How to add mods to a Squad server

Squad mods come from the Steam Workshop. They add maps, factions, vehicles and whole new ways to play. The server downloads each mod from Steam without a login, and every player subscribes to the same mods on Steam before they join.

How Squad mods work

• Each mod is a Workshop item with a number, its Workshop ID. It’s the number after ?id= in the mod’s Steam link.
• The server keeps mods in SquadGame/Plugins/Mods, one folder per Workshop ID, and loads all of them when it starts.
• A mod that adds maps adds layers. Those only come up once they’re in your rotation.
• Players need every mod too, so their game has the same maps and gear.

Add a Workshop mod

1. Open the mod’s Steam Workshop page and copy its Workshop ID, the number after ?id=.
2. Open Settings, then the advanced settings, and add the ID to Workshop mods. Separate several IDs with commas.
3. Restart the server. On each start it downloads the mods on the list into SquadGame/Plugins/Mods, and updates them when their authors do.

To remove a mod, take its ID out of Workshop mods and restart. One-tap installs from the Mods tab are coming.

You can also upload a mod folder in Files, into SquadGame/Plugins/Mods. Use this for a mod that isn’t on the Workshop, like one your group made.

Set the load order

Most mods don’t care which loads first. When one depends on another, or two change the same thing, set the order in SquadGame/ServerConfig/ModsConfig.cfg:

ModLoadOrder=FirstModId,SecondModId

These IDs aren’t Workshop numbers. Each mod has a .mi file in its folder, and the ID is in there. Mod load order in Settings writes the same line for you. Mods you leave out still load, after the ones you list.

Put modded maps in your rotation

A map mod does nothing until its layers are picked. Its Workshop page usually lists the layer IDs.

1. Open LayerRotation.cfg in Files.
2. Add each layer ID on its own line, like your other layers.
3. Under Settings, set Next map to your layer list, in order or shuffled.
4. Restart.

Tell players what to install

Players must subscribe to every mod before they join. Make it easy:

• Make a Steam Workshop collection with all your mods, and share one link.
• Put the link in your server’s description, your Discord, and the message players see when they join, in MOTD.cfg.
• Add a tag like modded in Server browser tags, so players know before they click.

Mods and licensing

Offworld’s licensing rules cover which mods a licensed server may run. Unlicensed servers, listed under Custom Servers, can run any Workshop mod. Read the rules on Offworld’s licensing page before you license a modded server.

When a mod breaks the server

A Squad update often breaks mods until their authors catch up. If the server stops starting after an update:

1. Remove the newest or biggest mods, then restart.
2. Add them back one at a time once their authors update them.
3. Check common errors for what each symptom means.

Big mods use more memory. If you run several, see performance for the plan they need.