Joining the Eldradia
Project Zomboid Server
Everyone runs the same modset. If your mods do not match the server's, you get kicked or land on a black screen — so please do these steps in order, and start well before game night. The modpack is about 8.5 GB.
You will not find us by browsing the public server list. The server is unlisted on purpose — you have to add it directly, as in step 6.
Setup
Six steps, in order-
1
Make sure you are on Build 42
Build 42 is the default now. If you previously opted into a beta branch for Build 41, switch back:
Steam → right-click Project Zomboid → Properties → Betas → set Beta Participation to None. Let it update.
Your Build 41 characters and worlds do not carry over. B42 changed the save and map formats and there is no converter. Fresh start for everyone.
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2
Unsubscribe from your old mods
This matters more than it sounds. Leftover Build 41 mods are the most common cause of failed joins, and B41 and B42 versions of the same mod conflict.
Steam → Workshop → Project Zomboid → Your Subscribed Items → unsubscribe from everything (there is an "Unsubscribe from all" option).
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3
Subscribe to the collection
Open it and click Subscribe to all:
Eldradia B42 Collection ~8.5 GB
That is our own collection — it mirrors exactly what the server loads, so there is nothing else to subscribe to.
Do not use Sophie's collection directly: it is missing a dependency the pack needs, and it changes whenever the author updates, which would put you out of step with the server.
Start well before game night and let Steam finish completely — it downloads in the background, and a half-finished modset will not connect.
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3b
Run the checker Do not skip
Steam's "Subscribe to all" is unreliable on collections this big. It is widely reported to stall part-way through and quietly subscribe you to only some of them. You will not get an error — you will just get kicked at join time with no useful explanation.
Download Sync-EldradiaPZ.ps1 18 KB · PowerShell
Save it anywhere, then right-click it → Run with PowerShell. If Windows blocks it, open PowerShell in that folder and run:
powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File .\Sync-EldradiaPZ.ps1It compares what you actually have against what the server actually loads, and tells you exactly what is missing. Add
-OpenMissingand it will open those Workshop pages in Steam for you to click Subscribe on:powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File .\Sync-EldradiaPZ.ps1 -OpenMissingIt only reads your Steam folder and writes one text file to your Desktop. It cannot subscribe for you — Steam provides no supported way to do that, and the unsupported way risks your account.
Keep re-running it until it says READY.
The script is generated from the server's own mod list. If the modpack changes, download a fresh copy from this page rather than reusing an old one.
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4
Give the game more memory Do not skip
By default Project Zomboid only lets itself use 3 GB of RAM, and there is no in-game setting for it. That is not enough for 336 mods; you will get long loads, stutter, or an outright crash. This is the single most common cause of "the modpack does not work for me".
- Close the game completely.
- Steam → Project Zomboid → gear icon → Manage → Browse local files.
- Open
ProjectZomboid64.jsonin Notepad. - Under the
vmArgssection find the line-Xmx3072m. - Change it to
-Xmx8g— or-Xmx6gif you have 16 GB of RAM or less. - Save.
To confirm it took: launch the game, quit, then open
C:\Users\<you>\Zomboid\console.txtand look near the top for Memory max:. If it still reads 3000-something, the edit did not save — check you edited the file in the game folder, not the config folder. -
5
You do not need to enable the mods
This trips people up, so to be explicit: do not go into the Mods menu and try to turn 336 mods on. The server sends its mod list when you connect and enables them for you.
The only thing that can stop you joining is a mod you have not downloaded — the game says
Mod "..." is not installedand refuses the connection. That is precisely what the checker in step 3b catches.The preset the checker copies to your clipboard is only useful if you want to play the same modset in single player.
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6
Connect
Launch Project Zomboid and let it sit at the main menu for a minute. With 336 mods the first launch takes noticeably longer than vanilla — this is normal, not a freeze.
Join → Favourites (or Internet) → Add server, then fill in:
- Name: anything you like
- IP:
home.dehaven.info - Port:
16261 - Password:
xdxdx
Save, then connect. Your first connection is slower than later ones while the game checks every mod against the server.
If it does not work
Read this before asking"Connection refused" / server not found
The server may be down or restarting. It restarts automatically at 4:45 AM daily. Ask before assuming something is broken.
Kicked immediately, or a black screen on join
Almost always a mod mismatch. Verify the whole collection finished downloading, then have Steam check the install: right-click Project Zomboid → Properties → Installed Files → Verify integrity of game files.
"File doesn't exist on the server: media/lua/..."
Red text on a black screen, naming a file inside one of the mods. This one is not your fault and you cannot fix it — it means the server's copy of that mod is older than yours, usually because the mod author just published an update and Steam refreshed your copy before the server's.
Do not re-run the checker; it will say READY and you will still fail, because it checks what you are subscribed to, not what the server is serving. Send Michael the exact red text — the mod name and the number in the path are what he needs.
"You have mods the server does not"
You are still subscribed to something outside the collection. Go back to step 2.
The game hangs on "Loading mods"
Give it a few minutes. 336 mods is a lot. If it is still stuck after five, restart the game.
Everything looks right and it still fails
Tell Michael which step failed and what the exact error said. The server keeps logs and the problem is usually visible from that side.