How to Install Mods on a Barotrauma Dedicated Server

To install mods on a Barotrauma dedicated server, subscribe to them on your own PC, then copy each mod's folder from WorkshopMods/Installed/ into the server's LocalMods/ folder. Add a line per mod inside <regularpackages> in the server's config_player.xml, such as <package path="LocalMods/<folder>/filelist.xml" enabled="true"/>, in load order, with the server stopped. Start it, and players are offered the same mods when they join. Lua mods also need the Lua For Barotrauma server patch.

What you are working with

What goes where

Each Workshop mod's folder is named by its Workshop ID, the number in its Workshop URL, not by the mod's title. Keep that name on the server so the path in config_player.xml is easy to get right.

Before you start

• Stop the server. It can write its config files back on shutdown, so edits made while it runs may be lost.
• Back up. Especially the campaign save, because some mods change items and subs in a way you cannot undo.
• Update everything. Make sure the game on your PC and on the server are the same version, and that your Workshop copies are current.

Step 1: Subscribe and download on your PC

Subscribe to the mods on the Steam Workshop and start Barotrauma once so they download. Check them in single player if you can.

Step 2: Copy the mod folders to LocalMods

Upload each mod's whole folder from WorkshopMods/Installed/ into the server's LocalMods/. Open one to check: filelist.xml must be directly inside, like LocalMods/2701251094/filelist.xml, not one folder deeper.

Step 3: Enable them in config_player.xml

Open config_player.xml in the server root. Find <regularpackages> and add one line per mod:

<regularpackages>
  <package path="LocalMods/2559634234/filelist.xml" enabled="true"/>
  <package path="LocalMods/2701251094/filelist.xml" enabled="true"/>
</regularpackages>

The numbers above are examples: use your mods' folder names. The path has to match the folder exactly.

Step 4: Get the load order right

Mods load from top to bottom, and later mods override earlier ones. Put libraries and frameworks first, then the mods that depend on them, then submarines and small tweaks. If mod B needs mod A, A goes above B. When two mods change the same item, the one lower in the list wins.

Step 5: Start the server and join

Start the server and watch the console for content package errors. When players join, the game compares their mods with the server's and offers to download anything missing or out of date. Players with the same mods already subscribed join straight away.

Lua mods and the gotcha that undoes them

Mods built on Lua For Barotrauma, such as Neurotrauma, need more than a LocalMods entry. The server must run the Lua For Barotrauma server patch, which you download from the LuaCsForBarotrauma releases for your platform (Linux for our servers) and extract over the server's files, replacing them. Players need the client side install the mod page describes.

Here is the trap: the patch replaces game files, so anything that restores the original files removes it. The LuaCs docs warn you must reapply the patch after every game update or file verification. On a server with Auto Update on, a Barotrauma update on restart quietly brings back the stock files, Lua stops loading, and every Lua mod breaks while the rest look fine. After each game update, extract the patch again. If you want control over when that happens, turn Auto Update off and update by hand when you have time to repatch.

Keeping mods updated

The server does not update LocalMods from the Workshop. When an author updates a mod, players' copies update through Steam and the server's does not, so players see missing or mismatched content. Copy the new version from your WorkshopMods/Installed/ folder to the server again, replacing the old folder, and restart.

Common problems

• Mod not loaded at all: the path in config_player.xml does not match the folder, or filelist.xml is one level too deep.
• Players stuck on "missing content": the server's copy is a different version from the Workshop one. Update the server's folder.
• Lua mods silently do nothing: the Lua For Barotrauma patch is missing or was undone by an update. Reapply it.
• Crash or errors after adding a mod: a dependency is missing or listed after the mod that needs it. Fix the order.
• Your edits to config_player.xml vanished: the server was running. Stop it, edit, start.

Mods on GamezServers

On a Barotrauma server from GamezServers, mod folders go into LocalMods through the SFTP login in Settings or the file manager, which also extracts zips (handy for the Lua patch) and can download a file from a link straight to the server. Click Backup before adding mods to a running campaign, and the sub stays available to the crew without anyone's PC on. Bringing a campaign along? See how to move a Barotrauma campaign to a dedicated server.

FAQ

Where do mods go on a Barotrauma dedicated server?

In the LocalMods folder in the server root, one folder per mod with filelist.xml at its top, plus a line in config_player.xml.

Do players need to download the mods?

They are offered the server's mods when they join, so they do not need to find them first. Subscribing beforehand on the Workshop saves time.

Does mod order matter in Barotrauma?

Yes. Mods load top to bottom in config_player.xml, so list dependencies first and the mods that override others last.

Why did my Lua mods stop working after an update?

Game updates restore the original server files and remove the Lua For Barotrauma patch. Extract the server patch again and restart.