Valheim server mods run through BepInEx, a mod loader, because Valheim has no official mod support. To add mods to a Valheim server, install the BepInExPack Valheim package from Thunderstore into the server folder, put each mod in BepInEx/plugins, restart, and give every player the same mods at the same versions. Server-side-only mods are the exception: players need nothing. Here’s the whole process for Windows, Linux and Docker, plus how to keep a modded server alive through Valheim’s patches.
How Valheim server mods work
Valheim has no official mod support and no Steam Workshop, so the community runs mods through BepInEx, a framework that loads plugins into the game and the server at startup. Nearly every mod lives on Thunderstore and depends on the BepInExPack Valheim package. A modded server is the normal dedicated server with that pack installed and plugins in its BepInEx/plugins folder.
- Plugins are the mods: usually a
.dll, sometimes with a folder of assets. - Libraries such as Jotunn are mods other mods depend on. Thunderstore lists each mod’s dependencies; install them too.
- Why the server needs a copy: many mods have to be installed on the server to sync their config to players or to run a version check when someone connects.
Server-side vs client-side mods
Every Valheim mod falls into one of three groups. Server-side-only mods run on the server, and players need nothing. Client-side-only mods, like interface tweaks, stay on each player’s PC. Most gameplay mods need both: the same mod and version on the server and every client, or the connection fails with a mod mismatch. Thunderstore tags each mod as Server-side, Client-side or both.
| Type | Install it on | Examples (from their Thunderstore tags and pages) |
|---|---|---|
| Server-side only | The server | ServersideQoL (built for dedicated servers with vanilla and console players), Cron Job (runs commands on a schedule), ValheimRcon (adds RCON) |
| Both sides | The server and every player | Most content mods: new items, weapons, building pieces, creatures. Epic Loot and Plant Everything are both tagged this way |
| Admin’s game (server optional) | Your PC, plus the server for full features | Server Devcommands, which gives admins cheat commands on a dedicated server |
| Client-side only | Each player who wants it | Personal helpers such as Plant Easily, tagged client-side only |
Tags are the author’s call. The mod’s description is the final word on whether the server needs it, so read it before you install.
Valheim 1.0 and your mods
Valheim 1.0 launched on September 9, 2026 with breaking changes, and the modding community’s own 1.0 FAQ says mods from years ago likely won’t work. BepInEx itself still loads, but the pack was updated for 1.0 and authors are rebuilding against it. Before installing anything, check that each mod was updated after September 9 and isn’t marked Deprecated on Thunderstore.
- Deprecated can mean the mod is known to be broken, or that its author stopped updating it. Treat it as a warning either way.
- Patches keep coming. Valheim went from 1.0.10 to 1.0.20 in its first five weeks, and each fix can break a mod that worked the day before.
- Some authors moved. Mods by Azumatt, Smoothbrain and OdinPlus now get their updates on Hexium, a newer mod site. The Gale mod manager reads both Thunderstore and Hexium.
- ValheimPlus, the old all-in-one tweak mod, carries on in Grantapher’s fork; version 10.4.0 (October 25, 2026) added Deep North settings.
How to install mods on a Valheim dedicated server
The order matters. Back up the world, install BepInExPack Valheim into a clean server folder, start the server once so BepInEx creates its folders, then add plugins and restart. On Windows the pack sits next to valheim_server.exe; on Linux you launch through the pack’s own script. Check BepInEx/LogOutput.log after every change, because the server won’t tell you a mod failed.
Step 1: Back up the world
Stop the server with Ctrl+C and copy its worlds_local folder somewhere safe. Since 1.0 each world is a folder, so copy the whole thing. A mod that adds items or buildings writes them into the world, and removing it later can leave things missing.
Step 2: Install BepInExPack Valheim
- On the BepInExPack Valheim page on Thunderstore, use Manual Download. Use this pack, not the BepInEx release on GitHub, which isn’t configured for Valheim.
- Extract the archive somewhere outside the server folder.
- Move the contents of its
BepInExPack_Valheimfolder to the top level of the server folder. On Windows you should now see aBepInExfolder,winhttp.dllanddoorstop_config.ininext tovalheim_server.exe. - Linux: make the pack’s script executable with
chmod u+x start_server_bepinex.sh, edit its launch line the same way you’d editstart_server.sh(name, world, password), and start the server with it. You should see BepInEx bootstrap messages in the terminal. - Docker (the community
lloesche/valheim-serverimage): setBEPINEX=trueand put plugins in/config/bepinex/plugins. The container installs and updates the pack itself.
Step 3: Start once and check the log
Start the server and look for BepInEx/LogOutput.log in the server folder. If it isn’t there, BepInEx didn’t load and no mod will run. If it is, you’ll see a line such as [Info : BepInEx] Loading [ModName 1.0.0] for every plugin that loaded. Shut the server down, delete the log and restart whenever you want to be sure you’re reading a fresh one.
Step 4: Add your mods
- Stop the server.
- Copy each mod’s files, plus its dependencies, into
BepInEx/plugins, following the mod’s own instructions. - Start the server. Mods that have settings create a
.cfgfile inBepInEx/configon their first run. Edit those with the server stopped, then start it again.
Step 5: Give your players the same mods
Players install the same mods, at the same versions, with Gale, Thunderstore Mod Manager or r2modman. Send them the list with version numbers. If a mod uses Jotunn, a mismatch shows up as a pop-up when they connect, listing what differs between their game and the server.
Running a modded server from r2modman or Thunderstore Mod Manager
Mod managers can launch a dedicated server too, but Valheim’s start script drops the extra parameters they pass. Fix it by editing start_headless_server.bat in the Valheim dedicated server folder and adding %* at the end of the line that launches the server. Use separate profiles for the server and your game, or BepInEx clashes when both run on one PC.
valheim_server.exe -nographics -batchmode -name "My server" -port 2456 -world "Dedicated" -password "Secret" -public 1 %*The modding community also suggests leaving crossplay off on a server launched this way, because a good share of mods don’t support it. If the manager gives you trouble, a manual install like the one above is the fallback.
Valheim mods and crossplay
Console players can’t install mods at all, and many PC mods don’t work with crossplay, so most modded Valheim servers are Steam-only. The exception is server-side-only mods built for vanilla clients. ServersideQoL, for example, is designed and tested for dedicated servers with vanilla and console players. If your group includes Xbox, PlayStation or Switch 2 players, stick to that kind of mod.
The community Docker image leaves crossplay off by default for the same reason: some mods misbehave with it. If you switch a modded server to -crossplay, test with one console player before the whole group logs in.
Keeping a modded Valheim server working through updates
Valheim patches break mods, and the failure is quiet: a plugin built for the previous build simply doesn’t load, and the world opens without it. So treat every game update as a mod check. Update the server, update BepInExPack Valheim, then compare the plugins listed in LogOutput.log with what you installed, before your players log in.
- Back up
worlds_localbefore the server updates. - Check your mods’ Thunderstore pages. If a mod you rely on hasn’t been updated for the new build yet, wait before updating the server, or remove that mod.
- Update the server, then the BepInExPack. When the pack updates, take the update, even if your mods still list the older version as their dependency.
- If the server crashes on start, take all mods out and add them back one at a time, restarting between each. The one that crashes it is your culprit.
- Have players update to the same versions.
Staying on an older game version for a while? Then don’t update the mods either. New mod versions aren’t always backwards compatible.
Troubleshooting Valheim server mods
Most modded-server problems are one of four things: BepInEx isn’t actually loading on the server, the server and a player run different mod versions, a mod hasn’t been updated for the current game build, or a mod uses an outdated ServerSync. The log tells you which. These are the symptoms people hit most, with the usual cause and the fix for each.
| Symptom | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
No BepInEx/LogOutput.log after start |
BepInEx isn’t loading: pack not at the top level, Linux server started with start_server.sh, or %* missing for a mod manager |
Reinstall the pack at the top level; launch with start_server_bepinex.sh; add %* |
| Mods work in single-player, not on the server | Installed on clients only | Install the server-side part on the server too |
| Jotunn pop-up with an empty remote mod list | BepInEx isn’t running on the server | See the first row |
| Jotunn pop-up listing version differences | Player and server run different versions | Match the versions on both sides |
| Black screen after connecting | A mod built with an outdated ServerSync | Update or remove that mod; JereKuusela’s Server Sync Fix is a short-term workaround |
| Server crashes on start after a game update | A mod not yet updated, or an old BepInExPack | Update the pack, then re-add mods one at a time |
| Console friends can’t join anymore | Mods that clients need, on a crossplay server | Use server-side-only mods, or keep the server Steam-only |
| Windows server never creates the log, with Bitdefender installed | Bitdefender’s Advanced Threat Defense stops the server process | Add an exception for valheim_server.exe itself, not the folder |
Server-side mods worth knowing as an admin
A few server mods solve admin problems vanilla Valheim can’t. Server Devcommands gives admins cheat commands on a dedicated server. ValheimRcon adds RCON for remote commands, with results sent to Discord. Cron Job runs commands on a schedule. ServersideQoL bundles quality-of-life features that work with unmodded and console players. All four are on Thunderstore; read each page before installing.
- Server Devcommands (JereKuusela): install on the admin’s game, and on the server for the full feature set. Your ID must be in
adminlist.txt. The commands it unlocks are covered in Valheim server commands. - ValheimRcon (Tristan): install on the server, start once, then set a password in
BepInEx/config/org.tristan.rcon.cfg. An empty password disables it. Its port defaults to the server port + 2. - Cron Job (JereKuusela): install on the server to run commands automatically.
- ServersideQoL (ArgusMagnus): a framework for a family of server-only add-ons, such as stacking player inventories into chests or refuelling smelters from containers. It does nothing on its own; settings live in
BepInEx/config/ArgusMagnus.ServersideQoL.cfg.
Prefer not to run any of this by hand? Valheim server hosting on GameTeam runs BepInEx mods from Thunderstore, and the copilot does the log reading for you.
The easy way: a modded Valheim server that tells you what broke
On Valheim server hosting from GameTeam you upload mods with the file manager and play. When a patch lands, the AI copilot reads BepInEx/LogOutput.log and names the plugins that stopped loading, so you’re not digging through forums at midnight. It also edits the mod configs in BepInEx/config and restarts the server when you ask.
Type “the patch broke our mods, which ones?” and you get the list. Ask it to back up the world before you add a new content mod, and it does that first. You pay per GB of RAM, from $0.49/GB a week, with unlimited slots; a modded world is happiest at 8 GB ($3.92 a week). Setting up from scratch? The Valheim dedicated server guide covers the rest, and Valheim server settings explained covers the launch line.
FAQ
Can you add mods to a Valheim dedicated server?
Yes. Install BepInExPack Valheim into the server folder and put mods in BepInEx/plugins. Players need the same mods unless a mod is server-side only.
What are server-side only mods in Valheim?
Mods that run entirely on the server, so players join with an unmodded game. Thunderstore tags them Server-side without the Client-side tag; ServersideQoL and Cron Job are examples.
Do players need the same mods as the server?
For any mod that adds or changes gameplay, yes, at the same version. Client-only mods are each player’s choice, and server-only mods need nothing on the player’s side.
Do Valheim mods work with crossplay?
Only server-side-only mods built for vanilla clients. Consoles can’t install mods, and many PC mods don’t support crossplay.
Does Valheim have Steam Workshop mods?
No. Iron Gate confirmed there’s no Steam Workshop and no official mod support, including at 1.0. Mods come from Thunderstore (and some from Nexus Mods and Hexium).
How much RAM does a modded Valheim server need?
Plan on the top of the usual 4–8 GB range. Modded servers need more than vanilla, and content mods add data to the world as it grows; 8 GB is a sensible start for a modpack.