How to Set Up a Valheim Dedicated Server in 2026

Valheim's memory usage has grown significantly since Mistlands and Ashlands. Here's a practical guide: • 1–4 players, vanilla: 4 GB is enough • 5–8 players, vanilla: 6 GB recommended • Modded (Valheim Plus, Epic Loot): 8 GB minimum • Heavy mod packs: 10–12 GB We recommend starting with 6 GB and upgrading if you notice lag when exploring new biomes.

With CoalHost, creating a Valheim server takes under 2 minutes: 1. Create an account at coalhosting.com 2. Click "New Server" → select Valheim 3. Choose your RAM plan 4. Pick your server region (Helsinki, EU) 5. Hit Create — your server starts immediately You get a server IP and port right away. No waiting, no configuration needed.

From the panel, open Server Settings: • Server name: What players see in the server browser • World name: Your world save file name (keep it simple, no spaces) • Password: Set a strong password so only your friends can join • Public server: Whether it appears in the in-game server browser Changes apply on next restart.

Friends can join two ways: In-game server browser: If public, search by name. Set a password for whitelist-style access. Direct connect: Share your IP and port. Players open Valheim → Join Game → Add server → Enter IP:Port. Valheim supports Steam and Microsoft Store / Game Pass clients connecting to the same server.

BepInEx is the mod framework for Valheim. To install: 1. In the panel, click "Install BepInEx" — it deploys automatically 2. Restart your server 3. Download mods from Thunderstore (thunderstore.io) 4. Upload the mod .dll and config files to the BepInEx/plugins folder via the file manager 5. Restart again Popular mods: Valheim Plus (customizable game settings), Epic Loot (magic item drops), Plant Everything (farming improvements), Mass Farming (auto plant/harvest).

Valheim has a known slow memory leak — performance degrades over days of uptime. Fix it with a scheduled restart: 1. Open Scheduled Tasks in the panel 2. Create a new task: Type = Restart, Cron = `0 4 * * *` (4 AM daily) 3. Save Your server restarts automatically at 4 AM every night. Players reconnect in 30 seconds.