Valheim Server Quickstart

A Valheim dedicated server keeps your world alive between sessions and lets up to ten Vikings share it. This quickstart covers connecting, the four startup values that define the server, admins and whitelists, moving an existing world in, and crossplay. Panel basics are in Access Your Game Server Panel.

Connect#

In Valheim, choose Join Game and either find the server by name in the community list or use Join IP with IP:2456 (the game port; 2457 is the query port and the panel allocates both). Enter the password when prompted. Steam users can also add IP:2457 to Steam's server browser favourites.

Startup values#

The Startup tab exposes what Valheim's launch script takes:

• Server name: what shows in the list.
• World name: which world file to load or create.
• Password: at least five characters and not contained in the server or world name, or the server refuses to start.
• Public: whether to list in the community browser.
• Crossplay: enables PlayFab networking so Xbox and Microsoft Store players can join with a six-character join code shown in the console; Steam-only groups can leave it off for lower latency.

Restart after any change; values are read at launch.

Admins, whitelist, bans#

Three text files, one Steam ID (or platform ID) per line, in the config folder (.config/unity3d/IronGate/Valheim/ under the server directory):

adminlist.txt       # can use console commands (F5) and kick/ban
permittedlist.txt   # if not empty, only these IDs may join
bannedlist.txt

Edit them in the file manager; a restart applies them. Admins press F5 in game for the console (kick, ban, save, info).

Worlds#

Worlds are two files, <name>.db and <name>.fwl, in worlds_local/. To move a world from your PC, upload both with the same name and set that as the world name on the Startup tab. Valheim saves periodically and on shutdown; use the panel's backups nightly and download a copy of a world you would hate to lose. Seeds are baked into the world at creation; a new seed means a new world name.

Mods#

Valheim mods use BepInEx and must be installed on both server and every client (Valheim Plus is the classic example). Install BepInEx into the server directory via SFTP, drop plugins into BepInEx/plugins/, and share the exact mod list with players. Mods that only touch the server (some admin tools) can be server-only; read each mod's notes.

Performance#

Valheim is single-thread bound and its cost scales with the number of players and the size of their builds, not with the map. Two to four players run fine on the entry plan; large communal bases with a full crew of ten want more RAM and clock, which is a prorated upgrade.