FiresVAngarde

The server guardian for the Fires mod family. It keeps a server's mod list honest and its characters server-owned.

Players normally never notice it. When a client's mods don't match what the server requires, the player gets a panel naming exactly what to REMOVE, UPDATE (their version -> the server's) or INSTALL, instead of a silent boot to the main menu. Fix the list, reconnect, done.

Requires

• BepInExPack for Valheim
• FiresUnifiedCore
• FiresDiscordIntegration (optional) - when it is installed, kicks, violations and admin-command snapshots post to Discord.

Install it on the server. Clients need it too when the server enforces mod lists or server-owned characters, because both are handshakes between the two.

Mod validation

Connecting clients are challenged for their mod list, which is checked against text files in BepInEx/config/VAngarde/ on the server:

file	meaning
mod_exactmatch.txt	required mods, at exact versions
mod_whitelist.txt	extra client mods that are allowed
mod_blacklist.txt	mods that get a client rejected
mod_serveronly.txt	server-side mods, kept out of the required set
mod_adminonly.txt	mods only admins may run
exempt_players.txt	player IDs that bypass anti-cheat entirely
admin_character_exceptions.txt	treat a real admin as a normal player on named characters

[VAngarde.ModValidation] decides which checks run: UseExactMatch, UseWhitelist, UseBlacklist and EnforceModList. AutoUpdateModList rewrites the required set from the server's own plugins at every launch, so the list follows the modpack instead of going stale. AdminModsExtendWhitelist lets an admin who connects with a new mod whitelist it for everyone.

The list files reload while the server runs: edit one and run vangarde reload. The .cfg itself is read at startup, so change it with the server stopped.

Detection

Under [VAngarde.Detection] and [VAngarde.Enforcement]:

• DetectGodMode is log-only and never auto-kicks, because admins use god mode legitimately.
• DetectFlight, DetectSpeedHack with SpeedHackThreshold in m/s, and DetectCheatItems with BannedItems.
• ViolationAction picks kick or log.
• AdminBypass exempts admins from enforcement. AdminMonitoring still scans and reports them, and AdminCommandLogging reports admin devcommands, god and fly toggles.
• [VAngarde.Timing] sets the cadence: ChallengeTimeoutSeconds and PeriodicRecheckMinutes.

Read this before trusting it. Anything a client reports about itself can be forged by someone determined enough, so the [VAngarde.HardeningV2] audit, signature, integrity and DLL-hash toggles are telemetry, not proof. They ship off. What the server decides for itself, and what cannot be spoofed by a client, is the identity behind each message and whether the sender is an admin.

Characters

VAngarde can own characters server-side, in place of the usual client-held ones.

• [Characters] Enabled, BackupsToKeep (rotating ZIP backups, default 25) and the generated ServerKey.
• [Characters.Enforcement]: SingleCharacterMode (one character per account here), ForceServerCharacter (characters made elsewhere are replaced by a fresh one), HardcoreMode (deleted on death), AfkKickMinutes (0 = off), plus SingleCharacterAdminBypass, ForceServerCharacterAdminBypass and ExcludeAdminsFromAfk.
• [Characters.Maintenance]: MaintenanceMode kicks non-admins on a MaintenanceTimerSeconds countdown until it is lifted.

Profiles move over a chunked, resumable channel that reports failure instead of dropping the peer, which is what avoids the classic 30-second timeout on large characters at login ([Characters.Transport]). va_chan_test <sizeKB> proves the pipe with a synthetic payload.

Logging out waits until the server confirms your character is saved ("Saving your character on the server..."), for up to LogoutSaveWaitSeconds. Quitting the game (the Quit button, closing the window, Alt+F4) logs out first, so the save always lands. Crossplay saves travel in smaller pieces, sized by CrossplayChunkSizeBytes and CrossplayInFlightBytes.

When the server shuts down with players online, it asks each of them to save their character first and waits up to ShutdownSaveWaitSeconds (0 turns it off), so a restart doesn't cost anyone their progress.

Characters.ServerKey is generated on first start and signs saves so an older character file cannot be rolled back in. Never edit or share it, and keep it when you move the server.

New characters. BepInEx/config/VAngarde/PlayerTemplate.json (a sample is created when none exists) gives a brand-new character starter skills, starter items, a spawn point, and can skip the Valkyrie intro.

Commands

command	where
vangarde status	settings and tracked peers
vangarde scan	run a cheat scan now (server)
vangarde kick <id>	force-disconnect a peer (server)
vangarde reload	reload every list file (server)
vangarde push whitelist|blacklist|exempt	reload one list (server)
vangarde push mods	push your own client's mod list up as the standard (admin, on a client)
vangarde bypass [on|off]	toggle admin bypass at runtime
vangarde log <id>	post a player's cached log to Discord (server)
va_chan_test <sizeKB>	stress-test the transfer channel

Notes

• Server-side settings are locked and pushed to clients, so the server's copy is the one that counts.
• The in-game Fires help panel has a VAngarde section; its admin pages show for admins.
• [VAngarde] Enabled and [Characters] Enabled are the two master switches.