Migrating a Sons of the Forest Co-op Save to a Dedicated Server

Migrating a Sons of the Forest Co-op Save to a Dedicated Server

Many groups start their Sons of the Forest experience in peer-to-peer co-op via Steam's existing session system, then later decide they want a 24/7 persistent dedicated server so the world stays accessible even when the original host is offline. The good news: your existing save and all its world objects, base structures, and companion states can be transferred with a few carefully copied files.

Step 1: Locate the Source Co-op Save

The host player's save files are stored locally. Locate them on the original host machine:

Windows:

C:\Users\[YourUsername]\AppData\LocalLow\Endnight\SonsOfTheForest\Saves\[SteamID]\Multiplayer\[SlotNumber]\

Linux (Steam / Proton):

~/.steam/steam/userdata/[SteamID]/1326470/remote/Saves/Multiplayer/[SlotNumber]/

The slot folder will contain files like:

[SlotNumber]/
  ├── WorldObjectLocatorManager.saved
  ├── GameState.saved
  ├── WeatherSystem.saved
  ├── Companions/
  │   ├── Kelvin.saved
  │   └── Virginia.saved
  └── PlayerInventories/
      └── [SteamID].saved

Step 2: Identify the Correct Save Slot

If you have multiple save slots, confirm which slot corresponds to your co-op world by checking the most recent modification date:

# Linux:
ls -lt ~/.steam/steam/userdata/[SteamID]/1326470/remote/Saves/Multiplayer/

# Windows (PowerShell):
Get-ChildItem "$env:APPDATA\..\LocalLow\Endnight\SonsOfTheForest\Saves\[SteamID]\Multiplayer\" |
  Sort-Object LastWriteTime -Descending

Step 3: Copy the Save to Your Dedicated Server

On your dedicated server, saves are stored in a slightly different path:

# Linux server path:
/home/steam/.config/unity3d/Endnight/SonsOfTheForest/Saves/Multiplayer/

# Windows server path:
C:\Users\[ServerUser]\AppData\LocalLow\Endnight\SonsOfTheForest\Saves\Multiplayer\

Create a new slot folder (e.g., 0) on the server and copy over your save files:

# Example using rsync (Linux → Linux server):
rsync -avz /path/to/local/Multiplayer/0/ \
  steam@yourserver.com:/home/steam/.config/unity3d/Endnight/SonsOfTheForest/Saves/Multiplayer/0/

Step 4: Configure the Server to Use the Migrated Save Slot

In your dedicatedserver.cfg, set the SaveSlot to match the slot number you just copied:

{
  "Difficulty": "Normal",
  "SaveSlot": "Multiplayer",
  "SaveIndex": 0,
  "IsPublic": false,
  "GamePort": 27016,
  "QueryPort": 27017,
  "LanServerPort": 8766
}

Step 5: Test the Migration

1. Start the dedicated server and check the console log for: [SaveManager] Loaded save slot: Multiplayer/0
2. Connect as a client and verify base structures, trees, and placed items appear correctly
3. Check Kelvin and Virginia are present and behaving normally
4. Walk through key story locations to confirm gates and bunker states are preserved

Troubleshooting

• World loads but is empty: The server loaded the wrong slot — double-check SaveIndex in your config
• Kelvin or Virginia missing: Copy the Companions/ subfolder explicitly — it is sometimes missed during bulk file transfers
• Story flags reset (doors locked again): The GameState.saved file controls story progression — verify it was included in your transfer
• Permission errors on Linux: Ensure the steam user owns all copied files: chown -R steam:steam /home/steam/.config/unity3d/

Professional Hosting

Our team can assist with save migrations for your community. Host your Sons of the Forest server with Supercraft and upload your existing save via our file manager on day one.