Conan Exiles Dedicated Server Guide: Setup, Mods & Troubleshooting

Running your own Conan Exiles dedicated server is the only way to play with custom rates, mods, RP rules or a private clan world — official servers block mods entirely and reset on wipes. The setup is genuinely approachable: a SteamCMD install, one config file, a ports-forwarding step, and you're hosting. This guide walks through the whole thing on the current Enhanced build: hardware needs, the SteamCMD install for Windows and Linux, ServerSettings.ini tuning, mod support, the ports your firewall needs, and the patch-day failure modes that kill servers.

Here's what you'll learn:

• What a dedicated server actually needs (CPU, RAM, storage) and what it doesn't
• SteamCMD install, step by step, with the exact commands
• Map selection: Exiled Lands, Isle of Siptah, and the Enhanced merged world
• ServerSettings.ini: the settings that matter and what they do
• Adding mods with modlist.txt and SteamCMD workshop downloads
• Ports and firewall rules (the top "server invisible" cause)
• Patch-day survival: backups, rollbacks, and why saves corrupt

Do You Need a Dedicated Server?

Before the setup, the honest question: is a dedicated server right for you? Alternatives exist:

Funcom's own technical manual has documented the dedicated-server setup since the early days, and the community-consensus hardware line for a small clan (5–15 players, one map) is surprisingly modest: a modern quad-core CPU, 8 GB RAM minimum (16 GB comfortable), and ~30–60 GB of storage for the game files plus backups. The server is CPU- and RAM-bound, not GPU-bound — a cheap VPS works; a gaming PC with a GPU doesn't help.

Per the official Conan Exiles technical manual, the game has supported self-hosted dedicated servers since Early Access, with the full setup covered in its "Setting Up a Server" chapter — this is a first-class supported feature, not a hack.

Installing the Server (SteamCMD)

The server is a separate Steam app download. The standard flow:

Windows:

1. Download and extract SteamCMD from Valve.
2. Run the install command:

   steamcmd +login anonymous +force_install_dir C:\conan-server +app_update 443030 validate +quit
   

   (App ID 443030 is the Conan Exiles dedicated server tool.)
3. Launch ConanSandboxServer.exe from the install folder.

Linux (Ubuntu/Debian, typical VPS):

mkdir ~/steamcmd && cd ~/steamcmd
curl -sqL "https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/client/installer/steamcmd_linux.tar.gz" | tar zxvf -
./steamcmd.sh +login anonymous +force_install_dir ~/conan-server +app_update 443030 validate +quit

Run the server with ./ConanSandboxServer.sh (or via systemd for auto-restart). The first boot generates the ConanSandbox/Saved/Config/WindowsServer/ServerSettings.ini file — stop the server, edit that file, and restart for changes to apply.

Map Selection and the Enhanced World

The server chooses its map at first boot. Pre-Enhanced, you picked Exiled Lands or Isle of Siptah and players were locked to that map. Since the Enhanced update connected the two islands into one world, the server's map setting still matters (which island is your primary spawn) but players can now travel between them via the obelisk network — check the current patch notes on the official Funcom forums for the exact server setting name in your build, since it changed across 1.x updates.

ServerSettings.ini: The Settings That Matter

The config file is plain text and restart-applied. The settings clans actually tune:

• ServerName / ServerDescription / ServerPassword — visibility and access control.
• MaxPlayers — the cap; more players = more CPU.
• Difficulty — from 0.1 (easy, fast progression) to 1.0 (brutal), scaling combat, harvesting and XP curves.
• HarvestAmountMultiplier / HarvestResourceRespawnSpeedMultiplier — the "2x/5x gather" that most private servers advertise.
• XPRateMultiplier — XP curve; 1.0 default, many private servers run 2–5.
• ItemConvertionMultiplier (sic, the game's own typo) — Wheel of Pain conversion speed.
• Purge settings — enable/disable the raid event and tune its difficulty.
• PvP toggles and RaidTime windows for PvP servers.
• BattlEye — enable for anti-cheat, but both client and server must match or you get signature errors.

Back up this file before every patch — it's the first thing that gets clobbered by a bad update, and the classic "server invisible after patch" is often just config drift.

Adding Mods to Your Server

Mods only run on private/dedicated servers, and there are two halves:

1. Download the mods via SteamCMD, one line per mod:

   steamcmd +login anonymous +force_install_dir ~/conan-server +workshop_download_item 440900 <WorkshopID> +quit
   

   Mods land in steamapps/workshop/content/440900/<id>/ and must be copied into the server's ConanSandbox/Mods/ folder.
2. Write the mod list. The server reads ConanSandbox/Mods/modlist.txt, one relative path per line with a * prefix marking it active:

   *Pythagoras_Support_Beams.pak
   *TaesArcheryFix.pak
   *PRN_NPCEquipmentLoot.pak
   

   Your players' clients must match this list character for character, in the same order or they hit the mod-mismatch screen. The server writes a servermodlist.txt when it detects client mismatches — cross-reference it against your own list. Load-order rules and the Enhanced-tag warning are covered in our best mods guide and unofficial patch guide.

Ports and Firewall Rules

The classic "my server is invisible" cause is ports. The Conan Exiles server listens on:

• 7777 UDP — game traffic (the standard Conan port; configurable).
• 27015 UDP — Steam query port (server browser discovery).
• TCP 27015 / 27016 — sometimes needed for Steam authentication on some hosts.

Forward these on your router to the server machine, open them in the OS firewall, and confirm the server shows in the Steam server browser (View → Servers → filter by game). Hosted providers handle this for you; self-hosting is where the port step bites.

Patch-Day Survival

Every Enhanced patch (1.0.3 → 1.1.0 → 1.2.0 → 2.0.0...) has shipped with at least some server-side breakage. The 1.2.0 cycle was even reverted mid-week after an item-loss collision bug on dedicated servers. The discipline:

1. Back up before updating — copy ConanSandbox/Saved and ServerSettings.ini first. Half-migrated save databases are the classic "server won't start after patch".
2. Update the server before clients — your players join with the new build whether you're ready or not; get the server patched first so they're not sitting at a version mismatch.
3. Roll back if you must — Steam's console can pin the server to a previous build with download_depot 440900 440901 <manifestID>, then copy those files over your install (backup first).
4. Check mod status before starting — if your mods haven't recompiled, the server starts with a broken mod list. The r/ConanExiles downgrade threads keep the per-patch commands current.

FAQ

What are the system requirements for a Conan Exiles dedicated server? Modest: a modern quad-core CPU, 8–16 GB RAM, and 30–60 GB storage. The server is CPU/RAM-bound — a cheap VPS or spare PC works fine for a small clan; a GPU adds nothing.

How do I install a Conan Exiles dedicated server? Use SteamCMD to download the dedicated server tool (app ID 443030), launch ConanSandboxServer.exe (Windows) or ./ConanSandboxServer.sh (Linux), let it generate ServerSettings.ini, then edit that file and restart. Update with the same command plus validate.

How do I add mods to my Conan Exiles server? Download each mod with +workshop_download_item 440900 <WorkshopID>, copy the .pak files into ConanSandbox/Mods/, then list them with * prefixes in modlist.txt. Players' clients must match your list exactly or they get a mod-mismatch error.

What ports does a Conan Exiles server use? 7777 UDP for game traffic and 27015 UDP for the Steam query/browser port, with TCP 27015/27016 sometimes needed. Forward them on your router and open them in the firewall — an unfired port is the classic invisible-server cause.

Why won't my Conan Exiles server start after a patch? Usually one of three things: a half-migrated save database (restore your Saved backup), a broken mod list (disable mods until authors recompile), or config drift in ServerSettings.ini. Re-run SteamCMD with validate to repair files, then restore settings one at a time.

Related Guides

• Conan Exiles Unofficial Patch Guide
• Conan Exiles Best Mods Guide
• Conan Exiles Console Commands
• Conan Exiles Gameplay Guide
• Conan Exiles Player Count & Steam Charts
• Conan Exiles Interactive Map Guide

Official resources: Steam store page · Official technical manual (PDF) · Official wiki — Dedicated Server · Funcom forums

Last Updated: August 13, 2026