Enshrouded 1.0 changed the save format, and the dedicated server converts an Early Access world the first time it boots on the new build. Keen's changelog of 14 October 2026 describes it in two sentences: "Enshrouded now uses a new save data format which results in smaller save game files and a simpler data structure in the save data folder", and "When loading version 1.0 for the first time and the game detects a save game created with version 0.8 or earlier, the existing save data will be firstly backed up and secondly automatically migrated to the new format." This post is what that looks like on a real server, which files are involved, and what to do if the migration lines never appear.
What the log shows
On a Connect server that had run since 1 October 2026 and took the 1.0 update on 15 October, the first boot logged this before the world loaded:
[app] start creation step Init_SaveDataSystem
[app] start creation step Init_SaveSystem
[os] Started thread ... (Save2Thread)
[savedata2-migration] Found file '3ad85aea'...
[savedata2-migration] Found file '3ad85aea-1'...
[savedata2-migration] Found file '3ad85aea-2'...
...
[savedata2-migration] Found file '3ad85aea-index'...
[savedata2-migration] Add index file '3ad85aea-index' with container '3ad85aea-9'
[g38save2] EntityData: 1 blocks
[g38save2] Read result:ok
Then the usual Load deserialization took ... and the switch to Run. Players joined the same world afterwards; nothing was lost. The server did this on its own, with no setting, flag or command.
The files in savegame
Before 1.0, the server kept a rolling set of saves named after the world id: the current save as <id>, older autosaves as <id>-1 through <id>-9, and <id>-index recording which is newest. The migration reads every one of those, which is why there is one Found file line per slot, and the index last.
Keen says the originals are backed up before conversion, without saying where. Take your own copy of the whole savegame directory before the first 1.0 boot as well, because the copy on your machine is the one you can restore without asking anyone. On Connect, the Backups tab takes a full-server backup in one click, and moving and backing up a world covers the folder by hand.
If the migration lines do not appear
Three cases, in order of likelihood:
- The server is still on the Early Access build. Check the version line near the top of the log.
Game Version (SVN): 1267041 is 1.0.0.1; 1024233 is the September build, which neither migrates nor accepts 1.0 players. Server still on the old build after 1.0 is the fix.
- The world was already converted. The migration runs once. A second 1.0 boot logs the normal load with no
savedata2-migration lines, and that is correct.
- The world is new. A server created on or after 15 October has nothing to convert; it writes the new format from the start.
If you see the version line at 1267041, the world is old, and there are still no migration lines, stop the server, check that savegame is where the server expects it (saveDirectory in enshrouded_server.json, ./savegame by default) and that the files are readable, then start again and read the log from the top.
Going back
Keen has said nothing about the old server reading the new format, and the Steam depot for app 2278520 has a single public branch that only serves the current build, so there is no supported way to run the Early Access server anyway. Treat the update as one-way: keep your pre-1.0 copy of savegame as an archive, not as a plan.
On a Connect server
Enshrouded server hosting at Connect pulls the current build on every restart, so the migration ran at the first restart after 15 October on servers that existed before launch. The Console tab shows the savedata2-migration lines as they happen. Take a backup from the Backups tab first if you want your own copy; roles, slots and the preset on the Server Settings tab are unaffected.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the Enshrouded 1.0 server convert old worlds automatically?
Yes. On first boot on the 1.0 build it logs [savedata2-migration] Found file ... for every save slot and the index, backs them up and writes the new format. No command is needed.
Will I lose my world updating to 1.0?
Not from the migration itself. We watched a server running since 1 October come through it intact. Keep your own copy of savegame regardless.
Why are there no migration lines in my log?
Either the server is still on build 1024233 and never ran 1.0, or the world was already converted on an earlier 1.0 boot, or the world is new. Check the version line first.
Can I go back to the Early Access server after migrating?
There is no supported way. The depot's single public branch only serves the current build, and Keen has not said the old server can read the new format.
Where is the backup the migration makes?
Keen's changelog says the originals are backed up before conversion but does not say where. Your own copy of savegame, taken before the first 1.0 boot, is the backup you control.