How to host a Conan Exiles server

Substantial disk and generous memory, both growing over a season. Every placed building piece on the map is a row in that database, and Conan players build enormously. A server that felt quick at launch can become sluggish months later purely through accumulation.

How to install it

1. Provision generous disk first. Conan is large on install and grows steadily from there.
2. Install Steam’s command-line tool, then the Conan Exiles dedicated server using an anonymous login.
3. Start it once to generate its settings files and the database, then stop it.
4. Set the server name, admin password and decay settings before anyone joins. Decay especially — retrofitting it onto a full map is unpleasant.
5. Add mods last, and make sure your players load them in the same order the server does.

steamcmd \
  +force_install_dir /home/conan/server \
  +login anonymous \
  +app_update 443030 validate \
  +quit

# Start once, stop it cleanly, then edit the configs —
# Conan rewrites them on shutdown and will discard live edits.

How to configure it

[OnlineSubsystem]
; The name players see in the server browser.
ServerName=Your server name

; Empty means anyone can join.
ServerPassword=

[ServerSettings]
; Needed for any in-game admin command.
AdminPassword=change-me

; The message shown to players when they join.
serverMessageOfTheDay=Welcome. Building decay is on - log in weekly.

PVPEnabled=False
MaxNudity=0

; Decay is not optional on a long-running server. Turning it
; off is the usual reason a Conan server slowly grinds to a halt.
ServerSettingsBuildingDecayEnabled=True
PlayerActiveThresholdDays=14

• The database is the server. Everything players have built is in it. A backup that misses it is not a backup.
• Decay settings are not optional on a long-running server. They are the difference between a map that stays playable and one that grinds to a halt.
• Edit with the server stopped. Conan rewrites its settings on shutdown, so live edits get discarded.
• Mod order is part of your configuration. Publish your list and order somewhere players can copy it.

Written from experience running these servers. If something here no longer matches what you are seeing, tell us and we will recheck it.