Enshrouded server: tutorials & guidesEmbervale, reachable around the clock

Enshrouded is a survival game for up to 16 players in one world. The game allows no more than that, and exactly that many slots are available in every one of our plans. Since version 1.0 on 15 October 2026, the game is out of early access. A server of your own is worth it above all for one reason: without it, the world sits on the computer of whoever opened it. If they are offline, the shared base stands still. On a dedicated server, Embervale keeps running, and the progress belongs to the whole group.

The entire configuration lives in a single file, enshrouded_server.json. It holds the server name, the number of players, the difficulty and the user groups. With us, you enter server name, player count and the group passwords in the game server panel under startup parameters; the panel writes them into the file at every start. That keeps the server clear, but there are two pitfalls. First, Enshrouded writes its settings back to the file when it shuts down - if you edit it while the server is running, your changes are lost at the next stop. Second, the file is read as one JSON document: a missing comma or a typographic quotation mark prevents the start. The console then names the faulty spot.

You set the difficulty via gameSettingsPreset. The options are Default, Relaxed with fewer enemies for relaxed building, Hard and Survival. If you want to go deeper, set the preset to Custom and adjust each value individually in the gameSettings block - health, stamina, enemy and boss strength, resource yield, plant growth, experience and the length of day and night. The values in gameSettings only take effect with Custom, and times are given in nanoseconds: one hour is 3600000000000.

Instead of a single server password, Enshrouded uses user groups. Each group has its own password, and depending on the password a player ends up in a different group. Per group you decide whether its members may kick and ban, open other players' chests, change the terrain and build or extend bases. With reservedSlots, a group keeps slots free for itself even when the server is otherwise full. Banned players go into bannedAccounts.

When it comes to performance, Enshrouded works differently from many other games. Keen Games states around 4.4 GB of memory for the idle server and up to 100 MB per player, in total no more than about 6 GB. What grows with the number of players is mainly the load on the processor, and the clock speed of a single core counts for more than the number of cores. That is why our plans differ in computing power. In this order you get to a server you don't have to rework later:

1. Choose the plan by the number of players online at the same time - not by the size of your friends list.
2. Set the server name and change the default passwords of all user groups before anyone gets the address.
3. Decide whether a fresh world starts or your existing save moves into the savegame folder.
4. Set difficulty and rules while the server is stopped, then start it and join yourself.
5. Download a first copy of savegame and enshrouded_server.json - backups are self-service.

Getting started: connect and secure

These three guides cover the first evening. The order is no coincidence: first you set the passwords of the user groups, then you share name and address - otherwise people get in with the default passwords whom you never invited. And anyone who can't find the server in the list almost always has the dedicated server filter switched off; the detour via Steam favourites solves that for good.

Settings and operation

Once the server is running, the work shifts to three ongoing topics. You set the rules in enshrouded_server.json, always while the server is stopped. We install updates automatically, but your own copy of the world before big patches remains a must. And if things stutter, in Enshrouded the processor is almost always the bottleneck, not the memory - which changes which adjustment helps.

Before you order

With Enshrouded, the number of concurrent players and how spread out they are decide the plan. The player slots themselves cost nothing extra; they are available up to the maximum of 16 in every plan. A group that plays together puts less load on the server than one that fans out in all directions and keeps loading new areas. These guides help you choose and show how billing without a contract works - handy for a game that groups like to return to after big updates.

Management & access

Not everyone in the group needs access to the web interface, but often two or three people should be able to restart the server or adjust the rules. There are two separate levels for that: the user groups in enshrouded_server.json control what someone may do in the game. Subusers control who sees the console, files and settings in the web interface - with their own login and without you having to share your customer account.

Technology & security

Since Content Update #2, Enshrouded uses only a single port, the queryPort. The default value is 15637 over UDP. With us, the port assigned to your server always applies - your fellow players find the server via the in-game server list and don't need to open any ports on their home router. How the address is made up and what the server brings for protection is explained in these guides.

Frequently asked questions