LoadTimeProfiler

Profiles modded Valheim startup, world joins, and dedicated server boot. It also provides optional localization caching, config-write coalescing, and timeout protection without changing gameplay or world data.

Features

• Measures Start to Lobby, Lobby to World, and dedicated server startup.
• Shows plugin construction, Awake, OnEnable, Start, and major lifecycle timings.
• Attributes synchronous Harmony callback time in ObjectDB.Awake and ZNetScene.Awake to individual mods.
• Optionally accelerates supported localization work and automatic BepInEx config writes.
• Applies a configurable timeout floor to supported vanilla, Jotunn, ServerSync, and AzuAntiCheat paths.
• Keeps the newest 20 reports for comparison.

Installation

Place LoadTimeProfiler.dll in:

BepInEx/patchers

Do not place it in BepInEx/plugins. Install it separately on each client or dedicated server you want to profile.

Timeout protection is endpoint-local. Install the same build and timeout setting on both client and server when you want equivalent protection in both directions.

Usage

1. Start Valheim normally.
2. Wait for the main menu to measure Start to Lobby.
3. Enter a world to also measure Lobby to World.
4. Open the newest report in:

BepInEx/config/LoadTimeProfiler

Dedicated servers create a Server Startup report in the same directory. Compare multiple warm runs because disk cache, network conditions, world size, and background programs can affect loading time.

Lobby To World starts when TransitionToMainScene accepts the world transition and ends when SpawnPlayer completes. Earlier login, password, permission, warning, and world-selection prompts are not included.

Configuration

The configuration file is:

BepInEx/config/sighsorry.LoadTimeProfiler.cfg

Changes apply on the next launch. The four settings are independent. Longer original timeout limits are preserved.

Compatibility

When one of these mods is installed, disable the overlapping LoadTimeProfiler feature:

LoadTimeProfiler does not detect these mods or change settings automatically. Edit the config and restart the game.

Reading Reports

• Total is the complete measured session time.
• Milestone intervals show where time passed between major loading events.
• Plugin construction/Awake/OnEnable and Plugin Start methods show per-plugin startup work.
• Measured lifecycle execution times show inclusive Valheim lifecycle duration.
• Scoped deep attribution assigns synchronous ObjectDB.Awake and ZNetScene.Awake callbacks to mods.
• Connection outcome separates successful connection time from failure-decision time.

Slow entries are investigation targets, not automatic proof that a mod is broken. Framework mods may perform work on behalf of other mods. Acceleration hit counts and internal patch timings are intentionally omitted because they do not measure end-to-end time saved.

Example Reports

The abridged logs below are examples only.

Start To Lobby

=== Start To Lobby ===
Result: completed
Total: 2 min 15.781 s
Milestone intervals:
  Breakdown: lifecycle execution + remaining time until the next milestone.
  0.714 s: LoadTimeProfiler.Patcher.Finish
  0.106 s: LoadTimeProfiler.Patcher initialized
  82.336 s: BepInEx.Chainloader.Start
  32.418 s: BepInEx.Chainloader.Start complete
  16.894 s (16.463 s + 0.431 s): FejdStartup.Awake
  0.000 s: FejdStartup.Start
  0.244 s (0.244 s + 0.000 s): FejdStartup.SetupGui
  3.068 s (2.771 s + 0.297 s): FejdStartup.SetupObjectDB
BepInEx startup:
  Before Chainloader.Start (includes Chainloader.Initialize): 820.046 ms
  Chainloader.Start: 1 min 22.336 s
Plugin construction/Awake/OnEnable:
  6.534 s: MonsterLabZ
  4.629 s: MonstrumDeepNorth
  4.091 s: WarfareFireAndIce
  3.134 s: SouthsilArmor
  2.965 s: Jewelcrafting
  2.770 s: CrystalLights
  2.486 s: Warfare
  2.367 s: ValheimCuisine

Lobby To World

=== Lobby To World ===
Result: completed
Total: 52.154 s
Connection outcome:
  Normal connection time: 52.154 s
Milestone intervals:
  Breakdown: lifecycle execution + remaining time until the next milestone.
  1.468 s (0.000 s + 1.468 s): FejdStartup.TransitionToMainScene
  0.233 s (0.000 s + 0.233 s): FejdStartup.LoadMainScene
  0.043 s (0.043 s + 0.000 s): Game.Awake
  0.009 s (0.008 s + 0.001 s): ZoneSystem.Awake
  2.262 s (2.261 s + 0.001 s): ZNet.Awake
  15.022 s (13.311 s + 1.711 s): ZNetScene.Awake
  8.769 s (7.079 s + 1.690 s): ObjectDB.Awake
  0.033 s (0.032 s + 0.001 s): Game.Start
  0.438 s (0.437 s + 0.001 s): ZoneSystem.Start
  3.387 s (3.387 s + 0.000 s): DungeonDB.Start
  4.285 s (0.293 s + 3.992 s): ZNet.Start
  16.010 s (0.301 s + 15.709 s): Game.RequestRespawn
  0.167 s (0.167 s + 0.000 s): Game.SpawnPlayer
Measured lifecycle execution times (prefix -> finalizer, inclusive):
  13.311 s: ZNetScene.Awake
  7.079 s: ObjectDB.Awake
  3.388 s: DungeonDB.Start
  2.262 s: ZNet.Awake
  0.437 s: ZoneSystem.Start
  0.301 s: Game.RequestRespawn
  0.293 s: ZNet.Start
  0.167 s: Game.SpawnPlayer
Scoped deep lobby attribution:
  Exclusive synchronous Harmony callback time in ObjectDB.Awake and ZNetScene.Awake.
  Breakdown order: ObjectDB + ZNetScene.
  Prepared callbacks: installed=4, existing=398, skipped=2, failed=0, setup=0.021 s
  11.973 s (0.189 s + 11.783 s): Jotunn
  4.423 s (4.418 s + 0.005 s): DataForge
  0.813 s (0.813 s + 0.000 s): AdminQoL
  0.534 s (0.047 s + 0.486 s): EpicMMOSystem
  0.246 s (0.211 s + 0.035 s): WarfareFireAndIce
  0.180 s (0.116 s + 0.064 s): Jewelcrafting

For 15.022 s (13.311 s + 1.711 s): ZNetScene.Awake, 13.311 s is measured lifecycle execution and 1.711 s is the remaining time before the next milestone. Scoped attribution rows use ObjectDB + ZNetScene order.

Limits

LoadTimeProfiler attributes synchronous work it can observe. Network waits, coroutine continuations, background tasks, vanilla work, transpiled code, and work delegated through another framework may remain unattributed or appear under the framework. Timeout protection cannot make an offline, incompatible, or permanently stalled peer connect.

Changelog

1.2.4

• Increased automatic profile-log retention from 10 to 20 reports.
• Refined the package description around faster startup, reliable world joins, and built-in profiling.

1.2.3

• Reworked the README into a shorter installation, configuration, compatibility, and report-reading guide.
• Retained both the Start To Lobby and Lobby To World report examples.
• Removed the remaining legacy-key guidance and retired internal identifier; the runtime and config schema are current-only.

1.2.2

• Added explicit manual overlap guidance to the three acceleration/protection config descriptions and the README.
• Documents which LoadTimeProfiler setting to disable when StartupAccelerator, LocalizationCache, or TimeoutLimit is installed.
• Keeps configuration authoritative: no runtime scan for these conflicting mods, automatic feature override, or additional config option was added.

1.2.1

• Simplified profile reports to measured loading and connection timings plus actionable compatibility warnings.
• Removed acceleration, localization-cache, config-write, and timeout-protection installation status, hit counters, and internal processing-time sections because they do not measure end-to-end time saved.
• Removed all legacy configuration migration and legacy-mod detection/bypass paths. Only the four current General settings are read; legacy keys are ignored.

1.2.0

• Replaced the single General.Enabled master switch with independent profiling, localization-cache, config-write-coalescing, and timeout-protection settings.
• Profiling can now be disabled without disabling startup acceleration or connection protection; no report files or profiling-only runtime hooks are created in that mode.
• Changed the default timeout floor from 90 to 120 seconds, made it configurable through General.TimeoutProtectionSeconds, and uses 0 to disable protection while preserving longer original limits.
• Added safe migration from General.Enabled and older per-feature settings, including preservation of the previous all-disabled state.
• Keeps only the minimal plugin-discovery and startup-completion hooks required by external localization caching when profiling is disabled.

1.1.13

• Removed the Jotunn localization producer adapter after its pre-Awake Harmony preparation was found to initialize LocalizationManager before Jotunn.Main.Instance existed.
• Keeps Jotunn localization entirely on its original path while retaining the successfully exercised vanilla CSV, canonical LocalizationManager.Localizer, and manager-library LocalizeKey caches.
• Prevents the resulting Jotunn TypeInitializationException cascade into dependent mods such as VNEI, STUWard, and content registrations.

1.1.12

• Extended startup localization acceleration to repeatedly invoked, canonical LocalizationManager.Localizer, Jotunn, and manager-library LocalizeKey producers.
• Requires exact identities, method signatures, semantic fields, validated IL call flow, and actual Harmony callback registration; obfuscated AzuAntiCheat localization and stateful/side-effect variants stay on their original paths.
• Added per-adapter fail-open isolation, mutation invalidation, exception-safe startup lifetime cleanup, cache-release on lobby arrival, and adapter installation/hit diagnostics.

1.1.11

• Removed the experimental ObjectDB.Awake and ZNetScene.Awake Harmony wrapper batching after warm comparisons showed only a small end-to-end startup improvement.
• Restored immediate Harmony wrapper rebuild semantics and removed every PatchFunctions.UpdateWrapper hook, flush path, statistic, and report entry.
• Retains the localization cache, automatic config-write coalescing, profiling, and fixed 90-second connection-timeout protection.

1.1.10

• Removed global PatchFunctions.UpdateWrapper timing, per-target dictionaries, physical-rebuild statistics, and the startup-only UpdateWrapper finalizer.
• Retains exact ObjectDB.Awake and ZNetScene.Awake batching through a minimal prefix-only path; non-target requests now perform only fast target checks before continuing normally.
• Keeps structural Harmony validation, first-rebuild materialization, exception-safe final flush, compatibility fallback, and concise exact-target flush diagnostics.

1.1.9

• Added structurally verified, Chainloader-scoped Harmony wrapper batching for only the exact parameterless ObjectDB.Awake and ZNetScene.Awake targets.
• Added PatchFunctions.UpdateWrapper request, physical rebuild, avoided rebuild, target, and final flush diagnostics to the startup report.
• Keeps the first rebuild for each exact target, every other Harmony target, and every background-thread patch request on its original immediate path; adds no configuration option and removes the diagnostic hook when Chainloader finishes.

1.1.8

• Removed the exact-version AzuAntiCheat same-launch prehash integration, its background worker, and its report section.
• Restores AzuAntiCheat's original synchronous hash path while retaining normal plugin timing and the minimal 90-second AzuAntiCheat send-queue protection.

1.1.7

• Removed the observation-only FastAssetBundleLoader hash diagnostic and both of its Harmony hooks after confirming that the loader and its cache are effective independently.
• Keeps FastAssetBundleLoader behavior untouched and retains the AzuAntiCheat same-launch asynchronous prehash.

1.1.6

• Removed the 1.1.5 per-callback FejdStartup.Awake instrumentation after its Harmony detours could trigger a native Mono crash immediately after BepInEx chainloader startup.
• Retains the safe inclusive FejdStartup.Awake lifecycle timing and the 1.1.5 AzuAntiCheat prehash and FastAssetBundleLoader hash diagnostics.

1.1.5

• Added an exact-version AzuAntiCheat 4.3.11 integration that starts same-launch per-plugin SHA-256 work on one below-normal background worker while BepInEx continues loading plugins.
• Revalidates file identity before consuming a prehash and uses a fresh synchronous streaming hash on any missing, changed, or failed result; no persistent digest cache is trusted.
• Added narrowly scoped per-mod Harmony callback attribution for FejdStartup.Awake, with preparation and runtime bookkeeping cost reported separately.
• Added diagnostic timing for only FastAssetBundleLoader's original-source hash inside TryUseCachedBundle(Stream), excluding cache-output verification hashes.
• Keeps all three additions behind the existing General.Enabled master switch with no new configuration options.

1.1.4

• Removed the recent spawn-readiness, per-prefab ZDO, CreateObject, zone-loading hold, Jotunn source-hint, and minimap diagnostic hooks.
• Retains the coarse Game.RequestRespawn to Game.SpawnPlayer lifecycle interval, normal/failure connection outcomes, major world-loading stages, and per-mod ObjectDB.Awake/ZNetScene.Awake attribution.
• Keeps completed connection report formatting deferred until after SpawnPlayer returns.

1.1.3

• Added Game.UpdateRespawn and FindSpawnPoint activation fallbacks so Unity string-based respawn invocation cannot leave spawn-readiness diagnostics empty.
• Added final-target 3x3 ZDO attribution by prefab, including final known counts, a separate transient peak-missing backlog table with sampled first/last/clear observations, approximate inclusive CreateObject time, and registered-instance outcomes.
• Adds best-effort Jotunn source metadata or clearly labeled component-presence hints without enabling Jotunn's startup-costly global ModQuery collection.
• Added bounded SetLoadingInZone/UnsetLoadingInZone diagnostics, split into center-zone direct blockers and 3x3 instance-order candidates clipped to the final spawn attempt's relevant time windows, with the ordering start broadened to cover active-area sampling delay.
• Keeps the new diagnostics observation-only and behind the existing single master switch, with no new configuration options.
• Separately reports measured in-path diagnostic work and defers post-endpoint connection-report assembly through BepInEx's persistent main-thread queue until after SpawnPlayer returns, with a generation guard against mixing a newer session's detail.

1.1.2

• Added observation-only spawn-readiness diagnostics for the interval between _RequestRespawn activation and SpawnPlayer, plus connection-wide minimap call timing.
• Separately reports the built-in logout/custom-spawn gate, target-zone readiness, active-area readiness, and IsAreaReady completion.
• Samples known 3x3 spawn-sector ZDO totals and uninstantiated valid objects periodically at no more than 1 Hz, plus a terminal readiness sample, without changing loading behavior.
• Reports minimap cache hits, misses, and inclusive GenerateWorldMap call time relative to respawn activation so map regeneration can be distinguished from spawn-area loading.
• Keeps the diagnostics always on with the existing master switch, buffers samples in memory without per-sample disk writes, and reports a lower bound for measured diagnostic work.

1.1.1

• Replaced the per-feature settings with one General.Enabled master switch and automatically removes the retired settings from existing config files.
• Replaced exhaustive connection compatibility analysis with a minimal fixed 90-second floor for vanilla ZRpc, Jotunn, and known ServerSync/AzuAntiCheat send queues.
• Preserves timeout values already longer than 90 seconds and leaves fragment-cache lifetimes unchanged.
• Removed experimental Harmony wrapper rebuild batching and connection-time fragment patching.
• Added event-based connection outcomes that separately report normal connection time, first failure-decision time, and return-to-lobby/error-display time without per-frame polling.
• Starts connection timing only after TransitionToMainScene accepts the transition, and distinguishes a benign lobby return from ServerSync/AzuAntiCheat failures that set their terminal status after Game.Logout.

1.1.0

• Added safe localization CSV acceleration that replays captured AddWord sequences into Valheim's existing translation dictionary and keeps other mods' prefix/postfix callbacks active.
• Added Chainloader-scoped automatic config-save coalescing without changing a plugin's SaveOnConfigSet policy or delaying explicit Save() calls.
• Added opt-in Harmony wrapper rebuild batching. It remains disabled by default because mods that use a patch immediately after installing it can be incompatible.
• Added a structurally verified connection-stability layer for vanilla ZRpc, Jotunn CustomRPC, embedded/standalone ServerSync copies, and obfuscated AzuAntiCheat queue waits.
• Extended compatible fragment receive-cache lifetimes together with queue timeouts to reduce the risk of the original 60-second cache expiring during a slow fragmented transfer.
• Added acceleration and stability diagnostics to both Start To Lobby and Lobby To World reports.
• Added decompiled compatibility references and a detailed integration analysis for Jotunn 2.29.2, AzuAntiCheat 4.3.11, and the supplied ServerSync build.

1.0.1

• Fixed dedicated-server joins not preparing deep lobby attribution, so client-side per-mod ObjectDB.Awake and ZNetScene.Awake timings are now recorded when connecting to a dedicated server.
• Generalized the active lifecycle callback blocklist so attribution can be prepared safely from both JoinServer and local OnWorldStart paths.
• Updated the Thunderstore package icon.

1.0.0

• Initial public release of LoadTimeProfiler.
• Supports client loading and dedicated server startup profiling.