicated server: the per-player toggle, what wards do in a fight, raiding rules worth writing down, teams, and the mods PvP servers run. - [Valheim raids on a server: how events pick a target](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-raids-and-events-on-servers) (2026-10-12): How Valheim raids work on a dedicated server: the 46-minute roll, base detection, which boss keys enable each event, the raids modifier and stopevent. - [Reset a Valheim server world and keep your characters](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-reset-world-keep-characters) (2026-10-12): Start a fresh world on a Valheim dedicated server without touching anyone's character: a new -world name, archiving the old files, and what players carry over. - [Valheim save locations: worlds, savedir and server files](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-savedir-and-file-locations) (2026-10-12): Where Valheim keeps worlds, characters and admin lists on Windows and Linux, how -savedir moves them, and which folder a dedicated server reads. - [Valheim seeds: pick a good one and use it on a server](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-seeds-guide) (2026-10-12): How Valheim seeds work, how to scout one with a map viewer, what to check around the start, and how to get a seeded world onto a dedicated server. - [Valheim server crashes on start: causes and fixes](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-server-crashes-on-start) (2026-10-12): Why a Valheim dedicated server stops during start-up - steamclient.so, password rules, world load errors, ports in use, BepInEx and memory - and how to fix each. - [Valheim server not showing in the community list: fixes](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-server-not-showing-in-list) (2026-10-12): Why a Valheim dedicated server is missing from the community list - -public 1, the query port, master server delay, crossplay, filters - and how to join anyway. - [Server Devcommands for Valheim: cheats on a dedicated server](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-serverdevcommands-mod) (2026-10-12): Install JereKuusela's Server Devcommands so admins can use devcommands on a dedicated server, plus aliases, binds, the server command and locking commands down. - [Valheim spawn command: syntax, levels and item IDs](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-spawn-command-and-item-ids) (2026-10-12): How the Valheim spawn command works: amount and level, prefab names vs display names, common item and creature IDs, and spawning safely on a live server. - [Install a Valheim server on Linux with SteamCMD](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-steamcmd-linux-server-install) (2026-10-12): Install a Valheim dedicated server on Ubuntu or Debian with SteamCMD: a dedicated user, app 896660, start_server.sh, the firewall and a systemd unit. - [r2modman for Valheim groups: share one mod profile](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-thunderstore-r2modman-for-groups) (2026-10-12): Build one r2modman profile for your Valheim group, share it as a code or a file, pin mod versions, and install the same set on the dedicated server. - [Update a Valheim server and fix 'Incompatible version'](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-update-server-and-version-mismatch) (2026-10-12): How to update a Valheim dedicated server with SteamCMD, why 'Incompatible version' appears after a patch, and how to time updates for a group with mods. - [Valheim wards and griefing on a dedicated server](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-wards-and-griefing) (2026-10-12): What a Valheim ward protects and what it does not, how to permit players, how ward spam works, and how an admin deals with griefing on a server. - [Install a Valheim dedicated server on Windows](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-windows-dedicated-server-install) (2026-10-12): Set up a Valheim dedicated server on Windows: Steam Tools or SteamCMD, a safe copy of start_headless_server.bat, firewall rules and an NSSM service. - [Valheim server RAM by world age](https://www.renode.space/blog/how-much-ram-does-a-valheim-server-need) (2026-10-07): Valheim server memory explained: real RAM figures by group size and world age, why terraforming and exploration cost more than players, and when mods change it. - [Valheim crossplay server and Xbox players](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-crossplay-and-xbox-players) (2026-10-07): How Valheim crossplay works on a dedicated server: the -crossplay flag, join codes, admin IDs with platform prefixes, Xbox privacy settings, and mods. - [Valheim server backups and world corruption](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-server-backups-and-world-corruption) (2026-10-07): Where a Valheim server keeps its world and backups, what the backup flags do, how to restore an older save, and how to recover a corrupt or reset world. - [Valheim server lag: zone ownership and desync](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-server-performance-and-lag) (2026-10-07): Why a Valheim server lags: zone ownership, the per-player send limit, instance counts in big bases and save hitches - and the fixes that actually work. - [Upload a Valheim save to a dedicated server](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-upload-local-world-to-server) (2026-10-06): Move a single-player or co-op Valheim world onto a dedicated server: where the .db and .fwl files live, how to upload them, and how to fix a world that resets. - [Valheim server mods with BepInEx](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-mods-bepinex-server) (2026-09-21): Installing BepInEx on a Valheim server, which mods belong server-side, keeping every player on the same list, and surviving the patch that breaks them. - [Valheim world modifiers, presets and transfers](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-world-modifiers-and-presets) (2026-09-21): Every Valheim world modifier and preset, how to change them on a live server, why there is no seed argument, and how to move a world in without losing it. - [Valheim dedicated server: setup and settings](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-dedicated-server-guide) (2026-07-07): How a Valheim dedicated server works: RAM and CPU by group size, launch settings, crossplay, admin commands, world modifiers, BepInEx mods and safe saves. --- ### Renting a Valheim server: what to check before you pay Published 2026-10-15 by RE:NODE Team. https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-server-rent-what-to-look-for To rent a Valheim server sensibly you need to check six things, and the headline price is not one of them: enough memory for the world you will have in three months rather than the one you have today (2 GB for up to three players on a fresh world, 4 GB for a full group of ten, 6-8 GB once BepInEx mods arrive), a location your whole group can reach in under about 80 ms, full file access so you can upload your world and take it away again, a way to run BepInEx, backups that live somewhere other than the server's own disk, and crossplay you can switch on yourself. Valheim is a cheap game to host - a correct plan for most groups costs about the same as a takeaway coffee each a month - so the expensive mistakes are rarely about money. They are a host in the wrong country, a plan sold by player slots, and a world you cannot get back out. This post goes through each check, what the listing usually hides, and how to test a server in its first hour while a refund is still easy to ask for. #### What you are actually renting A rented Valheim server is the free dedicated server application (`valheim_server`, Steam app id `896660`) running on somebody else's hardware, with a control panel in front of it. It is the same program you could run at home, loading the same two world files. Nothing about it is proprietary, and that is the first thing worth holding on to: any host that makes the world feel like it belongs to them is selling you something the game does not require. What you pay for is the rest: a machine that is always on, a data-centre connection instead of your home upload, a public address with the ports already open, and a panel that turns launch arguments into form fields. Whether that is worth a monthly fee is the question in [Valheim: hosting from your own PC vs a rented server](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-home-hosting-vs-rented-server), which covers upload speed, CGNAT, electricity and IP exposure in detail. This post assumes you have decided to rent and want to avoid buying the wrong thing. Two facts about Valheim shape every check that follows. The server holds the entire world in memory and grows with it, so the plan that fits today will not fit forever. And the server does not simulate the world on its own: each zone is simulated by the first player who walks into it, which means the latency between your players and the server matters more than any CPU figure on the listing. #### RAM and CPU: sizing the plan by players and world age Memory is the number that matters, and the right figure depends more on the world than on the head count. A Valheim server loads every object in the world - each tree, rock, building piece, chest and patch of flattened ground - and keeps all of it in memory whether anybody is near it or not. | Group and world | RAM | CPU | | --- | --- | --- | | 1-3 players, new world | 2 GB | 1 core | | 4-6 players, several bases | 3-4 GB | 1.5-2 cores | | 7-10 players, mapped world | 4-6 GB | 2 cores | | Modded, 10+ BepInEx mods | 6-8 GB | 2+ cores | The way to use the table when renting: pick the row you expect to be in after a few months, not the row you are in on day one. A group of four in its first week runs happily on 2 GB; the same group with a terraformed hilltop base and half the map explored may not. The practical test is the world file. A `.db` under about 50 MB sits comfortably in 2-3 GB, 50-150 MB wants 4 GB, and past 200 MB the world deserves 6 GB. The full reasoning, including why terraforming costs more than players, is in [how much RAM a Valheim server needs](https://www.renode.space/blog/how-much-ram-does-a-valheim-server-need). CPU is where listings are least honest, because "vCPU" can mean almost anything. What you want to know is whether the figure is a guaranteed share of a core or a "burst" figure that disappears when the machine is busy. Valheim's main loop leans on one thread, so a guaranteed 1.5 cores on a fast processor beats four shared cores on an old one. Ask the host two questions: is the CPU a hard limit or a burstable one, and can you see your usage against that limit on a graph? If the answer to the second is no, you will never be able to tell a CPU problem from a network one. [Valheim server CPU and disk sizing](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-server-cpu-and-disk-sizing) explains what the server does with each core. Disk is rarely the constraint. The server installs at about 2 GB, a long-lived world is 20-150 MB, and the backups beside it multiply that by however many you keep. 15 GB is plenty for vanilla; a modded server with a large pack and several backups is comfortable in 30 GB. Do check that the storage is SSD or NVMe, because a slow disk makes the periodic save freeze longer for everybody. On RE:NODE the Valheim ladder runs from 2 GB with 1 vCPU up to 8 GB with 3 vCPU, all on NVMe. CPU is a hard throttle to the share you bought, measured in percent of one core, and the console shows memory, CPU and disk graphs against those limits - which is the graph you want from any host. #### Player slots and the ten-player cap A surprising number of Valheim listings are priced per player slot, and that is the first pricing trap. Valheim's dedicated server accepts at most **10 players**. The limit is in the game, not in the host's software, and only mods raise it. A plan advertising "20 slots" on a vanilla server is advertising nothing; a plan priced at so much per slot is charging you for a number that does not change what the server needs. What a server needs is memory and a steady core, and those are set by the world, not by the slot count. Four people with a sprawling base need more than eight people in their first week. Per-slot pricing also tends to put the useful parts - more memory, mod support, more backups - behind a slot count you would never reach. If a host sells by slots, find out how much memory each slot tier actually gets, and compare on that. If your group really is larger than ten, the honest answer is that Valheim was not built for it. Server-side mods can raise the cap, but enemy scaling and network load were tuned around ten, and past about fifteen players most groups find the trouble outweighs the company. [The Valheim player limit and larger groups](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-player-limit-and-larger-groups) goes through what changes. #### Location and ping: test before you pay Location is the check that cannot be fixed after purchase. You can upgrade memory with a click; you cannot move a server's distance from your players. For Valheim this matters more than usual because of zone ownership: the player who owns a zone sends its state through the server to everyone else, so a slow path between that player and the server becomes everybody's rubber-banding. As a guide, a survival game like Valheim feels comfortable below about 80 ms of round trip, playable up to about 150 ms, and frustrating beyond that. Distance sets a floor of roughly 1 ms of round trip per 100 km of fibre, and routing adds the rest. [Game server ping by region](https://www.renode.space/blog/game-server-ping-by-region) has the figures from a European data centre to every part of the world. Before paying, ask the host for a test address in the location you would be placed in, and have every member of the group measure it from home: ```bash # Windows, macOS or Linux: 20 round trips, look at the average and the worst $ ping -n 20 203.0.113.10 # Windows $ ping -c 20 203.0.113.10 # macOS and Linux # Linux or macOS: shows where along the route latency or loss appears $ mtr -rwc 50 203.0.113.10 ``` Read the result for the group, not for one person. The figure that matters is the worst player's, because they will own zones too. Look at the spread as well as the average: a steady 60 ms is better than an average of 40 that jumps to 200, and a few percent of packet loss is worse than either. [Latency, jitter and packet loss](https://www.renode.space/blog/latency-jitter-and-packet-loss) explains how to read those three numbers. > [!WARNING] > Some hosts list several regions but only have stock in one at checkout, or place new servers in a default region unless you pick one. Confirm the location in writing before paying, and check the server's address against your ping test the moment it is created. If it is not where you were told, ask for a move or a refund in the first hour, not the first month. A host with a single location is not a bad host; it is a host for players near that location. RE:NODE runs in one place, Germany, which gives most of Europe a round trip well inside the comfortable band and is a long way from the Americas and Asia. A group split across continents should put the server near the majority, or near the middle, and accept that somebody pays for the distance. #### World upload, file access and getting your world back out Most groups renting a server already have a world: one hosted in-game, or one somebody played alone for a while. Moving it is simple in principle - stop the server, upload `Name.fwl` and `Name.db` into the server's `worlds_local` folder, set the world name to match, start it - and the full walkthrough is in [how to upload a Valheim save to a dedicated server](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-upload-local-world-to-server). What decides whether it is simple in practice is the access the host gives you. What to check: 1. **SFTP access**, with credentials you can put in any client. A web file manager is convenient for editing `adminlist.txt`; SFTP is what you want for moving files reliably and for downloading the whole save folder. 2. **Control of the world name.** The `-world` argument has to be something you can set, or you cannot load an uploaded world. A host that only lets you pick from its own list of worlds is a problem. 3. **Access to the list files**: `adminlist.txt`, `bannedlist.txt` and `permittedlist.txt` live in the save directory and are re-read while the server runs. If you cannot edit them, you cannot make yourself an admin. 4. **Download of everything.** Before you rely on a host, download the world and the backups once. The day you want to leave is a bad day to discover the files are locked inside a panel. That last point is the lock-in check, and it costs nothing to do. A Valheim world is portable by design: two files, no account data, no host-specific format. Characters are not even part of it - they live on each player's own machine, which is why nobody loses gear when a world moves. Any host can hold your world hostage only if it hides the files. On RE:NODE every server has its own SFTP credentials and an in-browser file manager, the world name is a field on the Startup tab, and backups can be downloaded as well as restored. #### Mods: what BepInEx support really means "Mod support" on a listing can mean three different things, and only one of them is useful for Valheim. Valheim mods run on BepInEx. On a server that means the BepInExPack for Valheim unpacked into the server's root folder - a `BepInEx` directory, `doorstop_libs` and a `start_server_bepinex.sh` script that has to replace the normal start command. Mods are `.dll` files in `BepInEx/plugins`, and their settings appear in `BepInEx/config` after the first start. For that to work on a rented server, you need three things: - **A way to start the server through BepInEx.** Either a toggle or startup option provided by the host, or the ability to change the start command yourself. Without this, uploaded mods simply never load. - **Write access to the `BepInEx` folder**, both `plugins` and `config`, over SFTP or the file manager. Config files are where most of the real work of running a modded server happens. - **Readable logs.** `BepInEx/LogOutput.log` is where a broken mod announces itself. If you cannot read it, you are debugging blind. The other two things "mod support" sometimes means are a one-click installer with a short list of approved mods, and nothing at all beyond permission to upload files. A curated installer is fine if every mod you want is on it, and a trap if one is not. Ask whether you can install any mod from Thunderstore, not only the ones in the menu. Two more questions belong here. Can you turn off automatic game updates? Every Valheim patch breaks some BepInEx mods until their authors catch up, and a modded server that updates itself on patch day is a server nobody can join until the mods do. And is the plan big enough? A content-heavy modpack wants 6-8 GB, and some hosts' Valheim ladders stop at 4. [Valheim mods with BepInEx on a server](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-mods-bepinex-server) covers the install, the server-side and client-side split, and the patch-day routine. On RE:NODE mods are uploaded through the file manager or SFTP, with no approved list to stay inside, and the Valheim plans go up to 8 GB. There is no one-click mod installer; you bring the files. #### Backups, saves and the clean stop This is the section that decides whether the world is still there next year, and it is where cheap hosting most often cuts corners. Valheim writes the world to disk on a timer, every `-saveinterval` seconds - 1800 by default, thirty minutes. Anything that ends the process without a save throws away everything since the last one. So the first thing to check is how the panel's Stop and Restart buttons behave. A clean stop sends the server a shutdown signal, Valheim saves, then exits. A kill ends the process at once and loses up to a full interval. Test it once: build something, press Restart, and see whether it is there afterwards. Then check that you can change `-saveinterval` yourself; `600` is the right value for most groups. The second check is where backups live. Valheim's own `-backups` setting keeps copies beside the world, on the same disk. They protect against a corrupt save and nothing else - not a deleted server, not a disk failure, not somebody overwriting the world through the file manager. What you want from a host is: | Question | Good answer | | --- | --- | | Where are backups stored? | Off the machine they protect | | How do I restore one? | A button, without a support ticket | | Can I download a backup? | Yes, as a normal archive | | Can I schedule them? | Yes, at a time nobody plays | | Are backups an add-on? | Included in the plan | Paid backups are one of the quieter pricing traps. A plan that looks a dollar cheaper and charges extra for backup slots is not cheaper, and a plan with no backups at all is a plan where one mistake ends the world. The full routine for corrupt worlds and restores is in [Valheim server backups and world corruption](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-server-backups-and-world-corruption). On RE:NODE every Valheim plan includes two backup slots, stored off the machine, restored with one button and downloadable; Stop and Restart save the world first; and the Schedules tab can run a daily backup and a weekly restart. A backup nobody has restored is a hypothesis, so restore one in the first week while the stakes are low. #### Crossplay: Xbox and Game Pass players If anyone in the group plays on Xbox or the Microsoft Store / Game Pass version on PC, the server needs the `-crossplay` flag. With it, players join with a six-digit code printed in the server log at startup, and traffic is relayed through PlayFab rather than sent straight to the game port. The code changes on every restart. What to check on a rented server: - **Can you switch crossplay on and off yourself?** It should be a field on the startup settings. Some hosts treat it as a premium feature; it is one launch argument. - **Can you see the join code?** It appears in the console output. If the panel hides the console, the Xbox players have no way in. - **Does the host understand the trade-offs?** Crossplay adds a relay hop, and players are identified by platform-prefixed IDs such as `Steam_76561198012345678` or `Xbox_...`, which changes what goes in `adminlist.txt`. Crossplay and mods also pull against each other. Console players cannot install mods, so a server that needs client-side mods is a PC-only server whatever the flag says. If your group has an Xbox player, decide that before you pick a modpack. [Valheim crossplay and Xbox players](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-crossplay-and-xbox-players) goes through join codes, IDs and the version-mismatch problems after a patch. RE:NODE's Valheim servers ship with crossplay already on and show the join code in the live console; turning it off is a Startup tab change and a restart. #### Pricing traps to look for Most Valheim hosts are honest. The traps are in the parts of the listing nobody reads. In rough order of how often they cost people money: - **Introductory prices.** A low first month that renews at a higher rate. Look for the renewal price, not the checkout price. - **Long prepay without a refund path.** A twelve-month term is cheaper per month, and fine once you know the host is right for you. Buy one month first, run the checks in this post, then commit. Find out how refunds work - a button, a ticket, or not at all - before you need one. - **Per-slot pricing**, covered above. Compare on memory instead. - **Extras that should be included**: backups, SFTP, a dedicated port, mod support, crossplay, changing the world. Each is small; together they can double the bill. - **"Unlimited" anything.** Memory, CPU and bandwidth are all finite. Unlimited usually means undisclosed, and undisclosed usually means shared with whoever else is on the machine. - **Plan changes that rebuild the server.** Upgrading should change the limits on the server you have, not create a new one you then have to move your world to. - **Setup fees and region surcharges.** Rare for Valheim, but they appear. The general version of this list, with questions to send a host before buying, is in [how to choose game server hosting](https://www.renode.space/blog/how-to-choose-game-server-hosting). For the cheapest working setups across games, see [the cheapest way to host a server for friends](https://www.renode.space/blog/cheapest-way-to-host-a-server-for-friends). #### Renting vs hosting at home: the honest version Renting is not always the right answer, and it is worth saying so. A group of two or three who always play together can host from inside the game for nothing. A household with a spare low-power machine, a real public IP address and 10 Mbit/s or more of upload can run the same dedicated server at home and pay only for electricity - often less than a small rented plan. Renting earns its fee when one of these is true: you are behind carrier-grade NAT and cannot open a port; your upload is weak; the group plays at different times and needs the world on when the host's PC is off; the group is five or more; or nobody wants to be the person who restarts the server at midnight. A rented server also keeps your home address out of the hands of everyone who joins. Those trade-offs, with the numbers, are in the [home vs rented comparison](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-home-hosting-vs-rented-server); if you would rather run the whole machine yourself, [a Valheim server on a VPS](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-dedicated-server-on-a-vps) is the middle option. #### The first hour after you pay Most of the checks above can only be confirmed on a running server, so do them straight away, while asking for a refund is still a simple conversation: 1. **Check the address and ping** against your test from before. Have the farthest player join and stand still for a minute. 2. **Join by IP** at `address:2456` from a Steam client, and by join code from an Xbox or Game Pass player if you have one. 3. **Upload your world**, set the world name and watch the log for `Load world: Name`. If the log says it is generating a new world, the name does not match. 4. **Add yourself to `adminlist.txt`** using the ID from the server log, and confirm the console accepts `save`. 5. **Test a clean restart**: place a workbench, press Restart, and check it survived. 6. **Take a backup, then restore it.** Then download one to your own machine. 7. **Watch the memory graph** for the first evening of real play. If it already sits near the limit, the plan is too small for the world you uploaded. If all seven pass, the host is doing its job and a longer term is safe. If two of them fail, you have learned that for the price of one month. #### FAQ ##### How much does it cost to rent a Valheim server? For most groups, a few dollars a month. A 2 GB plan suits up to three players on a new world, and a 4 GB plan suits a full group of ten on an established one. Modded servers cost more because they need 6-8 GB. Paying for more than the world needs does not make it run better. ##### Is a rented Valheim server better than a server at home? It is steadier rather than faster. A data-centre connection does not slow down when somebody at home starts streaming, and the server does not stop when a PC is turned off. Lag caused by one player on a poor connection owning a zone happens on any server, wherever it runs. ##### Can I move my world to another host later? Yes, if the host lets you download your files. A world is two files, `Name.fwl` and `Name.db`, and moves between hosts exactly as it moves from a PC to a server. Download it once in the first week to make sure you can. ##### Do I need a bigger plan for crossplay? No. Crossplay relays traffic through PlayFab and adds a little latency, but it does not meaningfully change memory or CPU use. Size the plan for the world and the mods, not for the platforms. ##### Can I run mods on any rented Valheim server? Only if the host lets you start the server through BepInEx and write to the `BepInEx` folder. Check both before buying, along with whether you can stop automatic updates, which break mods on patch day. ##### What should I do if the server is in the wrong location? Ask for it to be moved or refunded straight away. Location cannot be fixed by upgrading, and the worst-connected player's latency affects everybody near them because of how Valheim assigns zones. Valheim on RE:NODE starts from $6 a month with 2 GB, crossplay on, both UDP ports allocated, SFTP and a file manager, and two backup slots stored off the machine. The servers are in Germany, so test your group's ping first; upgrading later changes the limits on the server you already have. [See Valheim plans](https://www.renode.space/game-servers/valheim) --- ### Valheim lost tombstone: admin recovery on a server Published 2026-10-14 by RE:NODE Team. https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-admin-tools-for-lost-tombstones When a player on your Valheim server cannot find their tombstone, the first thing to establish is whether it still exists. In vanilla, a tombstone stays in the world until somebody empties it - it does not despawn on a timer, and logging off does not remove it. Most "lost" tombstones are really lost map pins, tombstones in awkward places, or tombstones somebody else already looted. Once you know which, the fix is one of four: the player goes back with help, an admin with the cheat set (through a mod) flies there with `ghost` and `god` on and fetches it, an admin edits an offline copy of the world, or you give up on the tombstone and `spawn` the gear back. This guide goes through those in order of how little they disturb the world, with the commands, the catches, and the house rules that stop refunds turning into a source of free items. #### How tombstones work on a server When a character dies, the game creates a tombstone at the spot and moves the character's inventory into it - everything carried and equipped. The player respawns at their bed, or at the world spawn if they have no bed, with nothing. A marker appears on the dead character's map at the death location. The facts that matter for recovery: - **The tombstone belongs to the world, not the character.** It is an object saved in the world file, like a chest. It survives server restarts and the player logging out. - **The map marker belongs to the character.** It lives in the player's character file on their own machine. Delete the pin, switch characters or restore an old character backup, and the marker is gone - the tombstone is not. - **Anyone can loot it.** In vanilla, other players can open a tombstone and take its contents. Once it is empty it disappears. - **The owner gets a bonus for recovering it.** Collecting your own tombstone gives the Corpse Run effect, a short buff that helps you get home. An admin who fetches it does not pass that on. - **An empty inventory leaves no tombstone.** If the character died carrying nothing, there is nothing to find. - **Each death makes its own.** Dying twice on the way back makes a second tombstone with whatever was carried the second time, usually very little, and a second marker. How harsh a death is also depends on the world's death penalty modifier, which changes what goes into the tombstone and what happens to skills. The values and their effect are in [Valheim world modifiers and presets](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-world-modifiers-and-presets), and the player-side mechanics - skill drain, corpse runs, logging off with a tombstone out - in [death and tombstones on a server](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-death-penalty-and-tombstones). #### First, work out what actually happened Before anyone types a command, ask the player four questions. They decide the whole recovery. | Question | Why it matters | | --- | --- | | Do you still see the death marker on your map? | If yes, the tombstone is findable without any admin help | | Where were you - open ground, water, a dungeon? | Dungeons and deep water change how you reach it | | Did anyone else go there since? | Another player may have looted it, which removes it | | Did you change or restore your character since? | A restored character file loses the marker but not the tombstone | Ask for a screenshot of their map with the marker visible, zoomed out enough to show a landmark. That one image replaces half the conversation, and it is what an admin flies to later. Three common outcomes: 1. **The marker is there, the player just cannot get to it.** The tombstone is in a dangerous place or too far with no gear. This is an escort or fetch job. 2. **The marker is gone but the player remembers roughly where.** The tombstone almost certainly still exists. This is a search job. 3. **The marker is there, the player went there, and nothing is there.** Someone emptied it, or it ended up somewhere unreachable through a bug. This is usually a refund job. > [!WARNING] > Do not roll the whole world back to recover one tombstone. A restore takes every player back to the time of that backup - their builds, their trips, their boss kills - and their characters, which live on their own machines, do not roll back with it. Rolling back to undo a death is the fastest way to create item duplicates and angry players at once. #### Without admin commands: the vanilla options A vanilla dedicated server gives admins `kick`, `ban`, `save` and not much else - no teleport, no god mode, no flying. The cheat set that includes `pos`, `goto`, `ghost` and `god` is refused on a vanilla dedicated server, admin or not, as the [admin console commands reference](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-admin-console-commands-reference) explains. So the first options do not involve the console at all. **Go back as a group.** The simplest recovery is still the original one: friends with gear escort the player to their tombstone. Since anyone can open a tombstone, a friend can also go alone, empty it into their own inventory, and hand everything over at base. Make sure the friend has empty inventory space first; a tombstone full of armour, weapons and ore is heavy. **Use a portal.** If there is a portal network, build a portal close to the death site and link it to the base. Most tombstones are recovered with a temporary portal and a ten-minute trip. Remember that some items cannot go through portals on most portal settings - [portal rules and teleport restrictions](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-portal-rules-and-teleport-restrictions) covers which. **Edit an offline copy of the world.** When the tombstone is somewhere nobody can reach without cheats - deep in a Mistlands mine, on an island no one has a boat for - the vanilla admin route is the same one used for any world-level fix: 1. Warn the group and stop the server. A save happens on a clean stop. 2. Download the world's `.db` and `.fwl` files over SFTP or the file manager. 3. Open the world locally in single player with your own character, enable `devcommands`, and go to the tombstone. 4. Move the contents into a chest you place at the player's base, or into a chest beside the tombstone that is easy to reach. 5. Quit cleanly so the world saves, upload both files back, and start the server. The catch is that your own character now carried those items in single player. Put every item in the chest before you leave, so nothing travels back to the server on your character. The upload is covered in [uploading a local world to a server](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-upload-local-world-to-server). It is slow, it means downtime for the whole group, and it works without installing anything. #### With the cheat set: pos, goto, ghost, god and fly Most admins who do this more than once install [Server Devcommands](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-serverdevcommands-mod), the mod by JereKuusela that lets the accounts in `adminlist.txt` use the cheat set on a dedicated server. With it, a tombstone recovery takes a couple of minutes while the server stays up. The commands you need: | Command | What it does for this job | | --- | --- | | `devcommands` | Turns the cheat set on for your session | | `pos` | Prints your current coordinates | | `goto [x] [z]` | Teleports you to those coordinates | | `fly` | Toggles flight, for crossing the map and checking terrain | | `ghost` | Creatures ignore you | | `god` | Your health never drops below 1 | | `heal` | Restores health and stamina | `ghost` and `god` are toggles, so each typing flips the state. Read the console's confirmation line each time rather than counting in your head. Server Devcommands adds many more commands of its own, including ones for finding objects; check its documentation for the version you run, because the extras change between releases. A typical fetch: ```text > devcommands > ghost > god > fly > pos > goto 1240 -3315 > fly ``` That turns on the cheat set, makes you invisible to creatures and unkillable, lets you fly, prints where you are, jumps to the spot from the player's screenshot, and lands you. Open the tombstone, take everything, fly back, and give it to the player - drop it in front of them or put it in a chest they can reach. Then turn the cheats off: ```text > fly > ghost > god > devcommands ``` ##### Getting coordinates for goto Vanilla Valheim does not show coordinates on the map, so you need a way to turn "it is on the coast past the big swamp" into numbers: - **The player stands near it.** If the player can get close but not survive, have them walk as near as they safely can; you fly to their rough area, then run `pos` once you see the tombstone. Note the coordinates for later. - **Fly by the map.** With the screenshot open, fly to the area on your own map. Flight reveals your map as you go, which is personal to you - it does not reveal anything for the group, unless you later read or write at a cartography table. - **Write coordinates down for repeat locations.** If players keep dying in the same crypt cluster or the same Ashlands landing, keep a note of its coordinates in your admin channel. > [!TIP] > Before you open a tombstone, empty your own inventory into a chest at base. Tombstones from late-game deaths hold a full set of armour, weapons, food and a stack of ore, and you do not want to be choosing which of someone's items to leave behind. ##### Special places **Dungeons.** Crypts, caves and mines are built far above the surface of the world, and their entrances are on the surface. A player who died inside has a tombstone inside, and the marker points at the entrance area. Go in through the door like everyone else - with `ghost` on that is quick. **Water.** A tombstone from a sinking ship or a serpent floats where the character died. Fly low over the area; it is visible on the surface. Bring a boat or fly with the items afterwards - you cannot swim far carrying a full inventory. **Inside someone else's base.** If the player died inside another player's warded base, think before you open anything there. Fetch only the tombstone and say so in chat. [Wards and griefing](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-wards-and-griefing) covers what wards block. #### When to spawn items back instead Some tombstones are not coming back: another player looted it, a crash rolled the world back to before the death but after the player's character saved their empty inventory, or it fell somewhere it cannot be reached. That is when `spawn` is the right tool. ```text > spawn ArmorBronzeChest 1 2 > spawn SwordIron 1 1 > spawn Iron 30 ``` The pattern is `spawn [prefab] [amount] [level]`, where level sets the item's quality for gear. Prefab names are internal names, not the names you see in game, which catches everyone at first - the bronze plate cuirass is `ArmorBronzeChest`. Getting the names right, and spawning safely on a live server, is covered in [the spawn command and item IDs](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-spawn-command-and-item-ids). Spawn back instead of recovering when: - **The tombstone is gone.** Confirm it, ideally by checking the spot yourself, before replacing anything. - **Recovery would cost more than it is worth.** A tombstone with a flint axe and some wood is not worth a trip; the player can replace that in five minutes. - **The loss came from the server or a bug.** A crash, a desync on a ship, a lag spike in a boss fight - the group generally agrees these should be made good. Spawn back carefully when: - **The loss came from risk the player chose.** Dying in the Plains at night with no food is part of the game. Some groups refund everything, some refund nothing; decide in advance and apply it equally. - **You cannot be sure the tombstone is gone.** If you spawn the gear and the tombstone turns up later, the player now has two sets. #### Refund rules that keep it fair Recovering tombstones is admin work that touches the economy of the world, so treat it like any other admin action: announced, recorded and consistent. 1. **One process, written down.** Screenshot of the map, what was lost, and why. Players know what to send and admins know what to check. 2. **Recover before refunding.** Fetching the original is always better than spawning a copy. It keeps the world's item count honest. 3. **Refunds replace, they do not upgrade.** A level-2 sword lost comes back as a level-2 sword. Do not round up. 4. **A refunded tombstone is closed.** If you spawn gear back, the old tombstone, if it turns up, is emptied by an admin and its contents removed, or the player hands back the copies. Otherwise refunds become a duplication method. 5. **Keep a log.** A line in your admin channel per refund: who, what, why, which admin. If one player needs a refund every week, that log is how you notice. The wider question of what admins should and should not do with cheat commands on a shared world is in [the devcommands guide](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-devcommands-explained). If your group posts deaths to Discord with a mod, the message gives you the time and the player straight away - [the Discord Connector mod](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-discord-connector-mod) is the usual choice. #### Preventing lost tombstones A few habits cut recovery requests sharply: - **A bed and a portal at every forward camp.** Respawning ten minutes away instead of forty turns most deaths into a quick walk. - **Never delete the death marker until you have the tombstone.** It is the only map record of where it is. - **Do not restore a character backup with a tombstone out.** The restored character has an older map, often without the marker. - **Spare gear at base.** A cheap second set of armour and a weapon in a chest makes the corpse run survivable without help. - **Agree on the death penalty setting.** If the group finds deaths too punishing, a softer death penalty modifier fixes the cause rather than handing admins a queue of refunds. On RE:NODE the panel console runs `save` before you start anything risky, and backup slots are included on every Valheim plan; take a manual backup and lock it before an offline world edit, so the copy you can fall back to is not rotated away. Mods such as Server Devcommands go in through the file manager or SFTP, and only the admins who use the commands need the mod on their own game. #### FAQ ##### Do Valheim tombstones disappear after a while? Not in vanilla. A tombstone stays in the world until it is emptied, through restarts and while the player is offline. If one is missing, someone looted it or something unusual happened to it, such as a bug or a world rollback. ##### Can another player pick up my tombstone for me? Yes. Any player can open a tombstone and take what is in it, then hand the items over. You lose the Corpse Run bonus you would get from collecting it yourself, but you get your gear back without the trip. ##### Why can I not use goto on our server even though I am an admin? `goto` is part of the cheat set, and vanilla dedicated servers refuse it whoever is admin. Install Server Devcommands, or make the change in an offline copy of the world opened in single player. ##### Where do I find coordinates for a tombstone? Vanilla does not show coordinates on the map. With the cheat set, `pos` prints yours. Fly to the area shown on the player's map screenshot, find the tombstone, and run `pos` there if you need to note it. ##### Should we roll the world back to undo a bad death? Almost never. A rollback costs every player their progress since the backup, and characters do not roll back with the world, which creates duplicates. Fetch the tombstone or spawn the items back instead. Valheim servers on RE:NODE start from $6 a month with crossplay on, a console in the panel for admin commands, SFTP for mods and world files, and backup slots on every plan that you can lock before an admin session. [See Valheim plans](https://www.renode.space/game-servers/valheim) --- ### Valheim Ashlands on a server: fortresses, Flametal and Fader Published 2026-10-14 by RE:NODE Team. https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-ashlands-and-fader-on-a-server The Ashlands is the hardest biome Valheim has shipped, and on a group server it is less a biome than an expedition. The short version: kill the Queen, build a Drakkar because it is the only ship that crosses the boiling water without being cooked, land as a group with portal materials on board, build a stone foothold under a shield generator, take Charred fortresses with the battering ram or catapult, mine Flametal from the lava spires in the time you get, and fight Fader with a backup taken that day. Everything burns, enemies arrive in numbers, and the person who walks into a zone first runs all of it on their own machine - so who leads matters more here than anywhere else. This guide is written for groups on a dedicated server: what to prepare at home, how to land, how the fortress and Flametal systems work, what Fader needs, and what the Ashlands costs the players' PCs and the server. #### What the Ashlands asks of a group The Ashlands arrived in the 2024 update of the same name. It is a ring of land at the far south of the world, cut off from every other biome and reachable only by sea. The sea around it is boiling, and only the sturdiest ship survives it. Once you are there: - **Fire is a mechanic.** Wooden build pieces catch fire in the Ashlands and the fire spreads. A wooden outpost burns down. A world modifier extends fire spreading to the rest of the world; it is part of the `immersive` preset, so check what your world was started with before you discover it in the Meadows. - **Enemies come in groups and from range.** Charred warriors, archers and mages, Morgen, Fallen Valkyries, Voltures overhead, and the Asksvin, which you can also tame and ride. - **Progression comes from fortresses.** The Charred fortresses hold the materials and the summon items for Fader, and their walls are built to be broken with siege weapons rather than a pickaxe. - **The ocean is hostile too.** The Bonemaw serpent hunts the waters around the biome. As with every boss, the kill is shared. Fader sets the global key `defeated_fader` for the whole world once, and everyone benefits. Characters, inventories and maps are still personal and live on each player's machine. [Global keys and setkey](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-global-keys-and-setkey) lists the keys and what each unlocks. > [!WARNING] > The Ashlands punishes the "everyone goes on their own" habit that works in earlier biomes. A solo player in a fortress zone is a tombstone in lava. On a server, agree that nobody crosses without at least one other person. #### Before you sail: what the group needs at home The Ashlands checklist starts in the Mistlands. The Drakkar needs ceramic plates, which need an artisan table upgraded with the Majestic carapace - the Queen's drop. If the Queen is not dead, the Drakkar is not available. [The Mistlands and Queen guide](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-mistlands-and-the-queen-on-a-server) covers getting there. What each player should arrive with: | Item | Why | | --- | --- | | Best armour and food | The biome hits harder than anything before it | | Fire resistance mead | Lava, fire and burning enemies | | Healing | Fights are long and at range | | Ranged weapon | Voltures, Valkyries and archers on walls | | Portal materials | One portal on the beach changes everything | | Stone, or tools to quarry it | Wood burns; you need a stone shelter | | Building materials for a workbench | Ships are repaired in workbench range | And for the group as a whole: a Drakkar, a second ship's worth of materials in case the first is lost, a plan for who carries the portal, and a backup of the world taken the day you sail. Make one person the expedition lead for the crossing. They should be the player with the best connection and the strongest machine, because they will usually be the first into each new zone and will own it - see the next section. #### Crossing the boiling sea and landing You can only reach the Ashlands by ship the first time. Once a portal is up on a beach there, nobody needs to sail again, so the first landing is the whole game for a few hours. - **Take the Drakkar.** It is the only ship that crosses the hot water without taking damage. Its hold is also the biggest of any ship, which matters when you need to bring stone and portal materials. [Sailing and ships in multiplayer](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-sailing-and-ships-in-multiplayer) covers crewing it and why the helmsman matters. - **Pick a landing before you go.** If any player has seen the coastline, share maps at a cartography table first. Lava runs to the shore in places; you want a stretch of ash and stone with no fortress on top of it. - **Watch for the Bonemaw.** It hunts in the water around the biome. The ship survives a lot, but players who fall in do not. - **Portal first, then shelter.** Before anyone explores, put the portal down and connect it to a hub at home. From that moment a death is a walk, not a voyage. ```text Landing order that works for a group of four 1. Helmsman holds the Drakkar off the beach while two players land 2. Portal goes down, tagged and paired with the home hub 3. Workbench and a stone wall around the portal 4. Shield generator up, fuelled, before anyone goes inland 5. Ship pulled in and repaired, or left as a spare ``` The **shield generator**, added with the Ashlands, puts a dome over a small area and stops incoming projectiles while it is fuelled. On the Ashlands landing it is the difference between a base and a target. Build it in the first hour. Build in stone. Grausten, the Ashlands stone, is the natural material and does not burn the way wood does. A wooden landing hut will be on fire within a night. #### Charred fortresses and siege weapons The fortresses are walled strongholds held by the Charred. Their keeps hold the bell fragments that lead to Fader and plenty of the biome's loot, and you will be doing several. The update added two siege machines for them: | Machine | How it works | When to use it | | --- | --- | --- | | Battering ram | Pulled like a cart, swung into a gate or wall | The main gate, a few hits breaks it | | Catapult | Built in place, throws loads at walls | Breaching from range, or getting over a wall | The ram is a two-player job: one pulls and positions, one or more protect them from the archers on the walls. Archers and mages on the parapets are the main threat while you breach, so a ranged player or two should be killing them before the ram is in position. Once inside, clear the courtyard before anyone goes into the keep. The keep holds the altar with the green beam rising from it; destroying it is where the bell fragments come from, and the beam disappears from the sky when it is done. That beam is also how groups find fortresses from the coast. A fortress is not a place for five players to spread out. Fight in a knot, with the healer in the middle. Enemy scaling applies to the Charred like everything else, so more players means tougher enemies rather than easier fights - [enemy scaling with player count](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-enemy-scaling-with-player-count) explains how far that reaches. #### Flametal: mining against the clock Flametal ore is found in spires that stand in the lava. When you strike a spire with a pickaxe, it starts to sink. You have roughly forty-five seconds to mine as much as you can and get back to safe ground before you are standing in lava. This is a group activity by design: 1. One player mines, one or two keep enemies off them. 2. Bring fire resistance mead for the miner. 3. Stone pillars around the spire are the escape route; know which one you will jump to before the first swing. 4. A miner with the ore in their inventory who falls in has lost both. Carry less, run more often. Flametal ore is not teleportable, like every other ore, so it has to travel by ship or be smelted and worked locally. It smelts in the blast furnace and needs high-tier fuel. Many groups build their Ashlands smelting at the landing - a stone smithy under the shield generator - rather than shipping ore back. [Ore logistics with ships and carts](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-ore-logistics-ships-and-carts) covers both approaches and when switching portal rules is worth it. #### Fader: summoning and the fight Fader's arena has an altar and three bell holders. The bells are made from the bell fragments you took from fortress keeps, and once a bell is on each holder, the altar summons him. Exact counts and recipes have shifted between patches, so read the altar's text in-game rather than trusting an old guide. How groups prepare for Fader: 1. **Take a manual backup.** A failed fight in the Ashlands is a long corpse run through lava with fire raining down. The backup gives you the option of undoing a catastrophe instead of arguing about it - [the boss summoning guide](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-boss-summoning-for-groups) explains the etiquette. 2. **Portal near the arena,** inside a stone shelter. 3. **Fire resistance for everyone, plus full food and healing.** 4. **Ranged and melee mixed.** The fight is long, and the arena punishes standing still. 5. **The zone owner walks in first** - the player with the best connection, because they simulate Fader and everything he brings. When Fader dies, `defeated_fader` is set for the world, and his drops lead on to the end-game gear. At the time the Ashlands shipped he was the last boss; if a later update has added the Deep North, check the patch notes for what comes next. #### Why the Ashlands is heavy on clients and servers The Ashlands is the second biome after the Mistlands that players describe as "the server lagging". It is worth separating the loads, because the fixes are different. | Load | Who pays | Why | | --- | --- | --- | | Lava, fire, embers, lighting | Each player's GPU | Particle and light effects everywhere | | Creatures and projectiles | The zone owner's CPU | Groups of Charred, Valkyries, Voltures | | Fire spreading | The zone owner | Burning pieces are simulated | | Fortress pieces and loot | The server's memory | Every wall and object is stored | The server still does not render anything. Its cost grows with the number of objects the group has loaded and built, and with traffic between players. Fortresses are large structures; a group that has cleared many of them, broken walls and left loot lying about adds a lot to the world file. Players' machines carry the visual load, and the zone owner carries the fight. What helps: - **The strongest PC leads into new zones.** Ownership goes to whoever arrives first, and an underpowered owner makes every Valkyrie stutter for everyone. - **Players lower their own particle and shadow settings.** It is free and it is usually the fix. - **Do not leave burning bases.** A fire spreading through a big wooden structure is ongoing work for the zone owner. - **Clean up.** Drops and broken pieces pile up in fortresses; pick up what you want and leave the rest to despawn rather than hauling half a wall home. [Dropped items and world cleanup](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-dropped-items-and-world-cleanup) explains what grows the world file. - **Restart weekly and lower the save interval.** By the Ashlands, the world is big and old. `-saveinterval 600` keeps the worst-case loss small. A group of up to ten in a mature world with the Ashlands open is usually comfortable at 4-6 GB of server memory. Watch the memory graph during the first week in the biome rather than guessing. If memory is not near the limit and the CPU graph is flat, the lag is on the players' side. The [performance by biome](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-performance-by-biome) guide compares the biomes directly. #### Server settings and admin work for the Ashlands phase Nothing in vanilla Valheim's admin commands helps much in a fight, so the admin's job is prevention and recovery. ```bash # A late-game group world: frequent saves, more backups ./valheim_server.x86_64 -nographics -batchmode \ -name "Longship Crew" -port 2456 -world "Midgard" \ -password "herring-barrel-42" -public 0 \ -saveinterval 600 -backups 6 -backuplong 21600 ``` With that in place, the admin's checklist for the phase is short: - **Back up before the first crossing, before each fortress and before Fader.** Take real backups, stored off the server, not just the built-in ones next to the world file. A [backup you have restored once](https://www.renode.space/blog/backups-that-actually-restore) is the only kind to trust. - **Decide on difficulty as a group.** If the Ashlands is too punishing, the `combat` and `deathpenalty` modifiers can be changed with a restart - [world modifiers and presets](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-world-modifiers-and-presets) has the values. Doing it before the crossing avoids the argument after the third wipe. - **Check for fire spreading** in your world's modifiers if the group is surprised by burning bases outside the Ashlands. On RE:NODE these arguments go into the Startup tab. Every Valheim plan includes backup slots with a one-button restore, a backup can be locked so rotation never removes it, and the Schedules tab runs daily backups and weekly restarts for you. Restart in the panel sends a clean stop, so the world is saved before the process exits. #### Troubleshooting the Ashlands **Our ship sank on the way.** It was not a Drakkar, or it hit something on the way in. The hot water damages the other ships. Rebuild the Drakkar at home and try again with the repair kit and a workbench planned for the beach. **The base burned down.** It was wood. Rebuild in stone under the shield generator. **Enemies rubber-band in a fortress.** Zone ownership: the first player in has the weakest connection. Have them leave and come back after someone else is in. **We cannot find a fortress.** Look for the green beam from the coast or a high point. Destroyed altars no longer show one. **Everyone died at Fader.** Respawn at the bed, portal to the arena, food, gear from chests, and recover tombstones together. If they are unreachable, see [admin tools for lost tombstones](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-admin-tools-for-lost-tombstones). #### FAQ ##### Can we reach the Ashlands without the Drakkar? You can try, but the other ships take damage in the boiling water around the biome and will usually not make it. The Drakkar is the ship built for the crossing, and after the first landing a portal makes sailing unnecessary. ##### Do we have to kill the Queen before the Ashlands? In practice, yes. The Drakkar needs ceramic plates, which need the artisan table upgraded with the Queen's drop. Progression also assumes Mistlands gear. ##### Does fire spread on our whole world now? Only if the world's modifiers say so. In the Ashlands wooden pieces always burn and spread fire; elsewhere it depends on a modifier that is part of the immersive preset. ##### How many players should take a fortress? Three or four is the usual sweet spot: one on the ram, one or two on the archers, one healing or covering. More players make the Charred tougher through scaling and crowd the courtyard. ##### Why does the Ashlands lag when the server's graphs are calm? Because the visual load - lava, fire and particles - is on each player's own machine, and the fight runs on the zone owner's machine. Lower graphics settings and let the strongest player lead into new zones. Valheim servers on RE:NODE start from $6 a month with backup slots on every tier, lockable backups for the night before Fader, and scheduled backups and restarts on the Schedules tab. Moving up a tier changes the limit on the server you already have, so a late-game world stays where it is. [See Valheim plans](https://www.renode.space/game-servers/valheim) --- ### Valheim BepInEx logs: reading LogOutput.log to fix mods Published 2026-10-14 by RE:NODE Team. https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-bepinex-log-troubleshooting When a modded Valheim server misbehaves, the answer is almost always in `BepInEx/LogOutput.log` in the server root, and almost always in the first error rather than the last. Read it in three passes. First, is there a BepInEx banner at all - if not, Doorstop never injected the loader and no mod matters yet. Second, the `Loading [...]` lines and anything that says `Could not load` or `Skipping` - that is your real plugin list, with missing dependencies named outright. Third, the first `Error` after start-up, with the mod's name in its stack trace. When the log is a wall of exceptions with no clear first cause, stop reading and bisect: move half the plugins out, restart on a copy of the world, and halve again. Thirty mods take five rounds. #### Where the logs are A modded Valheim install writes to more than one place, and the one you need depends on which side failed. | Log | Location | What it holds | | --- | --- | --- | | BepInEx log (server) | `BepInEx/LogOutput.log` in the server root | Loader, every plugin, and Unity's own messages | | Server console | Standard output, or the file named by `-logFile` | The same lines live, plus anything before BepInEx starts | | BepInEx log (client) | `BepInEx/LogOutput.log` inside the player's mod profile | The client's plugins and errors | | Unity player log (client) | `%USERPROFILE%\AppData\LocalLow\IronGate\Valheim\Player.log` | Unity's log for the game client | Two properties of `LogOutput.log` catch people out: - **It is overwritten on every start** by default. Restarting a crashed server to "see if it happens again" destroys the evidence of the first crash. Download or copy the file first. [Logs worth keeping](https://www.renode.space/blog/logs-worth-keeping) makes the case in general. - **It is only as detailed as the level set in `BepInEx.cfg`.** The defaults record errors, warnings, messages and info, which is enough for most diagnosis. The loader's logging settings live in `BepInEx/config/BepInEx.cfg`. In current BepInEx 5 releases they look like this: BepInEx/config/BepInEx.cfg: ```ini [Logging.Disk] WriteUnityLog = false AppendLog = false Enabled = true LogLevels = Fatal, Error, Warning, Message, Info ``` Adding `Debug` to `LogLevels` (or setting it to `All`) makes some mods much chattier, which helps when an author has asked for a debug log. Set it back afterwards; a debug log on a busy server grows quickly. `AppendLog = true` keeps old runs in the same file instead of overwriting, useful while chasing a crash that only happens overnight. Key names have been stable across BepInEx 5, but compare with your own file rather than pasting blindly. On RE:NODE the console shows the server's output live from the first line, and the file manager opens `LogOutput.log` in the browser, so you can read it without downloading - but take a copy before restarting all the same. #### What a healthy start looks like You cannot spot the abnormal without knowing the normal. A clean modded start runs through the preloader, then the chainloader, then one line per plugin: BepInEx/LogOutput.log: ```text [Message: BepInEx] BepInEx 5.4.2202 - valheim_server [Message: BepInEx] Preloader started [Message: BepInEx] Preloader finished [Message: BepInEx] Chainloader ready [Message: BepInEx] Chainloader started [Info : BepInEx] 4 plugins to load [Info : BepInEx] Loading [Jotunn 2.20.1] [Info : BepInEx] Loading [ServerDevcommands 1.70] [Info : BepInEx] Loading [EpicLoot 0.10.3] [Info : BepInEx] Loading [DiscordConnector 3.1.0] [Message: BepInEx] Chainloader startup complete ``` Real logs have more lines between these - runtime details, patcher lines, each plugin's own messages - and the version numbers will differ. What matters is the shape: - The banner names the process. On a server it says `valheim_server`; on a client, `valheim`. - The count in `N plugins to load` should match the number of mods you think you installed. - Every mod has a `Loading` line with its version. A mod with no line did not load. - `Chainloader startup complete` appears. After it, Valheim's own start-up continues, ending with the world loading and the session line. Each line has the form `[Level : Source] text`. The source is `BepInEx` for the loader, the plugin's name for a mod's own messages, `Unity Log` for messages Unity itself produced, and sometimes `HarmonyX` for the patching library mods use. The level is one of `Fatal`, `Error`, `Warning`, `Message`, `Info` or `Debug`. #### No banner: Doorstop and the preloader If `LogOutput.log` is missing, or its timestamp is from before the latest start, BepInEx never ran. The server started as plain vanilla Valheim. Every mod-related symptom is downstream of this, so fix it first. Doorstop is the small injector that makes Unity load BepInEx before the game. On Linux it works through environment variables set by `start_server_bepinex.sh`; on Windows it is `winhttp.dll` and `doorstop_config.ini` in the server root. [Valheim mods with BepInEx on a server](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-mods-bepinex-server) shows the full layout. The failures, by the message you see in the console: **`ERROR: ld.so: object 'libdoorstop_x64.so' from LD_PRELOAD cannot be preloaded`** - the library is not where `LD_LIBRARY_PATH` points. Usually the archive's wrapper folder was copied, leaving `BepInExPack_Valheim/doorstop_libs` instead of `doorstop_libs` in the root. **`/bin/bash^M: bad interpreter`** - the start script has Windows line endings, typically after being edited on a PC and uploaded. Convert it back: ```bash $ sed -i 's/\r$//' start_server_bepinex.sh $ chmod +x start_server_bepinex.sh ``` **`Permission denied`** running the script - it lost its executable bit in transfer. The `chmod` above fixes it. **No error at all, no banner** - the server was started with the normal command rather than the BepInEx one, or the environment variables were not set. On a panel host, check the startup command or variables the host uses for BepInEx. **Windows: no banner** - `winhttp.dll` is missing from the folder containing `valheim_server.exe`, or `doorstop_config.ini` has it disabled. The ini's key names differ between Doorstop 3 and 4; open the file and look for the enabled switch and the target assembly path, which should point at `BepInEx\core\BepInEx.Preloader.dll`. When the banner appears but start-up stops between `Preloader started` and `Chainloader ready`, the problem is in a patcher, not a plugin. Patchers live in `BepInEx/patchers` and run before the game's code loads. HookGenPatcher, which Jotunn needs, is the usual one on Valheim servers. A patcher built for a different game version fails here, and so does one placed in `plugins` where it does not belong - the error usually names the assembly. #### Missing dependencies and skipped plugins Once the chainloader runs, BepInEx tells you plainly about every plugin it refused. These lines are the cheapest diagnosis in the whole log. ```bash $ grep -nE "Could not load|Skipping|Error loading" BepInEx/LogOutput.log ``` | Line starts with | Meaning | Fix | | --- | --- | --- | | `Could not load [X] because it has missing dependencies:` | A plugin X requires is not loaded | Install the named dependency, at least the version shown | | `Could not load [X] because it is incompatible with:` | X declares a conflict with an installed plugin | Remove one of the two | | `Skipping [X] because of process filters` | X is marked for a different process, usually the client | Leave it off the server | | `Skipping [X]` with a newer version mentioned | Two copies of the same plugin | Delete the older copy | | `Error loading [X]` | X was found but threw while starting | Read the exception under it | The missing-dependency line names the dependency by its GUID, not its display name, and often with a minimum version: ```text [Error : BepInEx] Could not load [EpicLoot 0.10.3] because it has missing dependencies: com.jotunn.jotunn (v2.20.0 or newer) ``` That GUID is what the dependent mod asked for. Search the mod's Thunderstore page or its dependency list to map it back to a package. Two situations produce this line even though you are sure the dependency is installed. Either the dependency itself failed earlier in the log - find its own `Could not load` or `Error loading` line - or an older version is installed than the minimum. And because Jotunn needs HookGenPatcher, a HookGenPatcher in the wrong folder can make Jotunn fail and every Jotunn mod after it report a missing dependency. Fix the first link in the chain and the rest usually clear. The process filter line is the one that tells you a mod is client-only. Mods that only make sense with a screen often declare that they run in `valheim.exe`. On `valheim_server` they are skipped with a warning, which is harmless; remove them from the server to keep the log quiet. #### Exceptions: finding the mod responsible An exception in the log is a block: a header line naming the exception type, then a stack trace of method calls, most recent first. Most look worse than they are. ```text [Error : Unity Log] MissingMethodException: Method not found: void Humanoid.UseItem(Inventory,ItemDrop/ItemData,bool) Stack trace: ExampleMod.Patches.Humanoid_UseItem_Patch.Prefix (Humanoid __instance) ... (wrapper dynamic-method) Humanoid.DMD(Humanoid, ...) ``` The trace above is a made-up but typical shape. Reading it: 1. **The type.** `MissingMethodException`, `MissingFieldException` and `TypeLoadException` mean a mod was compiled against a different game version and is calling code that has changed. After a Valheim patch, these are expected until authors update. Nothing in the config will fix them. 2. **The mod.** Look down the trace for a namespace that is not Valheim's own class names or `UnityEngine` - here `ExampleMod.Patches`. That is the mod whose code was running. 3. **The patched method.** Lines with `DMD<...>` are game methods that a mod has patched through Harmony. The method name tells you what the player was doing - using an item, placing a piece - which helps when you need to reproduce the fault. `NullReferenceException` is the vaguest. In a mod's stack trace it usually means the mod expected something that was not there: a missing config value, an item from a mod that did not load, or an object a client-only mod expected on a headless server. Check whether that mod's dependencies loaded before suspecting the mod itself. One exception on start that is followed by a normal `Chainloader startup complete` and a working server may be cosmetic. The same exception repeating every few seconds is not - it costs CPU and fills the disk, and the mod named in it should be removed or fixed. [Game server logs explained](https://www.renode.space/blog/game-server-logs-explained) has more on separating noise from signal. #### Noise you can ignore A headless server logs things that sound alarming and mean nothing. On a Valheim server these are routinely harmless: - Messages about shaders, graphics devices or audio. The server has no GPU and no sound; Unity says so. - `Fallback handler could not load library` lines on Linux, for libraries a headless server never uses. - Warnings from a mod saying an optional integration was not found - for example, a mod noting that another mod it can work with is not installed. - Steam lines about the server's own ID and the session, which belong to Valheim, not BepInEx. Learn what your own server prints on a good day. Download one clean `LogOutput.log` after a successful start and keep it. When something breaks, compare the new log with the known-good one; the first line that differs is usually the start of the problem. #### Bisecting a broken mod set Sometimes the log does not point at a single mod. A server that crashes after twenty minutes, an error with no mod in its trace, a world that behaves strangely only with everything installed. Then you stop reading and bisect: remove half the mods, test, and keep halving the half that contains the fault. > [!WARNING] > Never bisect against the live world. Valheim deletes objects from content mods that are not loaded when their zones next save, so starting the real world with half the mods removed can permanently erase modded items and pieces. Back up first, then bisect against a copy, or with `-world` pointed at a separate test world. The procedure: 1. Back up the world and the whole `BepInEx` folder. 2. Point the server at a copy of the world (a different `-world` name with copied `.db` and `.fwl` files) or a fresh test world if the fault does not depend on it. 3. Create a folder outside `plugins`, such as `BepInEx/plugins_off`. It must be outside: BepInEx loads `.dll` files from subfolders of `plugins` too, so a `plugins/disabled` folder disables nothing. 4. Move half the mods into it. Keep libraries such as Jotunn in place, and keep each mod with its dependencies - a mod moved away from its library only produces a missing-dependency line and teaches you nothing. 5. Start the server and reproduce the fault. 6. If the fault is gone, it is in the half you moved: swap halves. If it remains, it is in the half still loaded. Either way, halve the suspect group again. 7. Stop when the suspect group is one mod. Confirm by adding everything back except that one. Rounds needed is the base-two logarithm of the mod count, rounded up. | Mods installed | Rounds to isolate one | | --- | --- | | 8 | 3 | | 16 | 4 | | 32 | 5 | | 64 | 6 | Faults caused by two mods together break the simple version: the fault disappears from both halves. When that happens, keep one half loaded and bisect the other against it. [Mod conflicts and dependencies](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-mod-conflicts-and-dependencies) goes further into interactions between mods, and [what to do when a mod update breaks](https://www.renode.space/blog/what-to-do-when-a-mod-update-breaks) covers the case where the trigger was an update. On a host where the server restarts automatically after a crash, a mod set that crashes on start can loop. On RE:NODE three crash restarts in an hour put a warning on the server page and open a ticket, so stop the server before starting a bisect rather than letting it cycle - [why your game server keeps restarting](https://www.renode.space/blog/why-your-game-server-keeps-restarting) explains the loop. #### Sharing a log for help Mod authors and community helpers will ask for the full `LogOutput.log`, not a screenshot of the last lines. The useful version: - **The whole file**, from the first line. The cause is near the top; the visible bottom is the consequences. - **From the failing run**, taken before any restart overwrote it. - **Both sides** when a client is kicked or crashes on joining: the server's log and the player's own `LogOutput.log` from their profile. - **Your mod list with versions**, which the `Loading` lines already are: ```bash $ grep -o 'Loading \[[^]]*\]' BepInEx/LogOutput.log | sort ``` Logs contain player names and platform IDs from connection lines, and the server's address. Remove those before posting a log in a public channel. #### FAQ ##### Why is LogOutput.log empty or missing? BepInEx did not start. Either the server was launched without Doorstop - wrong start command, missing environment variables on Linux, missing `winhttp.dll` on Windows - or BepInExPack was unpacked into a subfolder. Fix the injection; the log appears on the next start. ##### The log shows no errors but a mod does nothing. What now? Check it has a `Loading` line. If it does, the mod loaded and the cause is elsewhere: it is client-side and installed only on the server, it is disabled by default in its config, or its settings are synced from somewhere you did not edit. ##### Is it safe to delete LogOutput.log? Yes. BepInEx creates a new one on the next start. Copy it first if you are in the middle of chasing a fault. ##### How do I find which mod is lagging the server? The log helps only if the mod is throwing errors, visible as the same exception repeating. Otherwise bisect with a test world and a stopwatch, or watch CPU in the server's graphs while removing suspects. ##### What does the log line count in N plugins to load include? Every plugin BepInEx found in `plugins` and its subfolders, including ones it will then skip or fail to load. A number higher than your mod count means duplicates or forgotten files. On RE:NODE the console shows a Valheim server's BepInEx output live from the first line, the file manager opens `LogOutput.log` in the browser, and lockable backups on every plan give you a safe copy of the world and mod folder before you start bisecting. [See Valheim plans](https://www.renode.space/game-servers/valheim) --- ### Valheim boss summoning for groups on a server Published 2026-10-14 by RE:NODE Team. https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-boss-summoning-for-groups Every Valheim boss is called the same way: find its altar, bring the offering, and use the offering on the altar. On a server the summoning itself takes one player and two seconds. What decides whether the evening goes well is everything around it - who walks into the arena first, how far the respawn point is, whether the offering can even go through a portal, and what the group does when half of it dies in the first minute. This guide covers the offering for each boss, how to prepare the arena, the server-specific things that change a group fight, and how to handle a wipe without losing a character's worth of skills. It assumes the group agrees on when bosses die. A kill sets a key for the whole world, which changes raids and trader stock for everyone, so read [Valheim boss progression on a shared server](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-boss-progression-on-shared-servers) before anyone touches an altar on a Tuesday afternoon. #### What each boss needs The offerings are fixed and have been stable through the major updates for the first five bosses. The two newest fights work differently and are worth checking in-game on the version you run. | Boss | Biome | Offering | How you find the altar | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Eikthyr | Meadows | 2 deer trophies | A runestone at the sacrificial stones marks it | | The Elder | Black Forest | 3 ancient seeds | Vegvisir in a burial chamber | | Bonemass | Swamp | 10 withered bones | Vegvisir in a sunken crypt | | Moder | Mountains | 3 dragon eggs | Vegvisir in the Mountains | | Yagluth | Plains | 5 fuling totems | Vegvisir in a Plains location | | The Queen | Mistlands | Sealbreaker to open the citadel | Vegvisir found in the Mistlands | | Fader | Ashlands | Bells, placed in the arena | Vegvisir found in the Ashlands | Where the offerings come from matters for planning. Deer trophies drop from deer, at a modest rate. Ancient seeds drop from greydwarf nests, which you have to destroy. Withered bones are in the sunken crypts, along with the iron that the Swamp is really for. Dragon eggs sit on nests in the high Mountains and are heavy. Fuling totems drop from fuling shamans and lie in fuling villages. The Sealbreaker is crafted from fragments found in the Mistlands' infested mines; Fader's bells are crafted from fragments found in the Ashlands' charred fortresses. The fragment counts and crafting stations for those last two have been described differently by different sources since they were added, so read the recipe on the crafting station in your own game before sending people out to farm. The Vegvisir is per character. When one player reads it, the altar appears on their map only. Either everyone in the group reads it, or the one who did writes their map to a cartography table and the rest read from it - [the cartography table and shared maps](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-cartography-table-and-shared-maps) covers how that works. ##### Using the offering Put the offering on your hotbar, look at the altar, and press that hotbar key. For Eikthyr, the Elder, Bonemass, Moder and Yagluth the boss appears a few seconds later at or near the altar. The person holding the stack does not need anything else, and it does not matter who gathered the items. If the altar ignores you, you are holding fewer than the full number, or you are looking at a decorative part of the structure rather than the altar itself. > [!WARNING] > Nobody should carry the offering into the arena "just to look". One accidental hotbar press summons the boss, and the kill or the wipe that follows is shared by the whole world. Keep the offering in a chest at the forward camp until the group is ready. #### The server side of a boss fight On a dedicated server, the boss is not simulated by the server. Valheim divides the world into zones, and the first player to enter a zone becomes its owner: their game runs the AI, the attacks and the physics for everything in it. The server stores the result and relays it to everyone else. The [Valheim dedicated server guide](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-dedicated-server-guide) explains the mechanism; for a boss fight it has three practical consequences. 1. **The first player into the arena runs the boss.** If that is the person on a weak wifi connection or an old laptop, the boss rubber-bands, attacks land late, and hits look like they missed. Send the player with the best connection and the strongest PC in first, let them stand at the altar for a few seconds, then bring the others. 2. **Ownership moves when the owner leaves.** If the owner dies and respawns at a base far away, or disconnects, another player in the zone takes over. The handover usually costs a second or two of strange behaviour - a boss that freezes or jumps - and then settles. It is not a bug in your server. 3. **The server cannot fix a bad owner.** A bigger plan helps memory and saving, not the AI running on somebody's PC. If fights always go wrong around one person, the cause is their connection, and [Valheim server performance and lag](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-server-performance-and-lag) shows how to tell the difference. The same rule applies to the ride there. On the boat to the Swamp or the Plains, the ship is owned by one player, which is why the person at the rudder should also be the one with the stable connection - [sailing and ships in multiplayer](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-sailing-and-ships-in-multiplayer) covers that case. ##### Force a save first A dedicated server writes the world to disk on a timer, every `-saveinterval` seconds. If the server goes down mid-fight, whatever happened since the last save is gone, and that includes the boss key. Ask an admin to run `save` from the console just before the summon, and again after the trophy is picked up. Watch for `World saved` in the server log. ```text save ``` On RE:NODE, take a manual backup from the Backups tab before the fight and lock it, so rotation does not replace it. If the fight sets a key you regret, or something breaks the world, restoring is one button with the server stopped. The [backups section of the guides](https://www.renode.space/guides#backups) shows where the lock is. #### Preparing the arena and the forward camp Most group wipes are not lost in the fight. They are lost in the walk back: a thirty-minute trek from the main base, at night, with no gear, through the biome the boss lives in. A forward camp removes almost all of that. A good camp for a boss fight has: - **A bed** for everyone who will fight, in a shelter with a roof and a fire so it counts as a valid spawn point. Each player sets their own spawn by sleeping or interacting with their bed. A bed belongs to one character; build one per person. - **A portal** back to the main base, if the offering can travel by portal (see below), tagged with a name nobody else on the server uses. [Valheim portal rules and teleport restrictions](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-portal-rules-and-teleport-restrictions) explains the tag rules. - **A workbench**, so armour can be repaired between attempts. - **Food and mead in a chest**, and a spare weapon each. Respawning is free; walking back to a tombstone without a weapon is how one death becomes three. - **Distance.** Close enough that a corpse run is a short walk, far enough that the boss cannot reach it. Two or three hundred metres is a sensible starting point. Bonemass and Moder in particular will happily wander towards a camp built at the edge of the arena. Portals and offerings do not always mix. Metals and some other items cannot be teleported in the default rules, and dragon eggs are among the items the game refuses to send through a portal. If the Moder fight is planned around a portal, the eggs have to be carried to the camp on foot first. The `portals` world modifier changes what is allowed - `casual` lets ores and metals through - and is set at launch, so it is a group decision rather than something to flip for one evening. ##### Food, mead and resistances The usual preparation is per boss, and it is the part a group can share out. One player brews, one cooks, one makes arrows. | Boss | What the group should bring | | --- | --- | | Eikthyr | Bows and plenty of arrows; he hits with lightning | | The Elder | Fire arrows; space to dodge the roots | | Bonemass | Blunt weapons (maces), poison resistance mead, healing mead | | Moder | Frost resistance (mead or cloak), bows for when she flies | | Yagluth | Fire resistance, room to keep moving, ranged damage | | The Queen | Mistlands gear, healing, ranged or magic damage | | Fader | Fire resistance, Ashlands gear, a plan for the arena | Do not overprepare on stamina food alone. Valheim boss fights punish low health more than low stamina, and three good foods with a health bias keep more people alive through the first big hit. #### Group size and enemy scaling Valheim scales creature health and damage with the number of players near them, and bosses are included. Each extra player within range adds a sizeable chunk of effective health and a few percent of damage, and the scaling stops counting at five players. So the fight is hardest, relative to the group, with two or three players; at five it is as tough as it gets; a sixth or seventh player brings damage but no extra boss health. That means a full group of ten does not face a ten-player boss. It faces a five-player boss with twice the damage hitting it, and the fight ends quickly. If the group wants a harder evening, the honest lever is the `combat` world modifier, not more people. The detail of how the scaling works, what range it uses and why the numbers differ between sources, is in [Valheim enemy scaling with player count](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-enemy-scaling-with-player-count). The flip side matters more than people expect. Players standing at the edge of the arena, or in the forward camp, still count if they are inside the range. A player who stays back "to be safe" makes the boss tougher for everyone else without contributing damage. #### Roles that help on the night Valheim does not have classes, but groups that split the work get through bosses with fewer deaths. A simple split for four or five players: 1. **The caller.** One person decides when to summon and when to retreat. On voice chat this stops three people retreating while two keep fighting. 2. **The owner.** The player with the best connection enters first and stays in the arena for the whole fight, so the zone does not change hands mid-fight. 3. **Blockers.** Players with shields and good armour hold the boss's attention. Since the Call to Arms rebalance, Bonemass's Forsaken power removes the stamina cost of blocking, which makes it a strong choice for whoever blocks on the later bosses. 4. **Ranged.** Bows and staffs from distance, which matters most against Moder in the air and Yagluth's area attacks. 5. **The runner.** One player stays out of the worst of it with spare mead and is the first to go back for tombstones if things go wrong. Forsaken powers are one of the few things a group can stack before a fight. Every power buffs players standing close to the person who activates it, and the cooldown is long, so stagger them: one player uses Bonemass at the start, another holds Moder for the swim or walk home. [Forsaken powers in multiplayer](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-forsaken-powers-in-multiplayer) lists the effects and how sharing works. #### Wipes and corpse runs Sooner or later the whole group dies in the same minute. Handling the next half hour well is the difference between a funny story and a lost evening. Every death leaves a tombstone with what the character was carrying, drops their food buffs, and costs a slice of skill progress under the normal death penalty. Straight after death, each character gets a "no skill drain" status that lasts for a while; dying again while it is active does not cost more skills. That is the most important fact for a wipe: an immediate, organised corpse run costs nothing extra in skills, while a scattered one an hour later does. The full rules, with each death penalty value, are in [Valheim death penalty and tombstones](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-death-penalty-and-tombstones). A wipe recovery that works: 1. **Everybody respawns at the forward camp beds**, not at the main base. This is why the camp has one bed per person. 2. **Gear up from the camp chest.** Spare weapon, food, mead. 3. **Wait for the boss to settle.** Bosses do not leave their area, and most return to idle once nobody is fighting them. Approach together. 4. **Grab tombstones in order of distance**, the furthest from the boss first if it is wandering. Interacting with your tombstone returns everything to your inventory and gives a short corpse-run buff to help you get clear. 5. **Leave if it re-engages.** Treat the run as recovery, not round two. Fight again once everyone has their gear on. If someone has lost their tombstone entirely - died at sea during a Moder attempt, or in lava - an admin can help locate it or replace what was lost. [Admin tools for lost tombstones](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-admin-tools-for-lost-tombstones) covers the honest options. > [!TIP] > Before a big fight, have everyone store what they do not need for it - spare ore, building materials, the bronze they were saving. A tombstone with only a weapon, armour and food in it is a quick run. A tombstone with a full inventory of iron takes three trips. ##### What happens to the boss after a wipe If every player leaves the area, the zone unloads and the boss stays where it was. Whether it keeps the damage you did has varied between bosses and versions, so plan as if it has reset to full health. It does not despawn and come back somewhere else, and it does not chase people to their camp once they are well clear. Nobody should touch the altar again until the first boss is dead - a second offering is wasted at best. #### Repeat fights, late joiners and events Most bosses can be summoned again at the same altar with a fresh offering. A repeat kill drops another trophy and the boss's drop - another swamp key, another wishbone - which is how a late joiner gets their own tools. The world's key is already set, so repeat kills change nothing for the rest of the server. The Queen and Fader have their own re-summon rules, which have shifted since release; check them in-game before promising a rematch. Repeat fights are also the simplest server event there is. A boss night for newcomers, with veterans along as the forward camp crew, teaches the fight without the pressure. [Valheim community event ideas](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-community-event-ideas) has more along those lines, and [onboarding late joiners](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-onboarding-late-joiners) covers bringing a new character up to the group. An admin can also spawn bosses with devcommands, or test a fight on a copy of the world first. On a live server, both should be announced: a spawned boss that dies sets the key just like a summoned one. [Valheim devcommands explained](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-devcommands-explained) covers what admins can run on a vanilla server today. #### Troubleshooting **The altar does nothing.** You hold fewer than the full offering, or you are not looking at the altar itself. Count the stack; for the Elder it is three seeds, not two. **The boss teleports and hits land late.** The zone owner has a bad connection. Everyone leaves the arena, the strongest connection walks in first, the rest follow. **Dragon eggs will not go through the portal.** They are not teleportable in the default rules. Carry them, or build the camp portal after the eggs have arrived on foot. **Half the group cannot see the altar on the map.** The Vegvisir only marks it for the character who read it. Share the map with a cartography table. **The boss key disappeared after a crash.** The server stopped before the next save. The kill only counts once a save has written it - force `save` after the trophy drops. **A sixth player joined and the fight got easier, not harder.** Scaling stops counting at five players. Extra players bring damage, not boss health. #### FAQ ##### Can one player summon a boss for the whole group? Yes. Any character holding the full offering can summon it, regardless of who gathered the items. The kill sets the world's key for everyone, and the power becomes available at the sacrificial stones once the trophy is hung there. ##### Does the boss get stronger with more players? Up to a point. Health and damage scale with nearby players, but the count stops at five. Beyond that, each extra player adds damage to the group's side and nothing to the boss. ##### What happens if everyone dies during a boss fight? Each character leaves a tombstone, loses food and some skill progress, and respawns at their bed. The boss stays in its area. Run back promptly - while the no-skill-drain status is active, dying again does not cost more skills. ##### Can we fight the same boss again? Most of them, at the same altar with a fresh offering. Repeat kills drop another trophy and boss item but do not change the world's progress. The Mistlands and Ashlands fights have their own rules, so check before planning. ##### Should the boss fight be on a separate test world first? For the later bosses it is a good idea. Copy the world to a second server or local game, try the fight there, and only summon on the live server when the group knows what to expect. That way the key is set only by the real attempt. Valheim servers on RE:NODE come with crossplay on, a generated password and backup slots on every tier. Lock a backup before a boss fight and restoring it is one button, with a console that shows `World saved` the moment the kill is written. [See Valheim plans](https://www.renode.space/game-servers/valheim) --- ### Valheim building mods: PlanBuild, Gizmo and Infinity Hammer Published 2026-10-14 by RE:NODE Team. https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-building-mods-planbuild-and-gizmo Three mods cover nearly everything Valheim builders ask for, and they sit in three different places. **Gizmo** (the ComfyMods version) gives you free rotation on all three axes and is purely client-side - the server never knows it exists. **PlanBuild** adds planned ghost pieces, a Plan Totem and a Blueprint Rune that copies, saves and pastes whole buildings; it uses Jotunn and belongs on the server as well as on every PC that wants to use it, because the server enforces its rules. **Infinity Hammer** is an admin tool: copy any object, build without cost or restriction, undo and redo, load blueprints from files. It goes on the admin's PC with Server Devcommands and World Edit Commands, and ordinary players need nothing. Get those placements right and the rest is configuration. This guide goes through what each mod does, where it is installed, how blueprints move between them, the server settings worth deciding on before your group finds them, and what building mods cost a shared world. #### Which mod does what Building in vanilla Valheim has three frustrations: pieces only turn around one axis, in fixed steps; everything has to be paid for before you can see what it looks like; and nothing can be copied. Each mod attacks a different one. | Mod | Thunderstore package | What it solves | Install on | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Gizmo | `ComfyMods-Gizmo` | Rotation on X, Y and Z, finer snap angles | Each builder's PC only | | PlanBuild | `MathiasDecrock-PlanBuild` | Plans, copy and paste, blueprint files, terrain tools | Server and builders' PCs | | Infinity Hammer | `JereKuusela-Infinity_Hammer` | Cost-free, restriction-free admin building, copying any object | Admin PCs (with its two dependencies) | The package names matter because each mod has history. The original Gizmo by Rolo is deprecated on Thunderstore; the maintained one is the ComfyMods version, still often called ComfyGizmo. PlanBuild's code lives in the `sirskunkalot/PlanBuild` repository and its config file is still named after one of its original authors, but the package you install is published as `MathiasDecrock-PlanBuild`. Older forks and translation packs sit beside it, and some of them are deprecated, so check that you have the main one. All three are BepInEx plugins. If the server does not run BepInEx yet, [Valheim mods with BepInEx on a server](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-mods-bepinex-server) covers the pack, the `start_server_bepinex.sh` start script and the first start that creates `BepInEx/plugins`. #### Gizmo: free rotation on the client Vanilla building turns a piece only around its vertical axis, in 22.5-degree steps. Gizmo adds a small three-ring gizmo to the placement ghost and lets you tilt the piece around the other two axes as well. According to its README, holding `LeftShift` while scrolling rotates around X, holding `LeftAlt` rotates around Z, and `V` resets the selected axis; a reset-all key exists but is unbound by default. Later versions added hotkeys to halve and double the number of snap divisions (`PageUp` and `PageDown` by default), a local-frame rotation mode toggled with the back-quote key, and the option to copy the rotation of a piece you are looking at. Key defaults have moved between versions, so open its file in `BepInEx/config` after the first launch rather than trusting a video. The snap setting is the one to know. Gizmo describes snap angles per 180 degrees, configurable from 2 up to 256 in recent versions. A high number gives you near-free rotation; a low one keeps pieces lined up the way vanilla does. Builders who want curved walls and angled roof beams raise it; most people leave it near the default and change it with the hotkeys when they need to. Why it needs nothing on the server: rotation is decided on the client at the moment you place a piece. What reaches the server is an ordinary building piece with a position and a rotation, exactly the same kind of object vanilla creates. Players without Gizmo see the tilted beam exactly as it was placed. That also means a server owner cannot enforce or forbid it - and has no reason to. > [!TIP] > Gizmo, PlanBuild and Infinity Hammer all hook the placement ghost. They are generally used together (PlanBuild lists ComfyGizmo as compatible and Infinity Hammer recommends Gizmo), but if rotation suddenly stops working after an update, remove the other two from the client for one session to see which one changed. #### PlanBuild: plans, the Plan Totem and the Blueprint Rune PlanBuild adds two tools and a few pieces. The **Plan Hammer**, crafted from one wood, places planned pieces: transparent ghosts of any building piece you know, which cost nothing to place and need no support. Anyone can later add the materials to a plan, at which point it becomes the real piece - you still need a normal Hammer and the right crafting station to finish it. Plans that would be unsupported as real pieces show more transparent, and cannot be finished until something holds them up. Real pieces snap to planned ones, which makes plans handy as rulers and spacers. The **Plan Totem** (built with the vanilla Hammer from 1 wood and 1 Greydwarf eye) is a central chest for a plan. Put materials in it and it finishes supported plans within its radius, 30 metres by default. It also protects what it watches: a piece destroyed by an enemy (not removed with the hammer) is replaced with a plan of itself, so a raid leaves a template to repair instead of a hole. The **Blueprint Rune**, crafted from one stone, is the copy-and-paste half. Its tools select pieces in a radius or by flood fill, copy or cut a selection to a clipboard that lasts until you log out, and save it as a `.blueprint` file with a name, category and description. Placing a blueprint puts it down as planned pieces, so a copied longhouse arrives as a ghost waiting for materials. It also reads `.vbuild` files from the older BuildShare mod. The rune carries terrain tools too: flatten in a circle or rectangle, create slopes, remove terrain edits, repaint ground, and delete vegetation or objects in a radius. Most rune actions can be reversed with `bp.undo` and replayed with `bp.redo`. The README suggests binding them: ```text bind mouse3 bp.undo bind mouse4 bp.redo ``` Blueprints are stored as files on each player's own PC. The default save directory is `BepInEx/config/PlanBuild/blueprints`, relative to the game folder, and the mod scans the game folder recursively for `.blueprint` and `.vbuild` files. A blueprint downloaded from a sharing site goes into that folder and appears in the rune after a restart or a rescan. #### Installing PlanBuild on the server and clients PlanBuild depends on BepInExPack and Jotunn; since version 0.19.0 it no longer needs HookGenPatcher. On the server: 1. Stop the server and take a backup of the world. 2. Upload Jotunn into `BepInEx/plugins`, then extract the whole PlanBuild archive into `BepInEx/plugins/PlanBuild` - all of it, not only the `.dll`, because the mod ships asset bundles alongside it. 3. Start the server once so `BepInEx/config/marcopogo.PlanBuild.cfg` is created, stop it, edit the server settings (next section), and start again. 4. Install the same PlanBuild and Jotunn versions on every builder's PC, ideally through a shared mod manager profile - [r2modman profiles for a group](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-thunderstore-r2modman-for-groups) shows how. The connection rules are asymmetric. A player without PlanBuild can join a server that runs it; they just cannot see planned pieces, which is confusing when a friend is "building" something invisible next to them. A player **with** PlanBuild cannot join a server without it - the mod blocks that on purpose, so nobody can use its free-build tools on a server that cannot police them. If the versions differ, Jotunn's version check stops the connection with a message naming the mod; [Jotunn explained](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-jotunn-library-explained) and [mod version mismatch kicks](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-mod-version-mismatch-kicks) cover reading that message. On RE:NODE the server side of this is file work: upload the archive through the file manager (archives unpack in place) or SFTP, then edit `marcopogo.PlanBuild.cfg` in the in-browser editor. There is no one-click mod installer and no list of allowed mods - what you upload is what runs. #### PlanBuild settings to lock down on a server The settings under **Server Settings** in `marcopogo.PlanBuild.cfg` are enforced on every client that connects, and admins (IDs in `adminlist.txt`) are always exempt. These are the defaults from the README: | Setting | Default | What it decides | | --- | --- | --- | | Allow blueprint rune | `true` | Whether non-admins may use the Blueprint Rune at all | | Allow direct build | `false` | Whether blueprints can be placed as real pieces with no materials | | Allow terrain tools | `false` | Whether non-admins may use the rune's terrain tools | | Allow serverside blueprints | `false` | Whether players can upload and download blueprints on this server | | Allow clients to use the GUI toggle key | `true` | Whether the marketplace hotkey works for non-admins | | Excluded plan prefabs | empty | Pieces nobody but admins may plan | The two that change a survival server are **direct build** and **terrain tools**. Direct build turns a saved blueprint into finished pieces at no cost - fine on a creative server, the end of resource gathering on a survival one. Leave it off unless the group has agreed otherwise; [creative servers with no build cost](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-no-build-cost-creative-servers) covers the servers where it belongs. Terrain tools are off by default for a good reason: flattening a large area in one click is the fastest way to grow a world's terrain data and make a base zone heavy to load, as [terraforming on servers](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-terraforming-on-servers) explains. PlanBuild also respects the vanilla world switches that relax building. With `nobuildcost` set, plans build instantly and the Plan Totem finishes every supported plan in range with an empty chest; `noworkbench` removes the crafting-station requirement. Those come from world modifiers or `setkey`, covered in [global keys and setkey](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-global-keys-and-setkey). Turning on **Allow serverside blueprints** enables the marketplace (the `End` key by default, or the rune-themed marketplace pieces). Players upload with `bp.push `, list with `bp.server` and download with `bp.pull `; `bp.local` lists their own. Admins can keep particular pieces out of everyone's plan table with `plan.blacklist.add ` and inspect the list with `plan.blacklist.print`. Note that a shared blueprint is a set of instructions, not a licence: anyone who pulls one can still only build it with materials unless direct build is allowed. #### Infinity Hammer: the admin's building tool Infinity Hammer, by JereKuusela, describes itself as bending the rules of building, and it does. It lets you select and copy any object (`hammer` on what you are looking at, `hammer connect` for a whole building, `hammer circle=` for an area), build with no resource, stamina or durability cost, ignore wards and no-build zones, remove objects that are normally indestructible, make pieces unbreakable, place with exact offsets and free rotation, and undo or redo with `NumPad7` and `NumPad9`. It can also give you a custom hammer with `hammer_menu` that lists any piece, location or room in the build menu. Its Thunderstore package requires two more of the same author's mods: **Server Devcommands** and **World Edit Commands**. That explains how it fits a dedicated server. Vanilla blocks cheat commands on dedicated servers for everyone; Server Devcommands lifts that for admins only, and Infinity Hammer works through that permission. The README tells you to install it on the admin client. Ordinary players need nothing, because the objects it creates are ordinary objects - with one exception: scaled objects. Its blueprint scaling only applies to objects that can be scaled, and the README points to the Structure Tweaks mod, installed for all clients, to unlock scaling for everything else. Server Devcommands also provides a permission system, and Infinity Hammer plugs into it under the section name `infinityhammer`. Settings include `no_resource_cost`, `ignore_wards`, `ignore_no_build`, `remove_anything`, `disable_loot` and `tools_enabled`. That lets you give a trusted builder cost-free building without giving them the ability to remove anything in the world. [Server Devcommands on a dedicated server](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-serverdevcommands-mod) covers where that config lives and what installing the mod on the server adds. Infinity Hammer's settings can be toggled with `hammer_config`, which binds well: ```text bind u hammer_config tools_enabled bind i hammer_config set_invulnerability On/Off ``` > [!WARNING] > Infinity Hammer can remove things vanilla never lets you remove, and with loot disabled nothing comes back. Undo only covers your own direct actions, not collapses that follow. Take a server backup before an admin rebuilds anything large, and treat the tool like `killall` - powerful, permanent, and not for players. #### Blueprints between PlanBuild and Infinity Hammer The two mods share a file format. Infinity Hammer loads PlanBuild `.blueprint` files and BuildShare `.vbuild` files, and saves new PlanBuild-format blueprints: ```text hammer_blueprint longhouse selects a blueprint file to place with the hammer hammer_restore longhouse places it at its originally saved position hammer_save longhouse saves the current selection as a .blueprint hammer_menu blueprints opens the blueprint list in the custom hammer ``` `hammer_blueprint` takes optional `center=`, `data=`, `scale=` and `snap=` parameters. Two compatibility notes from its documentation are worth knowing before you hand files to PlanBuild users. Infinity Hammer saves object data with each piece by default (chest contents, sign text and so on), which makes files larger and can upset future PlanBuild versions; turn off "Save blueprint data" in its config if the file is meant for PlanBuild. It can also save terrain height and paint snapshots in extra sections of the file, which current PlanBuild versions do not understand, so do not load terrain-enabled files in PlanBuild. A common split on group servers: admins use Infinity Hammer to place large community builds and to fix griefing quickly; players use PlanBuild to plan and copy their own houses and pay for them through the Plan Totem; everyone uses Gizmo. #### What building mods cost the server None of these mods adds CPU work on the server by itself; the cost is in what they make easy. Valheim stores every piece and every terrain edit in the world, and the player who owns a zone has to load and simulate all of it. Copy-paste turns one house into ten in an evening. A hundred-piece blueprint pasted in a dozen places is the same load as building it by hand a dozen times, just faster. The general picture is in [Valheim server performance and lag](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-server-performance-and-lag). Practical rules that keep a building server healthy: - **Plans are objects too.** Unfinished plans sit in the world as pieces until someone completes or removes them. Ask players to clear abandoned plans with the rune's remove tool, which refunds materials already added. - **Keep terrain tools admin-only** unless you trust everyone with them, and level ground before building rather than flattening a whole hillside. - **Watch the base zone.** If one base starts causing long loads when people arrive, count its pieces before blaming the plan. - **Back up before big pastes.** A world is one `.db` file; a misplaced paste is undone more cleanly from a backup than piece by piece. On RE:NODE, backup slots are included with every Valheim plan, a backup is on demand or scheduled, and restoring is one button, which makes "back up before the paste" a habit that costs ten seconds. If a heavily built world reaches the plan's memory limit, the server is stopped and restarted clean rather than swapping, so leave headroom on a large building server. #### Troubleshooting **"Cannot connect" with PlanBuild installed.** The server does not have PlanBuild, or has a different version. Install the same version on both sides, or remove it from your client for that server. **A friend sees nothing where you built.** You placed plans and they do not have PlanBuild. Either they install it, or the plans need materials to become real. **Plans will not finish.** They are unsupported, you lack the crafting station in range, or you are not carrying the Plan Hammer when finishing by hand. **Direct build does nothing for players.** That is the server default. Only admins can direct-build until `Allow direct build` is set to `true` in the server's config. **Infinity Hammer commands are refused.** You are not recognised as an admin, or Server Devcommands is missing on your client. Check your ID in `adminlist.txt` and type `devcommands` to see whether it is accepted. **Rotation hotkeys do nothing.** Another mod bound the same keys, or the Gizmo defaults changed in an update. Check its config file for the current bindings. #### FAQ ##### Do players need Gizmo installed to see rotated pieces? No. The rotation is applied when the piece is placed, and the world stores it like any other piece. Only the person placing it needs Gizmo. ##### Can Xbox players join a server running PlanBuild? Yes, as clients without the mod, since a server with PlanBuild accepts players without it. They will not see planned pieces or be able to use the rune, so on a crossplay server keep plans short-lived and finish them. ##### Is Infinity Hammer safe to give to every player? Not on a survival server. It is designed for admins and depends on devcommands permission. If you want players to have some of it, use the Server Devcommands permission settings to grant specific features rather than full access. ##### Where do I put blueprints I downloaded? On your own PC, in PlanBuild's save directory (`BepInEx/config/PlanBuild/blueprints` by default) or anywhere under the game folder it scans. They are not uploaded to the server unless the server allows shared blueprints and you push them. ##### Will these mods survive a Valheim update? Usually after their authors update them, not on patch day. Keep the server on the last working version until PlanBuild and Jotunn are updated, and test on a copy of the world first. Valheim servers on RE:NODE start from $6 a month with the file manager, SFTP and backup slots on every plan, so installing BepInEx, uploading PlanBuild and taking a backup before a big paste all happen in the browser. Upgrading a tier raises the limit on the same server, and the world stays where it is. [See Valheim plans](https://www.renode.space/game-servers/valheim) --- ### Valheim cartography table: sharing maps on a server Published 2026-10-14 by RE:NODE Team. https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-cartography-table-and-shared-maps On a Valheim server, nobody shares a map automatically. Each character keeps its own map of each world - what it has explored and the pins it has placed - and that map lives in the character file on the player's own machine, not on the server. The cartography table is how a group shares: one player records their exploration and pins onto the table, and everyone else reads the table to merge it into their own map. It is a manual exchange, not a live sync, so a group that wants one map has to use the table out of habit. A player who rejoins on a new character starts with a blank map, and the table is also the quickest fix for that. With `-setkey nomap` there is no map at all, and the table loses most of its point. #### Where the map lives Valheim splits saved data in two. The world - terrain, buildings, chests, creatures - is stored on the server in the world's `.db` file. The character - inventory, skills, appearance, Forsaken power - is stored on the player's machine in a `.fch` file under `characters_local`. The explored map belongs to the character. Inside each character file, the game keeps a separate map entry for every world that character has visited, keyed to the world's internal ID rather than its name. That entry holds the explored area (the fog of war you have cleared), your own pins, and your bed spawn point for that world. [Valheim save and file locations](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-savedir-and-file-locations) has the full paths on Windows and Linux. This has some consequences that surprise groups: - **Two players exploring the same world have two different maps.** One player sailing the coast reveals nothing on anybody else's map. - **The server cannot reveal the map for you.** There is no server setting that shares exploration in vanilla. The server never holds anyone's map. - **A character's map follows it.** If the same character visits a friend's server and a single-player world, it keeps a separate map for each. - **A new world means a blank map.** Generating a new world, even with the same name and seed, gives it a new ID, so every character arrives with nothing explored. [Resetting a world but keeping characters](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-reset-world-keep-characters) covers this side of it. There is one more storage detail worth knowing: the game also keeps a minimap cache on the player's machine. A 2024 patch fixed a bug where the minimap showed the map of a previous world with the same name, and renamed those cache files to make the difference clearer. If a player reports seeing the wrong map after a world change, updating the game is the first step. #### The cartography table, step by step The cartography table was added in the Mistlands update and is a Bronze-age piece built with the hammer near a workbench. At the time of writing it costs fine wood, copper, bone fragments, leather scraps and raspberries; check the hammer's build menu for the exact amounts on your version. ```text Cartography table (Workbench): Fine wood x10, Copper x10, Bone fragments x10, Leather scraps x5, Raspberries x4 ``` The table has two interactions, one on each side. | Side | Action | What happens | | --- | --- | --- | | Writing tools | Record | Adds your explored area and pins to the table | | Large map | Read | Adds the table's explored area and pins to your map | Both actions add; neither erases. Recording merges your map into whatever the table already holds, and reading merges the table into your map. A table that four players have recorded at holds the union of all four maps. A player who reads it gets everything any of them has seen. The everyday routine that works: 1. **Come home, record.** After any trip that explored new ground, write your map to the table before you log off. 2. **Before a trip, read.** Pull everyone else's exploration into your map, so you know where they found that crypt. 3. **New players read on arrival.** The first thing a late joiner does is read the table, which gives them the group's whole map in one action. Because the exchange is manual, the table is only as good as the group's habit. A table nobody records at is just furniture. Build it beside the portal hub or the beds, where everyone passes on the way out and back, so the habit is easy. > [!TIP] > Build the table on the path between the portal hub and the beds. Record and read becomes something people do on their way through, not a separate errand. #### Pins on a shared map Recording a map to the table also records your pins - the markers you place with the map open. When others read the table, your pins appear on their map alongside their own. Patches have adjusted how these shared pins behave and display, including a 2024 fix for the table not working correctly when you read back your own pins, so details vary with version. Depending on the version, pins read from the table may be displayed differently from the ones you placed yourself. Pins are the most useful thing the table shares, and also the first thing to get messy. Ten players each pinning every copper deposit produces a map nobody can read. A short convention fixes it. pin-conventions.txt: ```text Prefix Use for --------- ----------------------------------------------- Base: Player bases - "Base: Asha", "Base: Rolf" Portal: Portal huts - "Portal: swamp crypt N" Ore: Resources worth returning to - "Ore: silver x3" Boss: Boss altars from vegvisirs Danger: Hazards - "Danger: abomination", "Danger: lox herd" Pick one icon per prefix. Delete pins for things you have finished. ``` Vegvisirs are a good example of why pins matter. Reading a vegvisir puts a boss marker on that character's map only. One player reading the Swamp vegvisir does not reveal Bonemass for anyone else - but after they record to the table, everyone who reads it gets the marker. The same goes for Haldor and Hildir: finding a trader puts them on one map; the table spreads it. [The traders on a server](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-traders-haldor-hildir-bog-witch) covers trader locations in more detail. Pins cannot be pushed to another player's map without that player reading the table. If someone keeps asking where the base is, the answer is the table, not a screenshot. #### Players joining on a new character A player who loses their character file, starts fresh by choice, or joins a world late arrives at the sacrificial stones with a blank map. Their bed spawn is gone too, because that is stored in the same per-world entry. On a server with a cartography table, recovering is short: 1. Find their way to the base, or have someone bring them there by portal from the stones. 2. Read the cartography table. The group's whole explored map and pins appear. 3. Claim a bed and sleep in it to set a new spawn point. That is the most important reason to build a table early. Without one, a new character has no map and no idea where the base is, and every old player has to describe the route. With one, the map is part of the world. [Onboarding late joiners](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-onboarding-late-joiners) covers the rest of what a new player needs on a late-game world. The same applies when a player moves to a new PC without copying their character. The fix for a lost map is either restoring the character file from the old machine or reading the table. Characters are the player's responsibility; the server does not back them up, because it never has them. #### nomap: playing without a map `-setkey nomap` is a world switch that turns off the map and minimap for everyone. No fog of war to clear, no pins, no marker for where you died. Navigation becomes coastlines, landmarks, roads, the sun and your own memory. ```bash # Add to the server's launch arguments -setkey nomap ``` The switch is stored as a world key, so it applies to every player on that world. [Global keys and setkey](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-global-keys-and-setkey) explains how world keys are stored and removed, and [world modifiers and presets](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-world-modifiers-and-presets) covers the rest of the switches. In a vanilla nomap world the cartography table still exists as a piece, but with no map to write to or read into, it is not much use. Mods change that - for example, mods that turn a table read in nomap mode into a simplified printed map, or that show the full map while standing at the table. Those are gameplay mods that need installing on the clients, with the usual caveats. Who nomap suits: groups who want Valheim to feel larger and more dangerous, hardcore and roleplay servers, and players who have already seen everything with a map. Who it does not suit: casual groups, new players, and anyone whose friends log in once a week and need to find the base. Agree on it before the world starts - turning it on later takes away something everyone was relying on. [Hardcore and permadeath servers](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-hardcore-permadeath-servers) discusses nomap alongside the other hard settings. #### Admin tools and mods for maps With devcommands available - on a dedicated server that means the [ServerDevcommands mod](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-serverdevcommands-mod) - admins have these map-related commands: | Command | Effect | Note | | --- | --- | --- | | `exploremap` | Reveals the entire map for your character | Affects only you | | `resetmap` | Clears your explored map | Affects only you | | `pos` | Prints your current position | Useful for describing where something is | These act on the admin's own character only. But they interact with the table: recording after `exploremap` writes the entire world to the table, and every player who reads it afterwards gets the full map. That spoils exploration for the group, and since reading only adds, nobody can undo it except with `resetmap` on their own character, which also throws away their genuine exploration. Never record at the table after revealing the map. Mods that share maps continuously, instead of through the table, exist and come and go with game versions; the old Valheim Plus had an option for it, and forks carry similar settings. Any map-sharing mod has to run on the server and every client. If you only want "everyone sees everything", the table plus a habit does most of that without a mod. [Quality-of-life mods for groups](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-quality-of-life-mods-for-groups) covers the mods groups commonly use. #### Protecting the shared map The table's contents are part of the world, stored with the table piece in the world file. That has two consequences. - **Destroying the table destroys its map.** A raid that breaks the table, a griefer with a hammer or an accidental deconstruct removes everything recorded on it. Players' own maps are untouched, but the shared copy is gone, and rebuilding it means everyone recording again. - **World backups include the table.** A restore brings back the table and everything on it, as of the backup. Two simple protections help. Build the table inside the base's ward and walls, so raids and strangers do not reach it. And keep a second table somewhere else, recorded occasionally by whoever explores most - a cheap copy in case the first one goes. On RE:NODE, the table travels with the world file, so it is covered by the backup slots included with every Valheim plan. The Schedules tab can take a backup every night, and restoring one is a button. The players' own maps are a separate matter - they live in each character file on each player's machine, and no server backup can bring those back. #### Troubleshooting maps on a server **My map is blank after joining.** Either this is a new world (a new internal ID, so a fresh map), or you are on a different character, or the character file on this PC is not the one you played on before. Check the character name on the start screen first. If it is right and the world is new, read the cartography table. **I read the table but nothing appeared.** Nobody has recorded to it yet, or the people who explored that area never recorded after their trip. Ask whoever went there to record next time they pass the table. **Pins appear twice.** Several players placed their own pins on the same spot and all recorded them. Agree who pins shared landmarks, and delete duplicates from your own map; the table keeps what was recorded, so ask the group to tidy their pins before the next record. **The whole map suddenly appeared for everyone.** Someone recorded after `exploremap`, or after a mod revealed the map. Reading only adds, so the only ways back are `resetmap` on each affected character or restoring a world backup from before the record, which rolls back the table along with everything else in the world. **The table is gone.** A raid, a griefer or an accidental deconstruct. Rebuild it and have everyone record again, or restore a backup if the shared map mattered more than the progress since. [Rolling a world back after griefing](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-world-rollback-for-griefing) covers that trade-off. #### FAQ ##### Why can my friend not see what I explored? Maps belong to each character, not the server. Record your map at a cartography table and have your friend read it - that is the only way to share exploration in vanilla Valheim. ##### Does the cartography table update automatically? No. Recording and reading are manual actions. The table holds whatever was last recorded to it, so it is only as current as the group's habit of recording after every trip. ##### If I read the table, do I lose my own pins? No. Reading adds the table's explored area and pins to your map without removing anything you already had. Recording works the same way in the other direction. ##### Will a server wipe delete our maps? A new world has a new internal ID, so every character starts with a blank map there. The old maps are still in each character file, filed under the old world, and come back if the old world is ever loaded again. ##### Can an admin give everyone the full map? Not directly. `exploremap` reveals the map for the admin only. Recording it to a table would let everyone read it, but that cannot be undone for the people who do, so ask the group first. A Valheim server on RE:NODE keeps the world, the cartography table and everything recorded on it running whether anyone is online, with backup slots on every plan and a restore at one button. Crossplay is already on, and both UDP ports are allocated for you. [See Valheim plans](https://www.renode.space/game-servers/valheim) --- ### Valheim casual and family server: easy settings for kids Published 2026-10-14 by RE:NODE Team. https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-casual-and-family-servers A casual or family Valheim server is a dedicated server with the difficulty turned down at launch: `-preset casual` for a gentler game across the board, `-setkey passivemobs` if you want creatures that leave players alone unless provoked, and `-modifier raids none` so nobody's first house gets knocked down by trolls. Set a password of at least five characters that has nothing in common with the server name, keep the server out of the public list with `-public 0`, and you have a world a ten-year-old and a grandparent can both enjoy. The rest is choosing how gentle to go - too easy and older players get bored, too hard and the youngest quits after the first Greydwarf. This guide goes through each setting, what it changes in practice, how to keep a family server private, and the household details - play hours, crossplay with Xbox, more than one child on one computer - that decide whether it works. #### Why a dedicated server suits families Valheim can host from inside the game, and for two adults on one evening that is fine. For a family it has drawbacks. The world exists only while the host is playing, so a child cannot hop on after school unless the parent's PC is on and in the game. The host's machine also does the work for everyone, so the host gets the worst frame rate. A dedicated server keeps the world running on its own. Anyone with the password can join when they like, and turning the host's PC off does not end the game. It also gives you one place to set the rules - difficulty, who may join, and when the server is up - which matters more with children than with adults. [The dedicated server guide](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-dedicated-server-guide) covers setup end to end; this post is about tuning it for a relaxed group. A family of up to four needs very little: the smallest plans, around 2 GB of memory, are enough until the world has been explored for months. [How much RAM a Valheim server needs](https://www.renode.space/blog/how-much-ram-does-a-valheim-server-need) has the full table. #### The casual preset and what it changes World modifiers set difficulty for the whole world. A preset sets all five at once, and individual modifiers override it. The simplest family server is one argument: ```bash -preset casual ``` The `casual` preset is the forgiving end of the scale: gentler combat, a minimal death penalty and portal rules relaxed. Third-party references differ on exactly which value each modifier gets in the preset, so read the in-game world modifier screen or set the values yourself. Setting them explicitly also makes it easier to adjust one thing later without touching the rest: ```bash -modifier combat veryeasy \ -modifier deathpenalty casual \ -modifier resources more \ -modifier raids none \ -modifier portals casual \ -setkey playerevents ``` | Modifier | Family value | What it means for players | | --- | --- | --- | | `combat` | `veryeasy` or `easy` | Enemies hit less hard and die sooner | | `deathpenalty` | `casual` | Keep items and skills when you die | | `resources` | `more` | Fewer trips for wood and stone | | `raids` | `none` or `muchless` | No or rare attacks on the base | | `portals` | `casual` | Ore and metal go through portals | | `-setkey playerevents` | On | Any raids match each player's progress | The death penalty is the one that matters most for children. At `casual` a death costs the walk back and nothing else, which removes the experience that makes young players quit: dying in the swamp, losing all their gear and not being able to get it back. [Death penalty and tombstones](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-death-penalty-and-tombstones) explains the other values if you want something in between. `portals casual` is the other big one. By default ore and metal bars cannot go through portals, and the game expects you to sail them home. That is a good game for adults; with children it often means an hour-long boat trip that nobody enjoys. With `casual` portals the group can portal straight home. [Portal rules and restrictions](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-portal-rules-and-teleport-restrictions) has the other values. Whichever you pick, `-modifier` takes two separate tokens - `-modifier raids none`, not `-modifier "raids none"`. A malformed modifier is silently ignored. #### Passive mobs, raids and combat These three settings decide how frightening the game is, and they are worth thinking about separately. **`-setkey passivemobs`** makes creatures non-hostile unless attacked. Greydwarfs, trolls and draugr walk past instead of chasing you. It turns Valheim into a building and exploring game, and for very young players it is often the right choice. The cost is that combat - and bosses, which still fight back when you summon them - loses its build-up. An older child who wants to fight will find it dull. Try a week without it before deciding. **`-modifier raids none`** stops the events where creatures attack a base. Raids are among the most stressful moments for new players because they arrive with little warning and target whoever is at home. Turning them off, or down to `muchless`, keeps bases safe. [Raids and events on servers](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-raids-and-events-on-servers) explains how events are chosen if you want to keep a few. **`-modifier combat veryeasy`** keeps enemies dangerous enough to be interesting, but lower damage and health give a child time to learn blocking and dodging. It is the best middle ground for mixed ages. A good rule of thumb for mixed families: | Youngest player | Suggested setup | | --- | --- | | Under 8 | `-preset casual` plus `-setkey passivemobs` | | 8 to 12 | `-preset casual`, raids `none` or `muchless` | | 12 and up, or casual adults | `combat easy`, `deathpenalty casual`, raids `less` | Modifiers are stored in the world and can be changed at any time by restarting with different arguments. Turning combat up a notch once the children are comfortable is normal and does nothing to existing builds. [World modifiers and presets](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-world-modifiers-and-presets) covers every value. #### Passwords children can use The server password has rules that trip people up. It must be at least five characters long, and it must not contain the server name or appear in it. A server named "Smith Family" with the password "smithfamily" will refuse to start, and the reason scrolls past in the log in a second. [Server password rules](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-server-password-rules) has the details. For children, the password has two jobs that pull in different directions: easy enough to type, hard enough that a classmate cannot guess it. Some advice: - **Use three short words with a number.** `otter-boat-42` is easy for a child to remember and type and not something a stranger guesses. - **Do not use the family name, a pet's name or a birthday.** Those are the first things a curious friend tries. - **Keep it off screenshots.** Children share screenshots and videos; the password should never be in the server name or on a sign in the world. - **Change it if it leaks.** If a child shares it at school, change it on the server and restart. Everyone who should be there gets the new one. For more control, use an allow list. Put each family member's ID in `permittedlist.txt`, and only those people can join, even with the password. If the file contains any ID at all, the server becomes allow-list only. Steam players are listed by their SteamID64; crossplay players by their platform-prefixed ID, which you can read from the server log after they have joined once. [The list files guide](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-adminlist-bannedlist-permittedlist) covers both formats. permittedlist.txt: ```text // Parent (Steam) 76561198012345678 // Child on Xbox, crossplay server Xbox_2535412345678901 ``` #### Keeping the server private A family server should not appear in the community browser. Set `-public 0` and the server is not listed; players join by IP or, on a crossplay server, by join code. ```bash $ ./valheim_server.x86_64 -nographics -batchmode \ -name "Fjord Cottage" -port 2456 -world "Cottage" \ -password "otter-boat-42" -public 0 -crossplay \ -preset casual -setkey passivemobs ``` Unlisted is not secret - anyone with the address and password can still join - so the password and allow list do the real work. Things worth knowing: - **Valheim has no text filter you control.** Players on the same server can type in chat and see each other's names. On a private server with only family, that is not a concern. On a server with friends' children, agree on who is allowed. - **Voice is not built in.** The game has text chat and pings. If the family uses voice, it is through Discord, a platform party or being in the same room. - **The join code changes on restart.** On crossplay servers the six-digit code is printed in the log at startup and changes every time the server restarts. Children on Xbox will need the new code after each restart. [Server security and privacy](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-server-security-and-privacy) goes further, for families who want to. #### Crossplay, Game Pass and several children Families often mix platforms - a parent on Steam, children on Xbox or Game Pass. Valheim supports this with `-crossplay`, which lets Xbox and Microsoft Store players join with the six-digit join code. [Crossplay and Xbox players](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-crossplay-and-xbox-players) covers the details. A few points families hit: 1. **Child Xbox accounts need permission.** Microsoft family settings control whether a child account can join multiplayer games and play with people on other networks. If a child cannot join, check those settings first. 2. **Each player needs the game.** Two children playing at the same time need two copies, or access through Game Pass on each account. 3. **No mods for Xbox.** Console players cannot install mods. If the server needs client mods, Xbox players cannot join. A family server is easiest kept vanilla. 4. **Steam players can join by IP.** Join Game, Add Server, then the address and port. That is more reliable than the browser for an unlisted server. Characters live on each player's own machine. A child who plays on a shared PC under a separate Steam account has their own characters; one who uses a sibling's account sees the sibling's characters. Make a character per child, named so nobody plays on the wrong one. #### Play hours and the household routine A dedicated server runs all the time, which is a feature for adults and a problem at bedtime. Valheim has no built-in play-time limit, but you can stop and start the server on a schedule. Stopping the server cleanly saves the world first, so nobody loses progress. On a machine you run yourself, cron does it: crontab: ```text # Stop at 20:30 on school nights, start at 16:00 30 20 * * 0-4 systemctl stop valheim 0 16 * * 1-5 systemctl start valheim ``` On RE:NODE the Schedules tab does the same with a cron expression and a power action, and it can send a console message first. Pair the evening stop with a backup task so the day's building is safe. Subusers can be given console-only access, so another adult can restart the server without seeing billing - [subusers and least privilege](https://www.renode.space/blog/subusers-and-least-privilege) explains how roles work. Some routines that help: - **Sleeping skips the night only when everyone sleeps.** Teach children to go to bed when the others do, or night lasts forever. Sleeping together also gives the Rested bonus. - **A shared base near spawn.** Young players get lost. A base by the sacrificial stones, with a portal to everywhere else, keeps the family together. - **Clear naming of portals.** "Home", "Mine", "Swamp" - children understand those faster than coordinates. - **Save interval.** Lower it to `-saveinterval 600` so a crash or a child pulling the power cord on the host loses at most ten minutes. #### Backups and the bad day Children dig holes in the middle of the base, set the longhouse on fire and dismantle the portal hub. That is part of playing. The protection is a backup you can go back to. Valheim keeps its own rolling backups beside the world (`-backups`, four by default), but they sit on the same disk as the world. Take real backups too, daily, and before any big change such as a game update. [Valheim server backups and world corruption](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-server-backups-and-world-corruption) covers how and why. Before restoring, remember that a world backup rolls back everyone's building, not just the child's mistake. If one child wrecked one corner, it is often kinder to rebuild together than to undo a sibling's afternoon of work too. Wards help in a family as much as with strangers. A ward stops players it does not know from building, deconstructing or opening chests in its area. A child who wants their own house can ward it and permit the family. [Wards and griefing](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-wards-and-griefing) explains how. #### FAQ ##### Is Valheim suitable for young children? It depends on the child. The game has dark forests, skeletons and some frightening creatures, but no gore. With `-setkey passivemobs` and raids off, it becomes mostly a game of building, exploring and cooking. Watch the first session together and adjust. ##### Can I make the game easier for one child only? No. World modifiers apply to everyone on the world. You can run a second world with gentler settings for the youngest, or agree that older players help younger ones through hard parts. ##### Will turning difficulty up later break our world? No. Modifiers can be changed at any restart and only affect the rules from then on. Builds, chests and boss progress are kept. Many families start very easy and step combat up after the first boss. ##### Do we need the internet to play on our own server? Yes. A rented server is reached over the internet, so every player needs a connection. For playing only on a home network, a server on a home PC works, but it has to be on whenever anyone plays. ##### What happens if my child forgets the password? They ask you. The password is set on the server, so you can read it from your startup settings and tell them, or change it and restart if it has been shared too widely. Valheim servers on RE:NODE start from 2 GB with crossplay on and a join password generated for you. World modifiers go on the Startup tab, and the Schedules tab can stop the server at bedtime and back it up the same night. [See Valheim plans](https://www.renode.space/game-servers/valheim) --- ### Valheim character files and cheating on a server Published 2026-10-14 by RE:NODE Team. https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-character-files-and-cheating A Valheim character is a file on the player's own machine, not on your server. The server stores the world - terrain, builds, chests, tombstones, tames, boss progress - and trusts each client to say who they are, what they carry and what skills they have. That design is why a character can travel freely between worlds, and also why a vanilla dedicated server cannot stop someone arriving with items spawned in single player, a restored copy of their character, or a file edited with a save editor. Admins can control who joins and what happens in the world. They cannot control what a character file contains. If that matters for your server, the answer is a server-side character mod, and it has costs of its own. This guide explains what is in a character file and what is not, the ways items enter a world from outside, how duplication happens (including the kind nobody did on purpose), what an admin can realistically do in vanilla, and what mods such as ServerCharacters change. #### What lives in the character and what lives in the world The split is the key to everything else in this post. | Stored in the character file (client) | Stored in the world (server) | | --- | --- | | Inventory and equipped gear | Buildings, chests and their contents | | Skills and their levels | Terrain edits and planted crops | | Known recipes, materials and pieces | Tombstones and items on the ground | | Food, appearance, name, beard and hair | Tames and creatures | | Active Forsaken power | Global keys from bosses | | Map exploration and pins, per world | Portals, wards, signs | | Spawn point (bed), per world | World modifiers | Characters remember each world they have visited separately: a map and a bed for this server, another map and bed for a single-player world. The map is not shared with the group unless players use a cartography table - [maps are per character](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-cartography-table-and-shared-maps) covers how that works. The character file is `Name.fch`. On Windows with Steam it is in: ```text %USERPROFILE%\AppData\LocalLow\IronGate\Valheim\characters_local\ ``` If the player keeps characters in Steam Cloud, they are in the `characters` folder beside it instead, and the in-game Manage Saves screen moves them between the two. Linux players on Steam find the same folders under `~/.config/unity3d/IronGate/Valheim/`. The game also keeps older copies alongside the current file; how many and under what names has changed between versions. The Game Pass and Microsoft Store edition keeps saves elsewhere, covered in [Game Pass and Microsoft Store world files](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-game-pass-and-microsoft-store-world-files), and on Xbox the files are not reachable at all. The server side of the file layout is in [save directories and file locations](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-savedir-and-file-locations). Nothing about characters is ever stored on the dedicated server in vanilla. There is no folder to look in, no inventory to inspect and no skills to reset from the server side. #### How items get into a world from outside Because the character carries its own inventory, anything a character holds when it connects enters your world. That is a feature: you can take your gear from a friend's world to yours, or keep a character through a world reset, as described in [resetting a world and keeping characters](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-reset-world-keep-characters). It is also every cheating route in one sentence. The ways items arrive, from harmless to deliberate: 1. **From another world, legitimately.** The player has played elsewhere. Their bronze armour on day one of your server was earned somewhere else. Vanilla treats this as normal. 2. **From single player with the cheat set.** Load the character into a single-player world, type `devcommands`, `spawn` whatever you like, quit and connect. The cheat set is refused on a vanilla dedicated server, but nothing stops it offline - [the devcommands guide](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-devcommands-explained) covers what it allows. 3. **From a save editor.** Third-party tools edit `.fch` files directly: skills, inventory, appearance. The server sees only the result. 4. **From a restored file.** Copying an older `.fch` back over the current one, which brings back whatever that copy held. This is the classic duplication trick, below. The server cannot tell these apart. To the server, a character wearing a full set of Ashlands gear spawned offline looks exactly like one that earned it on another world. #### How duplication happens A dupe is an item that now exists twice. In Valheim almost every dupe comes from the same root: the character and the world are saved at different times, by different machines. ##### The deliberate one 1. A player copies their `.fch` somewhere safe. 2. They join, put their best items into a chest on the server and log out. The character saves without the items; the world saves with them in the chest. 3. They copy the old `.fch` back. The character has the items again. 4. They join. The items are now in the chest and in the inventory. Nothing in vanilla detects this, because from the server's point of view a character simply connected carrying some things. ##### The accidental one The same mismatch happens with nobody trying. The world is written to disk every `-saveinterval` seconds - thirty minutes by default. Characters save on their own schedule, including when a player logs out. - A player takes iron out of a chest, logs out (their character saves with the iron), and the server is then killed before its next world save. On restart the world is from before the withdrawal: the iron is in the chest and in the inventory. - The reverse loses items: a player deposits gear, logs out, the server crashes before saving, and the gear is in neither place. That is why a server that is killed rather than stopped, or a world rolled back to a backup, produces dupes and losses that nobody did on purpose. Shortening the save interval and stopping cleanly reduce both; [backups and world corruption](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-server-backups-and-world-corruption) covers the save side. A rollback is never neutral for this reason - the world goes back, the characters do not. > [!WARNING] > When you roll a world back after a crash or griefing, every item that moved between characters and chests since that backup is now either duplicated or gone. Tell the group exactly which save you restored, and settle in advance whether players should hand back what they now hold twice. #### What admins can and cannot prevent in vanilla Be honest with your group about where the limits are. Here is the actual control a vanilla server gives you: | You can | You cannot | | --- | --- | | Choose who joins with a password and `permittedlist.txt` | See a player's inventory or skills from the server | | Remove people with `kick` and `ban` | Stop items being brought in from other worlds | | Protect builds and chests with wards | Detect `devcommands` used in single player | | Back up and restore the world | Detect an edited or restored `.fch` | | Write and enforce rules | Make fresh characters compulsory | The left-hand column is the real tool. Valheim multiplayer is built as co-operative play among people who trust each other, and the access controls reflect that: a password and an allow list. The allow list in particular changes the question from "how do we stop cheaters" to "who do we let in" - [adminlist, bannedlist and permittedlist](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-adminlist-bannedlist-permittedlist) explains the file. What you can still notice: - **Gear that does not fit the world.** A player with Mistlands gear on a world nobody has left the Black Forest on either played elsewhere or did not. Ask. - **Resources that appear from nowhere.** Stacks of iron on a world where nobody has killed The Elder, so nobody can have opened a sunken crypt. - **Implausible speed.** A base built overnight with materials nobody gathered. None of these is proof, which is why a rule with a clear expectation beats detective work. The general approach to evidence and bans is in [handling cheaters and ban lists](https://www.renode.space/blog/handling-cheaters-and-ban-lists). #### House rules for characters Most groups need two or three of these, written somewhere everyone has read: 1. **Fresh characters or not, decided up front.** "New characters only for this world" or "bring whatever you have". Either works. Changing the rule after people have joined does not. 2. **No items brought in, if fresh.** A fresh-character rule should also cover the inventory. A new character with a stack of iron from another world is not fresh. 3. **No `devcommands` on characters used here.** Even offline. Spawning gear in single player and walking in with it is the most common form of cheating on group servers. 4. **No restoring character backups without asking.** Players legitimately restore a character after a corrupted file; they should say so, and say what it brought back. 5. **Report dupes.** If a crash leaves someone with double items, they say so and drop the extras in a shared chest. On a seasonal or community server these go into the rules document and the season announcement - [server wipes and seasons](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-server-wipes-and-seasons) covers fresh-character versus carry-over seasons, and [onboarding late joiners](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-onboarding-late-joiners) covers what a new player may reasonably bring into a late-game world. For PvP servers the stakes are higher, because an imported character is a direct advantage over other players; [the PvP server guide](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-pvp-server-guide) goes into that. #### Server-side character mods If the honour system is not enough - a public server, a competitive PvP world, a hardcore community - the fix is to move characters onto the server. That needs a mod, because vanilla has no such feature. The best known is **ServerCharacters**, distributed on Thunderstore under the Smoothbrain team. According to its documentation it keeps each player's character profile on the server instead of on their PC, stores inventories on the server to prevent duping, backs up all profiles automatically with a configurable number kept, and creates an emergency backup if a client loses its connection. It also offers options such as limiting each account to one character, a hardcore mode that deletes the server-side save on death, starting templates for new characters, and a maintenance mode that disconnects non-admins. The Thunderstore listing has been marked deprecated at times, and alternatives such as ServerManager by sighsorry handle server-side characters too, so check which is maintained for the current game version before you commit. What a server-side character mod costs you: - **Every player needs it.** ServerCharacters has to be installed on the server and on every client. That rules out Xbox players on a crossplay server, who cannot install mods, and adds another mod to keep in step after game patches - [mod version mismatch kicks](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-mod-version-mismatch-kicks) explains what happens when versions drift. - **The character belongs to the server.** That is the point, but it also means players cannot freely take that character to other worlds, and if the server goes or the profile store is lost, so are the characters. Back up the folder where the mod keeps profiles along with the world. - **It is one more thing that can break on patch day.** If the mod is not updated for a new game version, nobody plays until it is. - **It covers characters, not everything.** A client-side cheat mod can still do things in the world while the player is connected. Server-side characters close the file-editing and import routes, not every route. For most friend groups none of this is worth it. For a public server where strangers compete for anything, it usually is. Installing it follows the usual BepInEx route in [Valheim mods with BepInEx](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-mods-bepinex-server). #### Running a server-side character setup If you go ahead, a few operational habits make the difference: 1. **Announce it before switching.** Existing characters may not carry over the way players expect. Read the mod's documentation on how it treats a player's first connection and tell the group. 2. **Back up both halves.** The world files and the mod's profile folder belong in the same backup. Restoring one without the other recreates the dupe problem you installed the mod to solve. 3. **Pin versions.** Keep the server and every client on the same mod version. A shared r2modman profile does this well - see [Thunderstore and r2modman for groups](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-thunderstore-r2modman-for-groups). 4. **Hold game updates.** Do not update the server on patch day until the character mod has been updated for that version. On RE:NODE the mod goes in through the file manager or SFTP like any BepInEx mod, and the profile folder sits on the same server as the world, so a backup from the panel captures both together. Backup slots come with every Valheim plan and can be locked, which is worth doing before the first start with a character mod installed. Valheim plans ship with crossplay on, so if your group includes Xbox players, remember that a mod every client must run will keep them out. #### FAQ ##### Can a Valheim server see what is in a player's inventory? Not in vanilla. The inventory is part of the character file on the player's machine, and the server only sees the character while it is connected and playing. Server-side character mods change this by storing the profile on the server. ##### Is bringing a character from another world cheating? Not by the game's rules - Valheim is designed to let characters travel between worlds. Whether it is allowed on your server is a house rule. Decide it before anyone joins and say it clearly. ##### Can I stop players using devcommands in single player and bringing items in? Not in vanilla. Nothing on the server can tell where items came from. Your options are trust, an allow list of people you know, or a server-side character mod that keeps the authoritative copy of each character on the server. ##### Why do we have duplicate items after a server crash? Characters and the world save at different times. If the server stopped without saving, the world went back to its last save while characters kept what they had when they logged out. Items moved between chests and inventories in that window now exist twice, or not at all. ##### Do Xbox players work with ServerCharacters? No. The mod has to be installed on every client, and Xbox players cannot install mods. A server that relies on it is effectively PC-only, whatever the crossplay setting says. Valheim servers on RE:NODE start from $6 a month with crossplay on, a generated join password, SFTP and a file manager for mods, and backup slots on every plan that capture the world and any mod data on the server together. [See Valheim plans](https://www.renode.space/game-servers/valheim) --- ### Valheim chat, emotes and player commands on a server Published 2026-10-14 by RE:NODE Team. https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-chat-emotes-and-player-commands On a Valheim server, any player can use the chat box and a small set of console commands without being admin and without cheats. Press `Enter` to chat: plain text is heard by players near you, `/s` shouts to everyone on the server, and `/w` whispers to whoever is right beside you. Emotes such as `/wave`, `/sit`, `/point` and `/cheer` play animations. Press `F5` for the console, once it is enabled, and `help`, `ping`, `info`, `lodbias` and a handful of settings and key-bind commands work for everyone. Admin commands need your ID in `adminlist.txt`, and the cheat set behind `devcommands` is refused on a vanilla dedicated server whoever you are. This guide is the player-side reference: what each chat mode reaches, the full emote set, the console commands that are safe for anyone, the two that can cost you your gear, and how groups actually use them on a shared world. #### Chat and console are two different boxes Valheim has two places to type, and most confusion comes from mixing them up. | Box | Opens with | What it is for | | --- | --- | --- | | Chat | `Enter` | Talking to other players, shouting, whispering, emotes | | Console | `F5` | Commands to your own game, plus admin commands if you are admin | The chat box is always available. Messages you type there go to other players, and lines that start with a slash are treated as chat commands. The console is a developer-style command line that ships disabled; it talks to your own client, which forwards admin commands to the server. To enable the console on Steam, either switch it on in the game's settings, where recent versions have a toggle, or add `-console` to Valheim's launch options: Steam launch options: ```text -console ``` On Xbox there is no console. On the PC Game Pass and Microsoft Store edition, use the in-game setting if your version has it. Press `F5` again to close the console. `F2` is not the console - it opens a network statistics overlay that is handy when somebody says the game is lagging, as the [admin console commands reference](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-admin-console-commands-reference) explains. #### Talking, shouting and whispering The chat box has three ways to speak, and they reach very different audiences. | Mode | How | Who sees it | | --- | --- | --- | | Talk | Type and press `Enter`, or `/say` | Players near you, plus text above your head | | Shout | `/s message` | Every player on the server, in capitals | | Whisper | `/w message` | Only players right beside you, in lower case | ```text Anyone want to go to the swamp? /s BOAR PEN GATE IS OPEN /w I have the spare bronze ``` Things to know about each: - **Talk is local.** Normal messages reach players within a short range and appear above your character's head. Someone at the other end of the base may not see it. If nobody answered, they probably did not read it. - **Shout is server-wide.** Everyone online sees a shout in their chat window, whatever the distance, and it marks where you are for other players. That makes it the right tool for "boss summon in five minutes" or "I am stuck in the Mountains, can someone come", and the wrong one for idle conversation. Shouted text is forced to capitals. - **Whisper is closer still.** It is a quieter local message, not a private message to a named player. Some third-party guides describe it as a direct message; in vanilla it is about distance, so check with a friend standing next to you if you rely on it. Whispered text is forced to lower case. There is no vanilla private message to a player who is not near you, and no team or party channel. Groups that want either use Discord. Chat mods on Thunderstore add global channels, configurable ranges and other conveniences; some need the mod on every client, which keeps Xbox players out of a crossplay server, so read the page before you install one. ##### Map pings Pinging a spot on the large map (middle-click in the default bindings) places a short-lived marker that the other players see. It is how a group says "meet here" or "the troll cave is there" without describing landmarks. A ping is not saved and does not add a pin to anyone's map; it fades after a few seconds. Pins you place yourself stay on your own map only, unless the group shares maps through a cartography table - [maps are per character](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-cartography-table-and-shared-maps) covers that. > [!NOTE] > Players on a crossplay server can have their chat hidden from each other by platform settings. Xbox accounts have privacy and communication settings that apply to text chat in games, so if an Xbox player never seems to see messages, have them check their account's communication settings before blaming the server. More on mixed groups in [Valheim crossplay and Xbox players](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-crossplay-and-xbox-players). #### Emotes Emotes are chat commands that play an animation on your character. Everyone nearby sees it; nothing changes in the world. They work for any player, need no console, and do nothing to the server beyond telling other clients to play the animation. The original set: | Emote | Animation | | --- | --- | | `/wave` | Waves | | `/sit` | Sits down on the spot | | `/point` | Points ahead | | `/cheer` | Cheers with raised arms | | `/challenge` | A challenge gesture | | `/thumbsup` | Thumbs up | | `/nonono` | Wags a finger - no | A later update added a second batch, including `/bow`, `/kneel`, `/laugh`, `/shrug`, `/flex`, `/cry`, `/cower`, `/despair`, `/headbang`, `/roar`, `/blowkiss` and `/comehere`. Iron Gate has added emotes in more than one patch, so the exact set depends on your version. `help` in the console lists every command your build accepts, emotes included, and is the authority over any list online, this one included. `/sit` is the useful one. Sitting by a fire under a roof is a quick way to become Rested without a bed, which matters on a server where the group cannot always sleep together - [sleep and day-night on servers](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-sleep-and-day-night-on-servers) explains why that takes the pressure off night skips. `/point` does real work too: a player pointing at a cave entrance is clearer than any amount of typing. #### Console commands any player can use These commands work for every player with the console open. They change your own game - your view, your settings, your binds - not the world. The list below is the stable core; `help` shows your build's full set. | Command | What it does | | --- | --- | | `help` | Lists commands your game accepts, in pages | | `clear` | Clears the console's output | | `ping` | Shows your round trip to the server | | `info` | Prints game version and system details | | `lodbias [1-5]` | How far away objects keep full detail | | `fov [number]` | Sets the camera's field of view | | `maxfps [number]` | Caps your frame rate | | `bind [key] [command]` | Binds a command to a key | | `unbind [key]` | Removes a bind | | `printbinds` | Lists your binds | | `resetbinds` | Removes all your binds | | `say`, `s`, `w` | Console versions of talk, shout and whisper | ##### The diagnostic ones: ping and info `ping` is the quickest check when someone reports lag. If their ping is normal and an area still stutters, the cause is usually zone ownership - the player who entered the area first simulates it, and a bad connection on their side makes it rubber-band for everyone. [Valheim server performance and lag](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-server-performance-and-lag) explains how to spot it. `info` prints the game version, among other things. When a player gets "Incompatible version", ask them to run `info` and read the version out. It settles in seconds whether the client or the server is behind - [Valheim updates and version mismatch](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-update-server-and-version-mismatch) covers the fix. ##### The comfort ones: lodbias, fov, maxfps These change only your own client and are worth knowing on a busy server. - **`lodbias`** takes 1 to 5. Lower values switch distant objects to simpler models sooner, which helps a weak PC in a heavily built base. If your game struggles around the main hall and nobody else's does, try a lower value before blaming the server. - **`fov`** changes the camera's field of view. Wider is easier on some players, costs a little performance, and does not affect anyone else. - **`maxfps`** caps frames. A laptop running at an uncapped frame rate in the menu or in a quiet base gets hot for no benefit. ##### Binds `bind` attaches a console command to a key, which is how players put emotes or settings on spare mouse buttons: ```text bind mouse4 cheer printbinds unbind mouse4 ``` Binds are stored in your game's settings, not your character or the world, so they follow you between servers. Which commands a bind accepts has changed between versions - if one does nothing, check `printbinds` and the console output when you press the key. #### Two commands that cost you something Two player commands change your character's state and are easy to type without thinking: - **`die`** kills your character on the spot. It exists to get you out of being stuck in geometry, and it is a real death: a tombstone with your inventory where you stood, the death penalty on your skills, and a corpse run. Empty your inventory into a chest first if you can. - **`resetspawn`** forgets your bed. Your next death sends you to the world spawn, which on a mature server may be a long way from anything. Claim a bed again afterwards. > [!WARNING] > Using `die` to escape a stuck spot inside a dungeon or under terrain leaves your tombstone exactly there - which is the place you could not get out of. Ask an admin before you use it in an awkward spot; [recovering lost tombstones](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-admin-tools-for-lost-tombstones) covers what they can and cannot do. Other commands that turn up in `help` on recent builds - tutorial switches, a command to hide the beta-version text, sorting options for the crafting list - are harmless. When a command is unfamiliar, check what it does before running it rather than after. #### What needs admin, and what needs cheats Everything above works for any player. Two further groups do not: | Group | Examples | Who can use them | | --- | --- | --- | | Admin | `kick`, `ban`, `unban`, `banned`, `save` | IDs in `adminlist.txt` | | World modifiers | `setworldmodifier`, `setworldpreset`, `resetworldkeys` | Admins | | Cheats | `devcommands`, `god`, `fly`, `spawn`, `tod`, `pos`, `goto` | Not on a vanilla dedicated server | An admin command typed by a normal player is simply refused. The cheat set is refused for everyone on a vanilla dedicated server, admins included; the usual route there is a mod, covered in [Valheim devcommands explained](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-devcommands-explained). The practical upshot for players: if you are not admin, nothing you can type in chat or the console changes the world for anyone else. Emotes, shouts and binds are social and cosmetic. That is worth saying to new players who worry they will break something by experimenting with `help`. #### Using chat well on a shared server Valheim's chat is minimal, so most groups add a few conventions: 1. **Shout for things everyone needs.** Boss summons, raids at the base, someone stuck or dying far away, a portal you are about to rename. Keep it short. 2. **Talk for everything else.** Talking to people beside you does not clutter everyone's screen. 3. **Say it before you do it.** "Removing the old dock", "summoning Moder", "going to sleep" - most shared-world arguments start with something done without a word. 4. **Use Discord for anything that must be read later.** Chat is not stored anywhere players can scroll back to after logging in, and there is no message of the day in vanilla. Rules, event times and long explanations go in Discord. 5. **Admins announce from the game, not the server.** There is no vanilla way to broadcast from the server process; an admin in game shouts. A mod can bridge chat and Discord - [Discord bots for game server admin](https://www.renode.space/blog/discord-bots-for-game-server-admin) covers the options, and the Valheim-specific one is the [Discord Connector mod](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-discord-connector-mod). For a public server, chat behaviour belongs in the rules document; [writing rules for a Valheim server](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-community-server-rules) covers that, and events where shouting does the organising, like boss nights and sailing races, are in [community event ideas](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-community-event-ideas). On RE:NODE the panel console shows the server's live log, which records players connecting and disconnecting, so an admin can see who is online without being in game. It does not carry the in-game chat, and like any Valheim server it does not accept typed admin commands from the server side - those still come from an admin's game client. #### Troubleshooting chat and commands **`F5` does nothing.** The console is disabled. Turn it on in the game's settings or add `-console` to the launch options, then restart the game. Some laptops need `Fn` with `F5`. **A command prints nothing or "unknown command".** It is either a cheat command, which needs `devcommands` and is refused on a vanilla dedicated server, or it does not exist in your version. Run `help` and look for it. **An emote typed in the console does nothing.** Emotes belong in the chat box, opened with `Enter`, with a leading slash. Try `/wave` there before assuming the emote is missing. **Nobody answers in chat.** You were talking, not shouting, and nobody was in range. Use `/s` for anything the whole server should see. **A shout appears for some players but not others.** Check whether the missing players are on Xbox with restricted communication settings, or running a chat mod that filters or reroutes messages. **`kick` or `ban` is refused.** Your ID is not in `adminlist.txt`, or not in the form the server expects - a plain SteamID64 on a Steam-only server, a platform-prefixed one on a crossplay server. [adminlist, bannedlist and permittedlist](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-adminlist-bannedlist-permittedlist) covers the format. #### FAQ ##### How do I send a message to everyone on a Valheim server? Shout with `/s` followed by your message. Every player online sees it in chat, regardless of distance, in capitals. Plain messages only reach players near you. ##### Can I private message another player in Valheim? Not in vanilla. `/w` whispers to players standing right next to you; there is no message to a named player elsewhere on the map. Use Discord or another voice or text app for private conversations. ##### Why do the emotes not work? Emotes are typed in the chat box, opened with `Enter`, with a leading slash - `/wave`, not `wave` in the console. If a newer emote does nothing, your version may not have it; `help` lists what your build accepts. ##### Do I need to be admin to use the console? No. Enable it in the game's settings or with `-console` in Steam's launch options, then press `F5`. Commands such as `help`, `ping`, `info` and `lodbias` work for anyone. Only `kick`, `ban`, `save` and similar need admin. ##### Can players use devcommands if the server allows it? Not on a vanilla dedicated server, which refuses the cheat set for everyone. A server running the Server Devcommands mod lets the admins it allows use them; normal players still cannot. Valheim servers on RE:NODE start from $6 a month with crossplay on, a generated join password, and a panel console with the live server log, so you can see who connects without being in game. [See Valheim plans](https://www.renode.space/game-servers/valheim) --- ### Valheim server event ideas, with the commands to run them Published 2026-10-14 by RE:NODE Team. https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-community-event-ideas The events that work best on a Valheim server are the ones the game already half-supports: group boss nights, build contests, sailing races, treasure hunts, raid-defence nights and fishing or hunting challenges. Most of them need no commands at all - a time, a place, a few rules and a host. The ones that do need commands (starting a raid with `event`, setting the time of day with `tod`, spawning a prize or an arena opponent with `spawn`, jumping to a location with `goto`) are cheat commands, refused on a vanilla dedicated server even for admins, so they need a mod such as Server Devcommands. Run one event every week or two, announce it a few days ahead, and keep prizes out of the shared economy. This guide covers each event type, how to set it up, which commands help and when, and the habits that make events a regular reason to log in rather than a one-off. #### What you need before running events Three things, two of which you probably have already. **A place to announce.** Valheim has no message of the day and no server-wide broadcast in vanilla. Events are announced in Discord, on a sign at the portal hub, or both. Announce at least three days ahead with a time in UTC or in your community's main time zone, and once more an hour before. **A host.** One person runs the event, keeps time, judges, and decides disputes on the spot. On a server with an admin team, rotate the job so it does not always fall to the owner. **Commands, if the event needs them.** Vanilla admins have `kick`, `ban`, `save` and a few more; everything below that changes the world needs the cheat set. The usual way to give it to admins on a dedicated server is the Server Devcommands mod by JereKuusela, which ordinary players do not need to install - only the admins who use it, plus the server for some features. [The Server Devcommands guide](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-serverdevcommands-mod) covers the install, and [Valheim devcommands explained](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-devcommands-explained) covers what each command does to a shared world. The commands this guide uses: | Command | Use at events | | --- | --- | | `pos` | Record coordinates for a start line or hidden cache | | `goto [x] [z]` | Move the host to a location quickly | | `tod [0-1]` | Fix the time of day; `tod -1` returns to normal | | `env [name]` | Force the weather; `resetenv` returns to normal | | `event [name]` | Start a named raid at your position | | `stopevent` | End the current raid | | `spawn [prefab] [amount] [level]` | Opponents for an arena, or a prize | | `ghost` | Creatures ignore the host while they watch | > [!WARNING] > Every one of these commands touches a live world that others are playing on. Take a backup before every event that uses commands, and lock it so it is not rotated away. If a spawned army goes wrong at a base, restoring the world is the only clean undo. #### Boss nights The easiest event to run and the one with the most at stake, because a boss kill sets a global key for the whole world. Boss nights solve that: the kill happens at a set time, with everyone invited, instead of whenever the most dedicated player finishes farming offerings. | Boss | Summoned with | Notes for a group | | --- | --- | --- | | Eikthyr | 2 deer trophies | Good first event for a new world | | The Elder | 3 ancient seeds | Fire arrows and a clear arena help | | Bonemass | 10 withered bones | Poison resistance meads for everyone | | Moder | 3 dragon eggs | Bring bows and frost resistance | | Yagluth | 5 fuling totems | Plains arena, open ground | | The Queen | The Sealbreaker | Opens the sealed tower in the Mistlands | | Fader | The Bell | Ashlands, the heaviest fight in the game | How to run one: 1. **Announce a week ahead**, with the gear and food the fight needs. Late-game bosses punish people who turn up underprepared. 2. **Stage at a portal near the altar** the day before. Build a temporary portal and a few beds or a shelter so wiped players can respawn close by. 3. **Agree who carries the offering.** One person collects, everyone else prepares. 4. **Take a backup** an hour before. A crash mid-fight is rare, but a lost world is worse than a lost evening. 5. **Run the fight.** The player who arrives first in the arena owns the zone and simulates the boss, so the best connection should go in first. 6. **Share the drops.** Decide in advance how the trophy and the boss items are split; one trophy, one forsaken power at the altar, but every player can activate the power once the trophy hangs at the start stones. Group boss fights are harder than solo ones because creatures, bosses included, get stronger with more players nearby. Expect a long fight with ten people. [Valheim boss summoning for groups](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-boss-summoning-for-groups) and [boss progression on shared servers](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-boss-progression-on-shared-servers) cover arenas and the effect on late joiners. #### Build contests A build contest gives quieter players and non-fighters a reason to log in, and it improves the world for everyone. It works best with a theme and a fixed plot. **Pick a theme.** A longhall, a lighthouse, a bridge, a dock, a Dvergr outpost, a ship. Narrow themes produce better contests than "build something cool". **Pick plots.** Mark out plots at a shared site - a coast near the hub works well - with stone markers or signs. Plots should be at least a ward radius apart (about 32 metres) so builders do not interfere with each other. Keep the site well away from bases; a dozen big builds in one place is a heavy area for whoever owns those zones. **Decide on resources.** This is the key choice: | Option | How | Trade-off | | --- | --- | --- | | Normal cost | Players gather their own materials | Rewards preparation, slower | | Donated pool | Shared chests stocked by the community | Levels the field | | Creative world | A second world with `-setkey nobuildcost` | Unlimited builds, no effect on the main world | `nobuildcost` on your main world would let everybody build anything for free for as long as it is on, which is not a contest but a reset of the economy. If you want unlimited materials, run it on a separate creative world - the same server with a different `-world` name, or a second small server - and switch back afterwards. [Valheim no-build-cost creative servers](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-no-build-cost-creative-servers) covers that setup. **Judge fairly.** A panel of three, scoring on theme, craft and use of the site, with the builders' names hidden until the end if you can. Publish the scores. Leave the winning builds standing; a world full of past contest builds is a world with a history. #### Sailing races Valheim's sailing is slow, beautiful and occasionally lethal, which makes a good race. It is also unfair in ways you need to plan for. **The course.** Pick a route between two docks, with two or three checkpoints - islands, sea stacks or a temporary sign on a raft of stone pillars. Use `pos` to record the coordinates of each checkpoint and publish them. Players can also mark them on their own maps, or copy them from a shared map at a cartography table. A course of 2-3 kilometres takes 10-15 minutes in a Karve and is long enough for tactics. **The boats.** Everybody races the same class: all Karves, or all Longships. Mixed classes are not a race. **The wind.** Wind direction changes over time and differs by position, so two boats starting minutes apart sail different races. Start everyone at once from a line, and accept that luck is part of it. Moder's forsaken power gives a tailwind wherever you sail, which makes it decisive in a race; ban it, or require everyone to have it and use it from the start. **The sea.** Serpents and storms are part of the course, and a lost boat is a lost race. If you want a fair race rather than a survival race, run it in the Meadows waters, or have an admin hold the weather with `env Clear` and the time with `tod 0.5` for the duration. Return both to normal with `resetenv` and `tod -1`. **Lag.** The player steering a ship owns it, and boats lagging at sea is a familiar complaint. Ten boats in one area adds load; staggered heats of three or four boats are smoother than one mass start. [Valheim sailing and ships in multiplayer](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-sailing-and-ships-in-multiplayer) explains ship ownership and rubber-banding. Timekeeping is easiest in Discord voice: the host calls the start, each finisher calls their arrival, the host records the clock. #### Treasure hunts A treasure hunt costs the host an afternoon of preparation and gives players an evening of exploration. It works on any server, vanilla included. 1. **Plan a route** of four to six stops, each a recognisable place: a burial chamber entrance, a lone tower, a waterfall, a trader camp. 2. **Hide a chest at each stop** with the next clue inside, on a sign beside it, or both. The final chest holds the prize. Use `pos` to record each location for your own notes. 3. **Write clues that use the game.** "Where the stones still remember the first tree" points at the start area; "under the eyes of the one who sells at night" is the trader. Biomes, landmarks and lore make better clues than coordinates. 4. **Do not ward the chests.** A ward stops non-permitted players opening chests inside its radius, which makes the hunt impossible. Accept that a lucky player might find a cache out of order. 5. **Run it timed or open.** A timed hunt for one evening is an event; an open hunt that runs for a week lets people in other time zones take part. A variation that suits hardcore communities is a map hunt on a world with `nomap`: no minimap, no map at all, so the clues are the only way to navigate. That is a world-wide setting, so only use it if your server already runs that way. #### Raid defence nights On a normal world raids are random: one roll on a timer, aimed at an online player near their base. A raid-defence night turns that into a planned fight at a purpose-built fort. **Build the fort.** A community build away from every player base, with walls, a moat and a gate. Build it in a biome that suits the raid you plan to run, and make sure it has enough base pieces to count as a base. **Run the raid.** With the cheat commands available, the host stands in the fort and starts a raid by name: ```text > event army_theelder > stopevent ``` `event` ignores the world's boss keys, so you can run any raid regardless of progress - which is the point for an event and the danger anywhere else. Raid names follow the boss chain: `army_eikthyr`, `army_theelder`, `army_bonemass`, `army_moder`, `army_goblin` and later ones. The names have shifted a little between versions; [Valheim raids and events on servers](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-raids-and-events-on-servers) lists them with what each sends. **Make it fair.** Raid creatures scale with the number of players nearby, so a raid built for one player becomes a tougher fight for a crowd. That is good for an event. Set a timer, keep score of defenders who fall, and use `stopevent` if it goes wrong. Without the mod, a vanilla server can still hold a raid-defence evening: everybody gathers at the fort, waits for the world's own raid to roll, and fights whatever arrives. It is less predictable and rather more Valheim. #### Arena fights and gauntlets A ring of stone walls, a gate, and spawned opponents make a gauntlet: a player or a team fights waves of creatures while everyone else watches from the stands. ```text > spawn Greydwarf_Elite 2 > spawn Troll 1 2 > spawn Draugr_Elite 3 ``` The level argument is star count plus one, so `spawn Troll 1 2` is a single one-star troll. Prefab names are case-sensitive and are not the names you see in game; [the spawn command and item IDs](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-spawn-command-and-item-ids) lists the common ones. Three habits keep a gauntlet from hurting the world: - **Spawn in a zone the host owns.** Arrive in the arena first; the creatures belong to the zone owner's machine. - **Spawn in small numbers.** Two or three at a time, not twenty. A mass spawn is a mass lag spike. - **Clean up after.** `removedrops` clears the loot left on the floor, which otherwise sits in the world file. PvP tournaments use the same arena. Every fighter turns PvP on for the bout and off afterwards, and spectators stay well back with theirs off. On a PvE server, a duel inside the arena by mutual consent is the only PvP that should happen at all. #### Smaller events and a calendar Not every event has to be large. Small ones keep the server active between the big nights. - **Fishing challenge.** Most species caught in an evening. Each biome has its own fish and its own bait, so it is an excuse to travel. - **Trophy hunt.** First to collect a list of creature trophies. Good for new players, and it needs no setup. - **Road build.** A shared project: the community builds a road from the hub to a distant base in one evening. - **Community harvest.** Everyone works the public farm, then cooks a feast together in the hub. - **Lore tour.** A guide leads newcomers along a route of vegstones, runestones and landmarks, and reads the lines aloud. A monthly rhythm that works for many groups: | Week | Event | Commands | | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | Build contest (runs all week) | None | | 2 | Sailing race or treasure hunt | `pos`, optionally `env`, `tod` | | 3 | Boss night or raid defence | Optionally `event`, `stopevent` | | 4 | Small event or rest week | None | Schedule events at the same time each week; people plan around a regular slot better than around ad hoc announcements. Rotate time slots occasionally so members in other time zones get a turn. #### Prizes without breaking the economy Spawned prizes are the fastest way to spoil a long-running server. Fifty black metal from nowhere changes what everybody's mining is worth. Better prizes: - **Recognition.** A plaque by the winning build, a named ship, a title in Discord. - **Donated items.** Players contribute prize chests from their own stock, which keeps the economy honest. - **Service.** A veteran builds the winner a boat, a road or a portal link. - **Trophies.** A boss trophy from the event goes to the winner for their hall. If you do spawn something, spawn cosmetic or modest things, and say in advance what the prize is so nobody can call it favouritism. #### FAQ ##### Can I run events on a vanilla Valheim server without mods? Yes. Boss nights, build contests, sailing races, treasure hunts and most small events need no commands at all. Only events that start raids on demand, fix the weather or spawn opponents need the cheat commands, and those need a mod on a dedicated server. ##### Does starting a raid with the event command affect world progress? No. `event` starts the raid but sets no keys. It ignores the world's boss keys, so you can run any raid at any time, which is exactly why it should only be used at an event site, not at somebody's base. ##### How do I keep event builds from lagging the server? Hold them away from player bases, keep plots spaced, and avoid heavy terraforming at the site. A dozen large builds in one place is a heavy area, but it only costs while players are there. ##### What time should I schedule events? At a regular weekly slot when most of your active members play, announced at least three days ahead in a single time zone. Rotate occasionally so players in other time zones get some events too. ##### Should I back up before every event? Before every event that uses commands, yes, and lock the backup. Commands like `spawn` and `event` can do things that only a restore can undo, and you want a copy from just before the event, not from the night before. On RE:NODE, Valheim plans include backup slots you can take and lock before an event, schedules for regular restarts, and a panel console your event hosts can use as subusers without sharing your login. [See Valheim plans](https://www.renode.space/game-servers/valheim) --- ### Valheim server rules: a template for public servers Published 2026-10-14 by RE:NODE Team. https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-community-server-rules Good rules for a public Valheim server are short, specific and tied to how the game actually works. Six to ten rules cover almost everything: keep bases at least 300 metres apart, keep the start area, traders and boss altars clear, never lead raids or monsters into someone else's base, cap tames per player, make PvP opt-in by consent, leave other people's wards alone, and hold admins to the same rules as everybody else. Write each rule with the reason and the consequence beside it, publish them where players see them before they join, and enforce them with the three files the server already has - `bannedlist.txt`, `permittedlist.txt` and `adminlist.txt` - plus backups for the damage nobody can prevent. This guide goes through each rule a Valheim world needs, why the game's mechanics make it necessary, and how much a vanilla server can actually enforce. Most of the answer to the last question is "less than you hope", which is exactly why the wording matters. #### Why Valheim rules are different from other games Rules borrowed from a Minecraft or Rust community tend to miss the problems Valheim really has, because three of the game's design choices shape what goes wrong on a shared world. The first is **zone ownership**. The world is split into 64 by 64 metre zones, and each zone is simulated by the first player who walks into it. A base built right next to someone else's is, to the game, one large area that loads together, and whoever arrives first simulates both. Spacing rules are not about manners; they are about whose machine runs the fight when a troll walks through. [Valheim base placement for shared servers](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-base-placement-for-shared-servers) explains the mechanics in full. The second is **characters on the client**. Inventories, skills and the map live on each player's own computer, not on the server. A vanilla server cannot tell an honestly crafted sword from one spawned in single player and carried in. Any rule about cheating is a rule you enforce by watching behaviour, not by reading a log. The third is **world-wide progression**. Boss kills set global keys for the whole world. One player killing Bonemass changes the raid table, the trader stock and what Haldor will sell for everyone. A rule about boss kills is a rule about other people's game. So a Valheim rule set has to cover space (where you build), the shared simulation (raids, tames, clutter), shared progression (bosses), people (PvP, chat, griefing), and the admins themselves. #### The core rule set, with reasons This is a starting template. It is deliberately close to what most long-running PvE servers converge on after their first few disputes. Change the numbers to suit your group, but keep the shape: rule, reason, consequence. rules.txt: ```text 1. Bases at least 300 m apart, measured centre to centre. Ask before building within 500 m of someone else's base. 2. No building within 100 m of the spawn stones, a trader, a boss altar or a dungeon entrance. Shared portals go in the public hub only. 3. Do not lead raids, trolls or other creatures into another base. If a raid starts at your base, fight it there or wait it out. 4. Maximum 10 tamed animals per player. Breed for a purpose, not a herd. Kill or release surplus. 5. PvP is opt-in. Never attack a player who has not agreed to it in chat first, and never toggle PvP inside someone else's base. 6. Do not open, dismantle or loot anything that is not yours, warded or not. Abandoned bases belong to the server, not to you. 7. Boss fights are announced 24 hours ahead in Discord. Anyone may join. Do not summon a boss that would unlock the next biome alone. 8. No exploits, no item duplication, no characters from other worlds. 9. Clean up after yourself: no item dumps, no huge stone piles. 10. Admins follow every rule above. Admin powers are for repairs only. ``` Each line of that template has a specific reason, and players accept rules far more readily when they can see it. Publish the reasons in the same place. ##### Base spacing Three hundred metres between base centres is a reasonable minimum because at that distance standing in one base does not load and simulate the other. It is a rule of thumb, not a boundary the game draws: a sprawling estate with farms and pens reaches further than a compact hall. The "ask within 500 m" clause handles the edge cases without making admins measure things. Players have no scale bar on the map, so give them a reference - "about a minute of running" is close enough. ##### Shared places The spawn stones (the sacrificial stones in the starting area), traders, boss altars and dungeon entrances are places every player needs to reach. Building around them makes the area heavy for everyone who arrives and invites ward disputes. Haldor and Hildir are a particular trap: a player who walls in a trader has effectively taken a shared shop. The rule also keeps shared portals in one place, which matters because duplicate portal tags pair unpredictably; [Valheim portal rules and teleport restrictions](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-portal-rules-and-teleport-restrictions) covers the tag behaviour. ##### Raids and kiting Raids are rolled by the server and aimed at an online player standing near their own base pieces. Players cannot redirect a raid to a base they are not near, but they can run from one, and a raid's monsters follow. A player on a boat fleeing a Moder drake raid past somebody's farm is how farms die. The rule is simply that you deal with your raid at your base. [Valheim raids and events on servers](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-raids-and-events-on-servers) explains how the target is chosen, which also tells you when a complaint about "being raided by someone else" is really just bad luck. ##### Tames Tamed wolves, boars and lox are creatures the zone owner simulates every frame. A pen of forty wolves is forty AI routines on whichever machine owns that zone, and breeding left unattended will grow a herd until the game's own local limit stops it. Ten per player is a common cap that leaves room for a breeding pair of each species. Write "per player", not "per base", or a three-person base will hold thirty. ##### PvP consent Valheim's PvP is a toggle each player controls, so a PvE server cannot simply switch it off. A player who turns it on can damage anyone else who also has it on. Consent rules solve the realistic problem, which is not murder but a duel that drifts into someone's base, or friendly fire that "was a joke". If you want a server where PvP is the point, that is a different rule set - see the [Valheim PvP server guide](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-pvp-server-guide). #### Wards, griefing and what "yours" means A ward protects a sphere of about 32 metres around itself. Players it does not know cannot build there, cannot dismantle pieces with the hammer, and cannot open doors or chests. It does not stop damage: weapons, fire and creatures break warded pieces like any others. That gap is where the griefing rule has to do the work, which is why the template says "warded or not". A rule that only protects warded bases tells players that unwarded chests are fair game, which is not what anybody means. Write down four ward-related points explicitly: - **Ward spam is banned.** A player dropping wards along a coast or around a resource field to claim it is using a building piece as a land grab. Limit wards to the player's own base footprint. - **Abandoned bases.** Decide when a base counts as abandoned - 30 days with no login is common - and what happens next: admins remove it, archive it in a backup, or leave it as a ruin. Never let players decide that for themselves. - **Shared bases.** If a ward is used for a group base, everyone in the group should be on its permitted list. Disputes inside a group are the group's business until they spill out. - **Damage you cannot prevent.** Say plainly that the server keeps backups and that admins can restore. It tells griefers their effort is wasted and tells victims there is a remedy. [Valheim wards and griefing](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-wards-and-griefing) goes deeper into what a ward does and does not stop. > [!WARNING] > Restoring a backup to undo griefing rolls back the whole world, not one base. Everyone loses their progress since that backup. Before you promise "we will restore your base", decide how many hours of everybody else's play you are willing to undo for one victim. #### Bosses and shared progression Boss rules are the ones new servers forget, and the one that causes the bitterest arguments. Killing a boss on a server sets a key for the world. Killing The Elder retires the troll raids; killing Bonemass opens the next tier of raids and changes what later players face; killing Moder retires the drake raids and brings in the Fuling horde. A late joiner on a world where the early bosses are dead has a different game from the one the first players had. The rule in the template - announce, invite, do not solo the next unlock - is the mildest version. Some servers go further: | Approach | Rule | Suits | | --- | --- | --- | | Free for all | Anyone may kill any boss at any time | Small trusted groups | | Announced | 24 hours notice, open invitation | Most public PvE servers | | Scheduled | Bosses only on event nights | Event-driven communities | | Per-player raids | `-setkey playerevents` on the server | Mixed veterans and newcomers | `playerevents` deserves a mention in the rules even though it is a server setting, because it changes what a boss kill means: raids are then chosen from each player's own progress rather than the world's keys, so a newcomer is not visited by the veteran's raids. The boss keys themselves stay world-wide, so trader stock and the world state still follow the first kill. [Valheim boss progression on shared servers](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-boss-progression-on-shared-servers) covers late joiners and undoing a key. #### Exploits, cheating and the limits of a vanilla server Every public server needs an anti-cheat rule, and every owner needs to understand that on vanilla Valheim it is a behavioural rule. Characters live on the client. A player can load their character into a single-player world, use the cheat console there, and walk onto your server with anything they like. The server has no record of where an item came from. What you can realistically do: - **Watch for impossible progress.** A character arriving on day one with black metal gear and a hundred levels of skill is not subtle. Many servers require fresh characters for a new world and ask newcomers to show their inventory on first join. - **Watch the economy.** Sudden piles of silver, unexplained portal shipments of Flametal, a trade market flooded with one item - these are visible to anyone paying attention. - **Use server-side mods if it matters.** Server-side character storage mods exist and keep characters on the server instead of the client, but they change the setup and the player experience; test before you commit. [Valheim character files and cheating](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-character-files-and-cheating) goes into the trade-offs. Write the rule in a way you can enforce: "Characters must start fresh on this world" is checkable at join. "No cheating" on its own is not. Two exploits are worth naming specifically because players often do not think of them as cheating: duplicating items through a deliberate disconnect during a save, and hauling metals through portals on a server where the `portals` modifier forbids it, using any trick or bug. If the rule set says "no exploits", list the ones you mean. #### Enforcing rules with the list files Vanilla Valheim has exactly three enforcement tools, all plain text files in the save directory, one player ID per line. The server re-reads them while running, so edits apply without a restart. | File | Effect | Typical use | | --- | --- | --- | | `adminlist.txt` | Grants admin console commands | Your admin team | | `bannedlist.txt` | Refuses connection | Banned players | | `permittedlist.txt` | If not empty, only listed IDs can join | Allow-list servers | bannedlist.txt: ```text // 2026-10-03 griefing at Ash Hall, warned twice - Erik 76561198012345678 // 2026-10-09 PvP without consent, third offence - Ingrid Steam_76561198087654321 ``` The IDs are SteamID64 numbers on a Steam-only server and platform-prefixed IDs such as `Steam_` and `Xbox_` on a crossplay server. Get the exact form from the server log when the player connects, not from a player's own description of it. [Valheim adminlist, bannedlist and permittedlist](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-adminlist-bannedlist-permittedlist) covers the formats and the common mistakes. In the console, an admin with `F5` can use `kick`, `ban`, `unban` and `banned`. `ban` adds the player to `bannedlist.txt`, so it persists. That is the whole vanilla toolkit; the [admin console commands reference](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-admin-console-commands-reference) lists the rest. A graduated response keeps decisions consistent and makes them defensible later: 1. **Warning**, in private, naming the rule. Logged in your admin channel. 2. **Kick** with an explanation, for a second offence or a live incident. 3. **Temporary ban** - a line in `bannedlist.txt` with a date in the comment, removed by hand when it expires. Vanilla has no timed ban, so put a reminder in your admin channel or use a scheduled check. 4. **Permanent ban** for griefing, cheating or harassment. Comments in the list files (lines starting with `//`) are the cheapest audit trail you will ever have. Write the date, the reason and the admin's name on every ban. #### Admin conduct The rule players notice most is the last one in the template. A public server dies quickly when admins are seen spawning gear for friends or ghosting through other people's bases. Admin rules worth writing down: - **Powers are for repairs.** Restoring a tombstone lost to a bug, removing a griefer's work, ending a raid stuck on a crash. Not for personal progress. - **Separate characters.** An admin who needs devcommands through a mod should use a dedicated admin character for it, never their play character. - **Two admins for a ban.** A permanent ban needs a second admin to agree. It stops personal feuds becoming bans. - **Log every intervention.** What was done, to whom, and why, in a channel players can read or at least ask about. If your admins use cheat commands at all, that needs a mod on a dedicated server - vanilla refuses them even for listed admins. [Valheim devcommands explained](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-devcommands-explained) covers which of them touch the shared world and which only affect the admin. On RE:NODE you can give each admin a subuser on the server with only the permissions they need - console access for running `kick` and `ban`, file access for editing the list files - without sharing your account, and the per-server activity log shows who did what. #### Publishing the rules and getting them read A rule nobody has read is a rule you cannot enforce without looking unfair. Valheim has no message of the day, so the rules have to live somewhere else: - **The server name.** Short, but it is what everyone sees. Something like `Longhall PvE | rules: discord` is enough. The name must not contain the password. - **Discord.** A rules channel players must react to before they get the password or are added to the allow list. This is the strongest option because it creates a record that they accepted. - **In-game signs.** A sign by the spawn stones with the three most important rules. Signs are short, so pick spacing, no kiting and consent. - **A changelog.** When a rule changes, say when and why. Players accept new rules much more readily than rules that silently became different. Review the rules after every serious dispute. If the same argument happens twice, the rules are missing a line. #### FAQ ##### How far apart should bases be on a Valheim server? At least 300 metres between base centres, and more for sprawling bases. At that distance, one base is not loaded and simulated when somebody is at the other, so each player carries only the load of their own place. ##### Can I turn PvP off for everyone on a vanilla server? No. PvP is a toggle each player controls, and vanilla has no server setting to lock it off. That is why PvE servers rely on a consent rule and bans rather than a switch. Mods can enforce it if you need a hard guarantee. ##### Do bans work for crossplay players? Yes, as long as you use the ID in the form the server expects, which on a crossplay server is platform-prefixed, such as `Xbox_` followed by the number. Copy it from the server log rather than guessing. ##### Can a vanilla server detect cheated items? No. Characters and inventories live on each player's machine, so an item spawned in single player looks exactly like a crafted one. Enforcement relies on watching progress and the economy, fresh-character rules, or server-side character mods. ##### Should admins be allowed to play normally on the server? Yes, and most servers are better for it, as long as admin powers are kept for repairs and used on a separate character. Players trust admins who visibly play by the same rules. ##### How do I handle a temporary ban? Add the ID to `bannedlist.txt` with the date and the end date in a comment, and set yourself a reminder to remove it. Vanilla Valheim has no timed bans, so the expiry is a manual job. Valheim servers on RE:NODE come with crossplay on, a generated password, backup slots on every tier and per-server subusers, so your admin team can manage the list files and console without sharing one login. [See Valheim plans](https://www.renode.space/game-servers/valheim) --- ### Valheim ConfigurationManager (F1) on a modded server Published 2026-10-14 by RE:NODE Team. https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-configuration-manager-on-servers BepInEx ConfigurationManager is a client-side mod that draws every installed plugin's settings in a window you open in game, with `F1` by default. Changing a value there writes it straight to that plugin's `.cfg` file on your own PC. On a dedicated server that is the part people misread: the menu edits the client, not the server. The exceptions are settings a mod syncs from the server through ServerSync or Jotunn - while you are connected those show the server's values, they are read-only unless you are on the server's admin list, and an admin's edit is sent to the server and saved there. Everything else on a server, including any mod that runs only on the server, is changed by editing the file in the server's `BepInEx/config` folder. The server itself never needs ConfigurationManager installed. #### What ConfigurationManager is BepInEx keeps each plugin's settings in an INI file under `BepInEx/config`, generated the first time the plugin loads. Those files are readable but tedious: a large mod can have a hundred settings across a dozen sections, and you have to quit the game to see most changes. ConfigurationManager reads the same settings from memory and shows them as a form - toggles as checkboxes, numbers as sliders or fields, lists as drop-downs, key bindings as a button you press and then press the new key. The original was written for BepInEx in general, by ManlyMarco under the BepInEx project. Valheim players mostly install a Valheim packaging of it from Thunderstore; at the time of writing the one most mod pages point to is Azumatt's "Official BepInEx ConfigurationManager", and there are forks with extra Valheim-specific features. They all read the same config system, so the instructions below apply to each of them; the exact layout of the window varies. Install it like any client mod, through your mod manager or by placing it in `BepInEx/plugins`. It has no dependencies beyond BepInExPack. #### Opening it and finding a setting Press `F1` in the main menu or in game. The window lists each plugin with settings, collapsed by name; click a name to expand it, or type in the search box at the top to filter across all plugins at once. The controls worth knowing: | Control | What it does | | --- | --- | | Search box | Filters settings by name across every plugin | | Show settings | Toggles ordinary settings | | Show keyboard shortcuts | Toggles key binding settings | | Show advanced | Reveals settings the author marked as advanced, hidden by default | | Reset / default button | Puts a single setting back to the default the mod declares | Hover a setting to see the description the author wrote - the same text that sits above the key in the `.cfg`. Read it before changing anything; it often says whether a change needs a restart or whether the setting is synced with the server. If `F1` conflicts with another mod or with something you have bound, change it. ConfigurationManager has its own config file, normally `BepInEx/config/com.bepis.bepinex.configurationmanager.cfg`, with the hotkey under `[General]`: com.bepis.bepinex.configurationmanager.cfg: ```ini [General] ## The shortcut used to toggle the config manager window on and off. # Setting type: KeyboardShortcut # Default value: F1 Show config manager = F1 ``` The key name and section have been stable for a long time, but forks can rename things. If your file looks different, the hotkey is still inside ConfigurationManager's own settings, so you can also change it from the window itself. #### What an in-game edit actually changes Every change made in the window is written to disk at once, to the plugin's `.cfg` on the machine running the game. BepInEx saves a config file whenever one of its values is set, so there is no separate save step. Whether the new value does anything immediately is up to the mod: - **Applied live.** Many settings are read every time they are used - a HUD position, a stack size check, a colour. These change the moment you edit them. - **Applied on next load.** Settings read when the mod starts - item recipes, registered pieces, creature definitions - are saved but take effect only after a restart of the game. The description usually says so. - **Applied on next world entry.** Some settings are read when you load into a world, so leaving to the main menu and rejoining is enough. If a change appears to do nothing, check which of the three it is before assuming the mod ignored you. #### Connected to a server: synced, locked and local settings Joining a modded dedicated server changes what the window means. Settings fall into three groups, and the window does not always label them clearly. | Kind of setting | Shown in your F1 | Who decides the value | Editing it as a player | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Local (not synced) | Yes | You | Changes your game only | | Synced, locked | Yes, with the server's value | The server | Read-only unless you are an admin | | Synced, unlocked | Yes | Depends on the mod | Varies; avoid relying on it | | Server-only mod | No, you do not have the mod | The server's file | Not possible from the client | Local settings behave exactly as in single player. Your HUD, keybinds and graphics-related mod options are yours, and the server never sees them. Synced settings are the ones a mod pushes from the server through ServerSync or Jotunn's admin-only sync. While connected, the window shows the server's value. If the mod's `Lock Configuration` is on - the usual default for ServerSync mods - a non-admin cannot change them; most mods render them as disabled. When you leave, your own values generally come back. [ServerSync and config enforcement](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-serversync-and-config-enforcement) explains the mechanism and the lock in detail. Server-only mods do not appear at all. A Discord bridge, a backup mod or a server-side admin tool runs only on the server, so your client has no plugin to show. ConfigurationManager cannot reach across the network to configure a mod you do not have. > [!NOTE] > The window on a client can only show plugins installed on that client. If you are looking for a server's setting and it is not in your F1, the mod is server-side only, and the only way to change it is the file in the server's `BepInEx/config`. #### Admins editing the server from F1 Players on the server's `adminlist.txt` get one extra ability: for synced settings, their edits go to the server. The sequence is: 1. The admin changes a synced value in the window while connected. 2. The mod sends the new value to the server, which checks the sender against its admin list. 3. The server applies it, writes it to its own `.cfg`, and pushes it to every connected client. This is the fastest way to balance a running server - tune enemy damage or drop rates during a session and everyone sees the change. It has costs. There is no confirmation and no undo, so a slip of a slider is live for everyone. The change lands in the server's file, so it survives restarts without anyone writing it down. And there is no history beyond what the server log records, which for most mods is nothing. Two rules keep this safe: - **Keep the admin list short.** Every ID in `adminlist.txt` can rewrite synced balance settings from their own PC, as well as kick and ban. [The three list files](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-adminlist-bannedlist-permittedlist) covers the formats, including the platform-prefixed IDs crossplay servers need. - **Copy the server's config folder after a tuning session.** Download `BepInEx/config` once the group is happy, and keep it with your backups. That is your record of what changed. If an admin's edits do nothing, the usual causes are the admin's ID missing or in the wrong format, the mod not supporting admin editing (some sync values only from the file), or the setting not being synced at all - in which case the edit changed the admin's own game and nobody else's. #### Editing the file instead For anything on the server that is not a synced setting, and for any change you want to make deliberately rather than live, edit the file. It is also the only option for server-only mods. 1. Stop the server cleanly and let the world save. 2. Open `BepInEx/config/.cfg` on the server. 3. Change the value after the `=`. Keep the key name, the section and the format exactly as written. 4. Start the server and check its console for the mod's `Loading` line. Stopping first matters more than it seems. BepInEx holds each config in memory and rewrites the whole file when a value is set or the mod saves. If you edit a running server's file and something on the server then sets a value - an admin's F1 edit, a mod saving its state - the in-memory copy overwrites your edit. Some mods watch their own file and reload it on save, which makes running edits safe for that mod; unless the mod says so, assume it does not. The same applies on your own PC. Editing a `.cfg` in a text editor while the game is running and then touching that mod in F1 can silently throw your text edit away. Use one or the other per session. Mod managers offer a third way. r2modman and Gale both include a config editor that opens the profile's files without hunting for the folder, which is handy for client settings and useless for the server, whose files live on the server. On RE:NODE the server's `BepInEx/config` is in the panel's file manager, which edits `.cfg` files in the browser with syntax highlighting, so a stop-edit-start cycle needs no download. #### A worked example: tuning a server for a group A group of six wants more generous carry weight and a slower crop timer, using one ServerSync mod and one Jotunn content mod. The tidy way: 1. **Set the baseline in files.** With the server stopped, edit both mods' `.cfg` files on the server to the agreed values. Confirm `Lock Configuration = On` in the ServerSync mod. 2. **Start and check.** Join as a normal player, open F1, and confirm the synced settings show the server's values and are disabled. If they are editable, you are an admin or the lock is off. 3. **Fine-tune live, if needed.** One admin adjusts values in F1 during the first session while the group plays. Everyone sees the change at once. 4. **Freeze it.** After the session, download the server's `BepInEx/config` and store it with the world backup. Note the values that changed in the group's mod list. 5. **Ship client defaults if helpful.** Local settings that should match - a shared map-pin layout, say - go into the client side, through an exported profile or a [modpack with a config folder](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-private-thunderstore-modpack). The common mistake is the reverse: every player tweaks their own F1, nothing is set on the server, and the group discovers weeks later that only half the settings were ever synced. #### Troubleshooting **F1 does nothing.** The mod is not loaded, or another mod has taken the key. Check your client's `BepInEx/LogOutput.log` for a `Loading` line naming ConfigurationManager; if it is there, change the hotkey in its own config. **A mod's settings are not in the list.** The mod has no settings, uses its own separate file such as YAML, or is not installed on your client. Mods that keep their configuration in YAML often show only a few switches in F1. **Settings are greyed out.** They are synced and locked by the server, and you are not an admin. Ask an admin or edit the server's file. **My change reset when I joined the server.** The setting is synced, and the server's value replaced yours for the session. **An admin's F1 change reverted after a restart.** The mod applied it in memory but does not save admin edits, or the server's file was replaced from a backup or by a deploy. Set the value in the server's file. **The window covers the screen or the text is tiny.** Forks differ; most have window size or font scale settings in their own config section. Look under ConfigurationManager in the window itself. For anything that looks like a mod failing to load rather than a setting not applying, start with the log - [reading BepInEx logs](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-bepinex-log-troubleshooting) walks through it. #### FAQ ##### Do I need ConfigurationManager on the server? No. The dedicated server has no screen or input, so there is nothing to draw the window on. Install it on clients only. Admins edit synced settings from their own client, and everything else on the server is edited in the server's files. ##### Is ConfigurationManager a cheat if other players do not have it? No. It only edits settings your client already has. For synced, locked settings it cannot override the server, and for local settings anyone could make the same change in a text editor. ##### Why can I not find a setting the server owner told me about? Either it belongs to a mod that runs only on the server, so it never appears in your window, or it is hidden behind Show advanced. Try the search box with advanced settings shown. ##### Do in-game changes apply to everyone on the server? Only if the setting is synced and the person making the change is on the server's admin list. Every other change in F1 affects that player's own game and nothing else. ##### Can I edit configs from the main menu? Yes. The window opens in the main menu as well as in game. Settings that are read at start take effect only after the game restarts, wherever you change them. On a RE:NODE Valheim server the `BepInEx/config` folder is editable in the browser file manager or over SFTP, the console shows each plugin as it loads, and backup slots on every plan let you keep a copy of a tuned config next to the world it belongs to. [See Valheim plans](https://www.renode.space/game-servers/valheim) --- ### Valheim Creature Level and Loot Control on a server Published 2026-10-14 by RE:NODE Team. https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-creature-level-and-loot-control Creature Level and Loot Control (CLLC), by Smoothbrain, is the mod groups reach for when vanilla Valheim gets easy: it lets creatures spawn with up to five stars instead of two, ties how often they level up to a difficulty setting plus days passed, distance from the start or bosses killed, gives starred creatures extra effects and elemental infusions, gives bosses affixes such as Reflective, Shielded and Twin, and scales the loot to match. It must be installed on the server **and** on every player's PC; the server pushes its settings to clients. Before you build a world around it, know one thing: the package is marked **deprecated** on Thunderstore, and its last release is 4.6.4. It still has a large user base and integrations with other mods, but check that the current version loads on your game version, and consider the alternatives in this guide. This post covers how stars work in vanilla, what CLLC changes, installing it on a dedicated server, building a harder world for a strong group, the loot side, and what to do if it stops working. #### How stars work in vanilla A creature's level is a number. Level 1 has no stars, level 2 shows one star, level 3 shows two. Vanilla stops at two stars for normal spawns, apart from special cases. When a spawner creates a creature, it rolls a level-up chance - 10% per roll is the usual default for world spawners - starting from the spawner's minimum level, rolling again for each level gained up to its maximum. Some spawners only allow higher levels beyond a minimum distance from the world centre. Stars matter on both sides of the fight. Higher-level creatures have much more health and hit harder (the Valheim wiki gives roughly double health for one star and triple for two, with damage rising by about half per star), and their drops scale with level for items set to scale. A two-star troll is a different fight and a better reward. Vanilla has one more scaling system that CLLC's own description refers to: creatures and bosses get tougher with the number of players near them. [Enemy scaling with player count](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-enemy-scaling-with-player-count) covers that mechanism; CLLC adds its own per-player health and damage option on top, and you should decide deliberately whether you want both. #### What Creature Level and Loot Control changes CLLC rebuilds how levels are decided and adds layers on top. From its own feature list: | Area | What you can configure | | --- | --- | | Level-up chance | A difficulty preset that raises the chance, or a custom difficulty you define | | Second factor | Days passed in the world, distance from the spawn point, or bosses killed - or none | | Level control | A fixed creature level, or level-ups switched off | | Star cap | Up to 5 stars on creatures; no maximum with a custom difficulty | | Bosses | Any star level, with minimum and maximum settings | | Extra creatures | Level-ups for creatures that normally cannot level, such as Serpents, Deathsquitos, Lox, Drakes and Wraiths | | Extra effects | Quick, Aggressive, Regenerating, Curious, Splitting, Armored - each shown by a star colour | | Infusions | Fire, Frost, Lightning, Spirit, Poison and Chaos | | Boss affixes | Reflective, Shielded, Mending, Summoner, Elementalist, Enraged, Twin | | Loot | Extra loot chance per level, a multiplier on all drops, multiple trophies, more boss loot | | World | Respawnable camps and dungeons, a bonus level for killing many creatures in one place quickly | | Multiplayer | Per-player health and damage increase | The **second factor** is the part that shapes a world. With distance, the outer map becomes dangerous while the Meadows stay gentle. With days passed, the whole world hardens over time regardless of progress, which punishes slow groups. With bosses killed, difficulty follows the group's progression: the world gets harder each time you take a trophy to the altar, which is the most natural fit for a shared server because boss kills are server-wide. [Boss progression on shared servers](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-boss-progression-on-shared-servers) explains why one kill counts for everyone. The **extra effects, infusions and affixes** turn individual fights into puzzles. A Shielded boss or a Splitting creature changes how a group plays the encounter; Reflective punishes a group that simply piles on damage. The config describes each one; read those descriptions before turning them all on at once. > [!NOTE] > The colour-coded effects and affixes are visible only to players running CLLC. Its page says that without the mod a player cannot see the true level of creatures above two stars - one more reason everybody needs it. #### Installing CLLC on a server and clients CLLC depends only on BepInExPack. The rule from its page: install it on the server, where it synchronises configuration to clients in real time, and have everyone in the group install it too. If a player does not have it, whoever controls a spawn decides the creature's level - so a player without CLLC simulating a zone produces vanilla-level creatures in a CLLC world. 1. Install BepInEx on the server if it is not there yet - [Valheim mods with BepInEx on a server](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-mods-bepinex-server) covers it - and take a backup of the world. 2. Upload the CLLC `.dll` into `BepInEx/plugins`. 3. Start the server once to create the config file in `BepInEx/config` (named after the mod's plugin ID; look for `creaturelevelcontrol` in the file name), then stop it. 4. Edit the config on the server. That is the copy that counts. 5. Install the same CLLC version on every player's PC, ideally from a shared mod manager profile ([r2modman for groups](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-thunderstore-r2modman-for-groups)). ```text BepInEx/ plugins/ (the CLLC .dll from the package) config/ (the CLLC .cfg) edit this copy, on the server ``` The server's settings are pushed to connected clients, so edits players make to their own config do not apply on your server. [ServerSync and config enforcement](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-serversync-and-config-enforcement) explains how that sync works and why a stale client config sometimes seems to win. On RE:NODE you do this with the file manager or SFTP: upload the plugin, restart from the console, open the generated `.cfg` in the browser editor. There is no mod installer or list of approved mods - CLLC runs because you put it there. #### Making a world harder for a strong group A group that has beaten vanilla once does not want "everything has five stars". It wants a world where the next biome is a real step up and the old ones stay fair for the newer players. A setup that works for many groups: 1. **Base difficulty one step above normal.** Enough that one-star creatures are common in the Black Forest and two-star ones are expected in the Swamp. 2. **Second factor: bosses killed.** Difficulty rises with progression, so the group never outgrows it, and nobody is punished for taking a week off. 3. **Star cap 3 or 4 for normal creatures.** Five-star Plains creatures are a wipe for most groups; leave the top stars to bosses. 4. **Boss levels 2 to 3 with affixes on.** One random affix per boss fight makes every boss memorable without making it a gear check. 5. **Infusions and extra effects on, but read them.** Splitting and Regenerating are the ones that turn long fights into very long fights; consider leaving one off. 6. **Per-player scaling off if vanilla's is enough.** Two systems both scaling with player count can make a full ten-player group's fights much harder than a four-player group's. 7. **Loot multiplier modest.** More enemies with more health need more reward, but multiplying everything by three empties the reason to explore. Pair it with the vanilla world modifiers rather than replacing them. `-modifier combat hard` raises damage across the board, `-modifier deathpenalty` controls what death costs, and `-setkey playerevents` makes raids follow each player's progress. [World modifiers and presets](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-world-modifiers-and-presets) has the values. A harder world with the casual death penalty plays very differently from the same world on hardcore. > [!TIP] > Agree the settings as a group before the first boss and post them in your Discord. Difficulty tied to bosses killed rises without warning when someone takes the trophy to the altar, and "who made the swamp impossible" is a better conversation before it happens. #### The loot side: scaling, trophies and balance Higher stars already mean more loot in vanilla for drops that scale with level. CLLC adds a chance of extra loot per level, a multiplier on everything dropped, and multiple trophies for enemies and bosses. Two effects to keep in mind: - **Level scaling compounds.** A five-star creature whose drops scale with level drops far more than a two-star one. With a loot multiplier on top, piles of meat and hides add up quickly, and item clutter is a load the server carries. [Dropped items and world cleanup](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-dropped-items-and-world-cleanup) covers that cost. - **Trophies change progression.** Extra trophies mean faster crafting of trophy-based items and more boss summons. Decide whether that is a reward or a shortcut for your group. For loot tables of particular creatures - adding a drop, removing one, limiting a stack - use Drop That instead. It has CLLC-specific conditions, so a drop can depend on the creature's CLLC state, and its `ScaleByLevel` switch turns level scaling off for one item: drop_that.character_drop.cfg: ```ini [Troll.0] PrefabName = TrophyFrostTroll ScaleByLevel = false ChanceToDrop = 10 ``` That and Spawn That, which can assign CLLC infusions per spawn template, are in [Spawn That, Drop That and Custom Raids](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-spawn-that-drop-that-custom-raids). Epic Loot also lists CLLC compatibility; [Epic Loot on a server](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-epic-loot-server-guide) covers balancing the two. #### Working with Spawn That, Drop That and Custom Raids The ASharpPen mods integrate with CLLC rather than competing with it. Spawn That adds a sub-section per world spawner template: spawn_that.world_spawners_advanced.cfg: ```ini [WorldSpawner.321] Name = Fire wolves PrefabName = Wolf Biomes = Mountain LevelMin = 2 LevelMax = 3 [WorldSpawner.321.CreatureLevelAndLootControl] ConditionWorldLevelMin = 3 SetInfusion = Fire UseDefaultLevels = true ``` The sub-section accepts `SetInfusion`, `SetExtraEffect` and `SetBossAffix` (the same names as the tables above), `ConditionWorldLevelMin` and `ConditionWorldLevelMax` to tie a spawn to CLLC's world level, and `UseDefaultLevels`. That last one is the setting people miss. Spawn That's documentation says that when CLLC is installed it generally takes over level management, so the `LevelMin` and `LevelMax` you wrote are ignored unless `UseDefaultLevels = true` is set for that template. The same options exist for local spawners (`[Runestone_Boars.Boar.CreatureLevelAndLootControl]`) and spawn-area spawners. Custom Raids supports CLLC for raid spawns, and Drop That can condition drops on CLLC states. When you combine them, decide which mod is the source of truth for levels, and test in a copy of the world. #### Deprecated: what that means and the alternatives On Thunderstore, CLLC's package is marked deprecated with the notice that it may no longer be maintained, and its latest version is 4.6.4. That does not make it stop working. It means: - **Each Valheim update is a risk.** If a patch changes something CLLC patches, it may break, and nobody may fix it. - **Compatibility forks appear.** Translations and compatibility packs depend on it, and some newer ones are also maintained by other people. Read their pages before trusting one. - **New worlds should consider the alternatives.** The alternatives, depending on what you used CLLC for: | Need | Option | | --- | --- | | Star levels by distance, biome or bosses defeated, loot control, creature modifiers | Star Level System by MidnightMods, which is actively updated and uses YAML config files; it requires Jotunn and YamlDotNet | | Level ranges for particular creatures or biomes | Spawn That's `LevelMin`, `LevelMax` and `LevelUpChance` per spawner | | Harder fights overall | The vanilla `combat` world modifier | Drop That's changelog also mentions compatibility work for Star Level System. Do not run two level systems at once on the same world. If you switch, do it on a new world or with a backup, because creatures already spawned keep their levels. For an existing CLLC world on a server you depend on, the practical policy is the one for any older mod: do not update the server on patch day, wait for confirmation that CLLC 4.6.4 still loads on the new version, and test on a copy first. [After a game patch](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-modded-server-after-a-game-patch) walks through that routine. #### Troubleshooting **Creatures never have more than two stars.** CLLC is not loaded on the server or on the player simulating that zone. Check the BepInEx log for the plugin loading line and confirm every player has it - [BepInEx log troubleshooting](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-bepinex-log-troubleshooting) shows where to look. **Settings changed on a PC do nothing on the server.** The server's config is synced to clients. Edit the file on the server. **Players see different levels on the same creature.** Someone lacks the mod or runs a different version. Match versions across the group. **The server will not start after a Valheim update.** A deprecated mod failing against a new game version usually shows as errors in `BepInEx/LogOutput.log`. Remove CLLC to confirm, then roll the server back or wait. **Everything is too hard after the third boss.** Bosses-killed scaling plus a high base difficulty. Lower one step; existing creatures keep their levels, new spawns follow the new settings. #### FAQ ##### Is Creature Level and Loot Control server-side only? No. It must run on the server to sync settings, and on every client so that levels are decided consistently and the extra stars are visible. Players without it see wrong levels and produce vanilla spawns in zones they own. ##### Can Xbox players join a CLLC server? They can only play on servers where they need no mods, and this mod is needed on every client. Treat a CLLC world as PC-only, even with crossplay switched on. ##### Does CLLC make the server use more resources? Somewhat, through more and tougher creatures and more loot on the ground. The logic itself is light. Higher spawn counts from other mods and item clutter cost more than the levels do. ##### Can I add CLLC to a world we already play on? Yes. It changes how new creatures are levelled, not the terrain. Creatures already in the world keep their level until they die or despawn. Back up first, as with any mod. ##### Should I still use it now that it is deprecated? For an existing world where it works, there is no reason to rip it out. For a new long-term world, compare it with Star Level System and with Spawn That's level settings, and choose one that is still maintained. Valheim servers on RE:NODE start from $6 a month with SFTP, a browser file manager for editing mod configs, and backup slots on every plan - back up before the first boss with new settings and restore with one button if the group wants to undo it. [See Valheim plans](https://www.renode.space/game-servers/valheim) --- ### Valheim death penalty and tombstones on a server Published 2026-10-14 by RE:NODE Team. https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-death-penalty-and-tombstones When a character dies in Valheim on the default settings, three things happen: everything they were carrying goes into a tombstone where they fell, each skill loses 5% of its level, and they wake up at their bed with no food buffs. The tombstone stays in the world until the owner empties it, and for a while after death the character has a "no skill drain" status, so dying again on the way back costs no more skills. On a server, that tombstone is a world object stored on the server, not part of your character - which is why it is still there when you log back in tomorrow, and why a crash at the wrong moment can take it away. This post covers what death costs, how to run back safely as a group, what happens if you log off with a tombstone out, and what each value of the `deathpenalty` world modifier changes. #### What happens when you die On the normal death penalty, a death costs you: - **Your inventory, temporarily.** Everything you carried and wore goes into a tombstone at the spot where you died. Nothing is destroyed. - **Skill progress, permanently.** Each skill loses 5% of its current level. A Swords skill of 40 drops to 38; a Run skill of 20 drops to 19. Higher skills lose more in absolute terms. - **Your food and rested buffs.** You respawn with base health and stamina, which is why the run back is dangerous. - **Any active status effects**, including a Forsaken power you activated. You respawn at the last bed you set as your spawn point, or at the sacrificial stones at the world's starting point if you have none. A bed only counts if you slept in it or set it as your spawn, and if it has since been destroyed the game sends you back to the stones. On a big world, that difference is a long walk. > [!WARNING] > Check your spawn point before any trip. A player whose bed was knocked down in a raid, or who never slept in the bed at the new base, respawns at the stones - often several biomes away from their tombstone, naked, with the no-skill-drain timer running down. ##### The no-skill-drain window Right after death, the character gets a status effect that blocks further skill loss. It lasts about ten minutes; the status icon shows the time left. Dying again inside that window leaves another tombstone but costs no skills. That has one practical consequence that matters more than anything else in this post: **go back immediately**. A corpse run started straight away is free in skills even if it goes wrong. The same run started half an hour later, after the status has expired, risks a second 5%. #### Tombstones: what they hold and how to get them back The tombstone appears where you died, with a marker on your map so you can find it. It contains everything that was in your inventory and equipment slots. Interacting with your own tombstone moves everything back into your inventory, and if you have picked up items on the way that do not leave room, it opens like a chest instead so you can take what fits. Once it is empty, it disappears. Picking up your tombstone also gives you a short status effect intended to get you clear of the area you died in. Read its tooltip in game for the exact numbers on your version; it is a help, not a reason to stay and fight. ##### On a server, the tombstone belongs to the world The tombstone is stored in the world on the server, exactly like a chest or a wall. That has three effects worth knowing: 1. **It persists while you are offline.** Logging off with a tombstone out is safe. It will be there when you come back, whether that is in an hour or a month. 2. **It does not despawn.** There is no timer. A tombstone left in the Mountains in January is still there in June. 3. **It is only safe once the world has saved.** The server writes the world to disk every `-saveinterval` seconds. If the server stops uncleanly between your death and the next save, the tombstone was never written - but your character, which saves on your machine, may already have recorded an empty inventory. That is the one way a death can lose everything on the normal penalty. An admin who sees a player die with an important load can run `save` in the console to write the tombstone straight away. On RE:NODE the console is in the panel, and the server log shows `World saved` when it is done. The wider case for regular saves and real backups is in [Valheim server backups and world corruption](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-server-backups-and-world-corruption). ##### Tombstones in awkward places Tombstones in water float, so a death at sea leaves a tombstone bobbing near where you went under - findable, but usually in the middle of the ocean, among serpents. Tombstones also end up inside rock after a fall, in crypts, on Mistlands cliffs and in Ashlands lava fields. Most can be reached with patience; for the ones that cannot, an admin can help, which is covered in [admin tools for lost tombstones](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-admin-tools-for-lost-tombstones). #### Death penalty modifier values The `deathpenalty` world modifier sets how harsh death is for the whole world. It is set at launch, alone or as part of a preset, and it is stored in the world. ```bash # Launch arguments: forgiving deaths, everything else default -modifier deathpenalty casual # Launch arguments: a hard world -modifier deathpenalty hard -modifier combat hard ``` The values, from gentlest to harshest, are `casual`, `veryeasy`, `easy`, `normal` (the default, no argument needed), `hard` and `hardcore`. The community wiki describes them like this at the time of writing: | Value | Gear on death | Skill loss | | --- | --- | --- | | `casual` | Equipped items stay on you, the rest goes in the tombstone | 1% | | `veryeasy` | Everything goes in the tombstone | 1% | | `easy` | Everything goes in the tombstone | 2.5% | | `normal` | Everything goes in the tombstone | 5% | | `hard` | Part of what you carry is destroyed rather than kept | 7.5% | | `hardcore` | Everything carried is destroyed, no tombstone | All skills lost | Treat that table as a guide and the in-game world modifier screen as the authority. The game prints the exact rule for each value in one sentence when you pick it, and the wording has changed between updates. If the rule matters to your group - and on `hard` and `hardcore` it matters a great deal - create a test world with that value in the game client and read the text before you set it on the server. [Valheim world modifiers and presets](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-world-modifiers-and-presets) covers how modifiers combine with presets: the `casual` preset includes the casual death penalty, and the `hardcore` preset includes the hardcore one. ##### Changing it on an existing world You can change the death penalty on a running world by restarting the server with a different argument. The change applies from that point on; it does not give anyone back skills they already lost. On a panel host the argument goes in the extra launch arguments; on RE:NODE that is a field on the Startup tab, applied at the next restart. Changing it mid-world is a group decision. Moving from `normal` to `casual` because one player keeps dying in the Swamp also changes the game for everybody else, and moving the other way is worse: people who planned around recoverable gear suddenly are not playing that game any more. #### Corpse runs as a group Solo, a corpse run is a test of nerve. In a group it should be a routine, and a few habits make it one. 1. **Respawn, then wait.** The dead player should not sprint back alone with no food. Eat first - always keep food in a chest by the beds - and pick up a spare weapon. 2. **Tell the group where it is.** Your tombstone is on your map, not theirs. Describe the place, or put a pin on your map and write it to a cartography table. [Cartography tables and shared maps](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-cartography-table-and-shared-maps) shows how. 3. **Send the closest player as escort.** A friend in full gear clearing the area is worth more than the dead player arriving first. 4. **Grab and go.** Empty the tombstone, take the short buff it gives you, and leave. Kit up somewhere safe. 5. **Use the window.** Everything above should happen inside the no-skill-drain time. If the run will take longer than that, it is not a reason to stop - just accept the risk. ##### Can other players empty your tombstone? Friends recovering a tombstone for someone who cannot make the trip is common on group servers, and in current builds another player can open your tombstone and move items out of it. What they take goes into their inventory, not yours, so it is a hand-over rather than a recovery - and it is also exactly how griefing happens on a public server. Test it once on your version before relying on it, and see [wards and griefing](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-wards-and-griefing) for what an admin can do about players who loot others. ##### A death kit chest Every base that people respawn at should have a chest with: - A set of mid-tier armour and two weapons, not the best gear - Three kinds of food, enough for two runs - Healing mead and the resistance mead for the current biome - A pickaxe or axe, in case the tombstone is in a crypt or under trees It costs a few evenings of crafting and saves the group from turning one death into three. It also means a newcomer always has something to wear - see [onboarding late joiners](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-onboarding-late-joiners). #### Logging off with a tombstone out People log off with a tombstone out all the time: it is late, the tombstone is in the Plains, and nobody wants to risk it at night. On a dedicated server that is fine. - **The tombstone stays.** It is part of the world, saved by the server. - **The skill loss has already happened.** Logging off does not undo or delay it. - **The no-skill-drain window does not carry over in a useful way.** By the time you come back, assume it has gone and play carefully. - **The world keeps going.** On a server that other people play on, raids, creatures and other players are all still around the tombstone while you are away. That is rarely a problem for the tombstone itself, but it is a reason to ask whoever is online to keep away from the spot. What is not fine is logging off with a tombstone out on a world hosted from inside someone's game, if the host then plays without you and something goes wrong - but that is one of the many reasons to use a dedicated server in the first place. The [Valheim dedicated server guide](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-dedicated-server-guide) covers the differences. #### Hardcore and permadeath groups `hardcore` is a different game. A death destroys what you carried and resets your skills, so there is no corpse run at all - there is only starting again. Groups that choose it usually also turn off the map with the `nomap` setkey and agree rules about what a returning character may bring. Hardcore is much harder on a group than on a solo player. A party that loses one member in the Plains has a player back at the starting area with nothing, while everyone else has late-game gear, and the morale cost of that is real. [Hardcore and permadeath servers](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-hardcore-permadeath-servers) goes through how groups make it work and when they should not try. The middle ground most groups like is `hard`: deaths sting, some gear is lost, and the corpse run still exists. If your group finds `normal` too forgiving, try `hard` for one biome before committing to hardcore for the whole world. #### Troubleshooting **My tombstone is not on the map.** Open the full map and look for the death marker near where you died. If it really is gone, either somebody emptied it, or the server stopped before the next save after your death. Ask an admin to check the log for an unclean stop. **I respawned at the start of the world.** Your bed was destroyed, or you never set it as your spawn point. Sleep in or interact with a bed at each base you use. **I lost more than 5% of a skill.** You may have died again after the no-skill-drain window ended, or the world uses `hard`. Check the world's modifiers with the admin. **I cannot take everything out of the tombstone.** You picked things up on the way and your inventory is full. Drop or store something, then take the rest. The tombstone stays until it is empty. **My friend opened my tombstone and the items went to them.** That is how it works when someone else opens it. Ask them to hand the items over. **The tombstone is in a place I cannot reach.** Ask an admin. With devcommands they can fly to it or teleport you, and as a last resort replace the items. #### FAQ ##### How much skill do you lose when you die in Valheim? On the normal death penalty, 5% of each skill's level. The world modifier changes that: lower values lose less, `hard` loses more, and `hardcore` resets everything. Dying again during the no-skill-drain window after a death costs nothing more. ##### Does a tombstone disappear if I log off? No. On a dedicated server the tombstone is part of the world and is saved by the server. It stays until you empty it, however long you are away. ##### Can I lose my items permanently on the normal setting? Only in unusual cases: a tombstone somewhere genuinely unreachable, someone else emptying it, or a server crash between your death and the next world save. A clean server stop always saves first, so it is the unclean stops that matter. ##### Can the death penalty be changed after the world has started? Yes. Restart the server with a different `-modifier deathpenalty` value. The new rule applies to deaths from then on; skills already lost stay lost. ##### What does casual death penalty do? Equipped gear stays on your character and the rest of your inventory goes to the tombstone, and skill loss is small. The in-game modifier text gives the exact rule for your version. It is popular on family and casual servers - see [casual and family servers](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-casual-and-family-servers). ##### Is there a way to skip the corpse run? Not in vanilla without admin help. On `casual` you keep your equipped gear, which makes the run short and safe. Otherwise, an admin with devcommands can help - but most groups find a death kit chest and a prompt run back are all they need. Valheim servers on RE:NODE keep the world - tombstones included - on the server, with a console where an admin can force a save and backup slots on every tier. The Startup tab takes world modifiers such as `deathpenalty`, applied at the next restart. [See Valheim plans](https://www.renode.space/game-servers/valheim) --- ### Valheim dedicated server on a Linux VPS: sizing to updates Published 2026-10-14 by RE:NODE Team. https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-dedicated-server-on-a-vps A Valheim server on a Linux VPS needs an x86-64 machine with two vCPUs, 4 GB of memory for a group of up to six (6-8 GB for ten, or for mods), 20 GB or more of SSD, Ubuntu LTS or Debian, and a location close to your players. Install the server with SteamCMD as an unprivileged user, open UDP `2456` and `2457` in both the VPS's own firewall (`sudo ufw allow 2456:2457/udp`) and the provider's network firewall if it has one, and run the server as a systemd service rather than in tmux, so it survives reboots and saves when stopped. Then keep two things updated on different schedules: the operating system automatically, and the game deliberately. That is the whole job; the rest of this post is the reasoning, the exact commands and the problems a VPS adds that a home PC or a game host does not have. #### Is a VPS the right home for a Valheim server? A VPS gives you a whole Linux machine for a monthly price: root access, a public IP, and nobody else's rules. For Valheim that means any mod, any start argument, any backup scheme, several worlds on one box, and other things running beside the server - a Discord bot, a small website, a map viewer. It also makes you the administrator. Nobody else patches the kernel, notices the disk filling, rotates the logs or restores the world when it corrupts. If that sounds like a hobby, a VPS is good value. If it sounds like a chore, a managed game server does the same job with a panel on top, and the price gap is smaller than people expect. [VPS vs VDS vs dedicated server](https://www.renode.space/blog/vps-vs-vds-vs-dedicated-server) explains the differences in what you are actually renting. Two things to rule out before you pay for anything: - **ARM instances.** The Valheim dedicated server is built for x86-64 Linux only. The cheap ARM tiers some providers advertise will not run it natively, and emulation layers are not something to build a group's world on. Check the CPU architecture in the plan details. - **Burstable or heavily shared CPU.** Plans that give you a fraction of a core with "burst credits" run fine for a few minutes and then throttle. Valheim's simulation is steady load, not bursts, so it will use the credits up and then stutter. #### Sizing the VPS Valheim's server leans on one main thread, so a fast core matters more than many slow ones, but a second vCPU is worth having - saving, networking and SteamCMD updates happen off the main thread, and the operating system needs somewhere to run. Memory grows with the explored world and with the number of building pieces; a mapped world with four large bases needs much more than a fresh seed. The figures below are for the whole VPS, so they include the operating system, SSH, a firewall and the memory spike during a SteamCMD update - roughly 0.5-1 GB on top of the game itself. | Group | vCPU | VPS memory | Disk | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1-3 players, new world | 2 | 4 GB | 20 GB | | 4-6 players, several bases | 2 | 4-6 GB | 25 GB | | 7-10 players, mapped world | 2-4 | 6-8 GB | 30 GB | | Modded, 10+ BepInEx mods | 4 | 8 GB | 30-40 GB | Disk use is modest: about 2 GB for the server, a world file that typically grows to between 20 and 150 MB, and backups. The extra space in the table is for the OS, SteamCMD's cache and a reasonable number of archived backups on the box itself. Prefer NVMe or SSD; the freeze during a world save is a disk write. Location matters more than any spec. Pick the region with the lowest latency to most of your group; for a European group, a German or Dutch data centre will beat a faster machine in the United States every time. Valheim uses little bandwidth - tens to low hundreds of KB/s per player - so the port speed on the plan is irrelevant. The detail on how memory grows over a world's life is in [how much RAM a Valheim server needs](https://www.renode.space/blog/how-much-ram-does-a-valheim-server-need). On shared virtualisation, check for CPU steal once the server is running with players on it: ```bash $ vmstat 1 10 # the last column, st, is time the hypervisor gave your vCPU to someone else ``` A steal figure that sits above a few percent while players complain of lag means the host is oversold, and no setting inside the VPS will fix it. A plan with dedicated cores, or a different provider, will. #### First steps on a fresh VPS Before anything to do with Valheim, make the box safe to leave on the internet. On Ubuntu or Debian, as root or a sudo user: ```bash $ sudo apt update && sudo apt full-upgrade -y $ sudo adduser admin && sudo usermod -aG sudo admin # copy your SSH public key to the new user, log in with it, then: $ sudoedit /etc/ssh/sshd_config.d/50-hardening.conf ``` /etc/ssh/sshd_config.d/50-hardening.conf: ```text PasswordAuthentication no PermitRootLogin no ``` ```bash $ sudo sshd -t && sudo systemctl reload ssh ``` Keep your current session open and test a new login before you close it; a typo in the SSH config locks you out, and on a VPS that means the provider's rescue console. The SSH service is called `ssh` on Ubuntu and Debian, `sshd` on most other distributions. [SSH keys and hardening](https://www.renode.space/blog/ssh-keys-and-hardening) covers keys, `fail2ban` and the rest. If the plan has 4 GB or less, add a small swap file. It will not make the server faster - a game server that swaps is a game server that stutters - but it gives the kernel somewhere to put idle memory during a SteamCMD update instead of killing the server: ```bash $ sudo fallocate -l 2G /swapfile $ sudo chmod 600 /swapfile $ sudo mkswap /swapfile && sudo swapon /swapfile $ echo '/swapfile none swap sw 0 0' | sudo tee -a /etc/fstab ``` [Linux swap and the OOM killer](https://www.renode.space/blog/linux-swap-and-the-oom-killer) explains what happens when memory does run out, and why the world loses whatever was not saved. Then install the server itself: SteamCMD, a dedicated `valheim` user, app `896660` with an anonymous login, and your own copy of the start script. That is a fifteen-minute job, written up step by step in [installing a Valheim server on Linux with SteamCMD](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-steamcmd-linux-server-install), so it is not repeated here. #### Opening the ports: ufw Valheim needs two UDP ports: the game port, `2456` by default, and the port above it, `2457`, which answers Steam's server queries. Both are UDP. A rule for TCP does nothing. On Ubuntu, `ufw` is the simplest firewall front end. Allow SSH first, or enabling the firewall will cut your own connection: ```bash $ sudo ufw allow OpenSSH $ sudo ufw allow 2456:2457/udp comment 'Valheim' $ sudo ufw default deny incoming $ sudo ufw default allow outgoing $ sudo ufw enable $ sudo ufw status verbose ``` `OpenSSH` is an application profile ufw ships on Ubuntu; on a minimal Debian install where it is missing, use `sudo ufw allow 22/tcp` instead, or the port you moved SSH to. If you run a second world with `-port 2458`, add `2458:2459/udp` as well. Each server uses its game port and the next one up, so servers need to be at least two ports apart. [Valheim ports 2456-2458 explained](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-ports-2456-2458-explained) covers why older guides open `2458` for a single server. The general patterns - default deny, limiting SSH, logging - are in the [ufw firewall guide](https://www.renode.space/blog/ufw-firewall-guide). > [!WARNING] > Many VPS providers put a network firewall in front of the machine, called a security group, cloud firewall or similar, configured in their web console. It is separate from ufw and is checked first. If a server is running, ufw allows the ports, and still nobody can connect, this is almost always the reason. #### Opening the ports: iptables and nftables If you do not use ufw, or the distribution does not ship it, write the rules directly. With iptables: ```bash $ sudo iptables -A INPUT -i lo -j ACCEPT $ sudo iptables -A INPUT -m conntrack --ctstate ESTABLISHED,RELATED -j ACCEPT $ sudo iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 22 -j ACCEPT $ sudo iptables -A INPUT -p udp --dport 2456:2457 -j ACCEPT $ sudo iptables -P INPUT DROP ``` Order matters: the SSH and established-connection rules must be in place before the default policy becomes `DROP`. Rules set this way vanish at reboot. On Debian and Ubuntu, install `iptables-persistent` and save them: ```bash $ sudo apt install iptables-persistent $ sudo netfilter-persistent save ``` On current Debian and Ubuntu the `iptables` command is usually a compatibility layer over nftables. If you prefer to write nftables directly, the equivalent rule inside an `inet` filter table's input chain is: /etc/nftables.conf (excerpt): ```text udp dport 2456-2457 accept ``` Whichever tool you use, use only one. Running ufw and hand-written iptables rules together produces a rule set nobody can reason about. [Firewall rules that matter](https://www.renode.space/blog/firewall-rules-that-matter) covers the bigger picture. To check the server is listening: ```bash $ sudo ss -ulpn | grep valheim ``` You should see UDP sockets on `2456` and `2457`. Testing UDP from outside is less tidy than TCP - most port checkers only speak TCP, and a closed UDP port often looks the same as an open one that did not reply. The honest test is a player joining by IP, then checking that the server appears in the community list. #### tmux or screen versus a service Most quick guides start the server in `tmux` or `screen` so it keeps running after you log out: ```bash $ tmux new -s valheim $ ./start_valheim.sh # detach: Ctrl+b then d; come back with: tmux attach -t valheim $ screen -S valheim $ ./start_valheim.sh # detach: Ctrl+a then d; come back with: screen -r valheim ``` That is fine for an evening of testing. It is not fine for a server you leave running, because of what it does not do: | | tmux / screen | systemd service | | --- | --- | --- | | Survives logout | Yes | Yes | | Starts at boot | No | Yes | | Restarts after a crash | No | Yes, with a limit | | Clean save on shutdown | Only if you stop it by hand first | Yes, with `KillSignal=SIGINT` | | Searchable log | Scrollback only | `journalctl` | | Attachable console | Yes | No | The row that loses worlds is the fourth. When the VPS reboots for a kernel update, a tmux session is killed with everything else, and the world loses everything since the last timed save - up to thirty minutes with the default `-saveinterval`. A systemd unit stops the server with `SIGINT` first, Valheim saves, and only then does the machine go down. The attachable console, the one thing tmux offers that systemd does not, is worth almost nothing for Valheim: the dedicated server reads no commands from standard input. Admin commands are typed in the game client's `F5` console. [Running Valheim as a systemd service](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-server-systemd-service) builds the unit, the restart policy and the timers. If you want tmux plus management tooling, [LinuxGSM's vhserver](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-linuxgsm-vhserver) wraps the server in a tmux session with its own update, backup and monitor commands. #### Keeping it updated: the OS and the game There are two kinds of update on a Valheim VPS, and they want opposite treatment. **The operating system should update itself.** Ubuntu enables `unattended-upgrades` for security updates by default; on Debian, install it and run `sudo dpkg-reconfigure -plow unattended-upgrades`. Kernel updates only take effect after a reboot, and unattended-upgrades does not reboot unless told to. Let it reboot at a quiet hour: /etc/apt/apt.conf.d/50unattended-upgrades (excerpt): ```text Unattended-Upgrade::Automatic-Reboot "true"; Unattended-Upgrade::Automatic-Reboot-Time "05:00"; ``` That is safe only because the server runs as a systemd service with a clean stop. With the server in tmux, an automatic reboot is an automatic loss of progress. If you would rather reboot by hand, check `/var/run/reboot-required` every week or so. **The game should update when you decide.** When Valheim patches, players' clients update through Steam and the server has to match exactly, or everyone sees `Incompatible version`. Updating is one SteamCMD line, run as the `valheim` user with the server stopped: ```bash $ sudo systemctl stop valheim $ sudo -u valheim /usr/games/steamcmd +force_install_dir /home/valheim/server \ +login anonymous +app_update 896660 validate +quit $ sudo systemctl start valheim ``` On a vanilla server, you can automate this by having the unit run the update before every start, so a restart picks up a patch. On a modded server, do not: patches break BepInEx mods until their authors rebuild them, and an update you did not choose leaves a server that will not start. `validate` also restores `start_server.sh` to the shipped version, which is why you start the server from your own copy. Timing for groups and the version-drift problem are in [updating a Valheim server and fixing version mismatches](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-update-server-and-version-mismatch). #### Backups and day-to-day checks A VPS gives you one disk, and Valheim's built-in `-backups` copies sit on it beside the world. They protect against a bad save, not against a deleted directory, a full disk or a provider incident. Archive the save directory on a schedule, after a clean restart where possible, and copy the archive off the machine - to object storage, or to another computer. [Valheim server backups and world corruption](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-server-backups-and-world-corruption) covers restoring, and [game server backups to S3](https://www.renode.space/blog/game-server-backups-to-s3) shows how to send the archives somewhere else. Provider snapshots are a useful extra, but a snapshot taken while the server is mid-save is a snapshot of a half-written world. A short routine catches most trouble before players do: ```bash $ systemctl status valheim $ journalctl -u valheim --since today -g "Exception|Error" $ free -h $ df -h / $ uptime ``` Watch three trends over weeks: memory creeping towards the limit (a weekly restart usually keeps it flat), disk filling with backups or logs, and load average sitting above your vCPU count while people play. The first two are cheap to fix. The third means a bigger plan or a world that has outgrown its terraforming. If you are new to these tools, [Linux commands for server admins](https://www.renode.space/blog/linux-commands-for-server-admins) is a good starting point. #### On RE:NODE If you want the whole machine, RE:NODE's VDS line is an Intel i9-9900K in Germany, starting from 8 GB of memory and 2 vCPU, set up by hand within 24 hours; everything in this post applies to it. If you only want the Valheim server, the game plans start from 2 GB, arrive within about a minute of payment with crossplay on and both UDP ports already allocated, and replace the firewall, service and update work with a panel: a clean Stop and Restart, a Schedules tab for restarts and backups, and backup slots stored off the machine. #### FAQ ##### What is the smallest VPS that runs Valheim? Two vCPUs and 4 GB of memory, on x86-64, for a small group on a fresh world. The game itself runs in about 2 GB at that size; the rest is room for the operating system and for SteamCMD updates. A 2 GB VPS runs it, but with no headroom at all. ##### Why can nobody connect even though ufw allows the ports? Check the provider's own network firewall in their web console - it sits in front of the VPS and blocks traffic before ufw sees it. Then confirm the rules are UDP, not TCP, and that `ss -ulpn` shows the server listening on both ports. ##### Can I run Valheim on an ARM VPS? Not natively. The dedicated server is only built for x86-64. Emulation layers exist, but they cost performance and break with updates, so they are not a sound base for a shared world. Choose an x86-64 plan. ##### Is tmux good enough if I am careful? It works until the VPS reboots without warning - a provider maintenance window or a kernel update - and the world loses everything since the last save. A systemd unit costs ten lines and removes that risk, and you lose nothing useful, since Valheim has no stdin console. ##### How often should I update the server? Whenever Valheim patches, because clients and server must match. Vanilla servers can update on every start. Modded servers should update only once their mods support the new version, so check before you run SteamCMD. Valheim servers on RE:NODE start from 2 GB and are created within about a minute of payment, with crossplay on, a generated password and both UDP ports allocated. Stop and Restart save the world first, and backup slots on every plan restore with one button. [See Valheim plans](https://www.renode.space/game-servers/valheim) --- ### Valheim Discord Connector: webhooks, joins and deaths Published 2026-10-14 by RE:NODE Team. https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-discord-connector-mod Discord Connector, by nwesterhausen, is the usual way to get a Valheim server talking to Discord. It is a BepInEx plugin that runs on the dedicated server only, and it posts to a Discord webhook when the server starts, saves and stops, when players join, leave, die, shout or ping the map, and when a random raid begins. Players install nothing, so it works on crossplay servers with Xbox players. Setup is three steps: install BepInEx and the mod on the server, create a webhook in Discord, paste the webhook URL into the generated config and restart. Then spend five minutes on the two defaults most people should change - player coordinates in messages, and mentions - before your group finds out the hard way why they matter. It is one-way. Discord Connector sends messages from the game to Discord; it does not carry Discord chat back into the game, and it does not let you run commands from Discord. #### What Discord Connector does, and what it does not The mod hooks into server events and turns each into a webhook message. The current set of events, from the mod's documentation: | Group | Events | | --- | --- | | Server lifecycle | `serverLaunch`, `serverStart`, `serverStop`, `serverShutdown`, `serverSave` | | World | `newDayNumber`, `eventStart`, `eventPaused`, `eventResumed`, `eventStop` | | Players | `playerJoin`, `playerLeave`, `playerShout`, `playerPing`, `playerDeath` | | Player firsts | `playerFirstJoin`, `playerFirstLeave`, `playerFirstShout`, `playerFirstPing`, `playerFirstDeath` | | Leaderboards | `activePlayers`, `leaderboard1` to `leaderboard5` | Those names matter later, when you route events to different channels. Beyond the messages it also keeps a small database of player activity, which drives leaderboards such as most deaths or most time online, and it can announce "firsts" - a player's first death on the server, say. What it is not: - **Not a chat bridge.** Messages go from Valheim to Discord only. Nothing typed in Discord reaches the game. - **Not a bot.** It uses webhooks, so there is no bot account, no slash commands and no remote administration. For that, see [Discord bots for game server admin](https://www.renode.space/blog/discord-bots-for-game-server-admin). - **Not a client mod.** It never needs to be on players' machines, and it does not appear in version checks. Adding it does not affect who can join. That last point makes it one of the safest mods to run. It changes nothing about gameplay, so it cannot desync the world or kick anyone for a version mismatch. If the plugin breaks after a game update, the worst case is that the server will not start until you remove it, which is why you keep a note of exactly what is installed. #### Before you start: BepInEx on the server Discord Connector is a BepInEx plugin, so the server needs the BepInExPack for Valheim first. On a native Linux install that means unpacking the pack into the server's root folder - you get a `BepInEx` directory, `doorstop_libs` and a `start_server_bepinex.sh` script that becomes the start command. On Docker with the `lloesche/valheim-server` image, set `BEPINEX=true`. On a panel, either use a BepInEx variant of the game if your host offers one, or upload the pack through the file manager and change the start command. [Valheim mods with BepInEx on a server](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-mods-bepinex-server) covers all three. Start the server once with BepInEx alone and check the log. You should see BepInEx's own banner and the line saying how many plugins it loaded. If BepInEx is not running, nothing after this step will work, and the error will look like the mod's fault when it is not. #### Installing the mod 1. Download Discord Connector from Thunderstore (the package is `nwesterhausen-DiscordConnector`). If your group uses r2modman, you can install it into a profile and copy the files from there, but on the server you only need the files. 2. Stop the server. 3. Open the zip. Copy the contents of its `plugins` folder into `BepInEx/plugins/` on the server. Some versions ship more than one `.dll` - copy all of them, they belong together. 4. Start the server, let it load fully, then stop it again cleanly. On the first start the mod creates its configuration. Since version 2.1.0 it uses a folder of its own rather than one file: ```text BepInEx/config/games.nwest.valheim.discordconnector/ discordconnector.cfg main settings, webhooks discordconnector-messages.cfg the text of each message discordconnector-toggles.cfg which messages and details are on discordconnector-variables.cfg custom variables for messages discordconnector-leaderBoards.cfg leaderboard definitions config-debug.json a dump of the config, webhooks redacted records.db player activity database ``` In `BepInEx/LogOutput.log` there should be a loading line for the plugin with its version, something like `Loading [DiscordConnector 3.1.0]`. If the folder was not created, the plugin did not load - see the troubleshooting section. #### Creating the webhook in Discord A webhook is a URL that lets anything holding it post into one channel. You need Manage Webhooks permission on the Discord server. 1. In Discord, open the settings of the channel the messages should go to. 2. Go to Integrations, then Webhooks, then New Webhook. 3. Give it a name and, if you like, an avatar - the mod can override both. 4. Copy the webhook URL. > [!WARNING] > The webhook URL is a credential. Anyone who has it can post anything to that channel under the webhook's name, including mass mentions. Do not paste it into a public channel, a screenshot or a shared config. If it leaks, delete the webhook in Discord and create a new one - there is no other way to revoke it. Create a separate webhook for each channel you want messages in. A common setup is one public channel for player activity and one admin-only channel for server lifecycle messages. [Discord webhooks for server status](https://www.renode.space/blog/discord-webhooks-for-server-status) covers webhooks in more detail, including rate limits. #### The main config file Open `discordconnector.cfg`. BepInEx config files are plain text with a comment above each setting describing it and its default. Values are not quoted. The settings that matter on day one: discordconnector.cfg (relevant lines): ```ini Webhook URL = https://discord.com/api/webhooks/REPLACE/ME Webhook Events = ALL Webhook Username Override = Valheim Secondary Webhook URL = Secondary Webhook Events = ALL Send Positions with Messages = false Allow Mentions for @here and @everyone = false Allow Role Mentions = false Allow User Mentions = false Ignored Players = Collect Player Stats = true Announce Player Firsts = true ``` Edit the values in place and keep the section headers and comments the file already has. The full set of keys, with defaults: | Key | Default | What it does | | --- | --- | --- | | `Webhook URL` | empty | The main webhook. Nothing is sent until this is set | | `Webhook Events` | `ALL` | Which events go to the main webhook | | `Secondary Webhook URL` | empty | An optional second webhook | | `Secondary Webhook Events` | `ALL` | Which events go to the second webhook | | `Webhook Username Override` | empty | Name shown on messages | | `Webhook Avatar Override` | empty | Image URL for the avatar | | `Use fancier discord messages` | `false` | Uses embeds, mainly for position details | | `Send Positions with Messages` | `true` | Adds coordinates to messages | | `Collect Player Stats` | `true` | Records activity in `records.db` | | `Announce Player Firsts` | `true` | Posts a player's first join, death and so on | | `Ignored Players` | empty | Names to leave out, separated by `;` | | `Ignored Players (Regex)` | empty | A .NET regular expression for names to leave out | | `Allow Mentions for @here and @everyone` | `false` | Lets messages ping everyone | | `Allow Role Mentions` | `true` | Lets messages ping roles | | `Allow User Mentions` | `true` | Lets messages ping users | Key names and defaults have changed between major versions of the mod. If your file differs from this table, your file is right for your version - the comments above each setting are the documentation that matches it. Restart the server after editing so the new values are read. #### Routing events to different channels `Webhook Events` takes either `ALL` or a list of event names separated by semicolons. Besides the individual names in the first table, there are shorthands: `serverLifecycle` (launch, start, stop, shutdown), `eventLifecycle` (raid start, pause, resume, stop), `playerAll`, `playerFirstAll` and `leaderboardsAll`. A sensible split for a group server: discordconnector.cfg (two channels): ```ini # #valheim - what players care about Webhook URL = https://discord.com/api/webhooks/1111/aaaa Webhook Events = playerAll;playerFirstAll;eventLifecycle;leaderboardsAll # #server-admin - what admins care about Secondary Webhook URL = https://discord.com/api/webhooks/2222/bbbb Secondary Webhook Events = serverLifecycle;serverSave ``` Routing only decides where a message goes. Whether it is sent at all is decided by `discordconnector-toggles.cfg`, which has sections for messages, positions, stats and debug output. If you route `serverSave` to a channel and nothing appears, the save message is probably switched off in the toggles file. Save messages are noisy - one every save interval - so leaving them off, or sending them only to an admin channel, is usually right. #### Writing your own messages `discordconnector-messages.cfg` holds the text for every event. The player messages default to plain lines: discordconnector-messages.cfg (player messages): ```ini Player Join Message = %PLAYER_NAME% has joined. Player Leave Message = %PLAYER_NAME% has left. Player Death Message = %PLAYER_NAME% has died. Player Ping Message = %PLAYER_NAME% pings the map. Player Shout Message = %PLAYER_NAME% shouts **%SHOUT%**. ``` Put several messages in one setting, separated by `;`, and the mod picks one at random each time: ```ini Player Death Message = %PLAYER_NAME% has gone to Valhalla.;%PLAYER_NAME% died. Again.;Odin claims %PLAYER_NAME%. ``` Discord markdown works in messages, so `**bold**` is bold in Discord. The variables available: | Variable | Value | | --- | --- | | `%PLAYER_NAME%` | Character name | | `%PLAYER_ID%` | The player's platform ID (`%PLAYER_STEAMID%` is the older name) | | `%POS%` | The player's coordinates | | `%SHOUT%` | The shouted text, in shout messages only | | `%WORLD_NAME%` | The world, available once it has loaded | | `%NUM_PLAYERS%` | Players online | | `%DAY_NUMBER%` | The in-game day | | `%JOIN_CODE%` | The crossplay join code, blank without crossplay | | `%PUBLICIP%` | The server's public address | | `%TIMESTAMP%` | A Discord timestamp shown in each reader's time zone | | `%VAR1%` to `%VAR10%` | Your own values from `discordconnector-variables.cfg` | Two of those are worth a deliberate use. `%JOIN_CODE%` in the server start message solves the crossplay problem that the join code changes on every restart: the new code lands in Discord on its own. And the custom variables let you keep one piece of text - the server address, a rules link - in one place and reuse it across messages. Be aware that `%PUBLICIP%` is fetched from an outside service when the server launches, so it depends on the server being allowed outbound connections. [Valheim crossplay and Xbox players](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-crossplay-and-xbox-players) covers how the join code works. #### Privacy, mentions and leaderboards Two defaults deserve a second look on any server with more than a few trusted friends. **Positions.** `Send Positions with Messages` defaults to `true`, so join, leave, death, shout and ping messages carry coordinates. On a private server among friends this is handy - a death message with coordinates is a free tombstone marker. On a PvP server, or any public server, it publishes where everyone's base is and where every player logs off. Switch it off globally, or use the positions section of the toggles file to keep it only for deaths. **Mentions.** Role and user mentions are allowed by default, and the documentation is explicit that player input is not filtered. A shout containing a role mention can ping that role through the webhook. Turn off role and user mentions unless you need them, and if you do, use `Specifically Allowed Role Mentions` and `Specifically Allowed User Mentions` to list the exact IDs that may be mentioned. Keep `@here` and `@everyone` off. **Admins and bots.** `Ignored Players` takes a list of names to leave out of messages, and `Ignored Players (Regex)` a pattern. Use it for admin characters you do not want announced, or for NPCs that some mods register as players. The player database also stores platform IDs alongside names. That is fine for a leaderboard, but it is personal data; if your community has rules about data, `Collect Player Stats = false` turns it off. ##### Leaderboards The leaderboards file defines up to five custom leaderboards plus an active-players board, each sent on a timer. Each one chooses a statistic - deaths, joins, time online and so on - a time range and how many entries to show. They read from `records.db`, so they need `Collect Player Stats` on. A weekly "most deaths" board is a reliable source of jokes for a group; a daily one gets ignored. Start with one and see whether anyone reads it. `How to discern players in Record Retrieval` decides whether the board counts by platform ID, character name, or both. The default, `PlayerId`, merges all of a player's characters into one entry. Choose `Name` if each character should count separately. #### Troubleshooting **No config folder appeared.** The plugin did not load. Check `BepInEx/LogOutput.log` for the plugin's loading line. If BepInEx itself is not in the log, the server is starting without it - check the start command. If BepInEx loads but the plugin errors, check that the plugin version supports the current game version, and that you copied every file from the zip's `plugins` folder. **Config exists but nothing reaches Discord.** Check, in order: the webhook URL is complete and unquoted, the event is in `Webhook Events`, the message is enabled in the toggles file, and the server can make outbound HTTPS connections. Set `Log Debug Messages = true`, restart, and the log will say what the mod tried to send. **Messages stopped after a Valheim update.** The plugin may need updating. Check its Thunderstore page and changelog. Mods that do not touch gameplay usually catch up quickly, but not always on the same day. [What to do when a mod update breaks](https://www.renode.space/blog/what-to-do-when-a-mod-update-breaks) has the general routine. **Duplicate messages.** Usually two copies of the plugin in `BepInEx/plugins` - one in a subfolder from an earlier install. Remove the old one. **Discord shows "rate limited" or drops messages.** Too many events to one webhook in a short time, typically saves or pings on a busy server. Turn off the noisy ones or split them across webhooks. If you also want a record of every event, the server log already has one - see [reading the Valheim server log](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-server-log-file-explained). #### FAQ ##### Do players need to install Discord Connector? No. It runs only on the dedicated server. Players connect with an unmodified game, including Xbox and Game Pass players on a crossplay server. ##### Can Discord Connector send Discord chat into the game? No. It is one-way, from the game to Discord, through webhooks. A two-way bridge or remote commands need a different mod or a bot with its own account. ##### Where is the config file for Discord Connector? In `BepInEx/config/games.nwest.valheim.discordconnector/`, created on the first start after installing the mod. The main file is `discordconnector.cfg`; messages, toggles, variables and leaderboards each have their own file next to it. ##### How do I post the crossplay join code to Discord? Add `%JOIN_CODE%` to the server start message in `discordconnector-messages.cfg`. The code is filled in once the world has loaded, and because a new code is generated on every restart, the message keeps Discord up to date automatically. ##### Is it safe to leave positions on? On a small private server, yes. On a public or PvP server, no: coordinates in join, leave and death messages show everyone where bases and players are. Turn `Send Positions with Messages` off or limit it to deaths. On RE:NODE you upload BepInEx and Discord Connector yourself through the file manager or SFTP - there is no list of allowed mods - and edit the config files in the browser. Every Valheim plan has backup slots, so take one before adding a mod and roll back with a button if it breaks. [See Valheim plans](https://www.renode.space/game-servers/valheim) --- ### Valheim dropped items and world cleanup on a server Published 2026-10-14 by RE:NODE Team. https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-dropped-items-and-world-cleanup Items dropped in the open wilderness of Valheim eventually despawn on their own, but items dropped inside a base never do, and that is where clutter builds up on a shared server: stone by the kiln, wood after a felling session, resin and feathers nobody wanted, all lying on the floor for months. Each loose item is a world object that the server stores, the zone owner simulates and every visiting client loads. Tombstones stay until emptied, and dead tames drop their loot like anything else. The vanilla cleanup tool is the admin devcommand `removedrops`, which deletes every loose item in the loaded area - powerful, irreversible, and best preceded by a warning in the group chat and a backup. For the wider picture of what makes a server slow, see [Valheim server lag: zone ownership and desync](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-server-performance-and-lag). This post is about the things that pile up. #### How Valheim handles items on the ground When an item leaves an inventory - dropped by a player, by a killed creature, from a destroyed chest, from a felled tree - it becomes a separate object in the world, with its position, the item type and the stack size. It is saved in the world file like a building piece. The game cleans up some of these by itself. A dropped item outside a player base is destroyed after roughly an hour, but only while its zone is loaded - the timer is part of the simulation, and nothing is simulated where nobody is. Items inside a player base are exempt and stay indefinitely. A "base" here means the area around player-built base pieces such as workbenches and fires, the same thing that lets enemies recognise a base and stops them spawning right next to it. | Where the item lies | Despawns? | Why it matters | | --- | --- | --- | | Wilderness, zone loaded | Yes, after roughly an hour | Old battlefields clean themselves up | | Wilderness, nobody near | Not while unloaded | Timer only runs while simulated | | Inside a base area | No | Clutter accumulates here | | In a tombstone | No | Tombstones are containers | | In a chest, cart or on an item stand | No | Containers and stands are not drops | The exact timer and the radius of a base area are internal values that have not been changed often, but treat "about an hour" as an approximation rather than a promise. If it matters, drop a piece of resin in a field and come back. This one rule explains the typical server pattern. The wilderness looks tidy. The main base has three hundred stacks of loose stone, wood and bone fragments within twenty metres of the smelters, and they have been there since the swamp was cleared. #### Tombstones and corpse runs When a player dies, their inventory goes into a tombstone at the spot where they died. Tombstones are containers, not drops, so the despawn rule does not apply. A tombstone stays in the world until it is emptied, at which point it disappears. What that means on a server: - **Tombstones persist across logouts and restarts.** A player who dies and logs off leaves a tombstone behind until they come back for it. - **Anyone can loot a tombstone.** Wards do not protect it. Other players can empty it, and on most servers the rules say they should not unless asked. - **Unclaimed tombstones are clutter too.** A player who quit the server after dying in the swamp left a full container in the world. It is one object, not a big cost, but on a long-running community server there can be dozens. - **Several deaths, several tombstones.** Dying again on the way to a tombstone leaves a second one with what you were carrying. The death penalty itself - skill loss and how the modifier changes it - is in [Valheim death penalty and tombstones](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-death-penalty-and-tombstones). When a tombstone is genuinely lost, stuck under the map or inside a rock, [admin tools for lost tombstones](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-admin-tools-for-lost-tombstones) covers finding it with `pos` and `goto`, and when spawning the items back is the better answer. > [!WARNING] > `removedrops` does not delete tombstones, but it does delete anything that spilled out beside one - an item a player dropped to make room, or loot from the creature that killed them. Never clean an area where someone is mid corpse run without telling them first. #### Dead tames, dead monsters and their loot Creatures that die drop their loot as ordinary dropped items: meat, hides, trophies, scales. That includes tamed animals. - **A dead tame leaves no tombstone.** When a tamed wolf, boar or lox dies, it drops its normal loot on the ground, plus anything equipped such as a lox saddle. The loot is a drop, so outside a base it despawns; inside a base it stays. - **Tames killed inside a base leave permanent clutter.** A raid that kills the boar pen leaves a pile of raw meat and leather scraps that will sit there until someone picks them up. - **Breeding pens drop constantly.** A pen that is culled for meat drops loot inside the base every time. That is fine if someone collects it; it is clutter if nobody does. - **Monster drops after a raid.** Raid enemies killed at the walls drop inside the base area, so a raid on a big base leaves dozens of loose items that never despawn. Tames are also some of the most expensive living objects on a server, because the zone owner simulates every one. [Valheim tames, breeding and server load](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-tames-breeding-and-server-load) covers sensible pen sizes. The short version for clutter: whoever runs a pen collects its drops. #### Cleaning up with removedrops and other commands The vanilla admin tools for clutter are devcommands. On a dedicated server, the admin must be in `adminlist.txt`, have the console enabled with `-console` in their Steam launch options, and type `devcommands` in the `F5` console. [Valheim devcommands explained](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-devcommands-explained) covers enabling them and what each costs. | Command | What it removes | Leaves alone | | --- | --- | --- | | `removedrops` | Every loose item in the loaded area around you | Tombstones, chests, item stands, carts | | `killenemies` | Hostile creatures nearby | Tames and players | | `killtame` | Tamed creatures nearby | Enemies and players | | `killall` | All creatures nearby, tames included | Players | `removedrops` acts on the area loaded around you, not a radius you choose. Standing in the middle of the main base and running it clears the base and its surroundings - including anything a player deliberately left on the floor. People do use the floor as storage. A safe routine for cleaning a shared base: 1. **Announce it.** "Clearing loose items at the main base on Sunday evening, put anything you want in a chest" in the server Discord a few days ahead. 2. **Take a backup.** On a panel host, take a manual backup right before. On RE:NODE that is one click on the Backups tab, and restoring is one button if someone's favourite pile of trophies turns out to have been on the floor. 3. **Stand in the right place.** Go to the centre of the cluttered area. Use `fly` from devcommands if you need to reach it without walking through someone's house. 4. **Run it once.** `removedrops`, then check the console's response and look around. 5. **Save.** `save` writes the world straight away, so the cleanup survives a crash. ```text devcommands removedrops save ``` > [!NOTE] > `removedrops` changes the world for everyone and cannot be undone except by restoring a backup. Treat it like any world-level command: back up first, warn first. #### What grows the world file over time A Valheim world is one `.db` file plus a small `.fwl`. A fresh world is a few megabytes; a long-lived one is commonly tens to well over a hundred megabytes. The file holds every object the world remembers, and a few categories account for most of the growth. | Source | How it grows | Can you clean it? | | --- | --- | --- | | Exploration | Every generated zone stores its trees, rocks, plants and locations | Only by regenerating zones with a mod | | Building pieces | Every wall, floor, torch and decoration | By deconstructing | | Terrain edits | A terrain record per modified zone | Not in vanilla | | Dropped items | One object per loose stack | `removedrops`, or pick them up | | Containers and contents | Chests, carts, item stands and what they hold | By emptying and removing | | Creatures | Tames, breeding stock, monsters in loaded zones | Pens kept small, `killtame` in emergencies | | Signs, portals, ships | One object each | By deconstructing | **Exploration is the biggest single factor**, and it is not clutter - it is the world. When a player first goes near a zone, the game generates it: vegetation, rocks, pickables, dungeons and other locations. Those become stored objects. A group that sails around the whole map in a month grows the file far more than any amount of dropped stone. This is also why memory use climbs with how much of the map has been explored, as [how much RAM a Valheim server needs](https://www.renode.space/blog/how-much-ram-does-a-valheim-server-need) explains. **Building comes next.** A large base can run to many thousands of pieces. Each is stored and loaded. Terraforming adds its own records per zone - see [Valheim terraforming on servers](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-terraforming-on-servers). **Dropped items are usually a small share of the file, but a large share of the cost where they lie.** Three hundred stacks in one base zone are three hundred objects the zone owner simulates and every visitor loads, all in the busiest place on the map. Removing them does more for base performance than for file size. The file does not shrink much on its own. Picking things up removes the drop objects, but explored zones, terrain records and pieces stay unless removed. #### Keeping a long-running world tidy Most of the work is habits rather than commands. 1. **A dump chest by every work area.** A labelled chest next to the kiln, the smelters and the workbench, so stone, wood and bone have somewhere to go that is not the floor. 2. **Pick up after felling.** Trees felled inside a base drop logs and wood that never despawn. Felling outside the base area lets the leftovers clean themselves up. 3. **Fight raids at the edge.** Drops from raid enemies killed outside the walls can despawn; drops inside the base cannot. 4. **Retire abandoned outposts.** An outpost nobody uses still holds every piece, chest and dropped item. Deconstruct it, or at least empty it, and rename its portal so it cannot re-pair - see [designing a Valheim portal hub](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-portal-hub-design). 5. **A monthly cleanup slot.** Announce it, back up, run `removedrops` at the main base and the busiest outposts. Groups that do this rarely see bases slow down from clutter. 6. **Watch the file size.** Note the `.db` size in the panel's file manager once a month. Steady growth is normal; a sudden jump after one weekend is worth asking about. 7. **Weekly restarts.** A scheduled clean restart keeps memory flat and makes sure the world is saved regularly. [Valheim scheduled restarts and automation](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-scheduled-restarts-and-automation) covers warning players and saving first. Mods can automate some of this. Upgrade World by JereKuusela includes commands for counting and removing objects across larger areas than the vanilla commands reach, and for regenerating unvisited zones; it is a precise tool with no undo, so read [Upgrade World for Valheim](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-upgrade-world-mod) and back up before using it. There are also server-side cleanup mods on Thunderstore that delete old drops on a timer. They work, but they bring back the floor-as-storage problem in automated form - make sure everyone knows the rule. #### When cleanup is not the answer Clutter is the easiest thing to blame for a slow world, and not always the right one. - **Lag that follows one player** is zone ownership, not clutter. The fix is moving ownership, not deleting items. - **Long loading after teleporting** is the client loading the destination. A tidier base helps a little; arriving at a portal just outside the base helps more. - **Slow saves on a huge world** are the size of the explored map plus the bases. Shortening `-saveinterval` makes each save smaller in lost progress, not faster. - **A world that has simply been explored to the edges** is as big as it is going to get. If performance is unacceptable, a fresh world is the honest answer - [starting a new world without losing characters](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-reset-world-keep-characters) covers doing that without losing anyone's gear. And if a cleanup goes wrong, the world is one file. Restore the backup taken before it; [Valheim backups and world corruption](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-server-backups-and-world-corruption) explains which files to keep and why the automatic backups beside the world do not count as a real copy. #### FAQ ##### Do dropped items despawn in Valheim? Outside a player base, yes, after roughly an hour of the zone being loaded. Inside a base area near workbenches and fires they never despawn, which is why bases fill up with loose items. ##### Does removedrops delete tombstones? No. Tombstones, chests, item stands and carts are containers, not loose drops. `removedrops` clears only items lying on the ground in the loaded area around the admin. ##### Can removedrops be undone? Only by restoring a backup taken before it ran. There is no in-game undo, so warn players and back up first. ##### What happens to a tamed animal's saddle when it dies? It drops on the ground with the creature's other loot. Outside a base it will despawn if nobody picks it up, so recover it quickly. ##### Why is our world file so large? Mostly exploration and building. Every generated zone stores its trees, rocks and locations, and every building piece is saved. Dropped items are usually a small part of the size but a large part of the local lag where they lie. ##### Should we use an automatic cleanup mod? On a public server with many casual players, it can help. On a small group server, a monthly announced `removedrops` is simpler and nobody loses a pile they meant to keep. Valheim servers on RE:NODE start from 2 GB with crossplay on, a file manager that shows the world file and its size, and backup slots on every tier - take one before a cleanup and restore it with one button if something was removed by mistake. [See Valheim plans](https://www.renode.space/game-servers/valheim) --- ### Valheim enemy scaling with player count, explained Published 2026-10-14 by RE:NODE Team. https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-enemy-scaling-with-player-count Valheim makes creatures tougher when more players are near them. Each extra player within range adds roughly 30% to a creature's effective health and about 4% to the damage it deals, and the count stops at five players. Bosses scale the same way as everything else. The result is a game that is hardest per person when you play alone, gets easier per head as the group grows, and flattens out completely past five - so a group of ten fights five-player creatures with twice the people hitting them. This post explains the numbers, how "nearby" is counted, what scaling does and does not touch, and what to do on a server when the group size makes the game too easy or too hard. One warning up front: Iron Gate does not publish these constants. The figures below are the community's, measured and read from the game over several years, and they have been reported slightly differently by different sources. They are right in shape and close in size; if an exact percentage matters to you, test it on your version with the method at the end of this post. #### The numbers, per extra player The scaling is linear in the number of extra players and capped at five players in total. | Players near the creature | Effective health | Damage dealt | Health per player | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | 100% | 100% | 100% | | 2 | 130% | 104% | 65% | | 3 | 160% | 108% | 53% | | 4 | 190% | 112% | 48% | | 5 | 220% | 116% | 44% | | 6 | 220% | 116% | 37% | | 8 | 220% | 116% | 28% | | 10 | 220% | 116% | 22% | The last column is the useful one. It is the share of the creature's scaled health each player has to chew through if everyone deals the same damage. Two players each do 65% of a solo kill; five players each do 44%; ten players each do 22%. Damage per hit climbs by a sixth at most, which good armour absorbs easily. In practice, every player you add makes a fight easier for everyone, and past five the effect is dramatic. Some older write-ups quote 40% health per extra player rather than 30%, and the cap has been described as applying to the player count rather than the percentage. The difference between 30% and 40% matters if you are planning a five-player boss fight on a very tight gear budget; it does not change any of the conclusions below. ##### What "effective health" means The scaled health does not show on the health bar. A boss's bar has the same maximum whether one player or five are fighting it. What changes is how much each hit takes off: the creature takes proportionally less damage per hit from everyone. That is why groups sometimes report that "the boss bar barely moves" and wonder whether something is broken. Nothing is; the bar is the same, the hits are smaller. #### How "nearby" is counted The count is made around the creature, not around you. Every player within the scaling range of that creature counts, whether they are fighting, standing at a crafting station, or asleep in a bed. - **The range is generous.** The community wiki gives it as 100 metres; other sources, including some older ones, say 200. Either way, a whole base, a whole boss arena, and the beach where you moored the boat are inside it. Treat everyone in the same area as counted. - **Distant players do not count.** Two players at a base and three exploring the Plains three kilometres away give the base creatures two-player scaling and the Plains creatures three-player scaling. The game does not take the number of people online. - **It follows people as they move.** The scaling is applied as the fight happens, not stamped on the creature when it spawns. Walk two players away from a fight and the creature becomes easier for the ones left; walk them back and it gets tougher again. That last point is what makes stragglers expensive. In a boss fight, a player who hangs back at the edge of the arena "to be safe" adds a full player's worth of boss health and contributes no damage. Either everyone fights, or the extra player leaves the area entirely. The same goes for a base under raid: if four people are inside and one goes out to fight, the raid creatures still have five-player scaling. ##### Tames do not count Wolves, boars, lox and every other tame creature are not players and add nothing to the count. A player with three wolves fights solo-scaled creatures with three extra damage dealers, which is one reason tame wolves are so effective for small groups. [Tames, breeding and server load](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-tames-breeding-and-server-load) covers the cost of keeping many of them. #### What scaling does not change Player-count scaling touches two numbers: health and damage. It leaves the rest of the game alone, and several things people blame on it are something else. | Thing | Changed by player count? | What actually drives it | | --- | --- | --- | | Creature health | Yes, up to 5 players | Scaling, plus star level | | Creature damage | Yes, up to 5 players | Scaling, plus star level | | Star level (1 or 2 stars) | No | Biome, distance and chance | | How many creatures spawn in an area | No | Spawners in the zone, time, weather | | Total creatures in the world | Indirectly | How many zones players have active | | Raids that can roll | No | Boss keys or `playerevents` | | Boss attacks and behaviour | No | The boss's own AI | | Loot | No | Drop tables, star level | Two rows deserve comment. Star levels make a creature much tougher - a two-star creature has far more health than a plain one - and they come from the biome and chance, not from how many people are around. A group that runs into two-star wolves in the Mountains is unlucky, not scaled. And creature numbers do grow with the group, just not through scaling. Each player who walks into a new zone wakes up its spawners. Five players in five places run five sets of spawners; five players in one place run one. That is the real reason a spread-out group feels like it is fighting more creatures, and it is also part of why a spread-out group costs more CPU on every client involved - [Valheim server performance and lag](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-server-performance-and-lag) goes through that load. > [!NOTE] > Raids are not scaled differently from other creatures. A raid at a base picks its creatures from the raid table, and those creatures then scale with whoever is near them, exactly like the wildlife. A full group at home during a raid fights tougher raiders with more people. #### What it means for different group sizes ##### Solo and duo A solo player faces the base game: no bonus health, no bonus damage. A duo is where scaling first shows up, and it is mild - each player has about two-thirds of a solo kill's work to do. Duos are often the best balanced way to play Valheim, because both players matter in every fight and neither can carry the other. ##### Three to five This is the range the game is tuned around and where scaling is most noticeable in the moment: creatures take visibly longer to die than they did solo, and a careless player in a group of four can still die. But the per-player work keeps dropping. A group of five that coordinates has an easier time than five solo players would. ##### Six to ten Past five, scaling stops. Every additional player brings their full damage and none of the extra health, and bosses go down very fast. A ten-player Bonemass is a short fight. Groups this size often find the default difficulty too easy and either raise the `combat` modifier or split into smaller parties for exploring. The [10-player limit and larger groups](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-player-limit-and-larger-groups) post covers what happens past ten with mods. ##### Mixed groups The awkward case is a server where most of the group plays together but one or two people often play alone. The solo players face solo scaling - which is fine - but when they visit the main base while the group is home, they get group-scaled creatures nearby. That is not unfair; it is just worth knowing when a newcomer says the creatures around the main hall seem harder than the ones near their own hut. #### Tuning difficulty for your group on a server There is no vanilla setting that changes the scaling formula itself. The levers a server has are the world modifiers, set at launch. ```bash # A group of eight that finds the game too easy -modifier combat hard # A family group of three that wants to explore, not grind fights -modifier combat easy -modifier raids less ``` The `combat` modifier takes `veryeasy`, `easy`, `hard` and `veryhard` (normal is the default and needs no argument). It changes how much damage enemies deal and how much they take, for every player and every creature, and it stacks on top of player-count scaling. The exact effect of each value is printed on the in-game world modifier screen; that text is the authority, because it has been reworded between updates. [Valheim world modifiers and presets](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-world-modifiers-and-presets) goes through how modifiers combine with presets and how to change them on an existing world. A sensible rule of thumb for servers: - **One to three regulars:** default combat. Scaling is mild and the game is as designed. - **Four or five regulars who play together:** default, or `hard` if the group is experienced. - **Six or more who play together:** `hard`, and consider `veryhard` for veterans. Without it, the late bosses will not feel like bosses. - **A mix of solo and group players:** default. Raising combat for the group's sake punishes the people who play alone. On a panel host, modifiers go into the extra launch arguments. On RE:NODE that is a field on the Startup tab, and the change takes effect after a restart; take a backup before you change world rules, as with anything that rewrites the world's settings. ##### Mods that change scaling There are mods on Thunderstore that change how creatures scale, and what each one changes varies - the cap, the range, or the formula itself. They are worth considering for groups of ten or more on a modded server. Two cautions: any mod that changes combat numbers has to be on the server and every client at the same version with the same config, or players see different health values; and any change that counts players further away than the vanilla range makes solo play on a busy server much harder. Read the mod's page for what it actually changes, and [Valheim mods with BepInEx on a server](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-mods-bepinex-server) for the installation side. #### Bosses and scaling Bosses follow the same rule as every other creature: health and damage scale with players near the boss, capped at five. Three consequences follow for boss nights. 1. **Commit or leave.** Everyone near the arena counts. A player who will not fight should be well away. 2. **Five is the hard point.** A five-player fight is the toughest a boss gets, relative to its health. A sixth player is a pure gain. 3. **Damage barely matters.** The extra damage tops out around a sixth. Good food and the right resistances do far more for survival than keeping the group small. [Summoning bosses as a group](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-boss-summoning-for-groups) covers arena preparation, zone ownership and recovering from a wipe. #### Testing the numbers on your own version If you want to know the real values on your server's version - after a patch, or before planning a hard-mode challenge - you can measure them. It takes two players, devcommands and ten minutes, and it is best done on a copy of the world rather than the live one. 1. On a test server, an admin enables devcommands. The [devcommands explainer](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-devcommands-explained) covers what works on a dedicated server. 2. Spawn a creature with plenty of health that does not move much, such as a troll, with `spawn Troll`. 3. One player, alone in the area, hits it with the same weapon until it dies, counting hits. 4. Spawn another. With the second player standing within a few metres but not attacking, the first player repeats the count. 5. Compare. If the solo kill took 10 hits and the two-player one took 13, health scaling is about 30% per player. ```text devcommands spawn Troll ``` Keep `god` on for the tester if you only care about health, and use a weapon with no special effects so hits are consistent. The ratio is what matters, not the absolute numbers. #### FAQ ##### Does Valheim get harder with more players? Each creature does, up to five players near it: more effective health and slightly more damage. But the work per player falls as the group grows, so the game as a whole gets easier per person. Past five, creatures stop scaling and fights get much easier. ##### Do players on the other side of the map make enemies stronger? No. Only players within range of the creature count. A friend exploring the Plains has no effect on the creatures at your base. The game does not use the number of players online. ##### Is boss health scaled for the number of players? Yes, in the same way as other creatures and with the same five-player cap. The health bar looks the same; each hit simply takes less off it. ##### Why do creatures near our main base feel harder? Because several players are usually there. Raiders and wildlife near a busy base get scaled to everyone inside the range, including people crafting or sorting chests. A player arriving alone at a busy base meets group-scaled creatures. ##### Can I turn player scaling off on a dedicated server? Not in vanilla. There is no launch argument or modifier for the scaling formula itself. You can offset it with the `combat` modifier, or use a mod that changes scaling, installed on the server and every client. ##### Do star creatures scale with players too? Yes. Stars and player-count scaling are separate multipliers. A two-star creature near five players is tough twice over, which is why a group meeting a two-star troll should treat it like a small boss. Valheim servers on RE:NODE come with crossplay on, a generated password and backup slots on every tier. World modifiers such as `combat` go on the Startup tab, so tuning difficulty for your group is a field and a restart. [See Valheim plans](https://www.renode.space/game-servers/valheim) --- ### Valheim Forsaken powers in multiplayer: sharing and timing Published 2026-10-14 by RE:NODE Team. https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-forsaken-powers-in-multiplayer On a Valheim server, a boss trophy has to be hung at the sacrificial stones only once, and from then on every player can walk up and choose that power for their own character. Each character holds one power at a time, activates it themselves (the default key is `F`), and the buff lasts five minutes with a twenty-minute cooldown. The part most groups miss is that activation is not purely personal: everyone standing close to the player who uses a power gets the buff too. Plan who uses what, and when, and a group of four can keep a power running almost all evening. This post covers how the stones work on a shared world, what is per world and what is per character, how sharing works in practice, the current effect of each power after the 2025 rebalance, and which one to bring for which job. #### How Forsaken powers work on a server The sacrificial stones are the ring of standing stones at the world's starting point in the Meadows - where every new character first appears. Each boss has a spot on the stones where its trophy goes. 1. **Someone hangs the trophy.** Hold the trophy on your hotbar, look at that boss's spot and press the hotbar key. The trophy stays mounted there for the life of the world. 2. **Each player chooses the power.** Interact with the mounted trophy. Your character now holds that power; any power held before is replaced. 3. **Each player activates it** with the Forsaken power key, `F` by default, whenever they want the buff. A short animation plays, during which you are vulnerable. What is shared and what is personal is the usual source of confusion: | Thing | Belongs to | Notes | | --- | --- | --- | | Trophy hung at the stones | The world | Once, by anyone, permanent | | Which power a character holds | The character | Chosen at the stones, one at a time | | Cooldown | The character | Starts on activation | | The buff when activated | Everyone close by | Including the activator | | The trophy items themselves | Whoever picked them up | One drops per kill | Because the trophy is mounted in the world, a player who was not at the fight - or who joins the server a month later with a new character - can claim the power on their first evening. Nobody needs a trophy of their own. The world's progress side of this is in [Valheim boss progression on a shared server](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-boss-progression-on-shared-servers); the important thing here is that the trophy should go up the same night as the kill. If someone pockets it and logs off for a fortnight, nobody gets the power. ##### The character side The power you hold and its cooldown are part of your character, not the world. They are saved on your machine with the rest of the character, which is why a character carries its current selection between servers. What a server admin can see and do about a character's power is therefore limited; the trophies are the world's, the selection is not. [Character files and cheating](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-character-files-and-cheating) covers why the line falls there. #### Duration, cooldown and swapping Every Forsaken power lasts 300 seconds - five minutes - and then goes on a 1,200-second cooldown, twenty minutes from activation. Hover over the power in your inventory screen to see the remaining time; the status effect icon in the corner of the screen shows how long the buff has left. Three practical points: - **The cooldown is the character's.** It belongs to you, not to the power, so swapping at the stones is not a way around it. Choose before you activate; if you want to be certain how your version handles a swap, watch the timer in the inventory screen after switching once. - **The buff ends early on death.** Status effects do not survive dying, so a power used at the start of a boss fight is gone for anyone who dies. - **The cooldown is saved with the character.** It is still there when you log back in, on this server or another one. Check the tooltip rather than guessing how much is left. The duration and cooldown have been stable for a long time, but the effects have not, and Iron Gate could change either. The in-game tooltip on the power is the authority for your version. #### Sharing powers with the group When a player activates a Forsaken power, everyone within a short radius gets the same buff for the same duration. Community guides put that radius at about 10 metres, which in practice means "standing together", not "somewhere in the same base". Players further away get nothing, and nobody has to hold the same power to receive it. Two rules decide what happens when several people activate powers: 1. **The same power does not stack.** If two players both use Eikthyr's power, nearby players get one Eikthyr buff, not two. The second activation is wasted unless the first is about to run out. 2. **Different powers can run together.** A player can have Bonemass's buff from one friend and Moder's from another at the same time. That makes the cooldown a group resource. One power used by one player covers the group for five minutes out of every twenty-five. Four players holding the same power and taking turns cover it continuously: | Time | Who activates | Group buff | | --- | --- | --- | | 0:00 | Player A | 0:00-5:00 | | 5:00 | Player B | 5:00-10:00 | | 10:00 | Player C | 10:00-15:00 | | 15:00 | Player D | 15:00-20:00 | | 20:00 | Player A (cooldown ended) | 20:00-25:00 | The other way to use it is to spread powers across the group: one player holds Bonemass for fights, one holds the Elder for gathering, one holds Moder for sailing and carrying. Whoever is needed activates when the moment comes, with everyone standing close. ##### A worked example: a Swamp iron run Four players sail to the Swamp for scrap iron. Player A holds Moder, B holds Bonemass, C holds the Elder, D holds the Queen. 1. **Leaving port**, A takes the rudder and activates Moder. The tailwind and the carry weight last the crossing, if it is under five minutes. 2. **At the crypt door**, D activates the Queen with everyone close, for the poison resistance against blobs on the walk in. 3. **Inside the crypt**, B activates Bonemass when the first draugr group appears. C saves the Elder for the muddy scrap piles, where mining damage counts. 4. **Loading the boat**, everyone is heavy. A's Moder cooldown is still running, so the group waits by the ship or walks the last stretch overweight - which is why a second Moder holder is worth having on long hauls. Four powers in one trip, each used once, and nobody wasted a cooldown on the same thing. > [!TIP] > Say it before you press it. "Bonemass in three" on voice chat gets the group within ten metres; a power used while people are spread across a fight usually reaches one or two of them. #### What each power does now Patch 0.221.4, the Call to Arms update released in September 2025, rebalanced every power. Older guides and videos describe the previous effects, so treat anything from before then with suspicion. | Boss | Biome | Effects after the 2025 rebalance | | --- | --- | --- | | Eikthyr | Meadows | 60% less stamina for running, jumping and swimming | | The Elder | Black Forest | 60% more chopping and mining damage, 30% more health regeneration | | Bonemass | Swamp | 25% resistance to pierce, slash and blunt, blocking costs no stamina, 5 stamina back per block | | Moder | Mountains | Always a tailwind, +300 carry weight, 10% faster movement, 50% frost resistance | | Yagluth | Plains | 50% lightning resistance, +25 Farming skill, 10% more damage | | The Queen | Mistlands | 100% more eitr regeneration, sneaking costs no stamina, 50% poison resistance | | Fader | Ashlands | 100% more adrenaline, 50% lower stagger build-up, 50% fire resistance | The biggest change for groups is that the old "late powers are always better" order is gone. Each power now suits a job, and several early ones are worth holding at the end of the game: the Elder for ore runs, Bonemass for any fight where you block, Moder for every long trip. #### Which power for which job ##### Gathering and building The Elder is the gathering power. Sixty per cent more chopping and mining damage means fewer swings per tree and per ore vein, which shortens copper, iron and silver runs and saves stamina. The health regeneration helps on long trips through hostile biomes. Pair it with Moder's carry weight when the group is mining: one player activates the Elder at the vein, another activates Moder when everyone has loaded up. ##### Sailing and hauling Moder is the power for any trip by sea. "Always tailwind" removes the waiting for the wind to turn; the +300 carry weight lets everyone haul a full load of ore without being overweight; and the movement speed helps on foot at the other end. The wind is the one part that is not about standing close: it matters to whoever is steering, so the player at the rudder should hold and use Moder. [Ore logistics with ships and carts](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-ore-logistics-ships-and-carts) and [sailing and ships in multiplayer](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-sailing-and-ships-in-multiplayer) go through planning those runs. ##### Fighting Bonemass for most fights. Physical resistance to all three weapon types and free blocking make shield players very hard to kill, and stamina back on block helps them keep attacking. Yagluth's 10% damage is useful for the damage dealers, and Fader's lower stagger build-up and faster adrenaline suit players who use trinkets, the Call to Arms equipment that spends adrenaline. Use powers at the start of a fight, with everyone together - [summoning bosses as a group](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-boss-summoning-for-groups) covers the rest of a boss night. ##### By biome | Where you are going | Power to bring | Why | | --- | --- | --- | | Meadows and Black Forest runs | Eikthyr or the Elder | Long distances, trees and copper | | Swamp | The Queen or Bonemass | Poison resistance, or physical resistance in crypts | | Mountains | Moder | Frost resistance, carrying silver home | | Plains | Bonemass or Yagluth | Fulings hit hard; farming flax and barley | | Mistlands | The Queen | Eitr for mages, sneaking past seekers | | Ashlands | Fader | Fire resistance, staggering less | | Long sea crossings | Moder | Tailwind and carry weight | Resistances in Valheim are a strong effect, and 50% frost or fire resistance from a power can cover a gap in gear for its five minutes. How a power's resistance combines with a mead or a cape has changed between versions, so do not plan a trip around stacking them; bring the mead anyway and treat the power as the margin. ##### Farming Yagluth's +25 Farming skill is a niche that a group with a big farm should use. One player holds Yagluth and activates it when the group replants a field together. [Shared farming and food](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-shared-farming-and-food) covers running a group farm. #### Powers for late joiners and admins A new character joining a late-game world can claim any power whose trophy is already on the stones. The usual problem is distance: the stones are at the world's spawn, and the group's base may be far away. Two things help. - **A portal at the stones.** Build one beside the sacrificial stones, connected to the main base, so anyone can change power in a minute. Mark the tag clearly; [Valheim portal hub design](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-portal-hub-design) has naming schemes that avoid tag clashes. - **A rule about trophies.** Trophies go to the stones the night they drop. If a trophy is lost, the boss can usually be fought again for another one; the stones only need it once. Admins sometimes ask whether they can give a player a power directly. The selection is stored on the character, which the server does not own, so there is no list file or launch argument for it. With devcommands, an admin can spawn a trophy for a world where one was lost, and the player can then hang it - but the world's boss key is a separate thing and is not set by spawning a trophy. [Valheim devcommands explained](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-devcommands-explained) covers what admins can do on a vanilla server. #### Troubleshooting **Pressing F does nothing.** No power is selected, the power is on cooldown, or the key has been rebound. Open the inventory screen and look at the power slot; it shows the selected power and any remaining cooldown. Controller players have a different default binding. **The power is not available at the stones.** Its trophy has not been hung. Check the spot on the stones; an empty spot means somebody still has the trophy. **My friend did not get the buff.** They were out of range. The radius is short; stand together and say when you activate. **Two of us used the same power and it made no difference.** The same power does not stack. Take turns instead, as in the schedule above. **The buff disappeared mid-fight.** Either the five minutes ran out or the player died; status effects do not survive death. **The powers do not match an older guide.** The Call to Arms update rebalanced them in 2025. Trust the in-game tooltip. #### FAQ ##### Do all players get a Forsaken power after one boss kill? The power becomes available to everyone once the trophy is hung at the sacrificial stones, but each player has to go there and choose it for their own character. One trophy hung once is enough for the whole server. ##### Can two players use the same power at the same time? They can, but it does not stack. Players nearby get one copy of the buff. It is better to stagger activations so the buff runs back to back. ##### Does a Forsaken power affect players who are not nearby? No. Only players within a short radius of the person activating it receive the buff - roughly ten metres according to community guides. Friends at the base while you fight elsewhere get nothing. ##### Does changing power reset the cooldown? It is not a way to get a second activation. The cooldown belongs to the character, not to the power, so pick the power you want before you use it rather than planning to swap halfway through an evening. ##### Can a player keep a power from another world? The selected power is saved with the character, so it travels with them between worlds, as gear and skills do. A server cannot prevent it, which is one of the reasons admins treat characters as the player's own property. ##### Which power is best for a group? There is no single answer since the 2025 rebalance. Most groups find Moder the most useful overall for its carry weight and tailwind, Bonemass the best for fights, and the Elder the best for gathering. Spread them across the group and use each where it fits. Valheim servers on RE:NODE come with crossplay on, a generated password and backup slots on every tier. The world - stones, trophies and all - stays on the server between sessions, and restoring it is one button on the Backups tab. [See Valheim plans](https://www.renode.space/game-servers/valheim) --- ### Valheim Game Pass world files: find them and upload to a server Published 2026-10-14 by RE:NODE Team. https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-game-pass-and-microsoft-store-world-files The Game Pass and Microsoft Store versions of Valheim on PC keep worlds in Xbox cloud storage by default, tied to the Microsoft account, inside a container you cannot usefully copy files out of. To get one onto a dedicated server, open the game, go to Manage Saves, select the world and use Move to Local. That writes it as ordinary files into the same `worlds_local` folder the Steam version uses, under `%USERPROFILE%\AppData\LocalLow\IronGate\Valheim\`, and from there it uploads like any other world. A world started on an Xbox console reaches a server the same way: sign in to the Game Pass version on a PC with the same Microsoft account, and the console's cloud world appears there to be moved local. What you should not do is try to dig the files out of the Xbox app's save container by hand. The upload itself is the same as for a Steam world, covered in [how to upload a Valheim save to a dedicated server](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-upload-local-world-to-server). This post is about the part that is different for Microsoft's versions: where the world is, how to get it out, and what changes once Game Pass players are joining a dedicated server. #### Which version you have, and why it matters Valheim is sold through several storefronts and they keep saves differently. | Version | Where worlds are by default | How you get plain files | | --- | --- | --- | | Steam (PC) | Local or Steam Cloud, your choice per world | Manage Saves, move to local | | Microsoft Store / Game Pass (PC) | Xbox cloud storage on your Microsoft account | Manage Saves, Move to Local | | Xbox Series X and S | Xbox cloud storage on your Microsoft account | Through the PC Game Pass version | The Microsoft Store purchase and the PC Game Pass subscription install the same build through the Xbox app, so for this post they are the same thing. If you are not sure which you have, the launcher tells you: the Steam version starts from Steam, the Microsoft version from the Xbox app or the Start menu entry it creates. The difference matters because the Microsoft version uses the platform's own cloud save system. Games that do this keep their saves in a per-app container under `%LOCALAPPDATA%\Packages\`, with file names that are identifiers rather than world names. The files there are not a `.db` and `.fwl` pair you can rename and upload, and editing them by hand risks the cloud sync overwriting your world or the game rejecting the container. Valheim's own Manage Saves screen is the supported way out, and it produces normal files. #### Getting a Game Pass world onto your PC as files 1. Start Valheim from the Xbox app, signed in to the account that owns the world. 2. From the main menu, choose Manage Saves. 3. Find the world. Cloud worlds and local worlds are marked differently in the list. 4. Select it and choose Move to Local. Wait for it to finish before quitting. 5. Quit the game completely. 6. Open `%USERPROFILE%\AppData\LocalLow\IronGate\Valheim\worlds_local\` in File Explorer. Paste the path into the address bar - `AppData` is hidden by default. ```text %USERPROFILE%\AppData\LocalLow\IronGate\Valheim\worlds_local\ ``` What you find there depends on the game version. On builds before Valheim 1.0, a world is two files with the same name: `Name.fwl` (a few hundred bytes - name, seed and keys) and `Name.db` (everything else). Since 1.0, released in September 2026, a world is a folder named after it, holding several files. Either way the rule is the same: upload all of it. Half a pair, or a few files out of the folder, does not load, and the server quietly creates a fresh world under the same name instead. Moving to local means the world stops syncing to the cloud. That is the right state for a world that is about to live on a server: from now on the server's copy is the real one, and a cloud copy on your account would just drift out of date. If you want to keep a copy on your PC as an archive, keep it in a folder outside `worlds_local` so you do not open it by accident and confuse the two. > [!WARNING] > If Manage Saves does not show the world at all, check you are signed in to the right Microsoft account in the Xbox app. The game uses whichever account the Xbox app is signed in to, and a family PC often has the wrong one. #### Worlds from an Xbox console There is no way to copy files off an Xbox to a server directly. The console keeps worlds in the same Microsoft cloud storage the PC version uses, so the route is through a PC: 1. On the Xbox, play the world once and quit normally so the cloud copy is current. 2. On a Windows PC, install Valheim through the Xbox app or PC Game Pass, signed in to the same Microsoft account. 3. Start the game. The console's cloud worlds should appear in Manage Saves. 4. Move the world to local and upload it as above. This depends on the platform syncing saves between console and PC for the same account, which is how Valheim's Microsoft versions are set up, but it is outside the game's own control. If the world does not show up on the PC, give the sync time and check the Xbox app is not reporting a sync problem before you assume the world is lost. Hosting providers report the same route; none of them can do it for you, because the save lives in your Microsoft account rather than on any machine they can reach. Once the world is on the server, the Xbox player keeps playing it by joining the server - the console never needs the file back. #### Uploading the world to a dedicated server From here the process is the same as for any Valheim world. 1. **Stop the server.** Never upload over a running world; its next save overwrites what you put there. 2. **Back up what is on the server already**, even if it is an empty test world. 3. **Upload the world** - the `.db` and `.fwl` pair, or the whole world folder on 1.0 - into the server's `worlds_local`. Over SFTP or a panel file manager this is drag and drop; [SFTP and the file manager](https://www.renode.space/blog/sftp-and-the-file-manager) has the connection details. 4. **Set the world name** on the start line or the Startup tab to the world's name exactly, capitals included, without any extension. 5. **Start the server** and watch the log for the world loading by name. If it says it is generating a new world, the name did not match. Where `worlds_local` is on the server depends on how it was started. On Linux the default is `~/.config/unity3d/IronGate/Valheim/worlds_local/`; with `-savedir`, it is `worlds_local` inside that path. Hosted servers usually set `-savedir` so the world sits inside the server's own folder. [Savedir and file locations](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-savedir-and-file-locations) covers both. A large world folder uploads more reliably as one archive. Zip it on your PC, upload the zip, and unpack it in place - many panel file managers, RE:NODE's included, unpack archives where they are. Check that unpacking gives you `worlds_local/Name/...` or `worlds_local/Name.db`, not an extra folder level in between. #### The dedicated server does not care which version made the world There is one Valheim dedicated server. It is a free Steam tool, app id `896660`, downloaded with SteamCMD using an anonymous login, so you do not need to own the Steam version of the game to run it. It loads worlds made by any PC version once they are plain files, because the world format is the same across storefronts. ```bash $ steamcmd +force_install_dir /home/valheim/server +login anonymous \ +app_update 896660 validate +quit ``` The server and every client have to run exactly the same game version. The Microsoft Store and Xbox builds have, at times, arrived after the Steam build on patch days, because console certification can take longer. In that gap, either the Steam players or the Game Pass players cannot connect, depending on which version the server runs. On patch day, check every platform in your group has the update before you update the server. [Updating the server and version mismatch](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-update-server-and-version-mismatch) covers the timing. #### Joining a dedicated server from Game Pass or Xbox For Game Pass and Xbox players to join a dedicated server, it has to be started with `-crossplay`. Without it, the server only accepts Steam clients, and the Microsoft version will not see it. With crossplay on: - **The join code.** The server prints a six-digit code in its log on startup. Game Pass and Xbox players enter it under Join Game. The code changes on every restart. - **The community list.** A public crossplay server also appears in the in-game list for the Microsoft versions. - **Steam players** can still join by IP and port, or the code. ```text Session "Longship Crew" with join code 483920 and IP 203.0.113.10:2456 is active with 0 player(s) ``` Crossplay traffic goes through Microsoft's PlayFab relay rather than straight to the server's port, which adds a hop but means Game Pass players do not need anything forwarded on their side. Player IDs change too: on a crossplay server the list files use platform-prefixed IDs, such as `Xbox_` for Game Pass and Xbox players and `Steam_` for Steam players. The most reliable way to get a Game Pass player's exact ID for `adminlist.txt` or `permittedlist.txt` is to let them join once and copy the ID from the server log. [Crossplay and Xbox players](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-crossplay-and-xbox-players) goes into the relay and the ID formats; the [list files guide](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-adminlist-bannedlist-permittedlist) covers the files. #### Characters, mods and what does not come with the world **Characters are separate.** A world upload moves the world, not the characters in it. Each player's character stays on their own machine and comes with them to any server. On the Microsoft version, characters use the same cloud storage as worlds; they do not need to be moved to local to play on a server, because the client loads them and the server never sees the file. Moving a character between the Steam and Microsoft versions is a different job, and not one the server can help with. **Mods.** Valheim's mods run on BepInEx, and the Microsoft Store and Game Pass PC builds are awkward to mod at best; Xbox consoles cannot run mods at all. A server with mods that must be installed on clients is effectively a Steam-only server, whatever the crossplay flag says. If your group mixes Game Pass and Steam, keep the server vanilla, or use only server-side mods that clients do not need. [Valheim mods with BepInEx on a server](https://www.renode.space/blog/valheim-mods-bepinex-server) explains which mods are which. **In-game hosted worlds.** A world the group played through the game's own Start server option lives on the host's machine like any other world. If the host was on Game Pass, it is in their Xbox cloud storage or `worlds_local`, and moves to a dedicated server with the same Move to Local step. #### Moving a world back the other way Sometimes the server shuts down, or someone wants to keep playing a world alone. Taking a world off a dedicated server and into the Game Pass version is the reverse: 1. Stop the server so the world saves, and download the world - the pair or the folder. 2. With Valheim closed on the PC, copy it into `%USERPROFILE%\AppData\LocalLow\IronGate\Valheim\worlds_local\`. 3. Start the game; the world appears in the list as a local world. 4. If you want it in the cloud for an Xbox console, use Manage Saves to move it to the cloud from there. The version rule applies here too: a world saved by a newer server build may not load in an older client, and a 1.0 world is not readable by pre-1.0 builds. Update the game before you open the world. #### Troubleshooting **`worlds_local` is empty after Move to Local.** Check you are looking under `LocalLow`, not `Local` or `Roaming`, and under the right Windows user. Then re-open Manage Saves and check the world shows as local. **The world does not appear in Manage Saves on the PC.** Wrong Microsoft account in the Xbox app, or the console's cloud copy has not synced yet. Sign in correctly and give it time. **The server generated a new world after the upload.** The world name on the start line does not match the uploaded name, or only part of the world was uploaded. Fix it, delete the accidental new world, restart. **Game Pass players cannot find the server.** The server is not running `-crossplay`, or they are using a join code from before the last restart. Read the current code from the log. **"Incompatible version" for only some players.** The Microsoft build and the Steam build are on different versions. Wait for both to match before updating the server. #### FAQ ##### Do I need the Steam version to run a dedicated server for a Game Pass group? No. The dedicated server is a free download through SteamCMD with an anonymous login, and it hosts Game Pass, Microsoft Store, Xbox and Steam players together with crossplay on. ##### Can I copy the files out of the Xbox app's save folder directly? Not usefully. The container uses identifier names and is managed by the cloud sync. Use Manage Saves and Move to Local inside the game, which writes plain world files to `worlds_local`. ##### Will moving a world to local delete it from my Xbox? It stops syncing that world to the cloud, so the console will no longer see it there. That is fine if the world is going to a server - the console then plays it by joining the server. Keep a copy on your PC if you want an archive. ##### Can a Steam player and a Game Pass player share one world without a server? Yes, if the host starts the game's own server with crossplay enabled, but the world then exists only while the host is playing. A dedicated server keeps it available to everyone at any time. ##### Are Game Pass worlds different from Steam worlds once they are files? No. Once moved to local they are the same format and load on any PC version and on the dedicated server, provided the game versions match. Valheim servers on RE:NODE run with crossplay already on, so Game Pass and Xbox players can join by code from the first start; upload a world through the browser file manager or SFTP, archives unpack in place, and backup slots are included on every plan. [See Valheim plans](https://www.renode.space/game-servers/valheim) ## 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.