Exit Caves of Qud, copy the complete active save folder to a separately named location, and preserve the game’s Mods directory before installing Diaspora. On Windows, Steam Cloud saves are commonly under %USERPROFILE%AppDataLocalLowFreehold GamesCavesOfQudSyncedSaves; local saves are under the same path without Synced. macOS and Linux use corresponding application-data directories. Keep the untouched backup until Diaspora launches, your character loads, and inventory, location, quests, and mods behave normally.
Diaspora is announced for December 3, 2026. Existing saves and mod combinations do not have a published universal migration guarantee, so a complete copy is your rollback point if the new installation changes compatibility.
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Why make a full backup before Diaspora?
A save backup gives you a known-good copy of your game state before an expansion changes the installation. If a post-install launch fails, a character will not load, a world position is wrong, or a mod behaves differently, you can return to the pre-install state instead of trying to reconstruct a run from individual files.
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The official Caves of Qud site announces the Diaspora expansion for December 3, 2026. That announcement does not establish that every older save, mod, or version combination will migrate cleanly. Treat compatibility as something to verify on your own installation, not as a guaranteed property of every existing run.
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Back up while the game is closed. A running game may still be writing a save, and copying a folder during that write can produce an incomplete or internally inconsistent backup. Do not overwrite the original while preparing the copy.
Find the active Caves of Qud save folder
First determine whether the game is using Steam Cloud’s synchronized tree or a local save tree. Steam Cloud data is commonly inside a folder named Synced, with a Saves subdirectory. A local installation normally uses a sibling Saves directory without Synced. If you launched the game with a custom -savepath argument, that location takes precedence over the defaults below.
| Platform and storage | Location | What to copy |
|---|---|---|
| Windows, Steam Cloud | %USERPROFILE%AppDataLocalLowFreehold GamesCavesOfQudSyncedSaves |
The relevant save folder, or the complete Saves tree |
| Windows, local | %USERPROFILE%AppDataLocalLowFreehold GamesCavesOfQudSaves |
The relevant save folder, or the complete Saves tree |
| macOS, Steam Cloud | ~/Library/Application Support/com.FreeholdGames.CavesOfQud/Synced/Saves |
The relevant save folder, or the complete Saves tree |
| macOS, local | ~/Library/Application Support/com.FreeholdGames.CavesOfQud/Saves |
The relevant save folder, or the complete Saves tree |
| Linux, Steam Cloud | ~/.config/unity3d/Freehold Games/CavesOfQud/Synced/Saves |
The relevant save folder, or the complete Saves tree |
| Linux, local | ~/.config/unity3d/Freehold Games/CavesOfQud/Saves |
The relevant save folder, or the complete Saves tree |
Any platform with -savepath |
The directory supplied by that launch argument | Use the override instead of a default path |
These locations are the platform mappings documented for Caves of Qud’s Steam Cloud and local data. The exact active tree depends on how your copy was launched. If both a synchronized and a local tree contain data, do not guess or delete one: back up both, then identify the one whose modification times and in-game contents match your current run.
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In File Explorer, paste the Windows path into the address bar. The %USERPROFILE% variable expands to your account folder, so you do not need to replace it manually. Open Synced first if you are checking Steam Cloud, then open Saves. For local data, open the path that ends directly in CavesOfQudSaves.
macOS
In Finder, choose Go > Go to Folder, paste the path, and press Return. The Steam Cloud path ends in Synced/Saves; the local path ends in Saves. The ~ at the beginning means your macOS home folder.
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Open your file manager and enter the path in its location field, or navigate to the hidden directories under your home folder. The leading dot in .config means the directory may be hidden by default. Enable hidden files in the file manager if you cannot see it.
Identify the save that is actually in use
Some installations contain several folders with long, machine-generated IDs. The safest approach is to compare modification times and then confirm the contents in the game. Sort the folders by the most recent modification date, but do not treat the newest folder as proof by itself: a background synchronization or an old test run can change timestamps.
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- Close Caves of Qud and wait for the process to disappear from the taskbar, dock, or system monitor.
- Open the likely
Savesdirectory and note every folder, including older runs. - Record the modification date of each folder. Do not delete or rename the originals while identifying them.
- If more than one folder could be current, copy the complete
Savestree rather than selecting only one. - When you later launch the game, verify the character name, inventory, world position, and quest progress against the run you intended to protect.
Copying the complete tree is especially useful when you maintain several characters. It avoids the risk of backing up only a similarly named or recently touched folder and losing an older run that you still want to preserve.
Back up the save and Mods directory
The backup should contain more than a single guessed file. Copy the entire relevant save folder, or the complete Saves directory if you want every run covered. Also preserve the surrounding Mods directory. Caves of Qud’s technical guide explains that mods can be created by placing a Mods folder in the game’s save directory, so a save that depends on custom content may not be reproducible from the save folder alone.
- Create a destination that is separate from the live game data. A second internal drive, an external drive, or a USB flash drive can work; the important property is that the copy is not the same folder the game updates.
- Make a clearly dated parent folder, such as
Qud-before-Diaspora-2026-10-19. Add the game version if you know it, for exampleQud-before-Diaspora-2026-10-19-version-known; do not invent a version number. - Copy the relevant save folder or the complete
Savestree into that parent folder. Use copy and paste, not cut and paste. - Copy the adjacent
Modsdirectory into the same backup parent. If your mods are stored under a custom save location, copy that location’sModsdirectory instead. - Write down the exact path used and any custom
-savepathlaunch argument. A backup is much easier to restore when you know which directory the game was using. - Wait for the file operation to finish before opening the game or installing Diaspora. Leave the originals untouched.
If the copy operation reports a file that cannot be read, stop and resolve that problem before installation. A backup with a missing or partially copied save is not a dependable rollback point.
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Choose a backup destination
There is no need for a specialized backup application for this one-time operation. A generic destination is sufficient as long as it has enough free space and remains separate from the game’s active files.
| Destination | Capacity | Reliability considerations | Portability | Best use |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Removable storage, such as a USB flash drive | Usually ample for save folders and mods; check available space before copying | Keep it disconnected after verifying the copy and eject it properly to reduce accidental changes | High; easy to move to another computer | A simple offline rollback copy |
| Another local drive | Typically more than enough for multiple dated backups | Separate from the game installation, but still exposed if the computer’s storage fails | Low to moderate | Frequent snapshots and convenient restoration |
For maximum resilience, keep one copy away from the drive that holds the game. The research for this procedure does not establish a particular product, price, or backup program, so choose a generic destination that fits your equipment rather than relying on a brand-specific recommendation.
Verify that the backup is usable
Verification is a practical check, not a guarantee that Diaspora will accept the save. It confirms that the copy exists, contains the expected directories, and is not obviously empty or truncated.
- Open the dated backup and confirm that the save folder or
Savestree is present. - Confirm that the copied
Modsdirectory is present when you use mods. - Compare the number of save folders in the backup with the source. If you backed up the complete tree, the counts should match at the time of copying.
- Check that the backup’s newest modification time is at or before the moment you closed the game.
- Open a few folders and make sure they contain files rather than empty directories.
- Keep the backup in its dated parent folder; do not continue editing it as a working save.
You do not need to launch the backup copy itself to verify it. In fact, opening or modifying it before installation defeats the purpose of retaining an untouched pre-Diaspora state.
Install Diaspora only after the copy is complete
Once the backup and its verification are finished, install Diaspora through the distribution method supplied for your Caves of Qud installation. Keep the dated backup available, but do not point the game at it as a new live save location. The original save tree remains the test subject; the backup remains the rollback copy.
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Do not delete older save folders to make room or to “clean up” before the first launch. Multiple folders may represent different characters, and the compatibility status of each may differ. Removing them before you have tested Diaspora eliminates options you may later need.
Test the installation and save methodically
After installation, load the backed-up character from the normal active save location. Check the parts of the run most likely to reveal a problem rather than stopping at the title screen.
- Launch Caves of Qud with the same account and save-path configuration you used before the installation.
- Confirm that the expected character or run appears in the load menu.
- Load it and check the character’s inventory, equipment, health, and other immediately visible state.
- Confirm the world position and nearby map or location information.
- Open the quest or journal view and verify that completed and active quests are present.
- Use any custom mod features that the character depends on. Look for missing content, errors, disabled behavior, or a prompt that the mod is unavailable.
- Do not overwrite the dated backup merely because the first load succeeds. Keep it until you have finished the checks that matter to your run.
A successful load is evidence that this particular save and installation work together at that moment. It is not a universal statement that every Qud save or mod will be compatible with Diaspora.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Restore a save if Diaspora causes a problem
If the game will not launch, the save will not load, or the loaded world is clearly wrong, stop testing and preserve the changed state before restoring anything. That extra copy can help you recover new progress or diagnose which content caused the failure.
- Exit Caves of Qud completely. Do not keep retrying a save that may be writing changes.
- Copy the current, changed save tree to a separate folder with a name such as
Qud-after-Diaspora-problem-2026-10-19. Include the currentModsdirectory if it has changed. - Identify the same active path you recorded before installation, including any custom
-savepath. - Move the changed live save folder out of that path or rename it. Do not delete it until the rollback is confirmed.
- Copy the pre-Diaspora save folder, or the saved
Savestree, from your dated backup back into the active path. - Restore the backed-up
Modsdirectory when the run depends on it. If the newly added content is the suspected cause, disable or remove that new content as appropriate before relaunching. - Launch the game and verify the character, inventory, position, quests, and mod behavior again.
Restoration should use the same folder structure as the original. Do not copy only one internal file unless a documented recovery procedure specifically calls for it; a save is a set of related files, and omitting one can create a different failure.
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Steam Cloud and local-copy pitfalls
There are both Synced and local folders
Steam Cloud and local data can coexist. If you back up only the local tree while the game is actually loading from Synced/Saves, your backup may not contain the current run. When in doubt, preserve both complete trees and identify the active one by modification time and in-game contents.
A custom -savepath overrides the defaults
A launch argument that specifies -savepath can place saves somewhere other than the standard platform directories. Record that argument and use its target for both the save and the neighboring Mods directory. Copying a default folder will not protect a run stored at the override location.
Several long-ID folders are normal
Long identifiers do not tell you which folder is safe to delete, and they are not a reason to discard older runs. Back up the complete tree or retain every relevant folder until you have confirmed the post-install load.
Copying only a character file is risky
The practical backup recommendation is to copy the whole relevant folder, not a single guessed file. Related metadata and mod data may be required for the run to load as expected.
The backup is on the same disk
A second folder beside the live game files protects against a bad installation or incompatible content, but it does not protect against loss of the entire disk. A removable device or another drive provides physical separation.
When can you delete the backup?
Keep the dated copy until Diaspora launches successfully and the save has passed your checks for inventory, world position, quest state, and mod behavior. If you play several characters, test each run you care about before treating the installation as settled. Once you are satisfied, retain the backup as a historical restore point or remove it only after deciding that you no longer need to return to the pre-install state.
The safest sequence is therefore simple: close the game, locate the active tree, copy the complete save data and Mods directory to a separate dated destination, install Diaspora, test the run, and restore only if the verified copy fails.
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