Valheim Tutorials

Modding Your Valheim Server

Add mods to your Valheim server using BepInEx or Valheim Plus. Download plugins from Thunderstore or Nexus and upload them to your server.

Last updated: September 11, 2026

4.9

735+ Satisfied Customers

Add mods to your Valheim server by installing a mod framework (BepInEx or Valheim Plus), then uploading plugins. Valheim’s modding community is encouraged by Iron Gate and uses BepInEx as the standard mod loader.

Choose Your Mod Framework

You need a mod framework installed before you can add plugins. There are two options:

  • BepInEx: Supports the latest version of Valheim with BepInEx plugins. Use this for a vanilla base with mod support.
  • Valheim Plus: Includes its own gameplay configuration options and a bundled version of BepInEx. The original project stopped updating in 2023. A maintained fork by Grantapher carries it on, and that is the only build that works on current Valheim versions. When you ask us to install Valheim Plus, we install the Grantapher fork, not the original.

Valheim 1.0 status (last checked 11 September 2026): BepInEx has a 1.0 build. BepInExPack_Valheim 5.4.2350 went up on Thunderstore on 9 September 2026, and we have been installing it on request since 10 September. Servers already on BepInEx pick it up on restart; if yours does not, use the reinstall step below. The Grantapher fork of Valheim Plus, the build we install, released 1.0 support on 10 September 2026 (version 0.10.0.0 and later), and it requires that same BepInEx build. The original Valheim Plus does not run on 1.0. Individual plugins are a separate question: Iron Gate does not guarantee that mods survive a major version change, and some 1.0 content changes leave older configs out of date, so check each plugin’s Thunderstore or Nexus page for a 1.0 release and back up your working setup before you update.

Requesting a Framework Install

If neither framework is on your server yet, or you want to switch from one to the other, open a support ticket and tell us which one you want. Before you do:

  1. Write down your Server Options. The install resets every field on the Server Options page to its default, including the server name, password, world name, and any modifiers. Once the install is done, put your values back and restart. If the server comes up on a fresh world afterwards, do not keep playing on it: check the World Name field is back to your original name and restart, and if it still does not load, open a ticket and we will put the original world back.
  2. Stop the server when we ask. The install runs against a stopped server.
  3. Tell your players. Everyone joining has to install the same framework on their own copy of Valheim (BepInEx, or Valheim Plus if that is what the server runs). A player on a vanilla client, or on the other framework, is turned away with an incompatible version error. Individual plugins vary, some run on the server only and others must be on every client, so check each plugin’s page. The framework itself always has to match. Your save is not affected by the switch.

If your server already runs BepInEx, you do not need a ticket to update it. Stop the server and use Reinstall Server under Advanced > Server Actions, which pulls the current BepInEx build and keeps your configs in place. Check your Server Options and plugins folder afterwards before you start the server.

Where to Find Mods

Community-made Valheim mods are hosted on two sites:

Install BepInEx Plugins on Your Server

The plugin installation process is the same whether you’re using standalone BepInEx or Valheim Plus.

  1. Download the plugin’s .dll file from Thunderstore or Nexus
  2. Connect to your server using the File Manager or SFTP
  3. Navigate to the /BepInEx/plugins folder
  4. Upload the .dll file
  5. Restart your server to load the plugin

Do I Need to Extract .zip Files?

Yes. The server can’t load a plugin that’s still inside a .zip archive, so it needs to be extracted before the server starts. You can extract it in either place:

  • On your computer: unzip the download first, then upload the .dll file (or the whole extracted folder) to /BepInEx/plugins
  • On the server: upload the .zip to /BepInEx/plugins, click the … menu on the right side of the file, and select Extract. Delete the .zip afterwards so only the extracted files remain

Either way, finish by restarting your server so the plugin loads. If the extracted files sit in a nested folder like /BepInEx/plugins/MyPlugin/MyPlugin, move the inner folder up one level.

Frequently Asked Questions

Use standalone BepInEx if you want the latest Valheim version support and a vanilla base with plugins. Use Valheim Plus if you want its built-in gameplay tweaks plus plugin support.

Download mods from Thunderstore (valheim.thunderstore.io) or Nexus (nexusmods.com/valheim/mods).

Yes. Every player needs the same mod framework (BepInEx, or Valheim Plus if that is what the server runs) installed on their own copy of Valheim, or they are turned away with an incompatible version error. Individual plugins vary, so check each plugin's page for whether clients need it too.

The install resets every Server Options field to its default, so note your server name, password, world name, and modifiers first and put them back afterwards. Your world files are not touched. If the server comes up on a fresh world afterwards, set the World Name back to your original name and restart, or open a ticket if it still does not load.

Most plugins are .dll files uploaded to /BepInEx/plugins. Some come as .zip archives containing a folder with multiple files. Extract the .zip first (on your PC, or upload it and use the File Manager's Extract option), since the server can't load plugins that are still zipped.

Back to Help Center Get Valheim Hosting