How to Wipe Your Sons of the Forest Server

How to Wipe Your Sons of the Forest Server

Community servers periodically need a world wipe — clearing all built structures, resetting story progression, and giving every player a fresh start on the island. This guide covers both a full wipe and a selective partial wipe so you can preserve what matters most.

Step 1: Stop the Server First

Never delete save files while the server is running — the server caches the world in memory and will overwrite deleted files on shutdown:

# Linux (systemd):
sudo systemctl stop sotf.service

Step 2: Back Up Before Wiping

# Linux backup:
cp -r /home/steam/.config/unity3d/Endnight/SonsOfTheForest/Saves/Multiplayer/0 \
      /home/steam/backups/sotf-pre-wipe-$(date +%Y-%m-%d)

Full Wipe: Delete the Save Slot Folder

Linux:

rm -rf /home/steam/.config/unity3d/Endnight/SonsOfTheForest/Saves/Multiplayer/0/

Windows:

Remove-Item -Recurse -Force "$env:APPDATA\..\LocalLow\Endnight\SonsOfTheForest\Saves\Multiplayer\0"

Partial Wipe: Selective File Removal

Step 3: Files That Survive a Wipe

Whitelist and config files live in the server root directory — not in the Saves folder — and are unaffected by a wipe:

./userwhitelist.txt
./ownerswhitelist.txt
./banlist.txt
./dedicatedserver.cfg

Step 4: Start the Server and Verify

Watch console output for the new world generation:

[SaveManager] No save found at slot 0. Generating new world...
[WorldGen] Terrain generation complete.
[Server] Listening on port 27016...

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