Valheim 1.0 and Deep North: how to update your server
Update a Valheim dedicated server for the 1.0 Deep North release on September 9, 2026. Covers backing up the .db and .fwl pair, updating on berrybyte or with SteamCMD, whether to keep your world, mods, and rolling back.
Valheim 1.0 lands on September 9, 2026 and adds the Deep North, the last biome on the roadmap. The update itself is routine: back up, take the new build, restart. The decision that actually matters is whether your group keeps its existing world.
Back up before the first 1.0 start, not after. There was no public test branch, so server hosts and mod authors meet the final build at the same moment everyone else does. A backup taken afterwards captures a world the new version has already touched.
The Ashlands is not part of this release. It shipped in May 2024. Valheim 1.0 is the Deep North plus the 1.0 milestone itself. The store price also rises to $29.99.
Back up first
A Valheim world is two files that belong together:
MyWorld.db
MyWorld.fwlThe .db holds terrain, buildings and progression. The .fwl holds the seed
and world identity. Restore a .db on its own and Valheim generates a brand
new world around it, the single most common way people think an update ate
their save.
Stop the server cleanly
Use Stop in the dashboard, or CTRL+C on a self-hosted server. Valheim saves on shutdown, so a hard kill throws away everything since the last autosave, up to a full save interval, which defaults to 1800 seconds.
Take a full backup
On berrybyte, use Backups for a complete snapshot. It is faster to restore than hand-picking files.
Keep a manual world copy too
Download the matching .db and .fwl pair, plus adminlist.txt, bannedlist.txt and
permittedlist.txt if you use them.
Write down the current version and mod list
You need both to roll back convincingly.
Valheim also keeps its own rolling copies as .old files next to the world. To use one, stop
the server and remove the .old suffix so the filename matches the pair again.
Update on berrybyte
Stop the server
Press Stop on the server Overview and wait for it to report offline.
Confirm Auto Update is on
Under Settings → Startup, Auto Update is enabled by default. The new build is fetched on the next start.
Start the server
The first 1.0 start takes longer than usual. SteamCMD downloads the update before the world loads.
Watch the console
Wait for the world to finish loading. On a crossplay server, a new join code appears on Overview once PlayFab registers the session.
Update every client
Server and client builds must match exactly. Players on the old version are refused.
Update a self-hosted server
Shut down with CTRL+C
Send SIGINT and let the process exit on its own. Do not use kill -9.
Re-run SteamCMD
steamcmd +force_install_dir /path/to/valheim +login anonymous +app_update 896660 validate +quitStart the server and check the version line
The build number is printed at startup. Compare it against what your client reports.
Keep your world, or start fresh?
Valheim writes terrain into the save the first time a player loads it. That is the whole trade-off: anywhere your group has already been is frozen at the version that generated it.
| Keep the existing world | Start a new 1.0 world | |
|---|---|---|
| Builds and progression | Kept | Lost, or rebuilt from scratch |
| Deep North terrain | Only in far northern areas nobody has visited | Generates everywhere as intended |
| Other 1.0 world changes | Only in unexplored chunks | Applied to the whole map |
| Best for | Long-running groups attached to their base | Groups who want the finished game as designed |
| Effort | Back up and restart | Back up, generate a new world, re-share the details |
You do not have to choose. Run the old world and a fresh 1.0 world side by side by keeping both file pairs on the server and switching World Name under Settings → Game Settings. Only the selected world loads, and the other is left untouched.
Mods after 1.0
Treat every BepInEx plugin as broken until its author says otherwise. Valheim has no official mod support, and plugins hook game internals that a major release is free to change.
The safe sequence is to update the server unmodded first, confirm your group can connect and the world loads, and only then re-add plugins one at a time. Check each mod's Thunderstore page for a 1.0-compatible release before you install it. See installing BepInEx mods for the mechanics.
Roll back
If 1.0 breaks something you depend on, you can move back to a legacy branch, assuming Iron Gate publishes one.
On berrybyte, put the branch name in Beta Branch under Settings → Startup (with Beta Password if the branch needs one) and restart. Leave both blank to return to the normal branch.
Self-hosted, it is a SteamCMD argument:
steamcmd +force_install_dir /path/to/valheim +login anonymous +app_update 896660 -beta <branch> validate +quitRestore a pre-1.0 world backup at the same time. A world that has been opened in 1.0 may not load on an older build, and downgrading the server does not downgrade the save.
Next steps
Move a world between hosts, or reset one, without losing the file pair.
Join on PS5, Switch 2 and XboxGet everyone back in once the server is on 1.0.
Crossplay or mods?1.0 is a good moment to pick one deliberately.
Back up your serverSet up scheduled backups so the next update needs no preparation.
Frequently asked questions
Will my old Valheim world work in 1.0?
Yes. Iron Gate says existing saves stay playable and receive new content. The catch is terrain. The Deep North only generates properly in areas no player has explored, so an old world will not produce the finished biome everywhere. Iron Gate recommends a fresh world for the complete 1.0 experience.
Where does Deep North generate in an existing world?
Only in chunks that have never been loaded by a player. Anything already explored keeps the terrain it was generated with, because Valheim writes terrain into the save the first time you visit it. Far northern areas your group has never sailed to will generate as the finished Deep North.
Do Valheim mods work after 1.0?
Assume they do not on release day. Valheim has no official mod support and Iron Gate ran no public test branch before 1.0, so BepInEx and every plugin meet the final build for the first time on September 9. Keep an unmodded backup and re-add plugins only once their authors confirm 1.0 support.
How do I back up a Valheim world?
Copy both files that make up the world - WorldName.db and WorldName.fwl - while the server is stopped. The .db holds terrain and builds and the .fwl identifies the world. A .db without its matching .fwl is treated as a new world, which looks exactly like data loss.
Can I roll my server back to the old version?
On a self-hosted server, yes, if Iron Gate publishes a legacy branch. Run SteamCMD with app_update 896660 -beta followed by the branch name. Roll the world back from a pre-update backup at the same time, because a 1.0 save may not load on an older build.