---
title: "How to install mods for your Valheim server"
description: "Switch your server framework to BepInEx, learn server versus client mod rules, and install verified mods from Thunderstore."
url: "https://www.gameserverkings.com/knowledge-base/valheim/how-to-install-mods/"
category: "Valheim"
category_url: "https://www.gameserverkings.com/knowledge-base/valheim/"
published: "2026-07-03T22:50:35.037Z"
updated: "2026-08-19T04:18:12.166Z"
source_format: "markdown"
site: "GameServerKings"
---

# How to install mods for your Valheim server

Valheim's modding ecosystem runs on BepInEx, a generic Unity mod loader. Most popular mods are distributed through **Thunderstore** at [thunderstore.io/c/valheim](https://thunderstore.io/c/valheim/).

> [!WARNING] Valheim 1.0 lands on 9 September 2026 and will break most mods
> Iron Gate's own 1.0 FAQ is blunt about it: *"Since we don't have any official mod support, we cannot guarantee that any mods will be functional when 1.0 releases."* A release the size of 1.0 — the Deep North biome, plus PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch 2 joining the platform list — changes enough of the game that essentially every BepInEx plugin needs recompiling against the new build.
>
> Plan for it: **back up your world before you patch**, expect to run vanilla for a few days, and re-download each mod rather than assuming the copy on your server still works. Iron Gate has also confirmed there is **no public test branch for 1.0**, so no mod author gets an early build to test against — updates start landing after release day, not before.

## Step 1: Install BepInEx on the Server

Your [Valheim game server](/games/valheim/) has a Startup variable for the install type:

- `vanilla`: pure Valheim
- `bepinex`: BepInEx auto-installed
- `bepinex-vanilla`: BepInEx installed but only server-safe mods are loaded

Set **Server Type** (or `SERVER_TYPE`) to `bepinex` and restart. The egg pulls the latest BepInEx Pack for Valheim. After boot you should have a `BepInEx/` folder in the server root with `plugins/`, `config/`, and `core/` subfolders.

The canonical package is [denikson/BepInExPack_Valheim](https://thunderstore.io/c/valheim/p/denikson/BepInExPack_Valheim/), which Thunderstore pins to the top of the Valheim listing. If you ever install it by hand, that is the one to take.

## Step 2: Understand Server vs Client Mods

- **Server-side only**: Affect game rules without players installing anything. Example: instant respawns.
- **Client and server**: Both sides must have the mod. Examples: build cameras, extra equipment slots.
- **Admin client**: The admin installs it on their own game and no one else has to. Server Devcommands is the one you are most likely to want, and it is covered in [Valheim Console Commands](/knowledge-base/valheim/valheim-console-commands/).

Each Thunderstore page notes which kind a mod is, in the category tags near the top of the listing.

> [!TIP] Prefer server-side mods where you can
> Server-side mods are the easiest to run because you do not have to coordinate player installs.

## Jotunn and other dependencies

Most Valheim mods are not standalone. They are built on top of a shared library, and if that library is missing they fail to load with an error that mentions a type or assembly rather than the mod's own name.

The library you will meet first is **[Jotunn](https://thunderstore.io/c/valheim/p/ValheimModding/Jotunn/)** (`ValheimModding-Jotunn`). At roughly **4 million downloads** it is the most-downloaded Valheim mod on Thunderstore after BepInEx itself and the r2modman manager, and a large share of the ecosystem lists it as a hard dependency — EpicLoot, to take one example, will not start without it. Jotunn is client *and* server: install it on both sides, exactly like the mod that needed it.

Other libraries that show up as dependencies include `ValheimModding-JsonDotNET` and `ValheimModding-YamlDotNet`.

> [!IMPORTANT] Read the Dependencies box before you download
> Every Thunderstore page lists its dependencies with the exact version each mod was built against. Install those too, at those versions. "Mod will not load" is a missing dependency far more often than it is a broken mod — and `BepInEx/LogOutput.log` will name what is missing.

The [r2modman](https://thunderstore.io/c/valheim/p/ebkr/r2modman/) mod manager resolves dependencies automatically on the client side, which is the main reason to use it rather than dragging `.dll` files around by hand.

## Step 3: Install a Mod

1. Download the mod's `.zip` from Thunderstore.

2. Extract locally. You typically see a `BepInExPack` folder or a single `.dll`.

3. Upload the `.dll` files to `BepInEx/plugins/`. If the mod ships a folder structure with `plugins/` and `config/`, preserve it.

4. Repeat for every dependency the mod lists.

5. Restart the server.

6. Check the console for the load line, e.g. `Loaded plugin: ...`.

For client and server mods, send players the same download.

> [!TIP] r2modman handles the client side
> The mod manager **r2modman** (also from Thunderstore) makes client installs trivial.

## Check a Mod Is Still Maintained

Valheim modding has been going since 2021 and a lot of once-standard mods have been abandoned. Thunderstore marks these itself: an abandoned package carries a **Deprecated** banner on its page, and a deprecated mod compiled against a 2021 build of the game will not survive 1.0.

Before you install anything, look at two things on the Thunderstore page:

- **The Deprecated banner.** If it is there, find a maintained fork instead. Search the mod's name — successors usually keep it, with a new author's handle in front.
- **The last-updated date.** Anything that has not been touched since the Ashlands update (May 2024) is a gamble on a game that patches regularly.

> [!CAUTION] Three long-standing recommendations are now deprecated
> If you are following an older Valheim guide — including an older version of this one — check these before you install them. All three are flagged deprecated on Thunderstore as of 18 August 2026: the original **Equipment and Quick Slots** (`RandyKnapp/EquipmentAndQuickSlots`, last updated October 2024), **Auga** (`RandyKnapp/Auga`, November 2023), and the original **Build Camera** (`gittywithexcitement/Build_Camera`, September 2021). Replacements are in the table below.

## Popular Mods

Downloads and dates below were checked against Thunderstore on 18 August 2026.

| Mod | Side | What it does |
|-----|------|--------------|
| [Jotunn](https://thunderstore.io/c/valheim/p/ValheimModding/Jotunn/) | Client + server | The modding library much of the ecosystem depends on. ~4M downloads. You will end up installing it whether you plan to or not |
| [Server Devcommands](https://thunderstore.io/c/valheim/p/JereKuusela/Server_devcommands/) | Admin's client (server optional) | Re-enables [developer commands](/knowledge-base/valheim/valheim-console-commands/) for admins (spawn, teleport, set time). The author's install line is "on the admin client and optionally on the server" — a server-side copy is only needed for the few commands that have to run authoritatively. Actively maintained, ~1M downloads |
| [ValheimPlus (Grantapher fork)](https://thunderstore.io/c/valheim/p/Grantapher/ValheimPlus_Grantapher_Temporary/) | Client + server | The long-running quality-of-life bundle: stack sizes, build distance, sailing speed, food slots. Config at `BepInEx/config/valheim_plus.cfg`. See the caveat below the table |
| [AzuExtendedPlayerInventory](https://thunderstore.io/c/valheim/p/Azumatt/AzuExtendedPlayerInventory/) | Client + server | Extra inventory rows, equipment slots and quick slots. The maintained answer to what Equipment and Quick Slots used to do, at ~1.3M downloads |
| [ExtraSlots](https://thunderstore.io/c/valheim/p/shudnal/ExtraSlots/) | Client + server | The other live extra-slots option — equipment, food, ammo and utility slots. Pick this **or** AzuExtendedPlayerInventory, not both |
| [Build Camera (Custom Hammers Edition)](https://thunderstore.io/c/valheim/p/Azumatt/Build_Camera_Custom_Hammers_Edition/) | Client + server | Free-fly camera for builders, and the maintained continuation of the original Build Camera |
| [AzuCraftyBoxes](https://thunderstore.io/c/valheim/p/Azumatt/AzuCraftyBoxes/) | Client + server | Craft and build straight from nearby chests instead of hauling materials to the bench |
| [EpicLoot](https://thunderstore.io/c/valheim/p/RandyKnapp/EpicLoot/) | Client + server | Magic item drops and enchanting. Popular on community servers that want a longer progression curve. **Requires Jotunn** |
| [Better Networking](https://thunderstore.io/c/valheim/p/CW_Jesse/BetterNetworking_Valheim/) | Client + server | Compression and send-rate tuning that reduces CPU and bandwidth on busy servers. See the caveat below the table |

> [!NOTE] Two entries need a caveat
> **ValheimPlus** — the original `ValheimPlus/ValheimPlus` package is deprecated and has not been updated since December 2022. What people mean by "ValheimPlus" today is Grantapher's fork, which is alive and was last updated in February 2026, but is literally published as *ValheimPlus_Grantapher_Temporary* and describes itself as a stopgap "while we wait for the main mod to be updated". It works, and it is still worth using if you want that specific feature set — just do not treat it as a permanent foundation, and check it has been rebuilt before you take a server into 1.0.
>
> **Better Networking** — the widely-linked `CW_Jesse` package is not deprecated, but it was last updated in November 2023. Several community forks track newer game builds; if it stops loading after a patch, search Thunderstore for the mod name and take the most recently updated fork rather than assuming the feature is gone.
>
> **Auga**, the UI overhaul older guides recommend, is deprecated with no full replacement. `ZenDragon/AugaLite` is maintained but is a deliberately small subset — its own description says roughly 95% of the original functionality has been removed. There is currently no maintained drop-in for the full Auga.

## FAQ

### Will my mods work after the 9 September 1.0 update?

Assume not, at least at first. Iron Gate does not offer official mod support and has said it cannot guarantee any mod will be functional at 1.0. There is also no public test branch for 1.0, so authors cannot pre-build against it — expect a gap of days to weeks while mods are updated. Back up your world before patching, start the server with the `vanilla` server type if a plugin is stopping it from booting, and re-add mods one at a time as they are rebuilt.

### Is BepInEx safe?

Yes. BepInEx is open source under the LGPL-2.1 licence with the full code on GitHub, and it is a general Unity modding framework rather than anything written for Valheim specifically. There is no hidden payload in it.

Two things do come up, and both are worth knowing.

**Your antivirus may object on the client, and it is a false alarm.** On Windows, BepInEx loads by dropping a proxy `winhttp.dll` next to the game executable — a legitimate technique that malware also uses, so heuristic scanners occasionally flag `winhttp.dll` or `.doorstop_version`. BepInEx's maintainers have investigated those reports and closed them as false positives. None of this touches the server: the Linux dedicated server does not use `winhttp.dll` at all, and loads BepInEx through its launch script instead.

**The loader is not the risk — the plugins are.** BepInEx runs whatever `.dll` you put in `BepInEx/plugins/` with full access to the game process, so the trust question belongs to each mod, not to BepInEx. Take mods from Thunderstore, check the version matches your Valheim build, install one at a time so you know which one broke things, and back the world up before you start. A bad plugin corrupting a save is the failure people actually hit, not malware.

### Do console players need the mods too?

They cannot have them. Mods are a PC-side thing — BepInEx patches a Windows, Linux or Mac game install, and Iron Gate has confirmed there will be no mod support on consoles at 1.0. If your group includes Xbox, PlayStation 5 or Nintendo Switch 2 players, stick to **server-side** mods, which change the rules of the world without needing anything installed on the player's machine. Anything that has to be installed on the player's machine is simply unavailable to them, and a mod the server insists both sides run will stop them connecting at all.

## What to Read Next

- [Managing your Valheim server](/knowledge-base/valheim/managing-your-valheim-server/) and **always back up before installing or updating a mod**, since a bad mod can corrupt the world
- [Valheim Server Settings and Launch Arguments](/knowledge-base/valheim/configuration-overview/) for admin setup, which pairs with Server Devcommands
- [Booting your Valheim server for the first time](/knowledge-base/valheim/getting-started-with-your-server/) if you have not got that far yet

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