How to Add a Thunderstore Modpack to a Valheim Server

Q: Where is my r2modman profile folder?

In r2modman, choose the profile and use Settings, Browse profile folder. It opens the folder that holds that profile's BepInEx directory.

To add a Thunderstore modpack to a Valheim server, open your mod manager profile folder (r2modman: Settings, Browse profile folder) and upload two folders from it, BepInEx/plugins and BepInEx/config, into the same BepInEx folders on a server that already runs BepInEx. Restart. A profile code will not work on the server: it is a temporary download link for other mod managers, not the mods. Every player then imports the same profile, so versions match.

What you are working with

Thing	What it is	Can the server use it?
Profile code	A short code r2modman uploads for friends to import. It expires after about an hour	No. Only mod managers read it
`.r2z` profile export	A zip with a mod list (`export.r2x`) and your config files. Mods are downloaded again on import	No. It holds no `.dll` files
Profile folder	The real installed mods and configs on your PC	Yes, this is what you upload
Published Thunderstore modpack	A package on Thunderstore that lists exact mod versions, with a dependency string like `Author-PackName-1.0.0`	Yes, by that string, on hosts that support it

Which mods go on the server and which stay on clients?

Kind of mod	Server	Players
New items, creatures, building pieces, recipes, gameplay rules	Yes	Yes, same version
Config sync and version check libraries (Jotunn, ServerSync users)	Yes	Yes
Client only: minimap tweaks, HUD, camera, graphics	Optional, harmless	Yes
Server only: admin and world tools that say so on Thunderstore	Yes	No

When unsure, keep a mod on both sides. A mod missing on one side is the most common reason a modded crew cannot connect.

A Valheim meadow with trees and boars, the starting biome every modded world begins in

Before you start

Use a BepInEx server. The server needs BepInExPack_Valheim installed, the same loader your mod manager adds.
Back up the world. Stop the server and copy the worlds folder. Some mods add pieces and items that vanish if the mod is ever removed.
Update everything first. Launch the game through the profile once so every mod is current and you know it works.
Check the Valheim version. After a big patch, wait until your key mods support it.

Step 1: Open the profile folder

In r2modman or the Thunderstore Mod Manager, select the game and profile, then go to Settings, Browse profile folder. Inside you will see a BepInEx folder. The two you need are:

Folder	What it holds	Where it goes on the server
`BepInEx/plugins/`	One folder per mod, with its `.dll` and any extra files (asset bundles, translations, yml data)	`BepInEx/plugins/` next to `valheim_server.x86_64`
`BepInEx/config/`	Each mod's `.cfg` settings, named after the mod's ID	`BepInEx/config/`

Leave BepInEx/core and the Windows loader files (winhttp.dll, doorstop_config.ini) alone. The server has its own loader for its operating system.

Step 2: Zip and upload

Zip plugins and config together.
Stop the server.
Upload the zip into the server's BepInEx folder and extract it, letting it replace existing files.
Check the path: you want BepInEx/plugins/<ModFolder>/<mod>.dll, not BepInEx/plugins/plugins/....

Step 3: Start and read the log

Start the server and open BepInEx/LogOutput.log. Each mod prints a loading line. Errors that name a mod usually mean a missing dependency or a mod that does not support this Valheim version yet.

Step 4: Give players the same pack

Players need the identical profile. Two ways:

Code: in the profile settings, Export profile as a code, then send it right away. Codes expire after roughly an hour, so do not paste one in a Discord channel for next week.
File: Export profile as a file gives an .r2z that does not expire. Players import it from the profile selection screen.

Whenever you add or update a mod, repeat Steps 2 to 4. A server and crew on different versions of a content mod is the main cause of kicks and desyncs.

Using a published Thunderstore modpack instead

If the pack is published on Thunderstore, copy its dependency string from the package page, for example Author-PackName-1.0.0. Hosts that support it install every mod listed in the pack, at the pinned versions. Players install the same pack with one click in their mod manager. To publish your own, Thunderstore needs a zip with manifest.json (listing dependencies), icon.png (256 by 256) and README.md, uploaded from a Thunderstore account.

The gotcha: codes and files do not carry the mods

This trips up almost everyone. People export a profile code or .r2z, upload it to the server, and nothing happens. Both are only instructions for a mod manager: a mod list plus configs, which the manager uses to download mods from Thunderstore again. The server has no mod manager, so it needs the installed files from the profile folder.

The second half of the gotcha is BepInEx/config. Many modpacks are only good because of their tuned configs. Upload plugins without config and the server generates default configs on first start. Mods built with ServerSync then push those defaults to every player, overwriting the settings they had locally, and the pack plays differently from what you tested.

Common problems

Mods do nothing: BepInEx is not running on the server. If BepInEx/LogOutput.log does not appear after a start, the loader is missing.
"Incompatible version" when joining: a mod or Valheim itself differs between server and player. Re-export the profile and have everyone import it fresh. See Valheim incompatible version fix.
Kicked with a mod name in the message: that mod's version check failed. The player is missing it or has a different version.
Settings reset to defaults: BepInEx/config was not uploaded, or the server was running while you replaced it.
A mod loads but its items or textures are missing: its extra files did not come across. Upload the whole mod folder, not only the .dll.

Modpacks on GamezServers

On a GamezServers Valheim server, pick the BepInEx server type and the loader is already installed. Zip your profile's plugins and config, upload it in the Files tab (it extracts zips) or over the SFTP login in Settings, and press Backup first. For a published pack, put its dependency string in Thunderstore modpack in Settings and press Update game.

Two honest limits of that panel setting: it copies only the .dll files from each mod in the pack, so a mod that ships asset bundles or data files needs those uploaded by hand, and it does not install the pack's config files. Each Update game also replaces BepInEx/plugins with the pack's mods. So for a hand tuned profile, the folder upload above is the better route. Console players cannot use mods, so a modded world is for PC players. More on mod basics in how to install Valheim mods on a dedicated server.

FAQ

Can I put an r2modman profile code on a Valheim server?

No. A profile code is a temporary link that only mod managers can read, and it expires after about an hour. Upload the plugins and config folders from the profile folder instead.

Where is my r2modman profile folder?

In r2modman, choose the profile and use Settings, Browse profile folder. It opens the folder that holds that profile's BepInEx directory.

Do my friends need the same modpack as the server?

Yes, for any mod that adds content or changes gameplay, in the same version. Client only mods like minimap or HUD tweaks are the exception.

Will adding a modpack break my existing world?

Most mods work on existing worlds, and new biomes or locations from a mod may only appear in unexplored areas. Back up first, because removing a mod later deletes the items and pieces it added.