How to Start a New World on an Enshrouded Server (Keep the Old One)

To start a new world on an Enshrouded dedicated server, stop the server, move every file that starts with 3ad85aea out of the savegame folder (keep them as your archive), and start the server again. It finds no world and creates a fresh one. Players keep their characters, because Enshrouded saves characters on each player's own device, so they arrive in the new world with their level, skills and inventory. To go back, swap the files the other way with the server stopped.

What a new world resets and what it keeps

Enshrouded has one handcrafted map, so a "new world" is not a new layout. It is the same Embervale with all world progress reset.

Because characters keep their gear, a "fresh start" can feel less fresh than expected. If your group wants a true restart, everyone also creates a new character from the main menu before joining.

Why the server always uses 3ad85aea

The dedicated server always loads and saves its world under the ID 3ad85aea in its savegame folder. You do not pick a world by name. Whatever 3ad85aea files are present get loaded, and if none are present, a new world is created with that ID.

A server world is made up of several files:

savegame/
  3ad85aea            the current world
  3ad85aea-1 ... -9   older rolling copies
  3ad85aea-index      points at the newest copy
  3ad85aea_info       world details
  3ad85aea_info-1 ...
  3ad85aea_info-index

All of them belong together. Moving only 3ad85aea leaves the index pointing at a numbered copy, and the server loads the old world from that copy. This is the most common reason a "new world" turns out to be the old one.

Step 1: Back up and stop

Take a full backup of the savegame folder first, then stop the server. Never move world files while the server is running, since it writes them on its own schedule and can recreate files as you move them.

Step 2: Archive the old world

1. Make a folder next to savegame, for example savegame-world1.
2. Move every file that begins with 3ad85aea into it, including _info and -index files.
3. Leave any other files in savegame alone.

savegame should now have no 3ad85aea files at all.

Step 3: Check the game settings

A new world is a good moment to change difficulty. The world takes its settings from enshrouded_server.json when it starts:

• gameSettingsPreset sets a preset such as Default, Relaxed, Hard or Survival, or Custom to use your own values.
• With Custom, the gameSettings block holds every value, like enemy damage, resource yield and day length.

The Enshrouded server settings guide explains each one. On a GamezServers server, pick the preset in the Game settings dropdown in the panel.

Step 4: Start the server

Start the server and watch the console. It creates the new world and begins accepting players once it has finished. Join and check you start at the beginning of the game, at the Cinder Vault.

Switching between worlds

You can keep several worlds and swap between them:

1. Stop the server.
2. Move all 3ad85aea files from savegame into that world's archive folder, such as savegame-world2.
3. Move all files from the other archive folder into savegame.
4. Start the server.

Name the archive folders clearly, with dates if you have several. Mixing files from two worlds in savegame gives unpredictable results.

Bringing a single player world in instead

If the "new world" you want is one a player already started in single player or by hosting from their game, you do not need a fresh world. Copy their world files in and rename them to 3ad85aea, as covered in transferring an Enshrouded save to a dedicated server.

Starting fresh for Enshrouded 1.0

Many groups plan a clean start with Enshrouded 1.0, which brings a new biome, a higher level cap and a skill tree reset. A sensible plan:

1. Back up and archive your current world as above, so the old base is never lost.
2. Update the server to 1.0 before anyone joins. The update guide covers that.
3. Start the server with an empty savegame and let it create the new world on the new version.
4. Decide as a group whether to bring characters along or make new ones.

Common problems

• The old world loaded anyway. A 3ad85aea file, usually a numbered copy or the index, was left in savegame. Stop the server and check again.
• Players arrive with all their gear. That is expected. Characters live on their devices. Make new characters for a full reset.
• The archived world will not load when swapped back. Some files were left behind or mixed with the other world. Restore from the backup you took in Step 1.
• Settings did not change. The preset was not saved before the start, or gameSettingsPreset is not Custom while you edited custom values.

On a hosted server

On a GamezServers Enshrouded server, the savegame folder is in the Files tab and over SFTP, one click backups cover it before you change anything, and the game preset is a panel setting. Players join with the server's own address, nobody needs to keep their PC on, and you can split the bill with your group. See the Enshrouded game page for plans.

FAQ

Can I have more than one world on an Enshrouded server?

Not at the same time. The server loads only the 3ad85aea world. Keep other worlds in archive folders and swap them with the server stopped.

Do players lose their characters in a new Enshrouded world?

No. Characters are saved on each player's device and keep their level, skills and gear in any world.

Does a new Enshrouded world have a different map?

No. Enshrouded has a single handcrafted map. A new world resets progress, bases and the Flame level, but the layout is the same.

Why did my server load the old world after I deleted 3ad85aea?

The numbered copies and index files were still there, and the server loaded the newest copy. Move every file starting with 3ad85aea.