Arma 3 Desolation Redux Server Hosting

What Desolation Redux Is

Desolation Redux is a survival mod for Bohemia Interactive's Arma 3, published on the Steam Workshop on 19 February 2017 as the spiritual successor to DesolationMod. Its own description is short and clear: a large-scale survival mod where you gather resources, build a home and defend yourself from others looking to take what you have.

In practice that means starting with little, scavenging towns full of zombies, crafting, and building a base you can lock. The final updates added a journal for notes, progression, crafting and building, padlocks on doors, zombies that attack those doors, temperature that matters, hand warmers, cooking and do-it-yourself bullets in four calibres. Everything you build and carry is kept in the mod's database, so the world persists between sessions.

• Survival: temperature, pain, bleeding and damage all have visual feedback since the final update.
• Building: bases, padlocks and keys with unique IDs.
• Threats: zombies with their own loot, and other players.

Hosting a Mod That Is No Longer Developed

Be clear-eyed about the mod's age. Its Workshop item was last updated on 3 May 2020, and nothing has come since. The website listed on the Workshop page failed its security check when we looked. The mod still loads on Arma 3 and the files are still on the Workshop, which is all a server needs, but there will be no new features or fixes.

That shapes who it suits. A group that loved Desolation, or wants a quieter survival mod than the big names, gets a server that works the same way every night. A public server will take more effort to fill than one running a popular mission. If your group wants a different Arma 3 survival mod, we also host Arma 3 Epoch as its own product.

Choosing a Server Size

Survival servers feel best when the map is busy but not crowded. Too few players and the tension goes; too many and every town is a firefight. Start from how many people you expect at peak and add a little room.

The order form sells up to 120 slots if you need more. The mod's team never published server specs, so the memory tiers are ours: they rise because zombies, loot and stored bases add up as a server grows. You can change tier later from the client area and keep everything.

Mod Files, Keys and Launch Settings

An Arma 3 mod server needs the same mod as its players, loaded at start-up, plus the server-side files that run the mission. Desolation Redux has always shipped client and server files separately, and its changelog lists both for each update. On our servers the mod is set up for you when the server is created.

1. Share the Workshop link with your players so they subscribe to DesolationREDUX.
2. Check the mod's .bikey file is in the server keys folder.
3. Turn on signature verification in server.cfg so altered files are refused.
4. Set a server name, a password if you want privacy, and an admin password.
5. Restart and watch the RPT log for errors before inviting people.

Version 0.4.0 also added server options of its own, including up to six spawn points and server transfer code. The May 2020 server files let admins recompile plugin config data without a restart and clean objects that end up outside the map automatically.

The Database Behind the World

Persistence is what makes a survival server worth returning to, and Desolation Redux keeps its world in a database. The changelog mentions saving attached objects, playtime, vehicle kill info and world data to it, and earlier patch notes from the team warned that some versions changed the tables and suggested a wipe when updating.

Because the mod is no longer updated, you will not face that kind of upgrade again, but the database still needs care. Take a backup before any manual change, and talk to our support team before you move a world from another host or wipe it for a fresh start. A wipe is a big decision for a community, so announce it well in advance.

Running a Survival Server People Stay On

Regular restarts at fixed times keep an Arma 3 server healthy and give players something to plan around, such as logging out safely before the restart. Publish clear rules about base raiding, combat logging and safe zones, and keep a small admin team you trust with the admin password.

Use panel sub users instead of sharing your account, and keep a log of config changes so you can trace a problem back. If your players also want a different kind of night, the same group often runs a vanilla Arma 3 server or an Altis Life roleplay server beside it.

Moving From Another Host

Collect your configs, keys and any custom files from the old host, plus an export of the database if you want to keep characters and bases. Open a ticket before you upload the database so we can help bring it across safely. Our offsite backups cover the last 7 days once you are here.

What to Compare Before You Rent a Desolation Redux Server

An old mod needs a host that will help when things are not in the manual.

1. Mod already set upCheck the mod's client and server files are installed for you, not left as homework.
2. Database helpAsk whether the host will help move or wipe the database behind your world.
3. Single-core speedArma 3 servers depend on fast cores; ask what clock speed you get.
4. Full file accessYou need configs, keys and the RPT log, not only a start button.
5. BackupsMake sure you can restore a backup yourself after a bad change.
6. TermsMonthly billing with no setup fee lets your group try it first.

Desolation Redux Server Glossary

Workshop item

The DesolationREDUX entry on the Steam Workshop that players subscribe to.

Server files

The server-side part of the mod that runs the mission and talks to the database.

bikey

A mod's public key; placed in the server keys folder so signature checks accept its files.

Signature verification

An Arma 3 server setting that refuses players whose mod files do not match the keys.

RPT

Arma 3's server log file, the first place to look when something fails.

Wipe

Clearing the database so the world starts fresh.

Spawn point

A place players can start; the mod supports up to six per server.

Theseus Services

A community add-on the team included in the mod's addons.

Desolation Redux Server Help and Next Steps

Related pages and official links.

• DesolationREDUX on the Steam WorkshopThe mod and its changelog.
• Arma 3 server hostingVanilla Arma 3 and other missions.
• Arma 3 Epoch server hostingAn Arma 3 survival mod with its own product.
• Arma 3 Altis Life server hostingThe roleplay mission.
• Gaming Deluxe control panelLogging in and using the panel.
• Contact support24/7 help with the mod, keys and database.