Modded Valheim Server Hosting

Valheim modding does not need a special host. It needs a host that has already solved the mod loader, because that is where a modded server actually fails. BepInEx is a switch when you deploy, plugins upload straight from the panel into a folder that survives restarts, and ValheimPlus is there if you want it instead. From $3.93 a month.

What modding needs from a host

The mod loader installed before the server starts

Valheim loads nothing on its own. BepInEx has to be installed into the server build, and on a dedicated server that means the host either does it or you do it by hand over SSH after every game patch. Here it is a switch at deploy: turn BepInEx on and the image installs BepInExPack Valheim on first start, and reinstalls it after each update.

A plugin folder you can actually write to

A mod is a .dll that has to land in the server's plugin folder. That folder needs to be inside a persisted volume, or every restart wipes your mods. On this site it is inside the volume the file browser already exposes, so uploading a plugin is a drag and drop rather than an SFTP session, and it survives restarts and redeploys.

Memory for what the mods add

Mods cost memory, and they compound with the world. A build-heavy world running a terrain modifier, a storage overhaul and a handful of quality-of-life plugins is a different proposition from a vanilla one. Size from the top tier if you are running a mature modded world rather than from the player count, which for Valheim never exceeds ten anyway.

BepInEx, or ValheimPlus?

Worth knowing before you commit, because it changes what you install rather than where you host it. BepInEx is the loader almost the whole Valheim mod scene builds on: you install it and then add whichever plugins you want on top, one .dll at a time. ValheimPlus is a single large overhaul distributed as its own BepInEx variant, with hundreds of settings in one config file covering build ranges, stamina, carry weight, portals and more.

They are alternatives, not companions — turn on one or the other, never both. If you want a curated set of specific mods, take BepInEx. If you want one file of dials to tune the whole game, take ValheimPlus. Nothing on this page pushes you towards either, and switching later is a redeploy rather than a migration.

Installing mods on a Flux server

Deploy a plan with BepInEx switched on in the environment step.
Find your mods on Thunderstore, the registry the Valheim community publishes to. Each package downloads as a .zip.
Unpack the .zip on your machine and take the .dll files out of its plugins folder.
Upload them to the plugin folder on your server volume from the Files tab, then restart. The restart is what applies them.
Install the same mods, at the same versions, on every player’s game.

That last step is the one no host can do for you, and it is the usual reason a player gets kicked on join. Most Valheim mods change items, recipes, building pieces or world generation, and the client has to agree with the server about all of it. Server-side-only mods exist, but they are the minority. See the full self-hosting guide for what installing BepInEx looks like when you do it yourself.

Sizing a modded server

The slot number on a plan is a name, not a licence we sell per head: every tier reaches Valheim’s ten-player ceiling, because that limit belongs to the game. What the tiers differ in is memory, and for a modded world that is the number that matters. Plans run $3.93, $5.31 and $6.91 a month for 4GB, 6GB and 8GB.

Size from the world rather than the group. Valheim’s memory use grows with what has been built and how far the map has been explored, and mods add to both — more building pieces, more stored items, more terrain touched. A mature modded world on the 4GB tier is the usual cause of a server that plays fine for an hour and then starts stuttering.

Deploy a modded Valheim server

BepInEx installed, plugin folder ready, backups running. First month free if your Flux account is new.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need special hosting to run Valheim mods?

No. Valheim mods are BepInEx plugins, so any host that installs BepInEx and lets you put .dll files in the plugin folder runs them. What varies is how much of that is manual. On Flux BepInEx is a switch at deploy and the plugin folder sits in the file browser on your server volume.

Where do Valheim mods come from?

Thunderstore is where the Valheim modding community publishes, and it is what the popular mod managers install from. A Thunderstore package is a .zip; unpack it and upload the .dll files inside to your server’s plugin folder.

Do my players need the mods too?

For most mods, yes, at matching versions. Valheim mods that change items, recipes, building pieces or world generation have to be installed client-side as well, and a version mismatch is the usual cause of a player being kicked on join. Server-side-only mods exist but are the minority.

Why did my mod not load?

Almost always one of three things: BepInEx is not switched on, the .dll went into the wrong folder, or the plugin was built for a different Valheim version and threw on load. The container log names which, and it is the first place to look before reinstalling anything.

What is ValheimPlus and can I use it instead?

ValheimPlus is a large configurable overhaul distributed as its own BepInEx variant rather than a plain plugin. It is supported here as an alternative to BepInEx, not alongside it — turn on one or the other. Its settings live in a config file on your server volume.