How to Move a Nightingale Realm to a Dedicated Server

To move Nightingale realms to a dedicated server, you usually do not copy files at all. Start from an empty server (no NWX/Saved/Offline folder yet), then have the player who owns the realms join first, with the character those realms belong to. Nightingale imports that character and all their realms into NWX/Saved/Offline/DedicatedServer/Deploy. Moving from another dedicated server instead means copying NWX/Saved/Offline, NWX/Saved/Config and NWX/Config across.

What you can and cannot move

What goes where

These paths come from Inflexion's dedicated server guide, which also notes that the server copies Offline into OfflineBackup the first time it starts on each weekday.

Before you start

• Pick the realm owner. Decide whose character holds the realms you want. That person joins first, and nobody else connects until they are in.
• Back up. Copy %LOCALAPPDATA%\NWX\Saved\Offline on the owner's PC, and back up the server if it already has a world.
• Match the version. Update the server so it is on the same build as everyone's game, and on the same Steam beta branch if you use one.
• Close the old session. If the realms were hosted from a PC, end that session first so nothing is mid save.

Method 1: Import realms by joining first (easiest)

This is the path Inflexion built for moving from online or hosted play to a dedicated server.

1. Make the server empty

Stop the server. If anyone has ever joined it, delete NWX/Saved/Offline and NWX/Saved/Config. That resets the server to the state of a fresh install, so the next player to connect counts as the first. Deleting Saved/Config also clears the ban list.

2. Start the server and wait

Start it and watch the console until it reports that the game mode is ready. On our panel that is the line GameModeAwaiter became ready.

3. The owner joins first

The realm owner opens Nightingale, chooses Play, picks the character whose realms you want, and selects Join a Game. Set the connection type to IP/LAN and type the IP and port in their separate boxes. The game sends that character and its realms to the server, which saves them into Deploy.

4. Everyone else joins

Once the owner is in and the realms have loaded, friends join the same way. Their characters come with them, and they walk into the owner's realms through the portals.

Method 2: Copy from another dedicated server

1. Stop the old server and download NWX/Saved/Offline, NWX/Saved/Config and NWX/Config from its file manager or over SFTP.
2. Stop the new server and back it up.
3. Upload the three folders to the same paths, replacing what is there.
4. Start the server. Realms load from Deploy, and players keep their characters from Profiles.

The gotcha: whoever joins first decides the realms

The import only happens once, for the very first character that connects to a server that has never had a player. If an eager friend joins before the owner, the server takes their realms (or a fresh Abeyance realm for a new character), and the owner's realms are never imported. Reconnecting later with the right character does nothing, because the server is no longer empty.

The fix is a reset: stop the server, delete NWX/Saved/Offline and NWX/Saved/Config, start it, and make sure the owner is first this time. The same rule works the other way: if you want a clean server, join first with a brand new character, as Inflexion suggests, and existing characters will not import their realms afterwards.

Settings the panel controls

Nightingale reads ServerSettings.ini, but command line options win. On GamezServers the panel passes the connection password, admin password, starting difficulty and max players on the launch line at every start, so an edit to the same keys in the ini does not stick. Change them in the panel instead. Max players can only be set on the command line anyway. Six is the supported cap; the panel allows 8, but past 6 is unsupported.

Common problems

• Server shows a fresh Abeyance realm, not yours: someone else joined first, or the server was not empty. Reset it and have the owner join first.
• Owner's character arrives but no realms: the server already had a player in its history. Delete Offline and Saved/Config and try again.
• Cannot connect from the IP/LAN screen: the address and port were pasted together as ip:port in one box. Use the two fields.
• Kicked or refused after a game patch: the server is on an older build. Restart it so auto update pulls the new one.
• Password changes ignored: they were made in the ini, but the panel passes its own values. Use the panel fields.

Moving it to GamezServers

On a Nightingale server from GamezServers, deleting the two folders for a clean import takes a minute in the file manager, and Method 2 uploads go over SFTP (login in Settings) or the file manager, which also does zips, extract and downloading a file from a link. Click Backup before replacing anything. Your estate then stays reachable without anyone hosting. For ports and panel settings, see how to host a Nightingale server.

FAQ

Where are Nightingale dedicated server saves stored?

Realms are in NWX/Saved/Offline/DedicatedServer/Deploy, and each player's character is in NWX/Saved/Offline/<PlatformID>/Profiles.

Can I upload my local Nightingale save to a server?

Not by copying it into Deploy, because a PC save is structured differently. Join an empty server first with your character, and the game imports your realms for you.

Will my friends keep their characters?

Yes. Nightingale brings each player's character to the server when they connect, with their inventory and progress.

How do I reset a Nightingale server to import realms again?

Stop it, delete NWX/Saved/Offline and NWX/Saved/Config, then start it and have the realm owner join first.