How to Move an Enshrouded World to a Dedicated Server

Where Enshrouded saves live

The character-on-your-PC point is stated consistently by hosting documentation (GameServerKings, Space-Node and others), and it is why a world transfer does not touch anyone's gear, levels or skills. If a player joins a different world with the same character, they bring their character with them.

Before you transfer: back up and match versions

• Fully quit the game through the menu so your latest save is written, and stop the server so it is not saving while you upload.
• Copy the old things to safety: your local world files, the server's savegame folder and enshrouded_server.json. Keep an untouched copy until you have confirmed the transfer worked.
• Match versions. Client and server must run the same game build. Update the server with SteamCMD (app_update 2278520) or your host's update option, and let Steam update the game on every PC.
• Check Steam Cloud. If your local save looks older than you expect, a newer one may be in the Steam Cloud folder.

How to upload an Enshrouded world to a dedicated server

1. Open the world once in 1.0

   If the world is from Early Access, load it in the 1.0 game on the PC that hosted it, then quit through the menu. Keen's changelog says saves from 0.8 or earlier are backed up and converted on first load.

2. Find the world files

   Sort the local folder by date modified. The world you just closed has the newest files. Copy every file that shares that world's base name, not only the largest. Older saves also have companion files ending in _info and -index and numbered rolling copies.

3. Learn what the server expects

   Start a fresh server once with an empty savegame folder and note the file names it creates. Host documentation reports names like world0.ksd, but Keen has not documented this, so match whatever your server writes.

4. Stop the server and back up

   Download the server's current savegame folder, then empty it so the server has only one world to choose from.

5. Upload the world

   Use SFTP (or your host's file manager) to put your world files in savegame, named to match what the fresh server created. For large worlds SFTP is more reliable.

6. Start and verify

   Start the server, join, and check a recent build, your Flame level and your position. If you land in a fresh world, stop the server and revisit the file naming.

Hosting with ChicagoServers? The Enshrouded server hosting page lists what is included, such as free server backups and SFTP file access.

What happens to characters and skills

Characters are stored locally, so equipment, inventory, levels, skills, map memory and recipes go wherever the player goes. Nothing about the world transfer needs to be repeated per player.

The one thing every player should expect in 1.0 is a skill tree reset the first time an existing save loads. Points are not lost, but they need to be spent again. Keen's changelog also notes that custom key bindings revert to default. Tell your group before the first session so nobody thinks something broke.

Enshrouded 1.0 saves, wipes and compatibility

The questions admins asked around the 1.0 release were whether worlds would be wiped and whether servers had to be rebuilt. What has been said:

• Keen states that Early Access saves can be used once the game reaches 1.0, and no wipe of older saves was announced.
• Saves from version 0.8 or earlier are backed up and then automatically migrated to a new format with smaller files and a simpler folder structure.
• Keen recommends a new world for the full benefit of 1.0, which is optional. The world and early game changed substantially.
• Hotfix 1.0.0.3 (21 October 2026) fixed a rare crash during save migration and corrected a misplaced Flame Altar. The notes say the affected base's water can't be loaded and must be re-added as needed.
• Not clearly documented: Keen's coverage does not state whether a dedicated server converts an Early Access world in exactly the same way as the game does locally. Converting on the PC first is the safer path, and some host guides say the server converts old-format files itself on first start. Either way, keep your unconverted copy.

The practical advice from every source is the same: make a backup before any major update, because the conversion is not described as reversible.

Starting fresh without losing the old world

To try 1.0 with a new world and keep the old one, stop the server and rename the savegame folder (for example to savegame-early-access), or point saveDirectory in enshrouded_server.json at a new folder. An empty save folder produces a new world on the next start. To run both at once you need two server instances, each with its own save folder and queryPort.

A simple backup routine for a dedicated server

• Back up before every game update and before every settings change that touches the world.
• Copy both savegame and enshrouded_server.json, since the config holds your groups and passwords.
• Test a restore once. A backup you have never restored is a guess.
• Know that the server also keeps its own rolling backups, but treat them as a last resort rather than your plan. Host documentation describes backup copies inside the save folder, which are only useful if the folder itself survives.

Frequently asked questions