Windrose launched into Early Access on April 14, 2026, so I want to be upfront: the modding scene is brand new, entirely unofficial, and things will break. Kraken Express hasn't announced any official mod support, there's no Steam Workshop integration, and no built-in modding tools. What we do have is a small but growing community on Nexus Mods putting out .pak file mods, roughly two dozen at the time of writing.
That said, if you're comfortable with the risks, modding a Windrose dedicated server is pretty straightforward. You're basically dropping files into a folder. Let me walk you through it.
Before You Touch Anything
I really cannot stress this enough: back up your server first. Mods can corrupt save data, especially this early in a game's life when updates ship frequently and mod authors are still figuring out the engine.
In the LOW.MS Control Panel, click Cloud Backup in the sidebar. Run a full backup and wait for it to complete before you do anything else. If a mod trashes your world, you can restore from Cloud Restore and be back to normal in a couple of minutes. It's free insurance.
How Windrose Mods Work
Since there's no official modding API, Windrose mods are Unreal Engine .pak files that override or extend game assets. The dedicated server loads them from a specific directory:
R5/Content/Paks/~mods/
That tilde in ~mods is intentional and required – don't rename it to just mods or the game won't find them.
Most mods are a single .pak file. Some come with companion .ucas or .utoc files that need to go in the same folder. Always check the mod's description page on Nexus Mods for specific instructions.
Installing Mods Step by Step
Stop your server. In the control panel, hit the stop button and wait for it to fully shut down. Don't install mods on a running server.
Download the mod from Nexus Mods. You'll get a .zip or .7z containing one or more .pak files.
Extract the archive on your computer so you have the raw .pak file(s) ready to upload.
In the control panel, open File Manager from the sidebar.
Navigate to
R5/Content/Paks/. If you see a~modsfolder already, great – open it. If not, create a new folder called~mods(with the tilde).Upload your .pak file(s) into the
~modsfolder. If the mod included .ucas or .utoc files, upload those too.Start your server.
That's it for the server side. But there's a catch.
Your Players Need the Same Mods
This trips people up constantly. Almost every Windrose mod needs to be installed on both the server and the client. If a player connects without the right mods, they'll either get kicked, see broken assets, or experience desyncs that make the game unplayable.
The client-side install path is the same relative structure – players drop .pak files into the ~mods folder inside their local game installation. Point your players to the same Nexus Mods download links you used and make sure everyone's running identical versions.
Server-side-only mods do exist, but they're rare right now. Mod authors will usually say on the download page whether the mod is server-only or required on both sides. When in doubt, assume both.
If you're running a public server, I'd recommend listing your active mods and version numbers somewhere your players can see them – a Discord channel, a pinned message, whatever works. Saves you a lot of "why can't I connect?" messages. For help with connections in general, we've got a separate guide on joining your server with an invite code.
Mods Worth Looking At
The modding scene is tiny right now, but a few mods have already become staples.
SML (Simple Mod Loader) and Solo Cheats is the closest thing to a mod framework the game has. It enables the developer console and acts as a blueprint mod loader. If you're planning to run more than one or two mods, install SML first. A lot of the more complex mods expect it to be present.
The first thing most people grab after that is Bigger Inventory, and honestly I get it. The default 12 inventory slots feel painfully small once you're gathering resources for any real project. This mod bumps it to 36 or 48 slots depending on the version you choose.
A few others worth checking out:
- UnlockBuildAll removes the progression gates on building elements and recipes – every piece available from the start. Nice for creative-focused servers.
- Easier Building adds quality-of-life tweaks to the building system. Snapping improvements, that kind of thing.
- Better Craft streamlines the crafting workflow. Small changes but they add up.
I'd browse the full Windrose Nexus Mods page yourself though. New mods are showing up daily.
A Note About the Mod Manager
You might notice Mod Manager in the control panel sidebar and wonder why I'm not telling you to use it. The Mod Manager is designed for curated, officially supported mod catalogues – think Steam Workshop games where we can pull mods automatically. Since Windrose doesn't have any of that infrastructure, the Mod Manager catalogue for Windrose will be empty. File Manager is the way to go for manual .pak installs.
When Things Break (and They Will)
Windrose is in Early Access. Updates ship frequently. When the game updates, there's a real chance your mods stop working – or worse, prevent the server from starting at all. This is normal. No official modding API means mod authors are working against an unstable target.
If your server won't start after a game update:
- Stop the server
- Open File Manager and navigate to
R5/Content/Paks/~mods/ - Move all the .pak files out of the folder (download them to your computer as a backup)
- Start the server without mods to confirm it's working
- Check Nexus Mods for updated versions of each mod
- Re-add mods one at a time, testing after each one
This one-at-a-time approach helps you figure out which specific mod is causing problems. Tedious? Yeah. But it beats staring at a crashed server with no idea what went wrong.
For other server issues unrelated to mods, check out our Windrose troubleshooting guide.
Keeping Mods Organised
My suggestion: keep a simple list of what you've installed and which version. A text file, a spreadsheet, a sticky note on your monitor – doesn't matter. When you've got six or seven mods running and one breaks after an update, you'll want to know exactly what you're working with.
Also consider that some mods conflict with each other. Two mods that both modify inventory behaviour, for example, probably won't play nicely together. Mod authors sometimes list known incompatibilities on their Nexus Mods page, so read the descriptions. All of them. Even the fine print.
The Windrose modding scene is genuinely impressive for a game that's been out for less than a week. It's going to grow fast. Just go in with realistic expectations – back up often, update carefully, and don't be surprised when something breaks after a patch. That's the deal with unofficial mods on a brand new game, and honestly it's half the fun if you're into tinkering.
For general server settings and configuration, we've got a full Windrose server configuration guide that covers the non-modding side of things.