ProgressGuard

ProgressGuard adds server-authoritative personal and world progression to multiplayer Valheim while protecting less-progressed players from advanced ambient enemies and raids.

Two-stage boss progression

Every boss follows a two-stage progression loop:

1. A player must damage the boss and witness its death to earn that boss's personal kill receipt.
2. A receipt holder must return the matching trophy to its Forsaken altar to commit world progression.

Boss death alone does not set the world-wide defeated_* key. At the offering, nearby receipt holders receive personal boss credit and access to the Forsaken power, the world key is committed, and withheld boss loot is released at the altar.

Party-ready offerings

Before accepting the trophy, the server checks every connected receipt holder who still needs credit. If everyone is within the configured altar range, the offering proceeds immediately. If someone is outside the radius, the trophy is retained and the carrier is told how many players are missing. A second use within 15 seconds deliberately proceeds without them.

In-game guidance

Players can follow the progression loop without reading external documentation:

• the first two login sessions for each character and world explain kill receipts and altar range;
• qualified players receive a clear kill-receipt confirmation;
• the trophy carrier is reminded to gather the group;
• connected receipt holders are told who has the trophy;
• altar hover text shows personal receipt and credit status;
• every eligible witness receives a personal progression confirmation.

Progression safety

The least-progressed connected character sets the default server-wide ceiling for managed out-of-biome ambient enemies and random raids. Bosses, event creatures, tamed creatures, native-biome enemies, dungeons, fixed spawners, and boss summons remain unaffected.

Event Monuments of Torment are blocked outside the Ashlands and allowed inside it. Clients wait for the authoritative server snapshot before applying ambient-spawn checks, preventing temporary join state from removing creatures.

Existing progress

ProgressGuard preserves progression additively. Existing world keys are never cleared, existing personal guardian-power progress is imported, and older ProgressGuard registry records are upgraded without lowering or erasing credit. Server administrators can verify connected characters with pg audit.

Configurable server rules

Server owners can configure witness distance, altar range, delayed boss loot, trophy presentation timing, trophy weight and stacking, automatic pickup, portal restrictions, ambient-enemy gates, raid limits, and biome exceptions. Server settings are authoritative and synchronized to connected players.