tModLoader and mods on a Terraria server
By Benjamin D. · PDG
· 2 min read
Contents
Mods turn Terraria into a different game, and they change the server's requirements too. tModLoader is not an add-on: it is separate software.
tModLoader is a separate server
A vanilla server does not load mods. Moving to tModLoader means a new install, not a settings change on the existing one.
Client and server must match
Everyone needs the same tModLoader version and the same mod set. One different version blocks the connection, and the message does not say so clearly.
Collections make life easier
The mod list is shared as a collection. Rebuilding the same list by hand across ten machines always ends with one mod missing.
Memory requirements jump
Large content mods can double or triple the memory needed. A plan that carried a vanilla server will not carry the same group modded.
The world is tied to its mods
A modded world needs those mods afterwards. A mod removed mid-run can erase all its blocks and items, often irreversibly.
Update mods carefully
A newer version can change items or world content. Updating without a backup is riskier here than updating the game itself.
A game update breaks mods
When Terraria moves version, mods do not follow immediately. Updating the server the same day usually means several days of downtime.
Fewer is better
Three chosen mods give a better experience than twenty picked at random. A long list multiplies conflicts and complicates diagnosis.
Finding a conflict
If the server crashes, removing half the mods and trying again is the fastest method. It looks crude but finds the culprit far quicker.
A backup before every change
Adding or removing a mod is a change to the world. The copy taken beforehand separates a failed attempt from a permanent loss.
Warn the group
Changing the mod list requires action from every player. A short message avoids half the questions.
Most of what precedes is a matter of organisation rather than technique: the decisions are made before you start, the backups have to actually run, and the rules are written while nothing has gone wrong yet. Our Terraria server hosting takes on the part there is no reason to do by hand — automatic backups, tModLoader support and instant setup, along with a panel where settings, files, mods and restarts are handled without ever opening a command line.
