Enshrouded: Upload World Save

A simple guide on how to upload your local Enshrouded world from PC, Steam to a Dedicated Server.

In this guide

Overview

Transferring a world or character save in Enshrouded involves understanding its indexed save-system and how Steam Cloud handles files. This article covers three scenarios:

Local save directory (offline or co-op)
Steam Cloud sync
Dedicated server (for hosting with DatHost)

⚠️ Important: Always create a backup of your save files before attempting transfers. Mistakes can lead to irreversible loss of progress.

Save Locations & Basics

Save directory paths:

Local/Offline: C:\Users\YOUR_USERNAME\Saved Games\Enshrouded
Steam Cloud: C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\userdata\YOUR_STEAM_ID\1203620\remote\ (when Steam Cloud is enabled)
Dedicated server (DatHost): The server’s /Saved/Saves/ directory as defined in the control panel.

Key elements of the save system:

Each world slot has a unique Save ID, for example:
- Slot 1 = 3ad85aea
- Slot 2 = 3bd85c7d
- … up to Slot 10
Files involved per slot:
- SAVEID (world)
- SAVEID_info (metadata)
- SAVEID-index (which backup version to load)
- SAVEID_info-index (same concept for metadata)
When multiple backups exist, they appear as SAVEID-1, SAVEID-2, etc.
During transfer, you’ll usually only need one set of files and ensure the index files point to the correct version.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Identify the save you want to transfer
Load the world in Enshrouded and perform a small action (e.g., move an item, build a structure).
Exit and in your save directory look for the four files sharing the same timestamp: SAVEID, SAVEID_info, SAVEID-index, SAVEID_info-index.
Copy those four files into a temporary "staging" folder to avoid interfering with other saves.
Re-index the save (if it uses backups)
If the files are named SAVEID-# or SAVEID_info-#, do the following:
- Rename SAVEID-# → SAVEID
- Rename SAVEID_info-# → SAVEID_info
- Open both SAVEID-index and SAVEID_info-index in a text editor.
- Change the line "latest": X (where X is a number) to "latest": 0
- Save the changes. This forces the game to load the main (0) version instead of a backup.
Transfer the save to the target destination
A) Dedicated server
- Stop the server.
- Ensure the server already generated a Slot 1 save (Save ID = 3ad85aea).
- Rename your files from SAVEID to 3ad85aea, and similarly for _info, -index, _info-index.
- Upload the renamed files into the server’s save directory (overwrite the existing Slot 1).
- Start the server. Players should now join into your transferred world.
B) Local storage
- Navigate to your local save path: C:\Users\YOUR_USERNAME\Saved Games\Enshrouded
- If you have no existing saves, rename your files to Slot 1 (3ad85aea_*). If you already have saves, rename to the next available slot number.
- Paste them into the directory. Launch the game to verify.
C) Steam Cloud
- Enable Steam Cloud in Steam > Library > Enshrouded > Properties > General tab.
- Launch Enshrouded and create a save in Slot 1 (even if empty). Exit to menu.
- Disconnect from the internet.
- Replace the files in the cloud folder ...\Steam\userdata\YOUR_STEAM_ID\1203620\remote\ with your four-file set (renamed to Slot 1).
- Exit the game. Re-connect to the internet.
- Launch Steam; if prompted whether to keep local or cloud files, choose local.
- Open the game and verify the world loads correctly.
Character Data Transfer
The process for your character is similar:
- Locate files like character-# and character-index.
- Copy the most recent ones.
- Perform the same re-indexing (rename and set "latest": 0).
- Place them in the matching directory (local, cloud, or server) aligned with your world save slot.

Troubleshooting & Best Practices

✅ Always keep backups of both world and character saves before editing.
✅ Use only files with the same timestamp—mixing old/new files may corrupt your save.
✅ When editing .index files, use a reliable text editor (e.g., Notepad++).
⚠️ For Steam Cloud transfers: minimize time spent offline and avoid starting the game before Steam registers your new files.
🔍 If your transferred world fails to load, check if the slot ID matches your destination slot, and verify the index files point to 0.
💡 When in doubt: test the transfer locally first before uploading to a live server.