How to Move a Return to Moria World to a Dedicated Server

To move a Return to Moria world to a dedicated server, copy the world file that starts with MW_ and ends in .sav from %LocalAppData%\Moria\Saved\SaveGamesSteam (or SaveGamesEpic) into the server's Moria/Saved/SaveGamesDedicated/ folder. Then, with the server stopped, add OptionalWorldFilename=MW_<id>.sav under [World] in MoriaServerConfig.ini and start it. This works for PC worlds from Steam or Epic on the same game version as the server.

What you can and cannot move

What goes where

%LocalAppData% is C:\Users\<you>\AppData\Local. Paste it into the Windows Run box (Win + R) to open it. If you have several MW_ files, the one with the latest modified date is usually the world you played last.

Before you start

• Close the game on the PC that hosted the world so the save is written.
• Back up the whole Saved folder somewhere safe.
• Match the version. Update the game on your PC and make sure the server has updated too. Both must be on the same build.
• Start the server once. A fresh server only creates SaveGamesDedicated after its first start.

Step 1: Stop the server and back it up

Stop the server so it does not write over your upload, and take a backup. The server made its own world on first start, and you may want it back.

Step 2: Upload the world file

Upload your MW_<id>.sav into Moria/Saved/SaveGamesDedicated/. Do not rename it. Copy the full file name somewhere, because you need it in the next step. A file manager upload is fine for most worlds; SFTP is better on slow connections.

Step 3: Point MoriaServerConfig.ini at the file

Open MoriaServerConfig.ini in the server's main folder with the server stopped. Find the [World] section and add the line with your exact file name, including .sav:

[World]
Name="Dedicated Server World"
OptionalWorldFilename=MW_BAD1ED294904FE2C24A8ED8BC98145AB.sav

The developer's own instructions use this setting for moved worlds (Free Range Games: migrating existing worlds). The settings under [World.Create], such as seed and difficulty, only apply when the server creates a new world, so they do not change your existing one.

Step 4: Start and check the console

Start the server and watch the console. It should report loading your world rather than creating a new one. Once it is up it prints an invite code: console players join with that code, and PC players can also use Direct Join with the address and port. Join and check your base.

The gotcha: the world name is not the file name

The Name= line under [World] looks like it picks the world, and people set it to the name they gave their world in game. But the server matches worlds by the name stored inside the save, which is easy to get wrong, and renaming worlds is not supported. If nothing matches, the server quietly creates a brand new world under that name and you think the upload failed.

OptionalWorldFilename skips the guesswork by loading the exact .sav file. Use it every time you move a world.

There is a second version of this trap on hosting panels. Many panels write their Server Name field into MoriaServerConfig.ini, and on some (GamezServers included) it lands on that same Name= line. Rename the server later and the world name changes with it, which on its own would load a fresh world. With OptionalWorldFilename set, your world keeps loading whatever the server is called.

What happens to characters

The world file holds the world, not the characters. Moria keeps character data in separate MC_ files on the player's PC, and the dedicated server does not read the host's local character file. Plan for everyone, the host included, to make a character on the server. Everything in the world carries over: bases, chests, forges and the areas you have cleared, so new characters can walk straight back to the gear.

Common problems

• Server makes a brand new world: OptionalWorldFilename is missing, misspelled, lacks the .sav ending, or the file is not in SaveGamesDedicated.
• Your changes to MoriaServerConfig.ini disappear: you edited it while the server was running. The file itself says to only edit it offline. Stop, edit, start.
• Friends cannot join after a patch: the server is on an older build. Restart it so it updates, and make sure everyone has updated too.
• Console friends cannot find the server: they cannot type an address. Give them the invite code from the console. The regenerateinvitecode console command makes a new one after a restart.
• Old character missing: expected. Characters are not part of the world file.

Moving it to GamezServers

On a Return to Moria server from GamezServers, upload the MW_ file over SFTP (login in Settings) or in the file manager, which also handles zips, extracting and downloading a file from a link straight to the server. Edit MoriaServerConfig.ini right there, click Backup before you replace anything, and the mines stay open without anyone's PC on. For first time setup and crossplay options, see how to host a Return to Moria server.

FAQ

Where are Return to Moria saves stored?

On Windows, in %LocalAppData%\Moria\Saved\SaveGamesSteam or SaveGamesEpic. World files start with MW_ and end in .sav. A dedicated server keeps them in Moria/Saved/SaveGamesDedicated.

Will my friends keep their characters?

Usually not. Characters are stored separately from the world, so expect to make new characters on the server while the world and its storage carry over.

Can I move a PS5 or Xbox world to a dedicated server?

No. Console saves cannot be copied off the console, but console players can join a PC dedicated server with its invite code.

Why does my server keep starting a new world?

It is not finding your save. Add OptionalWorldFilename= with the full MW_ file name under [World] in MoriaServerConfig.ini, with the server stopped.