Enshrouded: PC Modloader Installation and Troubleshooting

To install ShroudForge on a Windows PC, close Enshrouded, extract the latest ShroudForge release, and copy every extracted file and folder directly into the Enshrouded folder containing enshrouded.exe. Do not place the release inside an extra subfolder. Start the game and press F9 to open the loader. A common Steam location is C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Enshrouded.

Install ShroudForge on the PC client

1. Exit Enshrouded before installing or updating the loader.
2. Download and extract the ShroudForge ZIP archive.
3. Open the game directory—the folder that contains enshrouded.exe.
4. Copy all files and folders from the extracted release into that directory, alongside the executable.
5. Launch Enshrouded and press F9. The ShroudForge interface should open.

If F9 does nothing, first confirm that the files were copied beside enshrouded.exe rather than into a directory such as Enshrouded\ShroudForge\. Also make sure the game was closed while the files were installed or updated.

Add and activate a mod

1. Download the mod and read its own installation instructions.
2. Extract the download without flattening or rearranging its folders.
3. Copy the complete mod folder into the mods folder beside enshrouded.exe.
4. Start Enshrouded and press F9.
5. Find the mod in ShroudForge and enable it.

A normal mod package includes a file named mod.json. If the mod is missing from the loader, check that the full mod directory—not only an individual file from inside it—was copied to the correct mods folder. Preserve any additional files supplied with the package. Recognition by ShroudForge does not guarantee that every feature will work, especially when a mod depends on APIs associated with EML compatibility.

Check configuration and runtime errors

Select a mod in the loader to view its available settings. Depending on the mod, these may include switches, numeric values, or selections. Some changes apply immediately, while others require a restart. A mod that changes game files may also need to prepare those changes before the game starts, so follow the mod's instructions or the messages shown by ShroudForge.

Press F10 in the game to open or close the Debug Console. Use it to check whether ShroudForge found a mod and to inspect errors from the loader or from mods that use ShroudForge logging. Filtering the console changes only what is displayed; it does not change the messages saved in the log files. Client and dedicated-server logs are kept separately under shroudforge\logs.

Install mods on a dedicated server

A mod may run in the client process, the dedicated-server process, or both. Use the mod author's requirements to determine where it belongs. If both sides are required, install ShroudForge and the mod in both locations.

1. Stop the server and back up the world before changing its installation.
2. Extract the ShroudForge release and copy its contents beside enshrouded_server.exe in the server directory.
3. Extract the mod and copy its complete folder into the server's mods folder.
4. Enable the mod for the server, then restart the server.

On Windows, server settings can be opened from a PC by running PowerShell in the folder containing the ShroudForge release files. Replace the example root path with the directory that contains the server executable:

\.shroudforge\shroudforge.exe --root "D:\Games\EnshroudedServer\server" --desktop --target server

Enable the mod in the window that appears. The server log is saved at shroudforge\logs\shroudforge-server.log.

Proton Docker server requirement

For the Enshrouded Proton Docker image from mornedhels only, add the following variable to the existing Docker or Docker Compose configuration:

WINEDLLOVERRIDES=dbghelp=native,builtin;winmm=native,builtin

In Docker Compose, place it under the existing service's environment section:

environment:
  WINEDLLOVERRIDES: "dbghelp=native,builtin;winmm=native,builtin"

Keep the current image, ports, volumes, and other settings. Recreate the container after changing the variable so the new setting is applied. This adjustment is not needed for the Windows game or a Windows dedicated server installed through Steam. The usual Enshrouded server port is 15637/udp.