Unified Auto Save Interval

A tiny BepInEx plugin that changes Valheim's own built-in autosave interval and can postpone autosaves briefly while players are in combat.

Default normal interval: 600 seconds / 10 minutes.

Default maximum combat delay: 120 seconds / 2 minutes.

The mod does not implement a separate save system and does not create custom save files. It only adjusts Valheim's existing Game.m_saveInterval.

Why

Valheim officially exposes -saveinterval for the dedicated server executable, but not as an in-game setting for normal clients or worlds hosted through Valheim's Start Server option.

Frequent autosaves reduce progress loss after crashes, but an autosave can also cause a noticeable hitch. The combat protection therefore allows the normal autosave to wait briefly when somebody is actively fighting.

Behaviour

In-game host / Start Server

The host process owns the world, so the normal interval applies to:

• the hosted world;
• the host's local character.

With ProtectAllPlayersWhenHosting = true, the host checks all connected players. If a creature is targeting any of them when the autosave becomes due, the save may be postponed.

Joining client

A joining client does not own the server world. The configured interval applies to that client's local character save.

Combat protection only watches that local player on a joining client.

Maximum delay

Combat never disables saving indefinitely.

Example with the defaults:

• normal autosave: 600 seconds;
• maximum combat delay: 120 seconds;
• hard maximum interval while combat remains active: 720 seconds.

If combat ends earlier, the normal 600-second threshold is restored. If the normal save is already overdue, Valheim's own autosave runs immediately after the short combat-clear window.

Combat detection

Combat is considered active when a creature's Valheim BaseAI currently targets a protected player.

A short clear window keeps combat active for a few seconds after the last target disappears so retargeting does not rapidly toggle the save threshold.

The default clear window is 5 seconds.

Configuration

After first launch:

BepInEx/config/daishi11.valheim.unifiedautosaveinterval.cfg

Defaults:

[General]
SaveIntervalSeconds = 600

[Combat]
AvoidSavingDuringCombat = true
MaxCombatDelaySeconds = 120
CombatClearSeconds = 5
ProtectAllPlayersWhenHosting = true

Useful normal intervals:

• 600 = 10 minutes
• 480 = 8 minutes
• 300 = 5 minutes
• 60 = 1 minute for short testing

Allowed normal interval: 60 to 3600 seconds.

Allowed maximum combat delay: 0 to 600 seconds.

The settings can also be changed through compatible BepInEx configuration UIs.

Compatibility

• No Harmony patches.
• No custom save format.
• No custom backup system.
• No Jotunn dependency.
• Uses Valheim's existing autosave timer and save routines.

Tested for the Valheim 1.0.x modpack using BepInExPack Valheim 5.4.2350.

Recommended setup

For normal play:

SaveIntervalSeconds = 600
AvoidSavingDuringCombat = true
MaxCombatDelaySeconds = 120
CombatClearSeconds = 5
ProtectAllPlayersWhenHosting = true

For a quick combat test:

SaveIntervalSeconds = 60
MaxCombatDelaySeconds = 30

Stay in combat across the one-minute save point. The log should report combat protection and the save should either run shortly after combat clears or at the 90-second hard maximum.

License

MIT.