Fimbulwinter Lite 2.0.0 - server-side-first QoL for Valheim 1.0

A ground-up rebuild of the pack for Valheim 1.0 "Deep North", built on two rules:

1. Zero Azumatt mods. None of the nine in the old pack have shipped a 1.0 build.
2. If the server can do it, the server does it. Players install as little as possible.

25 packages, down from 58. Every package verified against the Thunderstore API as published on/after 2026-09-09 (Valheim 1.0.0). One exception to "server-side-first": Jotunn and Vapok-AdventureBackpacks run on both sides -- see "AdventureBackpacks" below.

Upgrading from 1.x? Read this first

This is not an incremental update. 2.0.0 is a ground-up rebuild for Valheim 1.0, and the mod list has almost nothing in common with 1.4.4 -- every Azumatt mod is gone, Jotunn-dependent mods were rebuilt or dropped, and most of the pack's QoL now runs server-side instead of client-side. If you're coming from an existing 1.x world:

• Back up your world and character saves before updating. Removed mods (SmartSkills, TargetPortal, Seasons, and everything Azumatt) mean settings and item data tied to them won't carry over cleanly.
• Starting a fresh world is the safer path if you can. A 1.x save will still load, but expect some visual/behavioral rough edges from mods that no longer exist.
• Every connecting player needs the new pack, no partial installs. Vapok-AdventureBackpacks requires an exact mod match on both client and server (see "AdventureBackpacks, and why it's required" below) -- a player still on 1.x, or missing that one mod, cannot join.

Installation

Via Thunderstore / r2modman or the Thunderstore Mod Manager (recommended): search "Fimbulwinter Lite" and install/update like any other modpack. Dependencies resolve automatically.

Manual .r2z import: if you were handed a .r2z profile file directly, open r2modman -> Profiles -> Import/Update -> From file -> select the file -> Import as new profile (or Update existing, if you're updating a profile that already has this pack).

Hosting the dedicated server: see "For server admins" below.

The split

Only 18 packages reach players. The other 7 live on the dedicated server and are excluded from the client profile automatically.

Client (18)

Server only (7) - players install none of these

Server-authoritative and works with unmodded and console clients, so none of it costs a player anything to install.

AdventureBackpacks, and why it's required

Six biome-tiered backpacks, each an equipped item (not an inventory slot -- see the caveat below) that adds carry capacity at a movement-speed cost:

Each tier has 4 upgrade levels at its crafting station (bigger grid each time) -- upgrade what you have before jumping to the next biome's tier. Every tier costs -15% movement speed while worn, and halves the weight of its own contents (0.5x weight multiplier) -- that trade-off is the balance, not a bug.

Keys: I opens/closes the equipped backpack; the backpack also opens automatically alongside your main inventory. Y quick-drops it (detach and drop behind you). L toggles the Wisppack's Demister in Mistlands.

Caveat: it occupies the Cape/Shoulder slot, not a separate dedicated slot -- you cannot wear a backpack and a cape at the same time. The mod's own item data confirms this (backpacks are typed as capes internally). There's no config option to change this; the Arctic Sherpa Pack's own Frost/Cold Resistance perk exists specifically to compensate for the cape-based cold resistance you'd otherwise lose.

Why this one requires every player to match exactly: unlike the rest of this pack, AdventureBackpacks enforces itself on both client and server with built-in version checking -- a mismatched or missing install is rejected on connect, not silently degraded. If you're setting up a server yourself, this is the one mod you cannot make optional.

One-click server connect (Zenox-ServerConnect)

Adds a button above "Start Game" on the main menu that connects straight to a configured server address and password, skipping the server browser.

Its config holds a real address and password in plain text and is never part of this repository or the shared .r2z. BepInEx/config/zenox.serverconnect.cfg generates its own placeholder defaults (127.0.0.1:2456 / changeme) the first time it runs -- fill in the real values yourself, in your own profile, after installing.

For server admins

make profile                 # build the client .r2z from thunderstore.toml
bash scripts/deploy.sh full  # push mods + config to a Pelican-panel dedicated server

scripts/deploy.sh talks to the Pelican panel Client API (.env: PANEL_URL, PELICAN_CLIENT_KEY, SERVER_ID) and needs .env filled in from .env.example. server/fimbulwinter-lite-egg.yaml is a self-contained Pelican egg (Valheim + BepInEx only; mods/config reach the server exclusively through deploy.sh).

Why Server_devcommands is required

Vanilla gates every cheat command behind Terminal.IsCheatsEnabled(), which requires the caller to be the server -- a connected player on a dedicated server never is, so god/fly/debugmode are rejected regardless of adminlist.txt (being an admin grants kick/ban, not client cheats). Server_devcommands patches that gate and must be installed on both sides: the console it patches is client-side, permissions are enforced server-side.

ServersideQoL tuning

The suite ships mostly inert by default -- values below are what this pack turns on.

Untouched, still vanilla: personal chest, barrel, cart, wardrobe, grausten chest, Ashlands ship, pots and gifts. The infinite-expanding + container variant is not used anywhere in this pack.

Crystal-DeathPenalty tuning

config/dev.crystal.deathpenalty.cfg, all four keys server-enforced (change via deploy.sh configs).

Vanilla's 5% compounds harshly on this pack's combat-hard preset; 2% keeps death meaningful without being crushing (a level-30 skill loses roughly half a level per death).

cjayride-RecycleItemsIntoParts

Drag an item onto the cursor and press Delete to recycle it into its crafting materials. Config at config/cjayride.RecycleItemsIntoParts.cfg, shipped at mod defaults (100% resource return, coins excluded, consumables/trophies/shards included).

It needs some resolvable recipe to act -- raw materials and recipe-less drops just print "Cannot be recycled or unknown recipe" and are left alone. There's no "delete anything, return nothing" option.

Keyboard Shortcuts

Free keys for future additions: U (bare), F3, F6, F7, F8, F10. Rationale for every moved bind (and why some near-misses aren't actually conflicts) is in docs/DECISIONS.md.

Old pack -> new pack

What you lose, honestly

Gone for good: AzuAreaRepair (no 1.0 build) and MissingPieces (has one, but writes custom prefabs into the world -- removing it later leaves holes in existing builds). Also dropped: ProjectileTweaks, ShieldBash, SmartSkills, Seasons, TargetPortal, SpeedyPaths, StumpsAreOneHp, LocalizationCache, Groups, VNEI, ConfigurationManager, PlantEverything/PlantEasily/MassFarming.

Verified 1.0-ready, available as one-line adds

Left out to keep the count down, but all confirmed updated as of this release:

Advize-PlantEverything       = "1.21.1"  # plant every resource
Advize-PlantEasily           = "2.2.0"   # grid planting
Crystal-DigDeeper            = "1.3.0"   # deeper digging
shudnal-ConfigurationManager = "1.1.18"  # in-game config editor (+ JsonDotNET)
MSchmoecker-VNEI             = "0.17.6"  # item browser (pulls in Jotunn)
ArgusMagnus-ServersideQoL_ContainerSigns    = "2.0.4"  # chest labels
ArgusMagnus-ServersideQoL_PortalProgression = "2.0.0"  # ores by boss progress, mutually exclusive with `portals casual`

Credits

Fimbulwinter Lite bundles the work of a lot of mod authors. Thank you, in package order:

denikson & the BepInEx team, ValheimModding (Jotunn, YamlDotNet), shudnal (ConditionalConfigSync, MyLittleUI, ExtraSlots), Toxo (CraftFromChests), Neobotics (HUDCompass), JoelOliMclean (NoRainDamage), korCaptain (NullReferenceFix), JereKuusela (Server_devcommands), Crystal (DeathPenalty), cjayride (RecycleItemsIntoParts), ComfyMods (Gizmo), Searica (Extra_Snap_Points_Made_Easy), Ostrix (AdvancedTerrainModifiersCompatible), Zenox (ServerConnect), ArgusMagnus (ServersideQoL and its modules), Vapok (AdventureBackpacks).

Every mod here is redistributed unmodified, resolved from Thunderstore at build time -- this repo ships only the configuration tuned for this pack. See each mod's own Thunderstore page for its license and full credits.