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Valheim dedicated servers are configured almost entirely through startup parameters, so there’s no big config file to edit. On your Wasabi Hosting server, these parameters are exposed in the Startup tab of the Game Panel. This guide explains each parameter and how to manage your world files.

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Startup Parameters

If the password is shorter than 5 characters or appears inside the server name, the server refuses to start. This is the most common cause of a Valheim server that boots and immediately stops. Check the panel Console log if your server won’t stay online.
1

Edit in the Startup tab

Open your server in the Game Panel and go to Startup. Edit the variables (name, world, password, etc.) and the panel assembles them into the launch command for you.
2

Restart the server

Startup parameters are read only at boot. Restart the server to apply any change.
3

Verify in the console

Watch the Console during boot. The log prints the world name being loaded and confirms when the server is ready.

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World Files

Your world consists of two files, stored in the server’s worlds_local folder: Both files are required and must share the same base name, which must match your -world parameter. The server also writes rolling .db.old/backup copies alongside them depending on your backup parameters.

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Uploading an Existing World

Want to move the world you’ve been hosting from your PC onto the server? Your local worlds live at:
1

Stop the server

Never swap world files while the server is running, because a save would overwrite your upload.
2

Upload the .db and .fwl files

Using the panel File Manager or SFTP (see file management), upload both YourWorld.db and YourWorld.fwl into the server’s worlds_local folder.
3

Set the world name

In the Startup tab, set -world to the exact base name of the files (e.g. YourWorld, no extension, case matters).
4

Start and verify

Start the server and confirm in the Console that it loads your world instead of generating a new one.
The same process in reverse lets you download the server world to play or archive locally. Take a panel backup before swapping worlds; see backups.

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Save Behavior

  • The world autosaves every 30 minutes by default (-saveinterval) and saves on graceful shutdown.
  • Always stop the server from the panel rather than killing it, so the final save completes.
  • The -backups, -backupshort, and -backuplong parameters control Valheim’s own rolling world backups. These complement (not replace) the panel’s backup system, which snapshots your whole server.

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Common Questions

You can store multiple world file pairs in worlds_local, but the server loads only one at a time, whichever -world points to. Switch worlds by changing the parameter and restarting.
Stop the server, delete (or rename) the world’s .db and .fwl files, and start again, and a fresh world with a new seed generates under the same -world name. Back up first.
Not on a standard dedicated server, because Valheim requires a password of at least 5 characters. Use permittedlist.txt (whitelist) on top of it for a truly private server; see admin commands.

Ready for a bigger world?

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