--- title: "Getting started with your Soulmask server" description: "Complete the 30 GB first boot, tweak GameXishan.ini files, claim admin privileges via /login, and manage WS/Saved world folders." url: "https://www.gameserverkings.com/knowledge-base/soulmask/getting-started-with-your-server/" category: "Soulmask" category_url: "https://www.gameserverkings.com/knowledge-base/soulmask/" published: "2026-07-24T01:34:14.209Z" updated: "2026-08-19T04:24:47.358Z" source_format: "markdown" site: "GameServerKings" --- # Getting started with your Soulmask server Soulmask is a tribal survival action game with a strong NPC follower system and large open world. ## First Boot 1. Open your Soulmask server in the panel. 2. Click **Start**. 3. First boot pulls the dedicated server (about 30 GB), which takes 20 to 30 minutes. 4. Watch for `LogInit: Server is ready` in the console. To connect: in Soulmask, **Multiplayer** > **Direct Connect**, enter the IP and port from the **Address** at the top left of your panel. ## Configuration: GameXishu.json > [!NOTE] Native Linux build, no Windows folder to hunt for > Soulmask ships a native Linux server build, which is exactly what a [hosted Soulmask server](/games/soulmask/) runs, so there is no compatibility layer involved and no Windows folder to hunt for. Server identity (name, passwords, slots, and PvE or PvP mode) is controlled from the **Startup** tab variables like everything else on our panel. Gameplay tuning lives in `WS/Saved/GameplaySettings/GameXishu.json`, generated on first boot. It is one large JSON file where nearly every gameplay variable has a self-describing name: experience and gathering rates, crafting speeds, day and night length, tribe and follower limits, decay, and more. Editing rules: 1. Stop the server first. Soulmask writes the file on shutdown and overwrites live edits. 2. Back up the file before big changes. 3. Keep the JSON valid: one missing comma resets everything to defaults on the next boot. 4. Change a few values at a time and restart to test. ## Admin Setup The AdminPassword grants in-game admin access. In-game: 1. Open chat with **Enter**. 2. Type `/login YOUR_ADMIN_PASSWORD`. 3. You now have admin commands available. Once authenticated, the GM toolset unlocks: item spawning, teleporting, kicking and banning, and weather and time control, all from the in-game admin interface. ## Mods Soulmask has official Steam Workshop support. Its Steam store page lists Steam Workshop among the game's features, and the description states that Soulmask "Supports Steam Workshop and everyone can now unleash their creativity with our powerful Soulmask Modkits". Mods are built with the developers' own Modkits, an Unreal Engine 4.27 toolset, and ship as `.pak` files, so they can replace or add characters, buildings, items, recipes, spawn data and maps rather than only edit saves. Running mods on a dedicated server takes three things: 1. **The mod IDs on the start command.** The server reads its mod list from the startup command line, in the form `use(-mod="ModID1,ModID2")`. A Mod ID is the number Steam assigns a Workshop item, shown at the end of its URL after `filedetails/?id=`. If your **Startup** tab has no field for it, ask support to add the argument to your start command. 2. **The mod files on the server.** Mod assets live in `WS/Mods/` on a Linux server. On the public Workshop the server can download them itself; if it does not, copy the mod folder out of your own client's `WS/Mods/` and upload it to the same path on the server. 3. **Every player subscribed to the same mods.** Players subscribe on the Workshop, then enable the mod from the **Mods** list on the game's main menu. A client whose mods do not match the server is refused entry and prompted to subscribe to the right ones, so publish your mod list where your players will see it. > [!WARNING] A game update can disable your mods > A major Soulmask update can stop a mod working until its creator rebuilds it. The game detects an incompatible mod, warns about it, and disables it automatically; it can be re-enabled from the main menu once the creator ships an update. After a big patch, re-check your mod list before treating a wave of join failures as a server fault. ## World Management The save is at `WS/Saved//`. To wipe: 1. Stop the server. 2. Delete the save folder. 3. Restart. A new world generates. To upload a save from single-player, copy your local save folder to the same path. ## Backups > [!IMPORTANT] Back up before major patches > The save grows steadily as players build and NPCs accumulate. Use the panel's **Backups** tab daily. Always back up before major patches. ## Common Issues - **Server hangs on boot**: First boot can take 25+ minutes for the dedicated server to initialize. Wait before assuming a hang. - **Players cannot connect**: Confirm `MaxPlayers` and the assigned port match. - **NPC followers behaving erratically**: Restart the server. Long uptimes degrade the follower pathfinding. - **Save corruption**: Restore from backup. NPC follower state can occasionally corrupt; backups are essential. --- Made with 💜 by GameServerKings