Installing and Configuring Steam Workshop Mods

Overview

DST dedicated servers support Steam Workshop mods. The install process uses two separate files: dedicated_server_mods_setup.lua to declare which mods to download, and modoverrides.lua in each shard folder to enable and configure them. Both files must be updated when adding new mods.

Step 1: Declare Mods for Download

Edit dedicated_server_mods_setup.lua in the cluster root. Add one line per mod using the Workshop item ID (the numeric ID from the Workshop URL):

ServerModSetup("123456789")
ServerModSetup("987654321")
ServerModSetup("111222333")

The Workshop content AppID for DST is 322330. SteamCMD uses this automatically when downloading mod content. Mods are downloaded to the mods/ directory on the next server start.

Step 2: Enable Mods in modoverrides.lua

Each shard has its own modoverrides.lua. You must update both Cluster_1/Master/modoverrides.lua and Cluster_1/Caves/modoverrides.lua if the mod should run on both shards.

Basic enable example:

return {
    ["123456789"] = { enabled = true },
    ["987654321"] = { enabled = true },
}

With configuration options:

return {
    ["123456789"] = { enabled = true },
    ["987654321"] = {
        enabled = true,
        configuration_options = {
            option1 = "value",
            option2 = true,
            spawn_rate = 3,
        }
    },
}

The keys in configuration_options are defined by the mod author. Check the Workshop page or the mod's modinfo.lua for available options and their valid values.

Step 3: Restart the Server

Mods do not hot-reload. After editing either file:

1. Stop both server processes
2. Start the server — SteamCMD will download any new mods listed in dedicated_server_mods_setup.lua
3. Once the download phase completes, the shard starts and loads the mod list

Watch the console output for mod load confirmations:

[00:00:10]: Loading mod: 123456789 (Mod Name)
[00:00:10]: Mod: 123456789 (Mod Name) loaded.

If a mod fails to load, the shard may still start but the mod will be inactive. Check for errors in the log.

Mod-Only vs. Shard-Specific Mods

Some mods are designed for the overworld only and should not be enabled in Caves. Enabling an overworld-only mod in the Caves modoverrides.lua can cause the Caves shard to crash on startup. Check the mod's Workshop page for shard compatibility notes.

A common pattern: enable gameplay mods in both shards, but enable map/overworld-specific mods only in Master.

Updating Mods

Mods auto-update via SteamCMD on server start if the Workshop has a newer version. However, after major DST game updates, mods may become incompatible. Check the Workshop pages of your installed mods after any DST update and temporarily disable mods that have not been updated.

Performance Considerations

Each mod adds startup time and varying runtime overhead. For stable performance:

• Keep the active mod count under 20
• Avoid mods that run every game tick unless necessary
• If the server starts lagging after adding mods, disable them one at a time to isolate the cause

Troubleshooting

Mod not loading: Verify the Workshop ID in dedicated_server_mods_setup.lua matches the ID in modoverrides.lua. IDs are strings in modoverrides.lua (in quotes) but unquoted in dedicated_server_mods_setup.lua.

Server crashes on startup: A malformed modoverrides.lua (syntax error in Lua) will prevent the shard from starting. Validate the file with a Lua syntax checker.

Mod works in Master but not Caves: Ensure the mod is listed in Cluster_1/Caves/modoverrides.lua and that the mod is Caves-compatible.

Related

• Setting Up and Running the Caves Shard
• Understanding the DST Server Directory Structure
• Performance Optimization and Player Limits
• Updating Don't Starve Together Server