How do I take over hosting an Enshrouded world?

Get every file belonging to the world from the current host's save folder and put them in the same folder on your PC, without overwriting a world you already have. The world then appears in your list and you can host it. Both of you should be on 1.0, and the world should already have been opened once in 1.0 so it is in the new save format.

Will I lose my character if someone else hosts?

No. Character progress and equipment are stored with each player, not with the world, so your character comes with you into whoever's copy of the world you join.

Do both players need Enshrouded 1.0?

Yes. The first time a world is opened in 1.0, the game converts it to the new save format. Everyone in the group should be on 1.0 before the world changes hands.

What if the host is offline and never sent the world?

Then nobody else can open it. The only copy is on the host's PC or in their Steam Cloud, which only they can reach. Groups avoid this by sharing the world before the host disappears, not after.

How to Play Enshrouded When the Host Is Offline (1.0)

Q: Can you join an Enshrouded world when the host is offline?

No. A world started from the game only runs while the host has Enshrouded open. When they quit, the world goes offline for everyone. To keep playing, someone else needs a copy of the world on their own PC, or the world has to run on a dedicated server.

Enshrouded 1.0 is out, Cinder’s Cradle is finally open, and your group wants to play tonight. The host doesn’t. In Enshrouded that normally means nobody plays: the world is on their PC, and when their game is closed, it is offline.

You can’t reach the world on their PC while it’s off. But you don’t need to - you need your own copy of it.

Can You Join an Enshrouded World When the Host Is Offline?

No. When you start a world from Enshrouded’s menu, your PC is the server. Everyone else connects to it, and it only exists while your game is running. Quit, and the world goes with you.

There are two ways around that:

Someone else hosts from a copy of the world. The world moves to a different PC, and that player starts it.
The world runs on a dedicated server that stays up whether anyone is playing or not.

For most groups of friends the first one fits - no spare machine running all week, no monthly bill. The catch is that the world has to reach the new host’s PC before the old host disappears.

How Do You Take Over Hosting an Enshrouded World?

The current host sends the world’s files, and you start it as your own.

The host closes Enshrouded fully, so nothing is half-written.
They open the save folder. With Steam Cloud on it is Steam\userdata\<their Steam ID>\1203620\remote. With Steam Cloud off it is %USERPROFILE%\Saved Games\Enshrouded.
They zip every file belonging to the world and send it to you. A world is several files, and the file names don’t say which world they belong to, so this is the step where manual transfers go wrong.
You unzip them into your own save folder, taking care not to overwrite a world you already have.
You start Enshrouded and host the world. You’re the host now.

Everyone keeps their own character. Only the world changes hands.

The whole group should be on 1.0. The first time a world is opened in 1.0, the game converts it to the new save format, so have the host open it once in 1.0 before sending it.

Why Does the World Go Backwards After We Swap Hosts?

Because someone hosted from an old copy. As soon as two people hold the world, there are two versions of it, and the latest session only exists on whoever hosted it. If last night’s host doesn’t send it back, the next host starts from what they had before - and last night’s base expansion and Shroud Root are gone.

The manual fix is discipline: after every session, the host sends the world to everyone. It works until someone forgets once.

Enshrouded’s own world files make this easy to get wrong. The file names don’t tell you which world is which, and copying one file without the others breaks the world.

How SaveSync Keeps Every Copy Current

SaveSync does the handover for you, and it has supported Enshrouded since Early Access. Share the world once, and after each session the latest copy reaches everyone who has it. It shows each world by its real name, puts it in a free slot on each PC, and moves every file together. Whoever is around tonight hosts the newest version without asking anyone for a zip.

SaveSync also keeps a history of every upload - who uploaded it and when - so if a session goes wrong, you can roll the world back.

Already sharing an Early Access world? Update SaveSync, activate the world if it isn’t activated on your PC, then open it once in Enshrouded. The game converts it to the 1.0 format and SaveSync uploads the converted world for everyone else.

The one-time setup is in the Enshrouded save sharing guide. Moving an Early Access world into 1.0? Read what carries over to Enshrouded 1.0 first.

Would a Dedicated Server Be Better?

If your group plays at all hours, or someone always wants to drop in alone, a server that never goes offline is the cleaner answer. Enshrouded has a free dedicated server, but it needs a machine that stays on and, at home, usually port forwarding. For a group that plays a few evenings a week, sharing the world is simpler.

Don’t Let One Player Hold the Flame

An Enshrouded world shouldn’t have a single key holder. Get the world onto more than one PC now, while the host is still answering messages, and the next time they go quiet, someone else can light it up.