Hollow Halls was Enshrouded's first major content update. Keen Games released it on 26 March 2024, while the game was still in Early Access, and it added a new dungeon to every biome. Servers set up since then already have it, but the question behind it comes back with every big patch, including Enshrouded 1.0 on 15 October 2026: what changes on the server side, and do you need to do anything?
What Hollow Halls Added
According to Keen's announcement, each biome got a new playable area called the Hollow Halls, "with enemies and challenges corresponding to the level of the biome". The update also brought new quests through the Alchemist, new enemy encounters, a survivor to find, a new crafting station with recipes, and new weapons, building blocks and furniture. Keen warned that the Halls can be run solo, but that it "might be a very challenging experience".
Three changes in the same update matter more to server owners than the dungeons:
- Automatic save backups. The game now "automatically creates backups of the save data in periodic intervals".
- Smaller patches. Keen reworked how the game updates on Steam. Before Hollow Halls every update re-patched the full 30 GB of game data on your players' drives, and since then only the affected areas are patched, so their updates download faster.
- Servers by IP. Servers can be searched and favorited by IP in the in-game server browser.
The announcement does not mention any new setting in the dedicated server configuration.
Server Requirements
Keen publishes its own figures, and none of them is tied to Hollow Halls. The dedicated server FAQ says:
- The server process uses about 4.4 GB of RAM when idle.
- Each player adds up to 100 MB.
- In total the server should not use more than 6 GB.
- The uncompressed server files take about 13 GB; keep 30 GB free.
- A world save is between 1 MB and about 100 MB, closer to 100 MB for worlds with many big bases.
The recommended specs for a whole Windows machine list 16 GB of RAM and a 6-core CPU at 3.2 GHz for 4 to 6 players, and an 8-core CPU at 3.7 GHz for 16 players. Keen also recommends about 2 Mbit/s of upload per player.
If you host on Linux, the server runs through Proton or Wine, which needs memory of its own on top of Keen's 6 GB.
How to Update
Managed Hosting
On managed hosting like Space-Node Enshrouded hosting, the server files update through the control panel. Make a backup in the panel first, restart the server so it pulls the new build, and check that it runs the same version as your players' game.
Self-Hosted (SteamCMD)
# Stop the server first
steamcmd +force_install_dir /home/steam/enshrouded \
+login anonymous \
+app_update 2278520 validate \
+quit
App ID 2278520 is the Enshrouded Dedicated Server.
Before You Update
- Back up your save. Since Hollow Halls the game keeps periodic backups of its save data, but take your own copy of the whole
savegamefolder before a big patch anyway:
cp -r /home/steam/enshrouded/savegame /home/steam/backups/enshrouded-before-update
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Check your RAM. Compare what the server uses during a busy session with Keen's figures above. If you are close to your plan's limit, upgrade before the patch rather than after players start complaining.
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Tell your players. Let them know when the server goes down, and that they need to update their game as well.
Configuration: What Actually Exists
There are no dungeon-specific settings in enshrouded_server.json. Some guides list options such as dungeonDifficulty or enemyDensity, but they do not appear in Keen's Server Gameplay Settings article. Keen's docs also warn that invalid values stop the server from booting, so do not copy settings from a list you cannot check.
The settings that do shape how hard the Hollow Halls feel apply to the whole world. They only take effect with "gameSettingsPreset": "Custom":
randomSpawnerAmount: how many enemies the world has (Few,Normal,Many,Extreme).aggroPoolAmount: how many enemies may attack at the same time.enemyDamageFactorandenemyHealthFactor: damage and health of regular enemies.bossDamageFactorandbossHealthFactor: the same for bosses.resourceDropStackAmountFactor: the amount of material per loot stack, from chests and defeated enemies.
The Enshrouded server settings guide lists every setting with Keen's allowed ranges.
Performance After an Update
Keep an eye on three things during the first sessions after a large patch:
- RAM usage. Keen's 6 GB ceiling is for the server process alone. If the server sits near your plan's limit during busy sessions, move up a tier.
- CPU. Keen asks for a stronger CPU for 16 players than for 4 to 6, so a full server needs more CPU headroom than a small group does.
- Save and backup size. Saves stay small, but automatic backups and your own copies add up over months.
If the server struggles, lowering slotCount is the lever Keen itself suggests when CPU or RAM is the bottleneck.
Hosting Recommendations
Keen's figures put the server process at about 4.4 GB when idle and under 6 GB in total, and on our Linux nodes Proton needs some memory as well. That makes Flame (8 GB) the smallest Space-Node Enshrouded plan above Keen's 6 GB figure. Beacon (12 GB) and up add headroom for long-running worlds and a full 16 players. The plans go from 4 GB to 24 GB, and you can move to a higher tier from the client area without rebuilding the server. Your world data stays intact.
FAQ
Do I need a new world for the Hollow Halls? Keen's announcement does not say you need one. The Hollow Halls are part of each biome, and the update is more than two years old, so any server set up since then has them already. If you still run a world from before March 2024, back it up before you update the server.
Did Hollow Halls add new server settings?
No config settings, according to Keen's announcement. It did make servers searchable by IP in the server browser. The difficulty and gameplay settings in enshrouded_server.json arrived with the later Back to the Shroud update, and they apply to the whole world, not to the dungeons only.
Do clients and server need the same version? Yes. Keep the server on the same build as your players, and update both after a patch.
Related guides: for full configuration reference, see Enshrouded server settings guide. Comparing providers? Read best Enshrouded hosting compared.