How to Install Mods on a Valheim Server (BepInEx and Thunderstore)

What to understand first

BepInEx is the loader: a package you install once on the server (and on each PC) that reads the mods in the BepInEx/plugins folder. On Thunderstore it's called “BepInExPack Valheim”.

There are server-only mods (few: backups, administration), client-only mods (interface, maps, graphics) and mods for both sides (almost all the ones that change the game, like Valheim Plus or those that add items). If a mod is for both sides and someone doesn't have it, or has a different version, they can't join or things break for them.

Since 1.0 (9 September 2026) many mods stopped working until their authors updated them: check on Thunderstore that the latest version is newer than that date (what changed with 1.0). And consoles have no mods: with a mod the player also needs, those on Xbox, PlayStation 5 or Switch 2 are left out.

On your own dedicated server

1. Install BepInEx

   Download “BepInExPack Valheim” from Thunderstore and copy its contents into the server folder, next to the executable. On Linux, start with the start_server_bepinex.sh script instead of the normal one.

2. Add the mods

   Each mod is a folder or a .dll: it goes inside BepInEx/plugins. If the mod needs others (dependencies), those too.

3. Start it and check the log

   BepInEx/LogOutput.log says what loaded and what failed. A typical error is a missing dependency, named in the log.

4. Give your players the same mods

   The easiest way is r2modman: you make a profile with the same mods and versions and share it with a code.

With NapNodes, in a minute

1. Open “Mods”

   On your Valheim server, “Mods” searches Thunderstore. The first time, it installs BepInEx by itself.

2. Install

   “Install” downloads the mod with all its dependencies. There are whole modpacks too. If you don't know where to start, these mods make group play better.

3. Share the code

   We give you an r2modman code: each player, in “Import / Update” → “Import new profile” → “From code”, gets exactly the same mods.

4. Restart

   Mods load on startup. Before changing a lot of them, make a backup in “Backups”.

When something goes wrong

“Incompatible version”: the player's game and the server's are not the same version. It happens mostly right after a Valheim update: on NapNodes, with “Update the game on start” (on by default), the server updates itself when you restart it; and mods sometimes take a few days to catch up. More errors when joining, in how to join a Valheim server.

A mod that breaks startup is found by removing them a few at a time (how to read the error, in my Valheim server won't start). That's why it's best to add them gradually and test, with a backup in “Backups” first; if something goes wrong, this is how you go back.

Frequently asked questions