7 April 2026

Best Valheim Mods for 1.0 Dedicated Servers (Updated Sep 2026)

The best Valheim server mods that work on 1.0: quality of life, building, performance, admin tools and overhauls, each rechecked against its post-launch Thunderstore release.

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Valheim's modding scene is enormous and a bit chaotic. Mods come, go, get forked, get abandoned, and get re-forked, and a list that was accurate two years ago is mostly broken links today. So instead of pulling together a "top 50 mods of all time" piece full of dead Thunderstore links, I went and checked every entry in this list against Thunderstore, and where the well-known name is actually a deprecated package I've called out the active replacement.

Valheim 1.0 changed the picture. 1.0 launched on 9 September 2026 with a Unity engine upgrade and a new save format, and a lot of mods broke on the day. I rechecked this list on 13 September and noted, for each mod, whether it's had a Thunderstore release since 1.0 came out. A release date isn't proof a mod works on 1.0, but a mod with nothing new since launch is one I'd test on a copy of your world first. Our mods after the 1.0 update guide covers getting a broken modded server back online.

Two things to know up front:

  1. Mods need BepInEx, and crossplay is a per-mod question rather than a blanket blocker. You'll read all over the place, and in an earlier version of this post, that turning crossplay on stops BepInEx loading so none of these will run. That isn't right: the flag only swaps which matchmaking backend the server uses and leaves the mod loader alone. What crossplay does break is mods written on the assumption that every player is on Steam, and enough of them still are that keeping crossplay off on a heavily modded server remains the easy call. Worth knowing separately: console players can't install mods at all, so anything client-side on this list shuts them out whatever the server does. Full walkthrough is in the Mod Installation Guide.
  2. Always check what's server-side vs client-side. Some mods only need to be on the server. Some only on clients. Some on both. Getting this wrong is the #1 reason "I can't connect" tickets exist. I've labelled each one below.

Quality of life

These smooth out rough edges without changing what Valheim is at its core.

Extra Slots, by shudnal (or Equipment and Quick Slots, by RandyKnapp)

Two mods do the same job here and both are alive on 1.0, which wasn't true when this post was first written. RandyKnapp's "Equipment and Quick Slots" went quiet for a long stretch and Extra Slots grew up as the replacement; then RandyKnapp shipped a 1.0 build on 11 September and it's back in the running. Both add dedicated slots for armor, utility items and quick-access bars. Pick one, not both, and Extra Slots is the one I'd install on a new server because it configures cleanly via the in-game UI.

Quick Stack, Store, Sort, Trash, Restock, by Goldenrevolver

The mod most people mean when they say "quick stack". One button to dump items into nearby chests that already contain matching stacks, plus sort, restock, and trash. The single biggest time-saver if your group hoards.

Plant Everything, by Advize

Lets you plant a much wider range of vegetation than vanilla allows: thistles, mushrooms, dandelions, all of it. Great for groups who like to terraform meadow farms into something that looks lived-in.

  • Thunderstore: Advize/PlantEverything
  • 1.0 status: new release on 12 September
  • Install on: server and all clients

Craft from containers: pick carefully

Using materials from nearby chests when crafting, instead of needing every ingredient in your personal inventory, is one of the most asked-for mods there is. It's also the messiest corner of Thunderstore. There are dozens of CraftFromContainers forks and nearly all of them are now deprecated, including Grizzzly's, which this post used to recommend, and the older aedenthorn one people still link to.

The most downloaded one with a 1.0 build at the time of writing is Craft From Chests by Toxo, which describes itself as letting you "Craft, build, and fuel smelters/kilns using materials from nearby chests". Be aware it's brand new: its first release was on 10 September 2026, three days before I rechecked this list, so it hasn't got a track record yet. Try it on a copy of your world before you rely on it, and check the page yourself for which side it needs installing on.

Building

Valheim's vanilla building is already great. These make it greater.

Gizmo, by ComfyMods

Adds precise rotation controls when placing pieces, freeing you from the default snap angles. Anyone who builds anything more ambitious than a square box ends up wanting this within their first week. (Note: there are several "Gizmo Reloaded" packages on Thunderstore; they're all deprecated now. The current active one is just ComfyMods/Gizmo.)

  • Thunderstore: ComfyMods/Gizmo
  • 1.0 status: no release since March 2025, so test it before you count on it
  • Install on: client-side

PlanBuild, by MathiasDecrock

Lay out your build as ghost pieces first, then fill them in with real materials when you're ready. Includes blueprint save/load so you can share designs between worlds, and bundles its own build camera so you can fly around your structure while placing pieces.

Performance

If your server's struggling under the weight of a big base or a lot of players, these are the mods that move the needle. Note: the old "Valheim Performance Optimizations" by ontrigger has been dead since late 2021, despite still being recommended in plenty of older guides. Don't install it on a current Valheim version.

Be more careful here than anywhere else on this list. Performance is the category where abandoned and renamed packages pile up fastest, and a good number of the mods named confidently in guides and forum posts don't exist on Thunderstore under the name they're given. Load the page before you send us a link.

Valheim Performance Overhaul, by Skarif

The actively maintained general-purpose performance mod, and the one I'd reach for first. It had a fresh release days after 1.0 came out, which in this corner of the scene counts for a lot.

BetterNetworking_Valheim, by tibijczyk

Optimises the network layer between server and clients. Particularly noticeable on busy servers or anywhere players regularly complain about rubber-banding. There are several historical forks; tibijczyk's is the currently maintained one.

Server administration

Server devcommands, by JereKuusela

Vanilla Valheim's devcommands (god mode, fly, spawn, exploremap and friends) only work in single-player. Iron Gate disabled them on dedicated servers. This mod re-enables them for admins, plus adds a lot more. If you're running a server, this is the one admin-side mod you'll come back to. Note the canonical spelling on Thunderstore: Server_devcommands, all one word, lowercase devcommands.

  • Thunderstore: JereKuusela/Server_devcommands
  • 1.0 status: new release on 12 September. Worth knowing that since 1.0 added achievements, using devcommands flags your character and world as locked out of them, though the 1.0.12 hotfix added a way to opt back in
  • Install on: the admin's own client, plus the server for the full feature set (admins use it via the in-game F5 console)

Jotunn, by ValheimModding

Strictly speaking Jotunn isn't a mod you install for its own sake. It's the modding framework that a lot of other mods build on top of, so you'll often find it in your dependency list whether you wanted it or not. Worth knowing about so you understand what's being installed. (Heads-up: there's a separate package called ValheimLib by the same author: that's the deprecated predecessor to Jotunn, not an alias for it. You only need Jotunn.)

  • Thunderstore: ValheimModding/Jotunn
  • 1.0 status: new release on launch day, 9 September
  • Install on: server and all clients (whichever side the dependent mod runs on)

Gameplay overhauls

Epic Loot, by RandyKnapp

Adds a Diablo-style loot system: rare drops, magic items, weapon enchantments, set bonuses. Weapons and armor can roll random affixes like extra damage, lifesteal or elemental procs. Massively extends the endgame because you've now got items to chase beyond the vanilla crafting tree. Comfortably the most popular gameplay overhaul mod for Valheim.

  • Thunderstore: RandyKnapp/EpicLoot
  • 1.0 status: new release on 13 September
  • Install on: server and all clients

Recycle N Reclaim, by Azumatt

Lets you break crafted items back into their components. Made the wrong sword? Crafted too many arrows? Throw them on the workbench and get your materials back. (The original "Valheim Recycle" by SQG is deprecated; this is the actively maintained equivalent.)

  • Thunderstore: Azumatt/Recycle_N_Reclaim
  • 1.0 status: last release 19 August, before 1.0, so test it before you count on it
  • Install on: server and all clients

Farming, by Smoothbrain

A farming overhaul with skill progression, crop varieties and more depth to the planting/growing loop than vanilla. If your group enjoys the homestead side of Valheim, give it a try.

  • Thunderstore: Smoothbrain/Farming
  • 1.0 status: no release since February 2026, so test it before you count on it
  • Install on: server and all clients

What about Valheim Plus?

Valheim Plus used to be the all-in-one mod everyone installed first. The original ValheimPlus1/ValheimPlus package on Thunderstore hasn't had a meaningful update since June 2024, which is a long time in Valheim modding years.

There is an actively maintained community fork: Grantapher/ValheimPlus_Grantapher_Temporary, which is what most people running Valheim Plus today actually use. The "Temporary" in the name is misleading: it's been the de facto live version for a while now, and it had a new release on 12 September, after 1.0.

That said, if you're starting a new server in 2026 my advice is to skip Valheim Plus entirely and install the individual mods above instead. Almost everything Valheim Plus did is now better-handled by a focused, actively-maintained mod, and you won't be stuck if a single big mod breaks on a Valheim update.

How to actually install all of this on a LOW.MS server

Full walkthrough is in the Mod Installation Guide, but the short version:

  1. The Mods tab. Open it, hit Browse, and search Thunderstore for the mod. Every mod on this list is there, and Install brings BepInExPack and any other dependencies along with it. Paste a Thunderstore link into Install from URL if you'd rather. The panel stops the server to install and leaves it stopped so you can queue a few up.
  2. Set auto-update before you forget. The Installed tab has a server-wide setting (off, frameworks only, or all mods). Frameworks only is the sane choice on a world people are playing on right now, and Change version... on a mod's row is your way back if a fresh 1.0 build turns out worse than the old one.
  3. Anything not on Thunderstore goes through a ticket. The Files tab won't take a .dll from you, on purpose, because the Mods tab is the only route that keeps dependencies straight. Send the link and we'll get it on there.
  4. Your players handle the client side. Have them install matching versions with r2modman. Export your list from r2modman as a profile code and share it with the group. It keeps everyone on exactly the same versions, which is the single most reliable way to avoid connection problems.
  5. Start and play. Start the server, check the Console for the BepInEx banner and your plugin list, and your players hit "Start modded" in r2modman and join as normal.

Things I've learned the hard way

  • Don't install everything on day one. Add mods in small batches and verify the server boots between each batch. If it breaks, you know what broke it.
  • Check your mods before a big Valheim update. Mods nearly always break on update day, and 1.0 broke plenty. Look for a new release on each mod's page first.
  • Keep mod versions pinned across the group. Most "I can't connect" tickets boil down to one player being on a slightly different mod version.
  • Back the world up before adding any mod that changes world generation, building pieces or items. Not because they always break things, but because when they do break things you really, really wish you had.

Ready to put a modded Valheim server together? Our Valheim hosting plans are here, and if you're new to BepInEx start with the Mod Installation Guide.

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LOW.MS Team

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