How to Install tModLoader Mods on your Terraria Server

Last modified on Nov 27, 2023 in terraria

By Nathan Young

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Overview

After playing vanilla Terraria for a long duration, you may find it becomes less enjoyable over time. Whether it’s a desire for new weapons, soundtracks, or simply aesthetic features, it can leave Terraria server owners wanting more out of the game. This scenario is solved with tModLoader, a version of Terraria that supports a wide variety of mods. There’s an in-game browser to quickly install mods and an automatic download feature for players to join a server, thereby simplifying the modding process. This is especially true for server owners, as our Apex Hosting version menu allows you to easily install tModLoader and jump into action. With this in mind, we’ve created this guide to teach you the necessary steps for installing mods onto your tModLoader Terraria server.
 

tModLoader Installation

Before downloading and using mods, you’ll need to install tModLoader on your launcher and server. All players would need to use this on their client to have mod support and to join the game without problems.
 

Client

1. Open the Steam launcher and head towards the Store page.
2. In the top right corner, search for tModloader and click on it.
   
3. Scroll down until you see Install now, press that and it’ll start downloading.
   
4. Once it’s finished installing, you’re done! Play Terraria through this to get mod support.

Server

1. Head towards your Apex server panel and locate the Game File section.
2. Click the dropdown menu and search for tModLoader, then select the one you want.
   
3. Confirm the changes by pressing Change Version in the next prompt.
4. Afterward, choose to create a new world or continue using the existing one.
   Note: It’s suggested to generate a new map if using mods.
5. Once you do that, press Restart Now to load the new game files.
   
6. Head to the Console and wait until you see the “Server started” message to confirm it’s loaded.

How to Download Terraria Mods

1. Launch tModLoader from your Steam client and wait for it to load.
2. Press Workshop from the main menu, then click Download Mods.
   
3. Once there, either search for your desired mods in the top right or scroll down until you find them.
4. When you locate it, press the download button and wait for it to install.
   
5. Do this for each mod you want, then head back to the main Workshop Hub area.
6. From there, click Manage Mods and press Enable All near the bottom left.
   
7. Afterwards, click Back at the bottom of the screen and wait for the mods to load.
8. When that finishes, you can now play with your installed mods!

Preparing Mod Files

This is required for the server’s installation, as there are files to organize.

1. Run tModLoader from Steam and click Workshop in the main menu.
2. Press Manage Mods, then select Open Mods Folders at the bottom.
   

   Note: This will open two folders, one with the enabled.json file and the other with your mod files.

3. Inside the mods directory, open up each folder and enter into the latest one.
   

   Note: The newest folder’s format is “[year].[highest number]”, so an example would be “2022.6”.

4. Once inside of them, copy and paste all .tmod files onto your desktop or somewhere easily accessible.
5. Do the same copying and pasting process for the enabled.json file from the other directory.

How to Install Mods on Server

1. Head towards your Apex server panel, and in the top left corner press FTP File Access.
   
2. Login with your password and locate the .local directory, then continue into this pathway: …/.local/share/Terraria/tModLoader/Mods
3. Proceed to click Upload, then drop the main files and enabled.json into the respective area.
   
4. Wait until they reach 100%, then return to the main panel and Restart the server.
5. If everything went smoothly, it’ll load the mods without issues for you to start playing.

Conclusion

When everything is completed, your server will have started with all desired mods and be available for joining. If every mod is enabled on the server’s end, then any player can join since it’ll automatically download the mods for them. This is a user-friendly feature from tModLoader so other people can easily join the server without additional steps. There are tons of mods to possibly use in-game, which can completely revamp your Terraria gameplay experience. If you wish to add or remove any mods, then delete the older mods from your server and re-upload the newer ones from the game files. The enabled.json file automatically updates during this process, which makes everything easier for the installation. With this information in mind, you can download and upload any mods you want into your modded Terraria world.
 

Useful Links

tModLoader Steam Page
tModLoader Github
Terraria Knowledgebase