Getting started with your Soulmask server

Soulmask is a tribal survival action game with a strong NPC follower system and large open world. This guide takes your GameServerKings Soulmask server from its first boot through the main config file, admin access, Workshop mods, world management and backups, and ends with the problems new server owners run into most often.

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

Native Linux build, no Windows folder to hunt for

Soulmask ships a native Linux server build, which is exactly what a hosted Soulmask server 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 Admin Password field on the Startup tab is Soulmask's GM activation password; restart after changing it. In-game:

1. Press ~ to open the console.

2. Type gm key YOUR_ADMIN_PASSWORD. This opens the GM panel.

3. In the GM panel, enter the admin password again to become an administrator.

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=. Enter the IDs in the Mods field on the Startup tab, separated by commas with no spaces. The panel passes that list to the server as the -mod argument.

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.

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/<MapName>/. 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

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.

What to Read Next

• Soulmask admin commands and GM access — the admin password has to be set before the server boots
• Soulmask mods — Workshop mods by Mod ID, and which still work after 1.0

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