Portal Station

This is not a portal networking mod. This is a vanilla portal naming mod that lets you quickly change the name of a portal with a click of the mouse. The portal still follows all normal vanilla functionality and naming conventions, with the added benefit of a rich-text display name (including color codes) on the attached sign above each portal.

Place a Portal Station sign board near your portal, configure your destinations once, then left-click a destination sign to retarget the linked portal — no menu-hopping, no re-typing tags at the portal every time you want to travel somewhere new.

Links

What this mod adds

Portal display sign (automatic)

Every vanilla portal you place gets a wooden sign above it automatically.

The portal tag and sign display are stored separately. You can pair portals using short tags like Home while showing <#FFD700>HOME BASE</#FFD700> on the sign.

Portal Station (craftable piece)

A hammer-buildable sign board with:

• 1 header sign — press E to open the configuration UI
• 18 destination signs (3 columns × 6 rows) — press LMB to activate a destination
• Links to the nearest vanilla portal within 15 m
• Default craft cost: 58 Wood + 19 Coal (configurable)
• Requires a workbench to place and remove

Linked station groups

Two or more stations with the same station name, placed within 10 m of each other (and linked to portals within 10 m of each other), share one combined destination list for duplicate-name validation — up to 36 unique portal tags across two boards, and so on.

What this mod does not do

• Does not create a custom portal network or omni-directional travel hub
• Does not bypass vanilla portal pairing rules, ore restrictions, or boss locks
• Does not add new teleport mechanics — it only changes which vanilla portal tag your linked portal is set to
• Does not replace the need for a matching destination portal elsewhere in the world

If two portals both have the tag Home, they connect the same way vanilla Valheim always has.

Requirements

Install via mod manager (recommended) or manually:

• BepInEx Pack for Valheim
• Jotunn

Multiplayer: Install on server/host and every client. Everyone needs the mod to see the station piece, portal signs, and configuration UI.

Installation

Mod manager (r2modman, Thunderstore, etc.)

1. Install BepInEx and Jotunn.
2. Install Portal Station.
3. Launch the game through your mod profile.

Manual

1. Install BepInEx and Jotunn.
2. Copy the PortalStation folder into BepInEx/plugins/:

   BepInEx/plugins/PortalStation/PortalStation.dll
   BepInEx/plugins/PortalStation/Station_Icon.png   (optional fallback; icon is embedded in the DLL)
   

3. Launch once to generate the config file.

Quick start

1. Place and name a portal

1. Build a vanilla portal.
2. A sign appears above it automatically.
3. Look at the portal and press E → enter the tag (e.g. Home). Max 10 characters.

2. Set the sign display (optional)

1. Look at the sign above the portal and press E.
2. Enter display text with color codes, e.g. <#FFD700>Home Portal</#FFD700>.

3. Place the Portal Station

1. Open the hammer → Misc → Portal Station.
2. Place it within 15 m of the portal (workbench required).

4. Configure the station

1. Press E on the header sign (top center of the board).
2. Set the station name.
3. For each slot, set:
   • Portal tag — the name used for vanilla pairing (max 10 chars)
   • Display text — what shows on the station sign and portal sign when activated (color codes allowed)
4. Press Commit.

If a portal is within 15 m, the station links automatically.

5. Activate a destination

1. Look at a destination sign on the board.
2. Press LMB (attack button — weapon swing is suppressed while hovering the sign).
3. The linked portal's tag and sign display update to match that slot.
4. Walk through the portal as normal.

Empty slot: LMB on an empty (...) slot clears the linked portal's tag for vanilla unnamed pairing.

Portal tag vs. display text

Color codes (display text only):

Common hex colors: <#FFD700> gold · <#87CEEB> sky blue · <#FF4444> red

Configuration file

After first launch, edit:

BepInEx/config/com.portalstation.cfg

Restart Valheim after changing values. Craft cost changes apply on next game launch.

Not configurable (hardcoded)

Multiplayer notes

• Configuration and activation run on the server/host.
• Clients send requests via RPC; the server writes portal and station data.
• All players need the mod installed to see signs, the station piece, and the config UI.
• Private area (ward) checks apply when editing signs or activating destinations.

Tips

• Name portals before pairing — both ends need matching tags, just like vanilla.
• Use short portal tags, long display names — S1 on the tag, <#FFD700>Swamp Outpost</#FFD700> on the display.
• Empty slot = clear tag — useful for unnamed portal pairing.
• Same station name + close together — share up to 36 destination names across two boards (no duplicate tags across the group).
• Fully restart after updating the DLL — hot-reload is unreliable for Valheim mods.

Building from source

# From repository root
powershell -File build.ps1

Requires .NET Framework 4.7.2, Valheim + BepInEx install paths in Directory.Build.props, and Jotunn DLL reference in PortalStation.csproj.

Output: artifacts/PortalStation.dll → deploy to BepInEx/plugins/PortalStation/.

Developer documentation

This project was rebuilt from lessons learned in an earlier prototype. Internal docs for contributors:

Credits

Portal Station by cdjensen99-sudo

Built with Jotunn and BepInEx.