ValheimPlus on a Dedicated Server: 2026 Setup Guide

ValheimPlus is the quality-of-life bundle most Valheim server owners eventually want: bigger stacks, longer build range, faster smelters, craft-from-chest, tweakable difficulty. On a GameServerKings server it is not a file upload at all — it is one dropdown.

This page is about ValheimPlus specifically: which package is the real one, what the dropdown actually installs, where the config file lives (it moved on 10 September 2026, and almost every guide online still has the old name), and what it does to who can join your server.

Everything below was checked against the Thunderstore package API, the project's GitHub releases and its source at tag 0.10.1.0 on 12 September 2026 at 00:49 UTC.

Yes — ValheimPlus has been rebuilt for Valheim 1.0

Valheim 1.0 shipped on 9 September 2026. ValheimPlus published a 1.0-compatible build on 10 September 2026 at 02:25 UTC (0.10.0.0, titled "Valheim 1.0 Compatibility") and has shipped five releases in two days since, ending at 0.10.1.0 on 11 September at 18:04 UTC for the 1.0.12 hotfix. The Thunderstore package is not flagged deprecated and now depends on the launch-day BepInEx build, denikson-BepInExPack_Valheim-5.4.2350.

This is the strongest public evidence available that an author has been in the code against the 1.0 binary. It is not a guarantee — Iron Gate ships no official mod support and nobody can certify a mod against 1.0 — but it is a long way from a question mark.

The naming trap: there are two ValheimPlus packages

Search "ValheimPlus" and you will find the original. It is dead, and it has been dead for years.

The original project's own GitHub repository last received a push on 26 March 2023. Grantapher's fork is what people mean by "ValheimPlus" today, it is the one that has tracked every Valheim release since, and it is the one your server installs automatically — the panel pulls UnixServer.zip straight from Grantapher/ValheimPlus releases.

Two version numbers for the same build

Thunderstore requires a three-part version, so the fork is listed there as 10.1.0 while GitHub, the release notes and the in-game title screen all call it 0.10.1.0. Same build. Your server takes it from GitHub, so 0.10.1.0 is the number you will see.

It is also still published under the name ValheimPlus_Grantapher_Temporary and still describes itself as a stopgap "while we wait for the main mod to be updated". That has been true since March 2023. Treat it as the live project, because it is — just do not be surprised by the name.

ValheimPlus does not replace BepInEx. It rides on it

This is the question that decides whether the dropdown costs you anything, and the answer is in the archive itself.

The UnixServer.zip your server installs contains 32 files. Among them:

• BepInEx/core/ — the full BepInEx runtime, bundled
• BepInEx/plugins/ValheimPlus.dll — ValheimPlus, as a single ordinary plugin
• doorstop_libs/libdoorstop_x64.so and doorstop_config.ini — the loader shim
• BepInEx/config/BepInEx.cfg — BepInEx's own settings

So ValheimPlus is a BepInEx plugin, shipped with BepInEx included. Its Thunderstore listing declares the same thing: a hard dependency on denikson-BepInExPack_Valheim-5.4.2350, the same pack the BepInEx dropdown option installs.

What that means in practice:

• You lose nothing. Choosing ValheimPlus gets you BepInEx and ValheimPlus. BepInEx/plugins/ already exists with ValheimPlus.dll in it, and you can drop other plugins in beside it exactly as you would on a plain BepInEx server.
• You gain one large, config-driven plugin covering several hundred settings, instead of assembling the same ground from a dozen separate mods.
• You inherit its version discipline. ValheimPlus pins itself hard to a specific Valheim build and, by default, refuses connections from players who are not running it. That is the section below, and it is the real trade-off.

To add other mods on top, the procedure is the ordinary one — see how to install mods for your Valheim server for uploading plugins and handling dependencies, and Best Valheim Server Mods That Work After 1.0 for what is worth adding.

Installing it: the dropdown

1. Back up first. Use the panel's Backups tab — how to create a backup.
2. Open your server's Startup tab and find Modding Framework (MOD_FRAMEWORK). It has exactly three values: Vanilla, BepInEx, ValheimPlus, capitalised exactly as shown.
3. Set it to ValheimPlus.
4. Reinstall the server so the install script runs. It fetches Valheim through SteamCMD, then downloads the latest ValheimPlus UnixServer.zip from GitHub and unpacks it into the server root.
5. Start the server and watch the console.

That is the whole install. There is no archive to download, no .dll to drag over SFTP, and no start-script edit — the generated start_valheim.sh already sets the doorstop environment when it finds BepInEx/core/BepInEx.Preloader.dll.

There is no SERVER_TYPE variable

Older guides — including an older version of ours — describe a "Server Type" field with values like bepinex-vanilla. That field does not exist on a Valheim server here. It is Modding Framework, and the only three values it accepts are the ones above. Verified against the egg on 11 September 2026.

How to confirm it actually loaded

ValheimPlus writes its version into BepInEx/LogOutput.log at the server root, and that file is rewritten on every launch. The project's own troubleshooting guide points at that single file for support requests, because it lists your game version, your ValheimPlus version and every setting you have changed from its default.

The config file — and the name almost every guide still gets wrong

ValheimPlus moved its configuration onto BepInEx's config system in 0.10.0.0 on 10 September 2026. The filename changed with it.

org.bepinex.plugins.valheim_plus is the plugin's BepInEx GUID, which is where the new filename comes from.

Nothing to download. The current archive ships no config file at all — it is written on first boot with every section turned off by default. Start the server once, then edit it over SFTP and restart.

The migration logic is worth knowing if you template your configs, and it is deliberate rather than incidental:

• A legacy valheim_plus.cfg with no new file beside it is imported once, then renamed to valheim_plus.cfg.migrated. It is not deleted.
• A legacy valheim_plus.cfg put back after a migration — so both files exist — wins on every launch and is left in place. This is supported on purpose, for people who generate configs from automation. In this mode the settings show as read-only in Configuration Manager.

Your mods and your worlds are in completely different places

BepInEx/ is at the server root, which is where SFTP drops you. Your worlds are not. Because your server passes no -savedir, saves live under .config/unity3d/IronGate/Valheim/ — and since 1.0 a world is a folder in worlds_local/, not the old .db/.fwl pair. Do not go looking for your save next to the plugins, and never restore one into the wrong place. Valheim save location and the 1.0 world folder format has the full layout.

A reinstall will not eat your settings

The ValheimPlus archive contains no config file, so unpacking a new version over your server cannot overwrite org.bepinex.plugins.valheim_plus.cfg. Back up anyway before any reinstall — that costs one click.

The [Server] section decides who can connect

Most ValheimPlus sections ship disabled. [Server] does not — it is enabled by default, and two of its settings change your server's front door.

The project's own description of enforceMod and serverSyncsConfig carries the same line for both: "WE HEAVILY RECOMMEND TO NEVER DISABLE THIS!"

Two consequences follow, and they are the reason to think before flipping the dropdown.

Out of the box, every player needs ValheimPlus — and console players cannot have it

With enforceMod at its default, a player without a matching ValheimPlus build is refused. Valheim 1.0 is on Xbox, PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch 2, and those players have no way to install a plugin at all. If your group is mixed, a ValheimPlus server locks the console players out entirely, crossplay setting or not. Is Valheim Crossplay? covers who can join what, and Best Valheim Server Mods has a section on server-side-only mods, which is the alternative if consoles have to be in the group.

The upside of the same mechanism: with serverSyncsConfig on, you only configure the server. Players join and take your settings automatically, get their own back when they leave, and never edit a file. Keybinds, HUD options, first-person settings and field of view always stay the player's own — those stopped being synced in 0.10.0.0.

Version pinning: this is the part that breaks

ValheimPlus is patched directly against the game binary, so it is pinned tightly, and the project publishes exactly which combinations it considers good. As of 0.10.1.0:

✅ Valheim 1.0.12 (n-40) + BepInExPack_Valheim 5.4.2350 + ValheimPlus 0.10.1.0
⛔️ Valheim 1.0.12 (n-40) + BepInExPack_Valheim 5.4.2350 + ValheimPlus 0.10.0.3
⛔️ Anything else

Read that middle line carefully. Iron Gate shipped Hotfix 1.0.10 & 1.0.12 on 11 September 2026 at 13:09 UTC. That hotfix broke 0.10.0.3, which had been the current ValheimPlus release for eight hours. A replacement landed the same day.

That is the ongoing cost of running ValheimPlus: when Iron Gate patches, your server needs a matching ValheimPlus build, and until it exists the mod is broken rather than merely untested. The panel installs whatever the latest GitHub release is at the moment you install, so bringing both back into step means reinstalling once a new ValheimPlus release is out.

If players start seeing mismatch errors after a game update, Valheim version mismatch and update problems has the recovery path. The quickest triage is to set Modding Framework to Vanilla and reinstall — that gets the world online while you wait.

One open issue worth knowing about

A pull request against ValheimPlus (#159, opened 11 September 2026) reports that auto-deposit and auto-fuel from nearby chests do not work on a dedicated server: the nearby-chest lookup returns nothing when there is no local player, which is always the case on a headless server. The author says they tested on Valheim 1.0.12, ValheimPlus 0.10.0.3 and BepInEx 5.4.2350.

As of 12 September 2026 at 00:49 UTC that pull request is open and unmerged. Treat it as a credible report rather than a confirmed defect — but if your build plan depends on kilns and smelters emptying themselves into chests, test that specifically before you commit to it.

Do not install third-party repackages to work around it

At least one freshly-created Thunderstore package rebuilds ValheimPlus with that unmerged patch applied. It has a few hundred downloads, no track record, and installing it means running a binary built by someone other than the project. Wait for an upstream release, or use the official one and leave the feature off.

FAQ

Is ValheimPlus dead?

The original is. ValheimPlus/ValheimPlus is flagged deprecated on Thunderstore and frozen at 9.9.11 from December 2022. Grantapher's fork is alive and was shipping releases on 10 and 11 September 2026 — five of them in two days, in response to Valheim 1.0 and its hotfixes. When a guide says ValheimPlus is abandoned, it is talking about the old package.

Does ValheimPlus work with Valheim 1.0?

The project publishes a compatibility list and marks Valheim 1.0.12 (n-40) + BepInExPack_Valheim 5.4.2350 + ValheimPlus 0.10.1.0 as good, with everything else marked bad. That is the author's own statement, checked on 12 September 2026 at 00:49 UTC. Because it is pinned that tightly, the honest answer is "yes, on the matching versions" — and you should re-check the pairing after any Valheim patch rather than assuming.

Where is the ValheimPlus config file on my server?

BepInEx/config/org.bepinex.plugins.valheim_plus.cfg, at the server root, created on first boot. If you are following a guide that says valheim_plus.cfg, that is the pre-0.10 name — still honoured if you deliberately put one back, but not what your server writes.

Do my players need to install ValheimPlus too?

By default, yes. The [Server] section is enabled out of the box with enforceMod set to true, which refuses players who are not running a matching build. They do not need to configure anything, though — with serverSyncsConfig on, they receive your settings on connect.

Can Xbox, PS5 or Switch 2 players join a ValheimPlus server?

No. Console players cannot install plugins at all, and enforceMod blocks clients without the mod. If consoles have to be in your group, run server-side-only mods on a plain BepInEx server instead — Best Valheim Server Mods lists the ones that need no client install.

Should I pick ValheimPlus or BepInEx in the dropdown?

ValheimPlus gets you BepInEx plus ValheimPlus in one step, so it is the better choice if you want that feature set. Pick BepInEx if you want to choose plugins individually, if you need console players to be able to join, or if you would rather not tie the server's upgrade cycle to one project's release schedule. You can switch later — back up the world first, since changing the value means a reinstall.

How do I update ValheimPlus?

Reinstall the server. The install script always fetches the latest ValheimPlus release from GitHub, so a reinstall pulls the current build and re-validates the game files at the same time. Your config file is not in the archive and is not overwritten. Back up before you do it.

Does ValheimPlus count as cheating and disable achievements?

Iron Gate's Hotfix 1.0.10 & 1.0.12 notes are the first Iron Gate document to connect mods to the achievement block, and no list of which mods trigger it has been published. Valheim's cheat flag and achievements covers what is known and how the opt-out works.

What to read next

• How to install mods for your Valheim server — adding other plugins alongside ValheimPlus
• Best Valheim Server Mods That Work After 1.0 — what has been rebuilt since 1.0, and what has not
• Valheim save location and the 1.0 world folder format — before you back up, restore or go looking for a world
• Valheim version mismatch and update problems — when a game patch breaks the pairing
• Valheim server settings and launch arguments — the vanilla settings ValheimPlus sits on top of
• Managing your Valheim server and how to create a backup — do this before you change the dropdown

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