How to Set Up a Valheim Dedicated Server

Valheim is built for shared adventures. Sailing through stormy seas, fighting the Forsaken, and building a Viking longhouse with your crew is the game at its best — and a dedicated server makes it all possible without the host needing to be online. This guide walks you through setting up a Valheim server from scratch, from choosing a host to installing mods with Valheim Plus and BepInEx. By the end, your Viking world will be online 24/7 and ready for your friends to explore.

What You'll Need

Gather these before you begin:

• Valheim on Steam — Every player needs to own the game.
• A hosting plan or a spare PC — Managed hosting (recommended) starts as low as $3-5/month. Valheim is lightweight compared to most survival games. Self-hosting requires at least 4GB of free RAM and a dual-core CPU.
• Your world name and password planned out — You will set these during configuration.
• Friends' Steam accounts — Valheim uses Steam for authentication. There is no separate whitelist system by default.

Step 1: Choose Your Hosting Approach

Managed Hosting (Recommended)

Valheim's modest system requirements mean managed hosting is very affordable. Providers like Shockbyte, Nodecraft, and Sparked Host offer Valheim plans starting at $3-5/month. A managed host gives you:

• 24/7 uptime — Your world persists and stays online even when all players are offline. Friends can pop in any time.
• Automatic backups — Protect hundreds of hours of building and exploration.
• DDoS protection — Not as critical for Valheim as for PvP games, but still valuable.
• One-click mod installation — Some hosts support installing Valheim Plus or BepInEx directly from the control panel.
• Easy updates — Valheim updates change the server version. Your host keeps the server compatible automatically.

When choosing a provider, look for these features:

• At least 2-4GB RAM allocation (2GB works for a small group, 4GB for fully explored worlds with many builds).
• Server locations close to your player group.
• FTP or file manager access for uploading world saves and mods.
• Console access for server administration.

Self-Hosted via Steam

You can run a dedicated Valheim server on your own machine:

1. Open Steam and install Valheim Dedicated Server from your Library (it is a free tool, listed under Tools).
2. Alternatively, use SteamCMD: steamcmd +login anonymous +app_update 896660 validate +quit
3. The server files install to a separate directory from the game itself.
4. You will need to configure startup parameters and handle port forwarding.

Self-hosting is viable for Valheim because the game is relatively lightweight. However, your world is only online while your machine is running.

Step 2: Set Up Your Server on a Managed Host

The typical managed hosting setup takes just a few minutes:

1. Purchase a plan — For Valheim with 2-5 players, 2GB RAM is usually sufficient. For 6-10 players with extensive builds, go with 4GB.
2. Select Valheim as your game.
3. Choose a server location — Pick the region closest to where your players are located.
4. Wait for provisioning — Most hosts deploy within 60 seconds.
5. Access your control panel — You will see the server console, file manager, and settings.
6. Configure server name and password — Set these in the startup parameters or configuration section of your panel.

Your server IP and port will be displayed in the control panel. The default Valheim port is 2456.

Step 3: Configure Your World

Valheim world configuration happens through startup parameters rather than a traditional config file. Here are the key parameters:

-name "MyServerName"          # Server name displayed in browser
-port 2456                    # Game port (default 2456)
-world "MyWorldName"          # World save file name
-password "secretpassword"    # Server password (min 5 characters)
-public 1                     # 1 = listed in server browser, 0 = unlisted

World Creation and Seeds

When you start the server for the first time with a new -world name, Valheim generates a fresh world. You can control the generation with a world seed:

• Random seed — Leave it to chance and explore blind. This is the default.
• Specific seed — Enter a known seed to generate a specific world layout. Popular seeds are shared on Reddit and the Valheim wiki.
• Transferring an existing world — Upload your local world save files to the server. The files are located at:
  • Windows: %APPDATA%\..\LocalLow\IronGate\Valheim\worlds_local\
  • The two files you need are YourWorldName.fwl and YourWorldName.db

To upload a world to your managed host:

1. Locate your local world files (.fwl and .db).
2. Connect via FTP or use the host's file manager.
3. Upload both files to the server's world directory (usually /.config/unity3d/IronGate/Valheim/worlds_local/ on Linux hosts).
4. Set the -world parameter to match your world file name exactly (without the extension).
5. Restart the server.

Password Protection

Valheim requires a password of at least 5 characters. The password cannot be a substring of the server name. For example, if your server name is "VikingAdventure" the password cannot be "Viking" or "Adventure."

Players enter the password when connecting. There is no way to bypass this — even the server operator must enter it.

Step 4: Connect to Your Server

There are several ways to join your Valheim server:

Direct Connect (Most Reliable)

1. Launch Valheim and select Start Game then pick your character.
2. Select Join Game.
3. Click Add Server at the bottom.
4. Enter IP:PORT (e.g., 123.456.789.0:2457) — note that Valheim uses the game port +1 for connections, so if your server port is 2456, you connect on 2457.
5. The server appears in your favorites list. Select it and click Connect.
6. Enter the password when prompted.

Via Steam Server Browser

1. In Steam, go to View > Game Servers.
2. Switch to the Favorites tab.
3. Click Add a Server and enter the IP and port.
4. Join from there.

Via the In-Game Community Browser

1. In the Join Game screen, switch to the Community tab.
2. Search for your server name.
3. This requires --public 1 in your startup parameters.
4. Note: The community browser can be slow to update. Direct connect is faster and more reliable.

Step 5: Install Valheim Plus

Valheim Plus is the most popular quality-of-life mod for Valheim servers. It adds dozens of configurable tweaks without changing the core game. Both the server and all clients need it installed.

What Valheim Plus Adds

• Shared map exploration data between all players.
• Configurable build piece placement (remove placement restrictions, change grid sizes).
• Adjustable stamina, carry weight, food duration, and skill experience rates.
• First-person camera mode.
• Advanced building features (free rotation, precision placement).
• Ward improvements and configurable gameplay mechanics.

Server Installation

1. Download the latest Valheim Plus release from the official GitHub.
2. Extract the files into your server's root directory, overwriting when prompted.
3. The key configuration file is BepInEx/config/valheim_plus.cfg.
4. Edit valheim_plus.cfg to enable and configure features. Each section has an enabled=true/false toggle.

On managed hosts: Some providers offer Valheim Plus as a one-click mod. Check your control panel's mod installer first. If not available, upload files manually via FTP.

Key Configuration Sections

[Player]
enabled=true
baseMegingjordBuff=300        # Base carry weight bonus (default 150)
baseMaximumWeight=450          # Maximum carry weight (default 300)
baseAutoPickUpRange=3          # Auto pickup range in meters

[Stamina]
enabled=true
dodgeStaminaUsage=8           # Stamina cost for dodge roll (default 10)
swimStaminaUsage=3            # Stamina cost for swimming

[Map]
enabled=true
shareMapProgression=true       # Share explored map between all players
exploreRadius=150             # Exploration reveal radius (default 100)

[Building]
enabled=true
noInvalidPlacementRestriction=true    # Remove "invalid placement" restrictions
noWeatherDamage=true                   # Buildings don't take rain damage
maximumPlacementDistance=12            # Extend build reach

[Experience]
enabled=true
swords=50                     # 50% bonus XP for sword skill
axes=50                       # 50% bonus XP for axe skill
# Set a percentage bonus for each skill type

Client Installation

Every player connecting to a Valheim Plus server must also install it:

1. Download the same version as the server.
2. Extract into the Valheim game directory (where valheim.exe is located).
3. Launch the game. The Valheim Plus logo appears on the main menu if installed correctly.
4. Version mismatches between client and server will prevent connection.

Step 6: Set Up BepInEx for Additional Mods

BepInEx is the underlying mod framework that Valheim Plus (and most other Valheim mods) use. If you want mods beyond Valheim Plus, you need BepInEx.

Installation

1. Download the BepInEx pack for Valheim from Thunderstore.
2. Extract into your server's root directory.
3. Run the server once to generate BepInEx configuration files.
4. Mods go into the BepInEx/plugins/ folder.

Popular BepInEx Mods

• Plant Everything — Plant any vegetation anywhere, including decorative plants.
• Creature Level and Loot Control — Customize creature difficulty and drop tables.
• Epic Loot — Adds a Diablo-style loot system with magical items.
• Better Trader — Expands the Trader's inventory with more items.
• Server Devcommands — Gives server admins access to devcommands without enabling them for all players.

Important: All players must have the same client-required mods installed. Server-side-only mods (marked as such) only need to be on the server.

Step 7: Port Forwarding (Self-Hosted Only)

If you are running Valheim on your home network, you need to forward three ports:

| Port | Protocol | Purpose | |---|---|---| | 2456 | UDP | Game traffic | | 2457 | UDP | Query and connection | | 2458 | UDP | Steam communication |

Steps:

1. Open your router admin page (typically 192.168.0.1 or 192.168.1.1).
2. Log in with your router credentials.
3. Find the Port Forwarding section.
4. Create UDP forwarding rules for all three ports, pointing to your server machine's local IP.
5. Save and apply.
6. Test by having a friend outside your network try to connect.

Tip: Some ISPs block these ports or use CGNAT, preventing port forwarding from working. If friends cannot connect after correctly forwarding ports, contact your ISP or switch to managed hosting.

Step 8: Keep Your Server Updated

Valheim updates regularly, and the server version must match the client version. Here is how to stay current:

• Managed hosts — Most update the server automatically when Valheim patches. Some require clicking an "Update" button in the control panel. Check after each Valheim update.
• Self-hosted (Steam) — The Valheim Dedicated Server tool updates through Steam automatically. If using SteamCMD, run the app_update command again.
• Mod compatibility — After Valheim updates, mods may break temporarily. Wait for mod authors to release compatible versions before updating the server if stability is your priority.
• Back up before updating — Always copy your world files before applying a major update. World format changes between versions are rare but have happened.

Step 9: Server Administration

Admin List

Valheim uses a file-based admin system. The admin files are in the server's save directory:

• adminlist.txt — Steam64IDs of server admins. Admins can kick and ban players.
• bannedlist.txt — Steam64IDs of banned players.
• permittedlist.txt — If you want a whitelist, add Steam64IDs here and set the server to a private mode.

Find Steam64IDs at SteamID.io by searching for a player's Steam profile.

In-Game Admin Commands

Admins (listed in adminlist.txt) can press F5 to open the console and use:

| Command | Description | |---|---| | kick [name/ip/steamID] | Kick a player | | ban [name/ip/steamID] | Ban a player | | unban [steamID] | Remove a ban | | banned | Show the ban list | | save | Force a world save | | info | Display server info |

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Cannot find the server in the community browser:

• It can take 10-30 minutes for a new server to appear. Use direct connect in the meantime.
• Verify -public 1 is in your startup parameters.
• Ensure the server has fully started (check the console for "Game server connected" messages).

"Disconnected" error when joining:

• Version mismatch is the most common cause. Ensure both the server and all clients are on the same Valheim version.
• If using mods, verify that client and server mod versions match exactly.
• Try removing the password and reconnecting to isolate password-related issues.

World not loading or missing progress:

• Check that the -world parameter matches the world file name exactly (case-sensitive on Linux).
• Verify that both .fwl and .db files exist in the world directory.
• If you recently transferred a world, ensure the files uploaded completely.

Lag or rubber-banding:

• Valheim lag is often caused by massive builds with many objects. Reducing the number of instances (torches, items on stands) helps.
• Increase server RAM if you see out-of-memory errors in logs.
• Terraforming (raising/lowering ground) creates permanent data. Excessive terraforming increases world file size and impacts performance.

Mods not working after Valheim update:

• Disable all mods and verify the base game works.
• Check mod pages for compatibility updates. Most mod authors update within days of a major patch.
• Roll back the server version if needed (managed hosts sometimes offer version selection).

Players cannot connect from outside the local network (self-hosted):

• Confirm all three ports (2456-2458 UDP) are forwarded.
• Check that your firewall allows Valheim server traffic.
• Verify your public IP has not changed (use a dynamic DNS service if needed).

Next Steps

Once your Valheim server is stable, consider these enhancements:

• Create a shared resource hub at spawn with portals to each biome. New players can orient quickly and experienced players can travel efficiently.
• Set up a map-sharing system — Valheim Plus's map sharing feature is the easiest way. Without mods, designate one player as the cartographer and share map screenshots in Discord.
• Plan boss progression together — Coordinate boss fights as a group event rather than having individual players rush ahead.
• Configure scheduled restarts — A daily restart keeps memory usage in check and triggers a save.
• Back up before boss fights — A failed Bonemass or Yagluth attempt with corpse-run consequences is the kind of moment that makes a backup invaluable.

With managed hosts like Shockbyte, Nodecraft, and Sparked Host offering Valheim servers at such low prices, there is no reason to struggle with self-hosting. Get your Viking world online in minutes and focus on what matters — exploring, building, and conquering the Forsaken together.