Squad Workshop mods and layer rotation

A Squad layer is one specific playable version of a map - map, game mode, version number and faction setup in a single name such as Narva_AAS_v1 - and a rotation is simply a list of those names in SquadGame/ServerConfig/LayerRotation.cfg, used when MapRotationMode=LayerList. Mods come from the Steam Workshop under the game's app id 393380, are downloaded on the server into SquadGame/Plugins/Mods/, and add their own layers that go into the same rotation file. The two things that break modded Squad servers are names that do not match exactly, which are skipped without an error, and mod versions that differ between the server and the players, which stop people joining.

This guide covers layers and rotation in depth, then mods: installing them, finding their layer names, keeping server and clients in step, and building a rotation that a community will actually stay for. The rest of the server - install, ports, licence, tick rate - is in Squad server hosting, and admins and bans are in Squad Server.cfg and Admins.cfg.

Levels, layers and how Squad names them#

Squad separates two ideas that most games blur together:

• A level is a map: Narva, Gorodok, Al Basrah, Yehorivka.
• A layer is a configured round on that map: which game mode, which flags or caches, which factions, which vehicles, day or night. One level has many layers.

Layer names follow a pattern: <Map>_<Mode>_v<N>. The version number is not a patch counter for the map; it distinguishes different layouts of the same mode on the same map. Yehorivka_RAAS_v1 and Yehorivka_RAAS_v4 are different rounds, with different lanes and assets.

The modes you will see in names:

The exact set of layers, and which modes exist on which maps, changes with almost every major update. Maps are reworked, layers renamed, versions retired. Never trust a layer list copied from a forum post more than one update old - including any list in this guide.

Finding the real layer names

There are three reliable sources, in order of preference:

1. The server itself. Over RCON or the console, recent versions answer ListLayers with every layer the server knows about, including mod layers. Paste that output into a file and build your rotation from it.
2. The server log. On start-up the log records the rotation it loaded. A layer you listed that does not appear there was skipped.
3. The admin menu in game. Admins with changemap can browse layers when setting the next one.

Copying names from a community spreadsheet is fine for planning; the rotation file should always be checked against one of the three sources above.

LayerRotation.cfg and the rotation modes#

With MapRotationMode=LayerList in Server.cfg, the server plays the lines of LayerRotation.cfg from top to bottom and loops. LayerList_Randomized shuffles them. RandomizeAtStart=true shuffles once at boot, which you usually do not want if you planned the order.

// Evening rotation - alternate heavy and lightNarva_AAS_v1Sumari_Seed_v1Yehorivka_RAAS_v4Fallujah_Invasion_v1Gorodok_RAAS_v1Mestia_Skirmish_v1GooseBay_Invasion_v1

Recent versions also accept two faction tags after the layer name, separated by spaces, to fix the matchup for that entry rather than letting the game choose. Both factions must be valid for that layer, and the exact tag format has changed as the faction and unit system evolved, so read the comments at the top of your own shipped LayerRotation.cfg and test one line before converting a whole rotation. If a line with faction tags is skipped, the tags are the first suspect.

The alternatives:

• `LevelList` reads LevelRotation.cfg, one map per line, and lets the game pick a layer on each. Less work, less control. Pair it with ExcludedLayers.cfg to stop it choosing layers you dislike.
• Voting. UseVoteLevel, UseVoteLayer and UseVoteFactions in Server.cfg, with rules in VoteConfig.cfg. Voting replaces your order with the crowd's, and crowds converge on the same three layers. ExcludedLayers.cfg, ExcludedLevels.cfg and ExcludedFactions.cfg keep things out of the vote.

Building a rotation people stay for#

A rotation is the single biggest lever you have over whether a Squad server keeps its population through an evening. The patterns that work:

• Alternate weight. A vehicle-heavy RAAS layer followed by an infantry-focused Invasion or a smaller map. Players get variety, and the CPU cost per round evens out - a sequence of three armour layers is both tiring and the most likely moment for tick rate to sag.
• Put the favourites at peak. If you know when the server is fullest, arrange the order so the layers your regulars like land then. The server restarts at a known time if you schedule it, which makes the position in the rotation predictable.
• Seed separately. Seed layers exist because a 100-player map with eight people on it is boring and empties the server. A common approach is a short seeding rotation in the morning, switched to the main rotation once the server passes a threshold.
• Night layers sparingly. They are distinctive and many players dislike them. One per rotation at most, and never at peak unless your community asks for it.
• Retire layers deliberately. When a layer consistently empties the server, take it out. Watching player count across a round transition is the most honest map feedback you will get.

Switching between a seeding rotation and a main rotation automatically is not something the base server does. Communities do it with an RCON tool - SquadJS is the usual one - that watches the player count and sets the next layer, or with two prepared rotation files and a scheduled restart that swaps them. The second is cruder and needs no extra software: keep LayerRotation.seed.cfg and LayerRotation.main.cfg, and copy one over the live file before a restart. Scheduled tasks worth having covers the restart side.

For one-off control during a round, admins use the RCON or console commands:

ShowCurrentMapShowNextMapAdminSetNextLayer Yehorivka_RAAS_v4AdminChangeLayer Narva_AAS_v1

AdminSetNextLayer overrides the rotation for one round only and then the rotation resumes. AdminChangeLayer ends the current round immediately, which players notice, so use it sparingly.

Workshop mods on a Squad server#

Squad mods are Steam Workshop items attached to the game, app id 393380 - not the dedicated server's id, 403240, which is the mistake that sends people in circles. The server loads mods it finds in SquadGame/Plugins/Mods/, one folder per Workshop item, named by the item's numeric id.

Download them with SteamCMD using an anonymous login, then move each item into the mods folder:

$ steamcmd +force_install_dir /home/squad/workshop +login anonymous \    +workshop_download_item 393380 1234567890 \    +workshop_download_item 393380 1234567891 +quit$ cp -r /home/squad/workshop/steamapps/workshop/content/393380/1234567890 \    /home/squad/server/SquadGame/Plugins/Mods/

On a hosting panel, you typically do not run those commands yourself. Many Squad installs expose a field on the Startup tab for a comma-separated list of Workshop ids that are fetched on the next start; where that is not available, you download the items on your own PC (subscribing in the Squad client puts them in your Steam library's workshop/content/393380/) and upload the folders to SquadGame/Plugins/Mods/ over SFTP. Steam Workshop mods on dedicated servers explains how Workshop downloads work across games and why they fail.

What mods can and cannot do

Squad mods range from small to enormous:

• Map mods add new levels and their layers. These are the largest, often several gigabytes each.
• Faction and vehicle mods add units that appear on existing or modded layers.
• Gameplay overhauls change rules, ballistics or the whole game mode. Large overhaul projects such as Global Escalation fall here, and run their own layer sets.
• Server-side tools are rare in Squad. Most admin tooling lives outside the game and talks to it over RCON instead.

There is no client-optional category for gameplay content. Every player must have the same items, at the same versions, to join. That one rule decides what kind of modded server you can run: a server with one popular map pack can still attract strangers; a server with eight mods and twenty gigabytes of downloads is a server for a community that already exists and will follow instructions.

Adding mod layers to the rotation#

A mod's layers go into LayerRotation.cfg exactly like vanilla ones. The difficulty is knowing what they are called. Mod authors name layers however they like, and the name in the mod's description is not always the internal name.

1. Install the mod and restart the server.
2. Run ListLayers over RCON and look for the new entries, or check the log for the layers the mod registered.
3. Add the names to LayerRotation.cfg, ideally one at a time, and restart.
4. Watch the log to confirm each one loaded, then set it with AdminSetNextLayer to test it in a real round before it goes into the evening rotation.

A rotation mixing vanilla and mod layers is fine, but be deliberate about which comes first after a restart. If the first layer is a mod map, every player who has not downloaded the mod is turned away at the moment your server is trying to fill.

Updates: keeping the server and the mods in step#

Squad updates and mod updates are independent, and both have to line up with what your players have.

• Squad update. Clients update through Steam and can no longer join an old server. The server needs app_update 403240 validate. Major Squad updates usually rebuild the engine side, and mods built for the previous version stop loading until their authors republish.
• Mod update. The author publishes; players' Steam clients update the item automatically; your server still has the old copy until you download it again. Now nobody can join until you do.

So the routine on any update day is:

1. Stop the server and back up SquadGame/ServerConfig/ and your mod list.
2. Update the server with SteamCMD.
3. Check each mod's Workshop page for a post-update release. Remove any mod that has not been updated, and take its layers out of the rotation.
4. Re-download the mods that have updated.
5. Start, read the log for the loaded rotation and any mod load failures, and set a mod layer as next to test it.

A modded server should never update automatically on patch day. The broader version of this routine is in what to do when a mod update breaks.

Resources: what mods cost the server#

Mods affect three resources unevenly:

The point about CPU deserves emphasis. Squad's tick rate is set by one game thread, so a mod layer stuffed with vehicles and helicopters can drop tick rate on a server that holds 50 Hz comfortably on vanilla layers. If a particular mod layer is always where tick rate sags, the fix is the rotation, not the plan. CPU vs RAM for game servers explains how to tell which resource is actually short.

On a panel, the console's CPU and memory graphs across a full round on the new layer tell you more than any number on a Workshop page. Take a backup before installing a large map pack - on RE:NODE backups are on every plan and restore with one button - so that backing it out is a restore rather than an afternoon of deleting folders.

Troubleshooting#

A layer in the rotation never plays. The name is wrong, outdated, or belongs to a mod that is not installed or failed to load. Check ListLayers and the start-up log.

Players are kicked with a mod mismatch. They have a different version of a mod than the server, or are missing one. Update the server's copy if the mod updated; otherwise have the player verify the item in Steam.

The server will not start after adding a mod. The mod is built for a different Squad version or the download is incomplete. Remove its folder from Plugins/Mods, start, and confirm vanilla runs before trying again.

The disk fills during an update. Squad and its mods update into place but temporary files need space. Remove mods you no longer use, and keep headroom of at least the size of your largest mod.

Voting always picks the same layers. That is how voting works. Exclude the dominant layers from the vote for a week, or switch to LayerList.

A mod layer loads but tick rate collapses. Too many vehicles or too large a playable area for your CPU at your slot count. Move it to a quieter time or remove it.

FAQ#

What is the difference between a level and a layer in Squad?

A level is a map. A layer is a specific round on that map - mode, flag layout, factions, assets and lighting - with a name like Gorodok_RAAS_v1. Rotations are built from layers when MapRotationMode is LayerList.

Where do Squad mods go on a dedicated server?

In SquadGame/Plugins/Mods/, one folder per Workshop item, named by its numeric id. They are downloaded from the Workshop under app id 393380, the game's id, not the dedicated server's.

Do players need to install the same mods?

Yes, every gameplay mod at the same version. There is no client-optional content for maps, factions or rules. Publish a Workshop collection or a plain list so players can subscribe before they try to join.

How do I find the layer names a mod adds?

Install it, restart, and run ListLayers over RCON, or read the layers the server registered in the start-up log. The names in a mod's description are not always the internal names.

Should I let my modded server update automatically?

No. A Squad update usually breaks some mods until their authors republish, and a mod update breaks joining until the server has the same version. Update by hand, in order, with the server stopped.

Can I run only mod layers?

Yes - a rotation can be entirely mod layers. Just accept that every new player needs the full mod set before they can join, and that a mod abandoned by its author ends your rotation the day the next Squad update ships.