How to Install Darkness Falls on a 7 Days to Die Server (V6)

Install Darkness Falls on the dedicated server and on every player’s PC, using the same 7 Days to Die branch and the same Darkness Falls build. The current V6 compatibility guidance targets the 1.0/v1.4 game line, not the 2.x or V3.x lines. You must also disable Easy Anti-Cheat (EAC) on the server and clients, copy the mod’s three server folders into the dedicated-server root, create a new Darkness Falls world, and allow the game’s network ports.

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The procedure below covers a Steam dedicated server, Windows or Linux launch, Docker-based deployment, memory planning, and the failure checks that resolve most “server won’t load” problems.

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Before you install: compatibility and prerequisites

Darkness Falls is a total-conversion-style overhaul, so it is not a drop-in server mod. The server and each connecting client load many of the same assets, XML files, world definitions, and gameplay code. A mismatch can stop startup or disconnect players before they reach the world.

Use a supported game branch

The current Darkness Falls V6 compatibility guide describes the mod as built for the 7 Days to Die 1.0/v1.4 line. It warns that V6 will not load on the newer 2.x or V3.x lines. Branch support can change when the mod is rebuilt, so check the release’s compatibility statement before pinning a branch.

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Back up and stop first

Stop the server before changing files or configuration. Copy the existing save directory and configuration files to a separate location. Darkness Falls needs a fresh world; a vanilla save is not a supported starting point and may fail to load cleanly after conversion. Keep the backup until players have joined the new world successfully.

Plan storage, memory, and access

• The dedicated-server guide lists 6 GB of free RAM as a vanilla minimum. For an overhaul with four or more players, 10–16 GB is the comfortable planning range.
• Allow at least 15 GB of SSD space for the server; 25 GB or more leaves room for the game, mod files, logs, backups, and a generated world.
• Open and forward the game ports used by your installation. The documented defaults are 26900 TCP/UDP, 26901 UDP, and 26902 UDP.
• Large generated maps consume considerably more memory. A 7D2D Wiki rule of thumb is: map size in K is the minimum memory in GB, plus 500 MB per player. For example, an 8K map with four players requires at least about 10 GB by that planning formula. It is guidance, not a guaranteed benchmark.

Install the 7 Days to Die dedicated server

Steam client method

The dedicated server is a separate Steam tool, application ID 294420. It is free to download and does not require a 7 Days to Die game license on the machine that runs the server.

1. In Steam, open Library, change the filter to Tools, and install 7 Days to Die Dedicated Server.
2. Open the tool’s Properties and select the same supported branch you will use on the clients. Do this before copying Darkness Falls files.
3. Right-click the tool, choose Manage > Browse local files, and note the installation directory. On a typical Windows installation this is under Steam/steamapps/common/7 Days to Die Dedicated Server.
4. Copy the included serverconfig.xml to a separate file such as myserver.xml. Keep your edits in the copy so a later server update is less likely to overwrite them.

SteamCMD method

On a headless Windows or Linux machine, install SteamCMD and run the following command:

steamcmd +login anonymous +app_update 294420 validate +quit

The command downloads or validates the dedicated-server files. Pin the required branch using the SteamCMD branch option appropriate to that release; do not assume the default branch is compatible with your Darkness Falls build. As with the Steam client, make a working copy of serverconfig.xml, for example myserver.xml.

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Copy the Darkness Falls server package

Get the dedicated-server package

Download the server package that corresponds to the Darkness Falls build you installed on the clients. Do not substitute a client-only archive or files from an older release. The package must be intended for the dedicated server.

Preserve the three-folder layout

Open the downloaded ZIP without creating an extra nesting level. The installation instructions specify three folders:

• 7DaysToDieServer_Data
• Data
• Mods

1. Stop the dedicated server if it is running.
2. Open the dedicated-server root—the directory containing the server executable and serverconfig.xml.
3. Drag those three folders from the Darkness Falls server ZIP into that root.
4. When the operating system asks whether to overwrite existing files, confirm the overwrite.
5. Check that you did not create a path such as Dedicated Server/Darkness Falls/Mods. The required result is Dedicated Server/Mods, alongside Data and 7DaysToDieServer_Data.

A misplaced folder is one of the most common reasons a server appears to start but loads vanilla content, cannot find a world identifier, or exits during initialization.

Configure serverconfig.xml

Select a Darkness Falls world

Open your copied configuration file, such as myserver.xml, and set the game world to a name that actually exists in the installed package. The core instructions list DFalls-Navezgane, DFalls-Small, DFalls-Small2, DFalls-Medium, and RWG. Provider documentation also lists build-specific identifiers such as DFalls-Large1-NoPEP, DFalls-Medium1-NoPEP, and PEP variants.

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If a listed name is absent from your installed build, do not guess a spelling. Inspect the package’s world definitions or use a name documented for that exact release.

Set the zombie limit

Find MaxZombies and set it to at least 85; the installation instructions give 100 as the maximum suggested value. This is a server-wide cap, not a guarantee that every player will see the same number of active zombies. If the machine is memory-constrained, a smaller map and fewer simultaneous entities may be a better trade-off than raising the cap.

Disable EAC in the server configuration

Set the EAC option to false in the configuration file:

<property name="EACEnabled" value="false" />

The exact XML line can vary with the base game’s configuration template, so edit the existing EAC property rather than adding a duplicate. Save the file after confirming the value is false.

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Disable EAC on every client and launch

Client launch

Each player must start 7 Days to Die with EAC disabled. In Steam, use the game’s launch selection that explicitly says Disable Anti-Cheat (the wording can vary by game build). A client that leaves EAC enabled can fail to join even when the server setting is correct.

Start the server

1. On Windows, run startdedicated.bat and pass or select your copied configuration file if the script supports a config argument.
2. On Linux, run the equivalent launch script supplied by the dedicated-server installation, specifying myserver.xml and the intended branch-specific options.
3. Watch the console for the world name, port bindings, and mod initialization messages. Stop immediately if the console reports a missing world, missing assembly, or incompatible game version.
4. Let the server generate the new save. Do not copy a vanilla save into the Darkness Falls save directory.

Connect with a matching client

Install the same Darkness Falls client build on every player’s PC using the mod’s supported distribution method, such as its Mod Launcher or author-provided channel. Start with EAC disabled, choose the same game branch, and connect using the server’s address and port. Because the cited guide describes Darkness Falls as PC-only and not crossplay-capable, console clients and cross-platform sessions are not supported by this setup.

Docker and LinuxGSM deployments

If you manage the server through Docker-7DaysToDie or a LinuxGSM-style image, use the image’s documented mod variables instead of manually copying files into a running container.

• Set DARKNESS_FALLS=YES to install the mod.
• Set DARKNESS_FALLS_UPDATE=YES if the container should check for mod updates at startup when updates are enabled.
• Set DARKNESS_FALLS_URL when you need to supply a specific download URL for a pinned build.
• Use persistent volumes for saves, server files, logs, and backups. Without persistent mounts, recreating the container can remove the world or return the server to a vanilla image.

Expose the documented default ports through the container and host firewall: 26900 TCP and UDP, plus 26901 UDP and 26902 UDP. Add the optional web-admin or telnet ports only when you have enabled and secured those services.

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Network ports and firewall checks

Forward the same ports from the router to the server’s local address, allow them through the host firewall, and confirm that your provider is not blocking inbound traffic. If players on the same LAN can join but internet players cannot, the problem is usually forwarding, firewall policy, carrier-grade NAT, or an incorrect public address rather than the mod files.

Memory and map sizing for Darkness Falls

Overhauls load more assets and create more active systems than a vanilla server. Start with the dedicated-server guide’s 10–16 GB comfortable range for four or more players, then compare it with the map-size formula: map size in K is the minimum memory in GB, plus 500 MB for each player. An 8K map with four players therefore works out to about 10 GB as a minimum planning figure.

These figures are not performance guarantees. Reserve additional memory for the operating system, Docker overhead, monitoring, backups, and concurrent server processes. If the process begins swapping, the console reports allocation failures, or zombies stop moving, reduce the map size or player/entity load and add RAM before increasing MaxZombies.

Troubleshooting: why the server will not load

The server reports an incompatible version

• Confirm the dedicated server and every client are pinned to the same 1.0/v1.4 branch described for V6.
• Confirm that neither side silently updated to a 2.x or V3.x branch.
• Confirm that the Darkness Falls build is identical on the server and clients.

The console cannot find the world

• Check the spelling and capitalization of the GameWorld value.
• Use only a world identifier present in the installed package; build-specific names can differ.
• For RWG, provide a seed. For fixed DFalls map names, remove an unnecessary seed if the template requires one.
• Delete the failed, partially generated save only after preserving logs, then start a fresh world.

The server starts vanilla or says files are missing

• Stop the server and recheck that 7DaysToDieServer_Data, Data, and Mods are directly in the dedicated-server root.
• Look for an accidental extra directory level created when extracting the ZIP.
• Re-copy the package for the exact server branch and accept file overwrites.

Players are rejected or kicked immediately

• Disable EAC on both the server and the launching client.
• Install the same client-side Darkness Falls build and the same 7 Days to Die branch.
• Remember that this setup is PC-only and does not provide crossplay.

Zombies stand still or the server lags

• Check available RAM while the world is loaded, not just idle usage.
• Reduce the map size or active-player/entity load.
• Use the memory rule of thumb as a floor, then add headroom for the operating system and other services.
• Keep MaxZombies within the documented 85–100 range while diagnosing resource pressure.

Players cannot see the server from the internet

• Verify 26900 TCP/UDP and 26901–26902 UDP are forwarded to the correct host.
• Check both the operating-system firewall and any cloud-provider security group.
• Test from an external network; a local connection alone does not prove public reachability.

Updating, reverting, or removing the mod

Before an update, stop the server and back up the save, configuration, logs, and current mod folders. Read the new release’s supported game branch before changing Steam branches. Update the server package and every client as one coordinated change; never update only the server. Keep the old package and branch available for rollback until the new world has been tested.

To return to vanilla, stop the server, restore the backed-up vanilla folders and configuration, and use a separate vanilla save. Do not attempt to make a Darkness Falls save serve as a vanilla save or vice versa.

Managed hosting option

A managed provider can automate file deployment, backups, and branch selection, but the compatibility rules do not change. The documented panel workflow is to stop the server, open Non-Workshop Mods, install Darkness Falls, edit serverconfiga21.xml, disable EAC, save, and start. Confirm that the panel’s game branch and mod build match the clients, and choose a plan with enough memory for the selected map and player count. One-click installation does not remove the need for a fresh world, client-side files, or EAC-disabled launches.

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Final preflight checklist

• Existing saves and configuration are backed up.
• The server is stopped while files are copied.
• The server and all clients use the supported, identical 7 Days to Die branch.
• The exact same Darkness Falls build is installed everywhere.
• The three server folders are directly in the dedicated-server root.
• GameWorld names an installed Darkness Falls world, and a new save will be generated.
• MaxZombies is set between the documented minimum of 85 and suggested maximum of 100.
• EAC is false in the server configuration and disabled in every client launch.
• RAM and SSD capacity account for the map, players, logs, and operating system.
• Ports 26900 TCP/UDP, 26901 UDP, and 26902 UDP are reachable when using the defaults.

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