Reviving An Old Server Save On Enhanced — Conan Exiles Wiki

Reviving an old Conan Exiles server save on the Enhanced (UE5) build

A common community ask in 2026: "We had a Conan Exiles server running on G-Portal (or self-hosted) one or two years ago. We saved the world files locally before shutting it down. Now Enhanced is out and we want to bring it back. What's actually involved?" The answer is more nuanced than "drop the save in and start." This page walks through what converts cleanly, what doesn't, mod migration, and a safer hybrid approach for the worst cases.

What you have vs what you need

The minimum saved state from an old Conan Exiles server is:

• ConanSandbox/Saved/game.db — the world database (buildings, NPCs, items, players)
• ConanSandbox/Saved/Config/WindowsServer/*.ini — server settings, engine config, admin password
• ConanSandbox/Saved/Logs/ — historical logs (optional but useful for diagnosis)
• Any custom mod files in ConanSandbox/Mods/

If you have all four, you have a complete save. If you only have game.db, you can still revive but you'll need to re-create the config from scratch (admin password, server name, settings).

The version compatibility table

If your save is from the Age of Heroes era (late 2024 to early 2026), migration is usually straightforward. If it's older, expect to fix things.

Step 1: install a fresh Enhanced dedicated server

Don't try to "upgrade" an old install. Install Enhanced from scratch in a new directory:

steamcmd.exe +force_install_dir "C:\ConanRevived" \
    +login anonymous \
    +app_update 443030 validate \
    +quit

This gives you a known-good Enhanced install at C:\ConanRevived with default config files at ConanSandbox/Saved/Config/WindowsServer/. Launch once to confirm the install works on a fresh world, then stop the server.

Step 2: copy your old save into the new install

Copy your old files into the new install's Saved directory:

# From your old backup to the new install
copy "OldBackup\game.db" "C:\ConanRevived\ConanSandbox\Saved\game.db"
copy "OldBackup\Config\WindowsServer\ServerSettings.ini" "C:\ConanRevived\ConanSandbox\Saved\Config\WindowsServer\"
copy "OldBackup\Config\WindowsServer\Engine.ini" "C:\ConanRevived\ConanSandbox\Saved\Config\WindowsServer\"

Important: do NOT copy old engine binaries, PAK files, or anything from outside the Saved/ folder. Those are version-specific and will brick the install. Only the save data and config.

Step 3: edit settings for Enhanced compatibility

Open the copied ServerSettings.ini and check for settings that may have been deprecated. The most common patterns:

• Settings prefixed with UEWFour_ or similar legacy prefixes — usually safe to remove
• References to mod IDs that no longer exist — remove or update to Enhanced-compatible mod IDs
• BattlEye settings — check current Enhanced docs for the correct flag name
• Server community type (PvE, PvP, PvE-Conflict) — usually still works as-is

Don't bother editing every setting. Launch the server once, see what warnings appear, then fix only what's actually broken.

Step 4: first launch with the migrated save

cd C:\ConanRevived
ConanSandboxServer.exe -log -server -USEALLAVAILABLECORES -RebuildCompressedMap

The -RebuildCompressedMap flag is important on first launch after migration. It rebuilds navmesh data in the new UE5 format. The first launch may take 5-15 minutes longer than normal as it processes your existing world.

During the first launch you may see warnings like:

LogConanWorld: Warning: Building integrity recheck for <X> structures
LogConanWorld: Warning: <Y> NPCs reference deprecated AI behavior tree
LogConanWorld: Warning: <Z> items in storage container have invalid item ID

These are usually safe. The server may delete or convert problematic entities. Items lost this way are gone permanently, so check your most valuable storage containers after a successful migration to see what survived.

What carries over cleanly

• Player characters (level, attributes, recipes, inventory)
• Buildings constructed from base-game pieces
• Thralls that aren't named (generic fighter, archer, dancer)
• Crafting stations
• Storage containers (with most items intact)
• Clan structure and membership
• Decay timers (which means some buildings may have already decayed during the dormant period — see below)

What may break

• Modded structures and items. If you used mod-added building pieces or items, and the mod isn't installed on the Enhanced server, those structures may vanish or appear as "missing asset" placeholders.
• Named thralls from removed event content. Limited-event thralls that no longer exist in the current game build get converted to generic equivalents.
• Building integrity. Enhanced's UE5 physics may flag structures that were valid in UE4 but no longer stable. Affected structures collapse on first load.
• Decay state. If your decay timers weren't paused during the dormant period, every building may already be at zero decay and ready to disintegrate. This is the most painful loss.

The decay problem (most common reason migrations "fail")

Conan Exiles decay timers tick down on real-world time, not on time the server is running. If your save sat for a year, every building's decay timer has been counting down for that year, regardless of whether the server was online.

To preserve buildings:

1. BEFORE first launching the server, disable decay in ServerSettings.ini:

   [ServerSettings]
   EnableSandStormBuildingDamage=False
   PlayerActiveThreshold=99999
   ItemSpoilRate=0
   HarvestAmountMultiplier=2.0
   RepairDecayTimeMultiplier=0.0
   StaminaCostMultiplier=1.0

2. Launch the server.
3. Connect as admin, run BuildingsAreInvincible 1 (or similar from the admin panel) to pause all decay temporarily.
4. Walk around the map to ensure every base loads into memory at least once — this resets some decay state to "active" on load.
5. Re-enable decay if you want it (some groups leave it off for revived nostalgia campaigns).

If you forget this step and launch the server, decay may already have claimed major builds by the time you notice.

The hybrid approach (when full migration is too risky)

If your save is older than mid-2023 or you used heavy modding, full migration is high-risk. Instead, consider the hybrid approach:

1. Start a fresh Enhanced server with new world (no old save).
2. Use admin commands to spawn equivalents of your group's notable old thralls.
3. Use building admin tools (or a building-importer mod, if one exists for your needs) to recreate the most important structures.
4. Players keep new characters; document the old campaign via screenshots in your Discord.

You lose continuity but you gain a clean save state that won't surprise you with hidden corruption.

Related articles

• Conan Exiles Enhanced (May 2026) launch notes
• Save file management
• Decay settings
• General update guide

For a managed Conan Exiles server where save migration testing happens before you touch your live world, see Supercraft plans.