Getting Started with Your Soulmask Dedicated Server

So you've picked up Soulmask – CampFire Studio's open-world survival game where you collect masks, recruit tribesmen, and build up a settlement from nothing. It's a proper time sink in the best way. With the 1.0 launch on April 10, 2026 (plus the free "Shifting Sands" DLC adding a whole Egypt-themed map), there's never been a better time to get your own server running.

Why bother with a dedicated server? The short answer: control. You pick who plays, you set the rules, you don't lose your world when the host logs off. If you've got a group of friends or want to build a community, it's really the only way to go.

Ordering Your Server

Head over to the Soulmask server hosting page to pick a plan. LOW.MS offers slot-based tiers at 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 slots – I'd say start with whatever matches your usual group size and scale up later if you need to. The game supports up to 70 players max, but honestly, 20-30 is a sweet spot for most communities.

Every plan comes with 10 GB of RAM included, which is enough to get going. You can upgrade RAM yourself (up to 30 GB) whenever you want – no support ticket needed. There are also optional add-ons for a CPU upgrade (Ryzen 7950X/9950X) and a dedicated IP if you want one. DDoS protection, automatic cloud backups, and 24/7 support are all included by default.

Accessing the Control Panel

Once your order is set up, log in to the LOW.MS Control Panel. This is where you manage everything – starting and stopping the server, editing config files, viewing logs, installing mods, the lot.

The sidebar gives you quick access to everything you'll need:

• Service Settings – your server's core details and IP/port info
• Commandline Manager – where you set startup parameters (more on this below)
• Configuration Files – edit game config files directly in the browser
• Mod Manager – install and manage Steam Workshop mods
• File Manager – browse and edit server files
• Log Viewer – check what's happening if something goes wrong
• Steam Update – update the server to the latest game version
• Web Console – send commands without being in-game
• Scheduled Tasks – automate restarts, backups, etc.
• Cloud Backup / Cloud Restore / Backup Manager – manage your backups

Take a few minutes to click around and get familiar with it.

Key Startup Parameters

In the LOW.MS Control Panel, go to Commandline Manager to configure your server's launch parameters. These are the important ones:

Server Name and Password Set your server's display name and optionally a password so only people you share it with can join.

Admin Password This one's critical. Set -adminpsw=YourPassword so you can claim admin in-game. Pick something that isn't just "admin" or "password" – you'd be surprised how many people try common passwords on public servers.

Max Players The default is 20. Change it with -MaxPlayers=30 (or whatever your plan supports). Match this to your slot count.

PvP or PvE These are standalone flags: -pvp for player versus player, -pve for player versus environment. Don't try adding =1 or =0 after them – they're just on or off based on which flag you include.

Save and Backup Intervals By default the server saves every 10 minutes (-saving=600) and backs up every 15 minutes (-backup=900). I'd leave these alone unless you have a specific reason to change them. Shorter intervals mean more disk writes, longer intervals mean more potential data loss if something crashes.

Connecting to Your Server

This trips people up more than it should. In Soulmask's main menu, click "Online Game" – not "Multiplayer" (that's for something else entirely).

From there you've got two options:

1. Server Browser – find your server by name in the list. Filters help if the list is long.
2. "Connect to the server directly" – punch in your server's IP and port. This is the reliable option if the browser is being slow or your server doesn't show up right away.

Your server IP and game port are shown in Service Settings on the control panel. The default game port is 8777.

Becoming Admin

Once you're connected and in-game, here's the admin process:

1. Press the tilde key (~) to open the console
2. Type gm key YourPassword (using whatever you set for -adminpsw)
3. The GM panel opens up
4. Enter the password again in the panel and click "Become the Admin"

Yeah, you enter the password twice. It's a bit redundant but that's how CampFire set it up. Once you're admin you get access to the GM panel for spawning items, teleporting, managing players, and all that good stuff.

Game Modes

Soulmask has three game modes, and this is worth understanding before you configure your server:

Survival Mode – The standard experience. You start with nothing, gather resources, recruit tribesmen (there are 871 unique Talents, Masteries, and Likes across them, which is frankly absurd), build your base, and work your way up. This is the mode most people play and it's what you'll be running on your dedicated server.

Tribe Mode – Focuses more on the settlement-building and tribesman management side. You start with more resources and the emphasis is on growing your tribe rather than basic survival.

Warrior Mode – A more combat-focused experience with tougher enemies and higher stakes.

Important caveat: right now, only Survival Mode is available on dedicated servers. CampFire has temporarily disabled Tribe Mode and Warrior Mode for dedicated/private servers – they've said they plan to re-enable them in a future update, but there's no specific date yet. So for the time being, your server will be running Survival Mode.

Tips for Your First Session

Don't skip the mask tutorial. The mask system is core to everything in Soulmask. Your mask lets you take over tribesmen and use their abilities. I've seen people rush past the intro and then wonder why they can't do half the things the game offers.

Recruit tribesmen early. They're not just NPCs standing around your base – they actually do things. Assign them to crafting stations, send them to gather resources, or take direct control of one with better combat stats than your character. With 871 unique talent combinations, some tribesmen are genuinely better at certain tasks than others.

Set up your save intervals before inviting people. Nothing worse than a crash wiping out an hour of progress because you forgot to configure backups. The defaults are fine, but make sure they're actually set.

Steam Workshop mods are supported. If you want to mod your server, the Mod Manager in the control panel handles installation. Browse the Workshop, grab the mod IDs, and add them through the panel. I'd recommend getting your vanilla server stable first before adding mods, though.

Check the Shifting Sands DLC. It's free and adds the Egypt-themed map. Worth exploring once your group has the basics down on the original map.

The config file uses Chinese pinyin keys. If you start editing GameXishu.json (located at /WS/Saved/GameplaySettings/), don't panic when you see field names that look unfamiliar – they're romanized Chinese. The configuration guide covers what the key settings actually do.

Where to Go from Here

For detailed server configuration – tweaking gameplay settings, editing Engine.ini, adjusting rates and multipliers – check out the Soulmask Server Configuration Guide.

If something's not working right, the Soulmask Troubleshooting Guide covers common issues like servers not appearing in the browser, connection problems, and crash diagnostics.