Valheim 1.0 is live: what changed and what it means for your server

Iron Gate published Valheim 1.0 at 12:55 UTC on September 9, 2026. The Deep North release brings more than 40 weapons, over 80 buildable pieces, four armour sets, upwards of 10 creatures, and at least 20 foods. Its patch notes also list achievements, upgradeable pockets, fresh mechanics, a draw-distance setting, menu changes, reworked descriptions, adjusted Ashlands spawns, the Magica cloth system, and a Unity engine upgrade.

The new biome follows the Ashlands in Valheim's progression. Frozen seas, deep snow, two dungeons, Jotun invasions, and a new boss fill the northern endgame. Players can tame and ride moose, clear building sites with a snow shovel, cross heights with a grappling hook, and use idols at the Forge of Potential to improve gear. New cinematics carry the story through its ending. Haldor now sells upgrades that expand character inventory space.

Your server needs to update

Valheim Dedicated Server received today's 1.0 build through Steam app 896660. Take a full backup before the first start on 1.0. The game converts an older world into the chunked save format during that boot, and the converted world should stay with the new server build.

berrybyte servers update automatically when they start. Stop yours cleanly, wait for it to show as offline, then start it once. Steam downloads the new server files before Valheim loads the world. Conversion can make this boot take longer than usual, so leave the process running and watch Console for Game server connected.

Self-hosters should stop the server and run SteamCMD against the same install directory used by the service:

steamcmd +force_install_dir /path/to/valheim +login anonymous +app_update 896660 validate +quit

Start the server after SteamCMD confirms the update. Check the version shown in its console against a player's game before troubleshooting anything else. Shut it down with CTRL+C when you need to stop it, which lets Valheim finish its current world save.

Your existing launch settings still apply after the update. A crossplay server needs the -crossplay flag and creates a fresh six-digit join code at every start. Steam-backend servers continue to use the configured UDP game port and the next port, which are 2456 and 2457 by default.

Mods are the launch-day problem

One short entry in the 1.0 notes carries a wide blast radius: Unity engine upgraded. BepInEx loads inside Unity. Many plugins also hook Valheim classes and methods that can change during a major game build. Expect the loader or some plugins to fail until their maintainers test 1.0 and publish compatible releases.

Iron Gate's 1.0 FAQ says it cannot guarantee that any mod will work at launch. Without a public test branch, mod authors received this final build today. A plugin that loads may still fail later when it reaches a changed game system.

Stop the server and take a full copy. On berrybyte, open Settings → Game Settings → Server software, choose Valheim Vanilla, then let the server reinstall and boot. Self-hosters should test a clean app 896660 install with a copy of the world.

Once vanilla starts and accepts a connection, check the current BepInEx release and each plugin page. Add mods back one at a time, then inspect BepInEx/LogOutput.log after every boot. Mods that store custom items or world data need extra care, since opening their world without the plugin can alter that data.

Our BepInEx installation and recovery guide covers the files, logs, and safe test sequence.

Your backups may be lying to you

Valheim 1.0 ships the chunked world-save system that Iron Gate tested in patch 0.221.13. The old layout stored a world as two matching files:

MyWorld.db
MyWorld.fwl

The new system stores each world in a folder and splits its data across many chunk files. Backups use separate folders. The shape now looks like this:

worlds_local/
├── <your world>/
│   └── <world chunks>
└── <backup for your world>/
    └── <backup chunks>

Those labels describe the structure because folder names depend on the world and backup. Character saves keep their existing format.

Any script that copies only MyWorld.db and MyWorld.fwl stops capturing current changes after conversion. Such a job may report success after missing most of the live world. Upload instructions written around that file pair have the same problem.

Stop the server, then copy the entire worlds_local directory with every nested folder. Keep the pre-conversion copy as well; Valheim creates its own backup before converting an old world, though a separate cold copy gives you a recovery point outside the game. Test the archive by restoring it to another directory and checking that its chunk folders are present.

Iron Gate said mod compatibility for this save system remained untested during public testing. Plugins that write world data deserve a restore test before your group spends hours in the converted save.

Do you need a new world?

No. Existing worlds carry over to 1.0. Deep North terrain generates correctly in places nobody has explored. Visited areas keep the terrain already stored in the save, so a group that stayed away from the northern edge can continue its current world and sail into fresh terrain.

Iron Gate still says, “we recommend that you start a new playthrough to get the best possible Valheim experience.” A fresh world gives every biome its current generation and begins achievement tracking from the start. Keeping an established build is also supported, provided the Deep North you want remains unexplored.

If you cannot connect

Read the message on the client, then check the matching server condition.

“Incompatible version”

The player's game and the dedicated server are on different builds. Close Valheim completely and install the platform update, then update app 896660 on the server. Compare the version on the player's main menu with the version near the top of the server's startup log; every part must match.

“Failed to connect”

A stale join code causes this after a restart, crash, or update. Wait for the current boot to reach Game server connected, then copy the latest six-digit code from berrybyte's Overview page or the registered with join code console line. Replace any code pinned in Discord because a previous code never becomes valid again.

The server has no join code

Crossplay registration has not completed. On berrybyte, turn on Enable Crossplay under Settings → Game Settings and restart. A self-hosted launch command needs -crossplay; Linux hosts also need the PlayFab dependencies listed in the dedicated-server setup guide.

The password is rejected

Valheim requires at least five characters, and the password cannot contain the server name. An invalid server password can prevent startup, so confirm the server reached its ready state before testing what a player typed. Check capitalisation and spaces after sending a replacement through chat.

One platform or player cannot join

Console players cannot load BepInEx or required client plugins. Test the world on vanilla software when a PS5, Switch 2, or Xbox player is refused. If one person remains locked out, inspect permittedlist.txt; adding a single Platform User ID turns that file into an allowlist for the whole server.

Steam-backend self-hosters should forward the configured UDP game port and the next port. Crossplay uses a relay and accepts the current join code. localhost and private LAN addresses cannot reach that relay. The full Valheim connection guide continues through permission files, ports, PlayFab registration, and platform settings.

Host Valheim 1.0 on berrybyte

Start a Valheim server with berrybyte for automatic updates, off-site backups, full access to your files, and all 10 player slots. You can bring an existing world or open a fresh Deep North save from the dashboard.