---
title: "Windrose Mods: Where to Get Them and How to Install Them on a Server"
description: "Windrose mods from CurseForge and Nexus: PAK vs UE4SS, which side needs each mod, and the exact ~mods folder on a dedicated server."
url: "https://www.gameserverkings.com/knowledge-base/windrose/windrose-mods/"
category: "Windrose"
category_url: "https://www.gameserverkings.com/knowledge-base/windrose/"
published: "2026-09-28T03:14:09.224Z"
updated: "2026-09-28T03:14:09.224Z"
source_format: "markdown"
site: "GameServerKings"
---

# Windrose Mods: Where to Get Them and How to Install Them on a Server

Windrose mods are community-made. Kraken Express ships no mod tools and no official mod support. Their FAQ says mods "are used at your own discretion" and that they are "unable to investigate issues that occur when mods are installed". Even so, the scene grew quickly after Early Access launched in April 2026. On 27 September 2026 CurseForge listed 121 Windrose projects and Nexus Mods listed 370.

Almost all of them are one of two types, and the difference decides whether a mod will run on your dedicated server at all. This guide covers both types, where the files go on each kind of install, which side of the connection needs each mod, and the exact folder on a GameServerKings Windrose server.

## The Two Kinds of Windrose Mod

| | PAK mods | UE4SS mods |
|---|---|---|
| What you download | Three files per mod: `.pak`, `.utoc` and `.ucas` | A folder of Lua scripts, plus the UE4SS loader (`dwmapi.dll` and a `ue4ss\` folder) |
| What they change | Game data: stack sizes, drop rates, harvest yields, build limits, inventory slots, HUD assets | Game logic, through a script injected into the running process |
| Where they go | `R5\Content\Paks\~mods\` | `R5\Binaries\Win64\ue4ss\Mods\`, listed in `mods.txt` |
| CurseForge category | "Mods" | "UE4SS Mods" |
| On a GSK server | Upload them over SFTP or the File Manager (see the note in the install steps) | No, see the UE4SS section below |

Most of the popular downloads are PAK mods. Windrose is built on Unreal Engine 5 and stores its assets in IoStore containers, so every PAK mod comes as three files with the same name and different extensions. Upload all three. If one is missing, the mod won't load.

## Where the Files Go

Windrose has three installs a mod can go into, and mod pages list all three. Caites, who makes several of the most-downloaded mods, gives the same three paths on each mod page:

| Install | Path |
|---|---|
| Single player | `...\Windrose\R5\Content\Paks\~mods\` |
| Hosting co-op from inside the game | `...\Windrose\R5\Builds\WindowsServer\R5\Content\Paks\~mods\` |
| Standalone dedicated server | `...\Windrose Dedicated Server\R5\Content\Paks\~mods\` |

The middle row explains most "I installed it and nothing changed" posts. When you host co-op from the game, Windrose starts its bundled server from `R5\Builds\WindowsServer`, and that server loads its own mods, not the ones in your client folder. A dedicated server works the same way: whatever changes the world has to be installed on the server.

The `~mods` folder doesn't exist by default. Create it the first time. The tilde is part of the name.

## Server, Client or Both

No single rule covers every mod, so read each mod's description. Three patterns turn up:

- **Server only.** Changes the server decides on its own: harvest yields, drop rates, loot tables, respawn rules. The author of Player Respawn on Ship (a UE4SS mod) puts it plainly: "For (C) dedicated: only the server install matters; clients connecting do NOT need the mod."
- **Both sides.** The server enforces the rule and the client draws the interface around it. The author of Fast Travel Plus (build limit raised from 10 to 20, 30 or 50) explains that the mod "must be installed on both the server and on each player's local machine". With the mod only on the server, the higher limit still works but players see the wrong "Can place X more" count. With the mod only on a player's PC, the UI shows the higher limit but anything past 10 silently fails to build.
- **Client only.** HUD, minimap and other interface changes. These are drawn on each player's own screen, so each player installs them locally. Some of these mod pages also list the server folder, so if you're unsure, follow the author's instructions.

If in doubt, put the same files on the server and on every player's PC. A mismatch is where odd behaviour comes from.

> [!WARNING] Inventory and stack mods can change your saves permanently
> Mods that change inventory size or stack size end up in player save data. The Windrose+ project, which builds this kind of override itself, warns that inventory-affecting edits "can become part of player save state once a character logs in". Windrose+ has turned off its own stack-size and inventory multipliers after crash reports. Caites' Bigger Inventory states that its larger-inventory versions "require a new character". Take a backup before installing any mod like this, and don't expect removing it to put existing characters back the way they were.

## Installing PAK Mods on a GSK Windrose Server

Your server runs the Windows dedicated server under Wine, from `/home/container`. In the File Manager and over SFTP, that folder is the root you see, so the mods folder is:

```
R5/Content/Paks/~mods/
```

1. **Take a backup.** Open the **Backups** tab and create one. It's the only way back if a mod damages the world.
2. **Stop the server** from the **Console** tab and wait for it to show offline. The game reads PAK files when it starts, so they can't be added to a running server.
3. **Extract the mod on your PC.** Most downloads are zip or 7z archives. Some contain several versions (2x, 5x, 10x and so on). Pick one and use only its three files. Installing two versions of the same mod makes them conflict.
4. **Create the folder** if it isn't there. In the File Manager, open `R5/Content/Paks/`, create a folder named `~mods` and open it.
5. **Upload the `.pak`, `.utoc` and `.ucas` files** into `~mods`. For more than a couple of mods, SFTP is quicker than the browser uploader: see [How to upload files via SFTP](/knowledge-base/general/how-to-upload-files-via-sftp/).
6. **Start the server** and watch the **Console** until it's up. Then join and test the change: chop a tree, check a stack, try the new limit.
7. **Give players the client-side files.** For any mod that needs both sides, share the exact file names and version with your players. The Windrose Mod Manager on Nexus can install a mod to a client and a hosted server over SFTP, and compare the two for mismatches, if your group prefers a tool to copying files by hand.

We've confirmed that `R5/Content/Paks/` is present on our Windrose servers, and `~mods` is the folder PAK mod authors tell you to use. We haven't tested every mod on a GSK server, though. If a mod doesn't take effect after a restart, contact support and tell us which mod and version you used.

To remove a mod, stop the server, delete its three files from `~mods` and start the server again. For inventory and stack mods, read the warning above first.

## UE4SS Mods and Windrose+ on a Hosted Server

UE4SS mods don't run on a standard GSK Windrose server, and Windrose+ doesn't either, because it's built on UE4SS. There are three reasons:

- **UE4SS loads by pretending to be a Windows DLL.** It sits next to the game executable as `dwmapi.dll`. Under Wine, a copied DLL like this only loads if Wine is told to prefer it, and our Windrose image doesn't set that override.
- **UE4SS is unstable on Windrose servers even on Windows.** The "UE4SS for Windrose" package on Nexus warns that "there are major issues where dedicated servers crash with UE4SS installed", and that UE4SS and Unreal Engine 5.6, the engine Windrose runs on, have ongoing issues.
- **Windrose+ needs Windows administration.** Its installer is a PowerShell script, and its README says "You must Run as Administrator when starting the server". It also rebuilds its override PAK through a launcher batch file, and our startup command doesn't run that file.

[Configuring Windrose+](/knowledge-base/windrose/configuring-windrose-plus/) covers what Windrose+ does and what you can tune on a hosted server without it. If there's a specific UE4SS mod you need on your server, tell support which one. It won't work with an SFTP upload today, and we'll update this page if that changes.

## Popular Windrose Mods and Where They Go

A snapshot of the most-downloaded mods on 27 September 2026, sorted by type. Check each mod's page for its current version before installing.

| Mod | Author | What it does | Type | Install on |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| More Mineral / Tree / Animal / Enemy Resources | IceBoxStudio | Higher harvest and drop multipliers (2x to 100x variants) | PAK | Server |
| Bigger Stacks / MoreStacks | Caites / IceBoxStudio | Larger stack sizes | PAK | Server, and read the save warning |
| Bigger Inventory and Backpacks | Caites | More inventory or backpack slots (inventory versions need a new character) | PAK | Server, and read the save warning |
| Fast Travel Plus | (Nexus) | Fast travel point limit 20, 30 or 50 | PAK | Server and every player |
| Extended Bonfire Radius | IceBoxStudio | Larger bonfire range | PAK | Server |
| Better HUD, Map Tweaks | Caites | Smaller HUD, clearer minimap | PAK | Each player |
| Player Respawn on Ship | RogueTomato | Respawn on your ship's deck if it's summoned | UE4SS | Not on a GSK server today |
| Fast travel from anywhere | yakuzadeso | Fast travel from the map anywhere | UE4SS | Not on a GSK server today |

For the multipliers the game has without mods (mob health, ship damage, boarding difficulty, co-op scaling), you don't need a mod at all. They're in each world's `WorldDescription.json`, covered in [World Settings](/knowledge-base/windrose/world-settings/).

## Game Updates Break Mods

Windrose is in Early Access and patches often. The current version was 0.10.0.9 (25 August 2026) when this was written. A PAK mod replaces specific game assets, so a patch that changes those assets can break the mod or crash the server until the author updates it. Many mod pages still say "Windrose 0.10.0.4 ready" in their descriptions.

**Auto Update** in the **Startup** tab is on by default, so the server pulls a new Windrose build on the next boot. Turning it off doesn't help: the dedicated server has to match the players' game version exactly, and players update through Steam automatically. After each patch, check your mods' pages and take a backup before the restart that pulls the update. [Updates and Maintenance](/knowledge-base/windrose/updates-and-maintenance/) covers backup schedules and the update flow.

## Common Issues

| Problem | Cause and fix |
|---|---|
| Mod installed, nothing changed in-game | It's in your client folder, not the server's. Upload it to `R5/Content/Paks/~mods/` on the server |
| Mod does nothing on the server | Only one or two of the three files were uploaded, or the folder is named `mods` without the tilde |
| Server crashes on boot after a Windrose patch | A mod is out of date for the new build. Move files out of `~mods` one mod at a time to find it, then wait for its update |
| Players see the wrong limits or counts | A mod that needs both sides is only on one side. Match versions on server and clients |
| Two mods fight over the same thing | Two mods, or two versions of one mod, edit the same asset. Keep one |
| Characters broken after removing an inventory mod | The change was already in player saves. Restore the backup taken before the mod was added |
| Nothing from Windrose+ or a UE4SS mod works | Neither runs on the standard hosted image. See the section above |

## What to Read Next

- [Configuring Windrose+](/knowledge-base/windrose/configuring-windrose-plus/) for the server-side mod framework and its multipliers
- [World Settings](/knowledge-base/windrose/world-settings/) for the difficulty and combat multipliers the game has without mods
- [Updates and Maintenance](/knowledge-base/windrose/updates-and-maintenance/) for backups and what happens when Windrose patches
- [Managing your Windrose worlds](/knowledge-base/windrose/managing-worlds/) before you test a mod on a fresh world instead of your main one
- [Getting started with your Windrose server](/knowledge-base/windrose/getting-started-with-your-server/) if your server isn't running yet

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