A dedicated Viking-realm server that's online when your friends are. No "host has to be in-game" Steam P2P jank. Pulsar67 VPS, full root for BepInEx mods, DDoS protected, online in 60 seconds. From $5/mo.
Valheim's Steam-hosted server requires the host to be in-game - which means everyone else has to wait for one player. With a dedicated server on a VPS, the world is always available. Your crew can hop in for an hour after work without coordinating who's "host tonight."
Plus: BepInEx mods, ValheimPlus, custom world seeds, scheduled backups. The server is yours, not a managed panel's.
World persists 24/7. Anyone can log in anytime. No "wait for host to come home."
BepInEx, ValheimPlus, Epic Loot, custom server.cfg. Run anything Valheim modding can throw at it.
Always-on mitigation helps protect the public Valheim port during attacks.
Valheim patches can break mods. Snapshot the world before applying anything.
Valheim recommends 4 GB RAM, but more matters as worlds age and bases grow.
SteamCMD does most of the work.
apt install steamcmdsteamcmd +login anonymous +force_install_dir ~/valheim +app_update 896660 validate +quitValheim is single-thread-heavy. We avoid extreme overcommit so server-side performance stays predictable.
Disk writes happen on tick. SAS SSD means saves don't cause hitches in late-game megabases.
Played a risky raid and got wiped? Or someone griefed the base? Snapshot rollback in seconds.
"$5/month" means $5/month. No DDoS surcharge or "premium mod support" upcharge.
Spin up a server, share the IP with your crew, slay your first troll before bedtime.
Concrete setup details for the first deploy, the firewall, and the first thing to check when something acts strange.
Open UDP 2456-2458. Keep the server password strong if the world is public.
Starter can host a small group. Pro is better for larger explored worlds, mods, and groups that build heavily.
Install through SteamCMD, run under systemd, and snapshot the world before mod or version updates.
If the server vanishes from the list, connect by IP:port, check UDP firewall rules, and verify the world name/password config.