Palworld PvP Server Workspace

This repo is your control plane for a local Windows Palworld dedicated server. Current baseline uses UE4SS experimental/prerelease builds.

• Keep the actual server install in: C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\PalServer
• Keep your mod folders and automation here.

What is included

• scripts/Deploy-All.ps1: One-command deploy for config overlay + all mod systems.
• scripts/Deploy-PalServerMods.ps1: Copies mod folders into server Mods/Workshop and rewrites Mods/PalModSettings.ini.
• scripts/Deploy-UE4SSRuntime.ps1: Copies UE4SS runtime using new layout (Win64\dwmapi.dll + Win64\ue4ss\...) with backups and legacy cleanup.
• scripts/Deploy-UE4SSMods.ps1: Copies UE4SS mod folders into Pal\Binaries\Win64\ue4ss\Mods.
• scripts/Deploy-PalDefender.ps1: Copies PalDefender package files into Pal\Binaries\Win64 with automatic backups.
• scripts/Start-PalServerLocalOnly.ps1: Starts dedicated server without -publiclobby (direct IP only).
• scripts/Set-PalServerLoopbackOnly.ps1: Optional firewall hardening to block inbound UDP from network peers.
• scripts/Sync-DevReferenceDocs.ps1: Downloads modding docs snapshots into docs/dev-reference/upstream/ for local agent reference.
• mods/workshop/: Put one subfolder per mod. Each folder must contain Info.json at its root.
• mods/ue4ss-runtime/package/: Put UE4SS runtime package files here before deploy.
• mods/ue4ss/: Put one subfolder per UE4SS script mod (example: PalZones). Keep your managed mods.txt here.
• mods/paldefender/package/: Put PalDefender binaries/package files here before deploy.
• config/overlay/: Server-root-relative config files to enforce during global deploy.
• docs/dev-reference/: Curated modding references and downloaded upstream snapshots.

1) First server bootstrap (one-time)

1. Launch Palworld Dedicated Server once from Steam, then stop it.
2. Verify these exist under your server folder:
   • PalServer.exe
   • Mods/PalModSettings.ini (auto-created on first run)
   • Pal/Saved/Config/WindowsServer/PalWorldSettings.ini (or copy from default)

2) Put mods in this repo

Place each server-compatible mod in:

mods/workshop/<any-folder-name>/Info.json

Important:

• PackageName in Info.json is what gets added to ActiveModList.
• Folder name does not have to match PackageName.
• Mods must be server-compatible (InstallRules include server install behavior).

3) Deploy mods to PalServer

3a) One-command global deploy (recommended)

.\scripts\Deploy-All.ps1

This deploys, in order:

• config overlay (config/overlay -> server root)
• UE4SS runtime
• UE4SS mods (if any found)
• PalDefender
• official server mods (if any found)

Useful skip flags:

.\scripts\Deploy-All.ps1 -SkipUE4SSMods -SkipOfficialMods

Config overlay is a file-level merge copy (it does not replace whole directories).

3b) Official server mods (PalServer\Mods)

.\scripts\Deploy-PalServerMods.ps1

Optional custom paths:

.\scripts\Deploy-PalServerMods.ps1 `
  -PalServerRoot "C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\PalServer" `
  -SourceWorkshopDir ".\mods\workshop"

3c) UE4SS runtime (Pal\Binaries\Win64)

Put files in:

mods/ue4ss-runtime/package

Expected package layout:

• mods/ue4ss-runtime/package/dwmapi.dll
• mods/ue4ss-runtime/package/ue4ss/...
• mods/ue4ss-runtime/package/ue4ss/MemberVariableLayout.ini (required for current Palworld experimental compatibility)

Source for UE4SS runtime (use compatible prerelease/experimental build):

• https://github.com/UE4SS-RE/RE-UE4SS/releases
• https://github.com/Okaetsu/RE-UE4SS/releases/tag/experimental-palworld

.\scripts\Deploy-UE4SSRuntime.ps1

This script backs up replaced files to:

Pal\Binaries\Win64\palworld-mod-backups\ue4ss-runtime-<timestamp>

3d) UE4SS mods (Pal\Binaries\Win64\ue4ss\Mods)

.\scripts\Deploy-UE4SSMods.ps1

mods/ue4ss/mods.txt is copied to the target UE4SS mods folder each deploy.

Optional custom source:

.\scripts\Deploy-UE4SSMods.ps1 -SourceUE4SSModsDir ".\mods\ue4ss"

3e) PalDefender (Pal\Binaries\Win64)

Put files in:

mods/paldefender/package

.\scripts\Deploy-PalDefender.ps1

This script backs up replaced files to:

Pal\Binaries\Win64\palworld-mod-backups\paldefender-<timestamp>

4) Run local-only dedicated server

.\scripts\Start-PalServerLocalOnly.ps1

Connect from the same machine with:

127.0.0.1:8211

5) Optional firewall lock (admin PowerShell)

.\scripts\Set-PalServerLoopbackOnly.ps1 -Port 8211

This creates a block rule for inbound UDP on the server port to reduce accidental LAN reachability.

6) Refresh local modding references (optional)

.\scripts\Sync-DevReferenceDocs.ps1

This pulls current official/community docs into docs/dev-reference/upstream/ and writes manifest.json with URLs and fetch status.

Notes

• Do not use -publiclobby for private local setup.
• Do not add router port forwarding.
• Restart server after deploying/updating mods.
• If Program Files (x86) writes fail, run PowerShell as Administrator.