Best Valheim Server Mods for 1.0: 12 Picks, BepInEx Setup and Who Installs What

The best Valheim server mods for 1.0 are the ones your whole group can actually run: most need every player to install them, a few run on the server alone. This list picks twelve from Thunderstore by downloads, all updated since 1.0, and shows how to load them with BepInEx on our Valheim server hosting or your own server.

Setting up the server itself? Start with our Valheim dedicated server guide.

• Loader: BepInEx, packaged as BepInExPack_Valheim (5.4.2351 on 13 October 2026).
• Server only: Serverside QoL and Expand World Prefabs. They work with unmodded and console players.
• Admin tools: Server Devcommands and Upgrade World, on the server and the admin's PC.
• Both sides: most content mods. Every player needs the same version, so the server becomes PC only.
• Where files go: BepInEx/plugins on the server, configs in BepInEx/config.

How we picked these 12

On 13 October 2026 we pulled the full Valheim package list from Thunderstore, the site where Valheim mods are published, and sorted it by total downloads. Then we kept a mod only if:

1. Its latest version was uploaded on or after 9 September 2026, the day Valheim 1.0 came out. Older uploads may still work, but nobody has said so.
2. It is a mod, not a library, a mod manager or a modpack.
3. Its README says plainly where to install it (server, client or both). Popular mods that do not say, like Therzie's Warfare, were left out.
4. It is not tagged as AI generated.

We grouped the survivors by where they run, because that decides who in your group can play. Downloads are totals across all versions, so older mods have a head start. Treat them as a sign of trust, not of quality.

1. Install BepInEx on the server

Iron Gate's 1.0 FAQ is blunt: "Since we don't have any official mod support, we cannot guarantee that any mods will be functional", and there is no mod support on consoles. Everything here runs on BepInExPack_Valheim, the community loader, with 7.3 million downloads.

On 1up, Valheim runs from Free, but mods start on Starter, the first plan with mods (Free and Casual run vanilla servers):

1. Pick the BepInEx template when you create the server, or open Server, section Startup, and set Mod framework to BepInEx.
2. Restart. At every start, our image checks Thunderstore and installs the newest BepInExPack_Valheim if it changed, then creates server/BepInEx/plugins.

Self-hosting? Copy the pack's contents into a clean dedicated server folder; on Linux, start it with the pack's start_server_bepinex.sh, as its README explains.

2. Upload a mod

1. On the mod's Thunderstore page, press Manual Download and unzip it on your PC. Download its dependencies too (often Jötunn or YamlDotNet), but not BepInExPack itself.
2. Press ■ Stop, open Files and go to server/BepInEx/plugins.
3. Press + Folder and create one folder per mod, open it and press ↑ Upload to add the .dll and any other files from the zip's plugins folder.
4. Press ▶ Start. Each mod writes its settings file to server/BepInEx/config on the first start; open the .cfg with Edit to change it, with the server stopped.

The file manager does not unzip archives or upload whole folders. For a long modlist, the SFTP access card on the same page lets FileZilla copy everything in one go. If a mod does not load, server/BepInEx/LogOutput.log tells you why.

3. Server-only mods (work with consoles)

These run on the server alone. Players install nothing, which makes them the only kind that fits a crossplay server with PS5, Xbox or Switch 2 friends.

Serverside QoL says it is "designed and tested for dedicated servers with vanilla/console clients (e.g. XBox/PS/Switch users)". On its own it "does nothing"; the features come in separate modules from the same author: AutoStore puts dropped items into nearby chests, AutoProcess feeds smelters and kilns from nearby containers, and ContainerSigns labels chests. Upload the base and the modules you want; each has its own .cfg.

Expand World Prefabs by Jere Kuusela is a power tool: YAML rules that react when objects spawn or are destroyed. Its README asks for one thing: "Install on the server." Use it when you know what you want to change.

4. Admin tools (server + your PC)

Server Devcommands lets admins use the game's dev commands on a dedicated server: install it "on the admin client and optionally on the server"; full features need the server copy. Other players need nothing.

Upgrade World is the one to know about in 1.0. Iron Gate's FAQ warns that "biome generation will only work properly on areas that have not yet been explored". Upgrade World's documentation lists an upgrade deepnorth operation that "fully regenerates Deep North biomes and nearby water areas". Commands print what they will touch and wait for start. Its own README opens with "Always back up your world before making any changes!": press 💾 Create backup in Backups first.

5. Mods every player installs (PC only)

These change items, building or inventories, so the server and every client need the same version. Several refuse a connection on a mismatch. Console players cannot install them, so plan on a PC-only group.

What the READMEs say about installing:

• PlantEverything: "install the mod on the server (if dedicated) and every connected client". Unmodded players still see what others plant.
• Epic Loot: "The server and all players should have the mod and its dependencies installed."
• ExtraSlots: the server pushes its slot settings; a player "needs ExtraSlots installed to use its additional inventory UI".
• Adventure Backpacks: "Required on Both Client & Server", with a built-in version check.
• Odin Architect: "Both Server and Client must have this mod installed."
• MultiUserChest: "You will be disconnected if there is a version mismatch or the mod is not installed somewhere."
• Spawn That: "Install on both." Clients use the server's configs, so you tune spawns in one place. Its sibling Drop That does the same for loot tables.

6. One mod players can add alone

Equipment and Quick Slots (1,562,843 downloads, 3.1.3 on 15 September) gives armour its own slots and adds hotkey quick slots. Its README says it is "Client-side installable; does not need to be on servers". Put it on the server too only if you want its balance settings synced for everyone; then the server also needs Jötunn.

7. Keep a modded server healthy

• Patches break mods. Our image installs the latest Valheim build at every start, because clients refuse a server on another version. Patch 1.0.17 came out on 6 October. After a patch, check each mod's Thunderstore page for an update before you restart.
• Same versions everywhere. A shared mod manager profile (r2modman, with 10.6 million downloads, or Gale) keeps everyone on the same files.
• Back up before changes. Starter keeps 3 manual backups and Pro 5, and Pro and above add a daily automatic one. Take one before adding or updating a mod.
• Mixing groups: crossplay and both-sides mods do not mix. If console friends join, turn on Crossplay (every platform) in the Game tab and stick to server-only mods; our join code troubleshooting guide covers the rest.

Moving an existing world to a modded server? Upload it first, as in upload your Valheim world to a dedicated server, then add mods one at a time. Our guide to Valheim world modifiers covers what the panel changes without any mod at all.

8. Which plan for a modded server

With prices from our pricing page, Starter (€5/month) gives 4 GB of RAM, 20 GB of disk and 3 backups, enough for a few server-only mods. Pro (€10/month) gives 8 GB, 60 GB and 5 backups, and is what we suggest for content modlists like Epic Loot or Odin Architect, which add items and pieces the server keeps in memory.

Tested on Valheim 1.0.17 and BepInExPack_Valheim 5.4.2351, 2026-10-13: BepInEx install, plugin and config folders checked on our server image and panel. Download counts, versions and install notes come from Thunderstore and each mod's README on that date; we did not load every mod ourselves.

Change log

• 2026-10-13: first version, for Valheim 1.0.17.
• 2026-10-20: Valheim now runs from Free; mods still start on Starter.
• 2026-10-26: Starter €5 with 4 GB, Pro €10 with 8 GB and 60 GB of disk; the daily automatic backup is Pro and above.