7 Days to Die overhaul mods on a server

An overhaul mod for 7 Days to Die is a whole different game wearing the same engine: new items, recipes, zombies, classes, progression and often new world generation. Darkness Falls, Undead Legacy, Rebirth, Ravenhearst and War3zuk's all-in-one are the well-known ones. Running one on a dedicated server is not hard, but it has five rules that a small modlet does not. The server must run exactly the game version the overhaul was built for. Easy Anti-Cheat must be off. Every player must install the same overhaul at the same version. You almost always start a new world and save. And you should plan for 2-4 GB more memory than vanilla. Get those five right and the rest is following the mod's own instructions.

This guide covers what makes an overhaul different from a modlet, the main ones and how they differ for a server owner, the install, getting players onto the same version, pinning the game so an update does not break the server, and the failures you will actually see. For small modlets, XPath patching and load order, see the admin commands and modlets guide.

What makes an overhaul different from a modlet#

7 Days to Die mods are folders in a Mods directory, each with a ModInfo.xml. A modlet is usually small: a handful of XML patches to loot, recipes or spawns, often working with nobody installing anything on their client because the server sends its XML configuration to joining players.

An overhaul is the same mechanism at a scale that changes the rules:

• It ships code. Almost every overhaul includes compiled .dll files that patch the game at runtime with Harmony. Code is the reason EAC has to be off, and the reason the mod only works on the exact game build it was compiled against.
• It ships assets. New models, icons, sounds, UI and blocks live in Unity asset bundles. Assets cannot be sent from the server, so every client has to have them.
• It rewrites progression. Skill trees, crafting stations, loot tiers and zombie lists are replaced wholesale, not adjusted. A save made with vanilla progression does not translate.
• It often changes world generation. Custom POIs, biome rules or extra prefabs mean a random world built without the mod lacks things the mod expects to exist.
• It usually has dependencies. Many overhauls build on shared libraries - 0-SCore is the common one - and ship them inside their download. Do not mix in a separately downloaded copy of a library the overhaul already includes.

That is why an overhaul is a server decision taken at the start of a season, not something added on a Tuesday.

The main overhauls, for a server owner#

Each of these is maintained by its own author or team, on its own schedule. Which game version each supports changes over time, so the first job is always the mod's own page.

Some practical differences matter more than the feature lists.

Pace of updates. When the game ships a major version, each overhaul has to be reworked, and some take weeks or months. If your group wants a specific overhaul, the game version you run is chosen by that overhaul, not by Steam. A server on the newest game build may simply have no compatible version of the mod you want yet.

Download size. Some overhauls are a few hundred megabytes; the biggest are several gigabytes. Every player downloads it, and the server needs the space for the mod, a larger save and backups of both.

Distribution. Several overhauls are installed through a community launcher - the 7D2D Mod Launcher is the long-standing one - which creates a separate copy of the game with the mod applied, so a player's vanilla install stays clean. Others are a zip you extract into the Mods folder. Find out which your choice uses before you tell players how to join.

Requirements: memory, CPU and disk#

Overhauls cost memory in three places: the extra assets and definitions loaded at start, larger and more varied zombie and loot tables in play, and more complex systems running per tick. They cost CPU mostly through the horde, because many overhauls add tougher and more varied enemies, and horde night is where that shows. The first start of an overhauled server is also slower than vanilla, especially when it is also generating a random world, so expect a long wait and watch the console rather than the clock.

7 Days to Die plans on RE:NODE run from 8 GB to 14 GB with up to 100 GB of NVMe, which covers most overhauls for a group. For the very largest packs with a full public server, measure on a test run before committing to a player count.

Installing an overhaul on the server#

The steps below are the general shape. If the overhaul's own instructions differ, theirs win.

1. Check the version. Read the overhaul's page for the exact game build it targets. Check the server's build with version in the console. If they do not match, pin the server first (next section).
2. Back up. Take a backup of the whole server - install, Mods and the user data folder with saves. On RE:NODE, lock it so it survives rotation; you will want it if the season goes wrong.
3. Stop the server.
4. Clear the old `Mods` folder. Move any existing modlets out. Overhauls are tested alone, and mixing them with random modlets is how you get errors nobody can help with.
5. Upload the overhaul. Most ship a Mods folder containing several subfolders. Those subfolders go directly inside the server's Mods directory, each with its ModInfo.xml at its own top level. Upload as a zip and unpack it on the server if you can; it is much faster than thousands of small files over SFTP.
6. Turn off EAC. Set EACEnabled to false in serverconfig.xml.
7. Start a new save. New GameName, and a new world if the overhaul changes generation or POIs - which most do. GameWorld RWG with a new seed is the usual choice.
8. Start and read the log. Let it generate. Then read the startup output for every mod loading and for red errors.

Mods/  0-SCore/    ModInfo.xml  0-OverhaulCore/    ModInfo.xml    Config/    Resources/  1-OverhaulPOIs/    ModInfo.xml    Prefabs/

The numbered prefixes in folder names are deliberate. Mods load in alphabetical folder order, and overhaul authors use the prefixes to make libraries load before the content that depends on them. Do not rename them.

<property name="EACEnabled" value="false"/><property name="GameWorld"  value="RWG"/><property name="WorldGenSeed" value="Darkness Season 1"/><property name="WorldGenSize" value="8192"/><property name="GameName"   value="DFSeason1"/>

Some overhauls publish a separate server package or say which folders are only needed on clients. If yours does, use it: a server does not need client-only UI and audio, and a smaller Mods folder starts faster.

EAC, and what turning it off means#

EACEnabled set to false is not optional for a code-based overhaul. The overhaul's .dll files patch the game in a way Easy Anti-Cheat exists to block, and with EAC on the server will either refuse the mod or kick clients that load it.

Players have to start the game with EAC off too. The game's own launcher has an option to start without EAC; with a community mod launcher, the modded copy normally starts without it.

The cost is real. EAC is the game's main defence against client-side cheats - flying, spawning items, seeing through walls. On a private server for a group who know each other, that cost is close to zero. On a public overhaul server, it means your defence is moderation and logs. Use a password or a whitelist via serveradmin.xml for anything that is not genuinely public, and see server rules, moderation and staff for the moderation side.

Getting every player onto the same version#

The commonest overhaul problem is not the server. It is one player with a different version of the mod.

• Publish the exact version. Pin a message in your Discord with the overhaul name, version number and the game build it runs on, and update it every time you update the server.
• Prefer one source. If the overhaul uses a launcher, point everyone to it. If it is a zip, link the exact release you installed, not the mod's front page, which will move on.
• Update together. When the overhaul releases an update, players must update at the same time as the server. Announce a time, update the server, and expect a wave of "cannot join" messages from people who did not read the announcement.
• Check mid-season updates. Many overhaul updates are save-compatible within a version line; some are not. The author's changelog says which. If it says a new game is required, it means it.

What a mismatch looks like depends on what differs. Missing assets show as errors on load or a kick with a mismatch message; mismatched XML often lets the player in and then fails in odd ways - items that cannot be crafted, recipes that do not appear, crashes when looking at something specific. If one player has strange problems that nobody else has, compare their mod version before debugging anything else.

Pinning the game version#

Overhauls are compiled for one game build. When Steam updates the game, the server updates with it unless you stop it, and the overhaul breaks until its author catches up - which can take a long time after a major release.

The fix is to pin the server to a branch. 7 Days to Die publishes older versions as beta branches, and SteamCMD can install one:

$ steamcmd +force_install_dir /home/7dtd/server +login your_spare_account \    +app_update 294420 -beta <branch_name> validate +quit

Branch names change as versions come and go, so read the list from the game's Betas tab in the Steam client or from the overhaul's instructions, which usually name the branch to use. Players have to select the same branch in their own Steam client. SteamCMD explained covers branches, validate and update scripts in detail.

On a panel-based host, the branch is normally a variable on the Startup tab rather than a command you type, and an automatic update on restart has to be off - or set to the pinned branch - for a modded server. Check both before your first scheduled restart, not after it.

Testing an overhaul before launch night#

Launching an overhaul for a group without a test run is how you spend launch night reading logs.

1. Install it and start the server with only yourself online.
2. Read the whole startup log. Every mod should report loading; search for ERR and Exception.
3. Join from a client with the same version. Craft something from the overhaul's early tiers, open its new menus, and walk into a POI the mod adds.
4. Run a blood moon with settime and watch the server's stats line in the console - the blood moon guide explains how to read it.
5. Stop with shutdown, start again, and confirm the save loads with your progress.
6. Take a backup, and restore it once to make sure it works.

If you can, do this on a separate test server so the real one is untouched until launch. Keeping a modded server clean covers the wider habits, and what to do when a mod update breaks is the routine for the day the overhaul and the game disagree.

Troubleshooting#

The server starts but the overhaul is not active. The folders are nested one level too deep. Each mod folder with its ModInfo.xml must sit directly inside Mods/, not inside Mods/Overhaul/Mods/.

Red XML errors at startup. Usually a version mismatch between overhaul and game, or a leftover modlet patching something the overhaul removed. Check the version first, then empty the Mods folder except for the overhaul.

Exceptions mentioning Harmony or a mod's DLL. The game build does not match the one the code was compiled for. Pin the server to the right branch.

Players are kicked immediately. EAC is still on, on the server or on their client, or their mod version differs.

Some players have broken recipes or missing items. Their mod version differs from the server's, or they have an extra modlet locally. Compare versions.

The first start takes a very long time and then restarts. Generating a world with a large overhaul uses more memory than running it. If it reached the plan's memory limit, it was stopped and restarted. Generate with nobody online, use a smaller world, or move up a plan; on RE:NODE a plan change keeps the same server and files.

Everything broke after a Steam update. The server updated past the overhaul's supported build. Restore the backup, pin the branch, and turn off automatic updates.

FAQ#

Can I add Darkness Falls to our existing world?

No. Overhauls replace progression, items and usually world content, so they need a new save and normally a new world. Keep the old world's backup if you want to go back to it.

Do players need to install the overhaul?

Yes. Overhauls include assets and code, which cannot be sent from the server. Every player needs the same overhaul at the same version, usually through the mod's launcher or its release zip.

Can I run an overhaul with EAC on?

Not one that includes code, and almost all do. Set EACEnabled to false and have players start without EAC. Protect the server with a password or whitelist instead.

Can I combine two overhauls?

Generally no. Each replaces the same core systems, and they are not tested together. Pick one. Small modlets on top are sometimes supported by the overhaul's author; if they publish a list of compatible add-ons, stay inside it.

How much more memory does an overhaul need?

Plan for 2-4 GB above what the same world would need in vanilla, more for the largest packs. Generation of a new world with an overhaul is the peak, so leave headroom for the first start.

What happens when the game updates?

If the server updates past the build the overhaul supports, the overhaul breaks. Pin the server to the branch the mod names, keep automatic updates off, and move to a new game version only when the overhaul announces support for it.