Conan Exiles Dedicated Server Setup Guide (Enhanced)

By Matthew Zhao|
Conan ExilesGuides

To set up a Conan Exiles dedicated server, install the free "Conan Exiles Dedicated Server" app (Steam app 443030), set a server name, server password and admin password in Engine.ini and ServerSettings.ini, open UDP ports 7777, 7778 and 27015, and start the server. Then join, use Make Me Admin, and tune PvP, raid hours, rates and thrall limits from the in-game Server Settings panel or the INI files.

This guide is for the PC version as it stands in October 2026, which means Conan Exiles Enhanced, the free Unreal Engine 5 upgrade Funcom released on May 5, 2026. Enhanced changed several things server admins relied on: the Exiled Lands and the Isle of Siptah now share one map, the save file has a new name, there is a native Linux server, and mods need Enhanced builds. Older guides miss all of that.

What a Conan Exiles dedicated server needs

Funcom's own dedicated server hardware table lists:

Server size CPU (Funcom example) System RAM Disk space
10 players Intel Core2Duo 6850, 3.0 GHz 8 GB 35 GB
35 players Intel Core i5 2400, 3.1/3.4 GHz 8 GB 35 GB
70 players Intel Core i7 6700, 3.4/4.0 GHz 12 GB 35 GB

That table dates from 2017, well before Enhanced. Funcom has not published updated dedicated server requirements for the UE5 version (the 16 GB figure on the Enhanced announcement is for the game client, not the server). One self-hoster reported on the Funcom forums in May 2026 that an 8 GB allocation that had worked before Enhanced started hitting out-of-memory kills afterwards. That is one report, not a spec, but it is a good reason to plan for more headroom than the old table suggests, especially with mods.

Two other limits worth knowing up front:

How to install the server

  1. Install the server files. In Steam, find "Conan Exiles Dedicated Server" under Library > Tools. On a machine without the Steam client, use SteamCMD with app ID 443030, as in Funcom's server setup post. Since Enhanced, the server also ships for Linux, and Steam downloads the Windows or Linux build to match your OS.
  2. Set the name and passwords. Edit the config files described below.
  3. Open the ports. Forward and allow the ports in the next section.
  4. Start it. On Windows, run StartServer.bat or ConanSandboxServer.exe. Funcom notes you can dismiss Steam DLL error boxes that appear when starting the server.
  5. Join and claim admin. Connect, then open Settings > Server Settings and use Make Me Admin.

A SteamCMD install looks like this:

steamcmd +force_install_dir /srv/conan +login anonymous +app_update 443030 +quit

Run the same command to update the server after a patch. If you need to stay on the old UE4 build for a while, the official Enhanced technical documentation (maintained by Funcom's Enhanced co-developer, Inflexion Games) says to switch the server to the conan-exiles-legacy beta branch. Your players would need the same branch to join.

Funcom also offers a free Dedicated Server Launcher that handles ports, admin password and branch selection in a GUI. Its author noted at the Enhanced launch that you need version 1.9.0 or newer, and that UE5 support had not been fully tested yet.

Conan Exiles server ports

These are the ports Funcom lists on its dedicated server page:

Port Protocol Used for Where to change it
7777 UDP Game traffic Engine.ini [URL] Port=, or -Port=
7778 UDP Server browser pinger Always game port + 1, not configurable
27015 UDP Server query Engine.ini [OnlineSubsystemNull] GameServerQueryPort=, or -QueryPort=
25575 TCP RCON remote admin (optional) Game.ini [RconPlugin] RconPort=, or -RconPort=

If you run two servers on one machine, move the game port by at least 2 so the pinger ports don't collide (for example 7777 and 7779), and give each its own query port.

Where the config files are

All three INI files sit in the server's config folder:

  • Windows: ConanSandbox/Saved/Config/WindowsServer/
  • Linux: ConanSandbox/Saved/Config/LinuxServer/ (path per the Enhanced docs)

Stop the server before editing them. The server rewrites some of these files on shutdown (the wiki's RCON page notes it strips a default RconPort line, for example), so edits made while it runs can be lost.

Engine.ini: name, password and port

Funcom's dedicated server page puts the name and join password under [OnlineSubsystem], and notes the old [OnlineSubsystemSteam] section is deprecated:

[OnlineSubsystem]
ServerName=Iron Wolves Clan Server
ServerPassword=change-me

[URL]
Port=7777

[OnlineSubsystemNull]
GameServerQueryPort=27015

Game.ini: player cap and RCON

Funcom's setup post lists MaxPlayers under [/Script/Engine.GameSession] in Game.ini, or the -MaxPlayers= launch option. RCON is configured under [RconPlugin], per the same wiki page:

[/Script/Engine.GameSession]
MaxPlayers=20

[RconPlugin]
RconEnabled=1
RconPassword=a-long-unique-password
RconPort=25575

Key ServerSettings.ini settings for clans

ServerSettings.ini holds the gameplay rules. Every key below appears in the official Enhanced server INI reference. Most can also be changed from the in-game Server Settings panel once you're admin, which is the easier route for day-to-day tweaks. A few, such as PVPEnabled, need a restart.

PvP, PvE and raid hours

Key What it does
PVPEnabled Turns PvP on. Default is off. Requires a restart.
CombatModeModifier Set to 1 for PvE-Conflict (PvE-C) rules.
CanDamagePlayerOwnedStructures Lets players damage other players' buildings.
RestrictPVPTime Limits PvP combat to the per-day windows you set.
RestrictPVPBuildingDamageTime Limits building damage (raiding) to set windows.
DynamicBuildingDamage Allows building damage only while an owner is online, or for DynamicBuildingDamagePeriod seconds after they log off.
DisableBuildingDuringTimeRestrictedPVP Blocks building during raid hours.

The per-day windows use one key per weekday. The Server Configuration wiki page shows the pattern (PVPEnabledMonday, PVPTimeMondayStart, PVPBuildingDamageTimeMondayEnd and so on), with times written as 24-hour HHMM values. A weekend-raids-only setup looks like this:

[ServerSettings]
PVPEnabled=True
CanDamagePlayerOwnedStructures=True
RestrictPVPBuildingDamageTime=True
PVPBuildingDamageEnabledSaturday=True
PVPBuildingDamageTimeSaturdayStart=1800
PVPBuildingDamageTimeSaturdayEnd=2300
PVPBuildingDamageEnabledSunday=True
PVPBuildingDamageTimeSundayStart=1800
PVPBuildingDamageTimeSundayEnd=2300

After a restart, open the in-game Server Settings panel and check the raid window shows what you expect.

Harvest and XP rates

Key What it does
HarvestAmountMultiplier Resources gathered per harvest. Default 1.
ResourceRespawnSpeedMultiplier How fast harvested nodes respawn.
PlayerXPRateMultiplier Scales all XP.
PlayerXPKillMultiplier, PlayerXPHarvestMultiplier, PlayerXPCraftMultiplier, PlayerXPTimeMultiplier Scale XP from one source only.
ItemConvertionMultiplier Crafting time (note the spelling, "Convertion").
ThrallConversionMultiplier Thrall crafting (conversion) time.

Thrall, clan and building limits

Key What it does Default
UseMinionPopulationLimit Turns on the thrall and pet cap. False
MinionPopulationBaseValue Thralls and pets a solo player or one-person clan may own. 50
MinionPopulationPerPlayer Extra allowance per clan member. 5
MinionOverpopulationAllowed How many over the cap before cleanup starts deleting them. 10
MinionOverpopulationCleanup Minutes between overpopulation cleanups. 60
ClanMaxSize Maximum clan size. 30
BuildingDecayTimeMultiplier Scales how long buildings take to decay. 1
DisableBuildingAbandonment Turns off building decay entirely.
LandClaimRadiusMultiplier Scales land claim around buildings.

The official reference does not document a hard per-clan building piece cap, so decay and land claim are the levers for keeping sprawl in check. On a shared server, turning on UseMinionPopulationLimit stops one clan from filling the map with thralls and pets.

Exiled Lands vs. Isle of Siptah in Enhanced

Before Enhanced, you picked one map per server. That choice is gone on PC. Funcom's patch notes say the two have been merged into one map, and any multiplayer server can host both regions at once.

Exiled Lands region Isle of Siptah region
Ownership needed Base game Isle of Siptah DLC, per player
Loaded by default on a server Yes Yes (can be excluded)
UE4 progress carried over Characters, bases and loot Bases could not be preserved

To run only the Exiled Lands, the Regions page of the Enhanced docs says to add this to Engine.ini:

[Regions]
ExcludedRegions=IsleOfSiptah

Players may still see the island, but it won't be functional. The docs note that excluding a region can lower RAM use, which matters on a smaller server. If some of your clan doesn't own the Siptah DLC, or you want a tighter map for a small group, this is the setting to use.

How to add Steam Workshop mods

Mods need the most care on Enhanced, because UE4 mods don't load as-is. Funcom says legacy mods require upgrading, recooking and repackaging, and the Enhanced mod kit uploads ported mods as new Workshop items tagged "Enhanced". Use the Enhanced version of every mod.

  1. Download the mods. With SteamCMD, run workshop_download_item 440900 <workshop id> for each mod (440900 is the game's app ID). Files land in a steamapps/workshop/content/440900/<workshop id>/ folder under your Steam or SteamCMD directory.
  2. Create the mod list. Make a Mods folder in ConanSandbox/ and a modlist.txt inside it.
  3. List one .pak per line. Funcom's help center instructions use the full path to each .pak file.
  4. Restart the server.
/srv/conan/steamapps/workshop/content/440900/1111111111/FirstMod.pak
/srv/conan/steamapps/workshop/content/440900/2222222222/SecondMod.pak

Mod load order

Order matters. Players need the same mods in the same load order as the server, and when they join, the Mod Mismatch screen offers to download what's missing. Follow each mod author's notes on where their mod should sit in the list, and don't reorder the list on a live server without telling your players. A shortcut the wiki suggests: pick and order mods in your own game client, then copy your client's ConanSandbox/Mods/modlist.txt to the server (fix the paths if they differ).

Two Enhanced-specific gotchas from the troubleshooting and mod HTTP docs:

  • Don't rename mod .pak files. A renamed pak fails to load.
  • Mods that call web services (Discord announcements, for example) can't make HTTP requests until you approve each address in ModHttp.ini in the config folder. The server log lists the exact lines to add.

The wiki warns that removing a mod from an existing world can leave leftover data that causes problems, so test mod changes on a copy of your save first.

Admin password and the admin panel

Set the admin password in ServerSettings.ini, exactly as Funcom's setup page shows:

[ServerSettings]
AdminPassword=a-different-long-password

Keep it different from the join password. In game, press Esc, go to Settings > Server Settings and choose Make Me Admin, then enter the password. You can also open the console and type MakeMeAdmin <password>, per the wiki's Admin Panel page. Once you're admin, the Admin Panel in the menu gives you spawning, teleporting and player tools, and the Server Settings screen lets you change most rules without touching the INI files.

How to back up your Conan Exiles server

Your world lives in a database file in ConanSandbox/Saved/. Enhanced renamed it: the migration notes say the default is now game_0.db instead of game.db, so update any old backup scripts.

A simple routine:

  1. Stop the server so the database isn't mid-write.
  2. Copy ConanSandbox/Saved/ (the database plus Config/) and ConanSandbox/Mods/modlist.txt.
  3. Store copies off the machine, and keep several days of history so you can roll back past a bad night.

Always back up before a game update, before changing mods, and before switching branches. Funcom notes that UE4 databases are readable by UE5, but not the reverse, so an Enhanced save can't go back to the legacy branch. To restore, stop the server and replace game_0.db with your copy.

Common Conan Exiles server problems

  • Players can't connect after the Enhanced update. Old UE4 configs can contain bUseBuildIdOverride and BuildIdOverride lines under [OnlineSubsystem] in Engine.ini. The Enhanced troubleshooting page says to delete both.
  • Server missing from the browser. Check the UDP ports above in both the OS firewall and your router. If you launch with -MULTIHOME=<ip>, also add -MULTIHOMEHTTP=<ip>.
  • Mod mismatch on join. The player's mod list or order differs from the server's, or a mod updated on one side only. Have them accept the mismatch download, and keep server mods updated.
  • Crashes right after a game patch. Mods often need an update after patches. Disable mods to confirm the cause before blaming the game, as the wiki's mod compatibility notes suggest.
  • Linux server can't find the save. The Enhanced docs warn that Linux is case-sensitive, so keep the database file name all lowercase.
  • Out-of-memory crashes. Give the server more RAM, cut heavy mods, or exclude the Isle of Siptah region if your group doesn't use it.

For broader context on running your own box versus renting, see what a dedicated server is and why DDoS protection matters for game servers, especially if you run PvP.

Hosting your Conan Exiles server with EZ Game Host

If you'd rather skip port forwarding and keeping a PC on all night, Conan Exiles server hosting on EZ Game Host gives you ServerSettings.ini access, Exiled Lands and Isle of Siptah support, Steam Workshop mods, DDoS protection, 3 backup slots and 24/7 support, backed by a 99.9% monthly uptime SLA. Funcom's published table lists 8 GB for up to 35 players, which matches Standard, but that table predates Enhanced. If you plan to run both regions with a mod list, Pro's 16 GB gives you the headroom that Funcom's 70-player row and the post-Enhanced reports point toward.

Plan Price RAM CPU Players Storage
Standard $24/mo 8 GB 2 threads 25 40 GB NVMe
Pro $48/mo 16 GB 4 threads 40 80 GB NVMe
Premium $96/mo 32 GB 8 threads 40 160 GB NVMe

These are advertised allocations as of October 12, 2026, not performance guarantees. Quarterly and annual billing are also available, and monthly plans can be cancelled any time. Compare them on the Conan Exiles plans page, or read how to pick a plan.

FAQ

Can I host a Conan Exiles dedicated server on Xbox or PlayStation?

No. Funcom only supports self-hosting on PC. Console players can rent a server, and console servers stay on the UE4 version of the game.

How much RAM does a Conan Exiles Enhanced server need?

Funcom hasn't published updated server requirements for Enhanced. Its older table lists 8 GB for up to 35 players and 12 GB for 70, and at least one admin reported 8 GB was no longer enough after the UE5 update. Mods and loading the Siptah region both add to memory use.

Do my players need the Isle of Siptah DLC to join?

No. Anyone with the base game can join and play in the Exiled Lands region. Entering the Isle of Siptah region requires the DLC.

Can I keep my old world when moving to Enhanced?

Exiled Lands characters, bases and loot carry over, because Enhanced can read UE4 databases. Bases on the Isle of Siptah could not be preserved, and once a save has been opened in Enhanced it can't go back to the legacy branch. Back up first.

Where is the Conan Exiles server save file?

In ConanSandbox/Saved/. On Enhanced the default file is game_0.db. Older guides call it game.db.

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