Windrose is a co-op pirate survival game currently in Early Access, and if you are trying to set up or manage a dedicated server, the admin command situation is not what you might expect from a survival game. This guide covers exactly where things stand, what configuration options are actually available, and how to get meaningful server control right now.
Do Windrose Admin Commands Exist?
No. As of May 2026, Windrose does not have traditional in-game admin commands. The game runs on Unreal Engine 5, which normally allows a developer console via the tilde key (~), but Kraken Express has locked that console in the current Early Access build. Pressing the tilde key does nothing, and no built-in command system exists for spawning items, teleporting players, or running server-side operations through the game itself.
However, that does not mean you are entirely without options. Server management in Windrose happens through JSON configuration files, and the community has also built unofficial tools that add meaningful admin functionality on top.
Windrose Cheats and Mods (Single-Player)
For solo players who want cheat-like functionality, the community has built several mods available on Nexus Mods that fill the gap:
- Windrose Cheat Suite adds infinite health, infinite stamina, and significant increases to both ranged and melee damage.
- Other mods enable building fast travel points away from the coast, unlimited sprinting, easier perfect blocking, instant crafting, and faster ship projectiles.
These are third-party modifications and not official developer tools. They can break after game patches, so use them with that understanding.
For players who want to re-enable the UE5 console, the Simple Mod Loader (SML) on Nexus Mods re-enables the developer console using the tilde (~) key by default. However, SML is marked as a solo-only tool and has no effect on dedicated servers.
How to Access Windrose Server Configuration Files
All dedicated server management in Windrose currently takes place through two configuration files. Here is how to reach them:
- Step 1: Open your Steam Library and switch the dropdown filter to show Tools.
- Step 2: Install Windrose Dedicated Server from the Tools list.
- Step 3: Right-click the entry and navigate to Manage then Browse Local Files.
- Step 4: Launch the server once by running StartServerForeground.bat. This creates the default configuration files and lets you view live server logs. To shut down the server, simply close the window.
- Step 5: Edit ServerDescription.json in the R5 subfolder and WorldDescription.json in the path below once your first world has been created.
Important: Always edit these files while the server is completely shut down. If the server encounters startup issues, it may overwrite changed fields with default values.
ServerDescription.json: What You Can Configure
| Setting | What It Does |
| InviteCode | Custom invite code for players to join. Minimum 6 characters, using 0-9, a-z, A-Z. Case-sensitive. |
| IsPasswordProtected | Set to “true” or “false” to enable or disable password protection |
| Password | The password players need to enter to join |
| ServerName | The display name of your server |
| MaxPlayerCount | Maximum number of simultaneous players. Up to 4 is recommended for stable performance |
| WorldIslandId | The ID of the world that loads on server start. Must match the corresponding WorldDescription.json |
WorldDescription.json: World and Difficulty Settings
WorldDescription.json lives at: R5/Saved/SaveProfiles/Default/RocksDB/[game version]/Worlds/[world ID]/WorldDescription.json
Note that this file only appears after you have created a world in the game. If you have multiple save files, each has its own separate WorldDescription folder.
| Setting | Details |
| WorldName | The display name of your world |
| WorldPresetType | Set to “Easy”, “Medium”, or “Hard”. Automatically switches to “Custom” if you edit individual WorldSettings values |
| MobHealthMultiplier | Enemy health. Default: 1.0. Range: 0.2 to 5.0 |
| MobDamageMultiplier | Enemy damage output. Default: 1.0. Range: 0.2 to 5.0 |
| ShipHealthMultiplier | Enemy ship health. Default: 1.0. Range: 0.4 to 5.0 |
| ShipDamageMultiplier | Enemy ship damage. Default: 1.0. Range: 0.2 to 2.5 |
| BoardingDifficultyMultiplier | Number of enemies to defeat in boarding actions. Default: 1.0. Range: 0.2 to 5.0 |
| Coop_StatsCorrectionModifier | Scales enemy health and posture based on player count. Default: 1.0. Range: 0.0 to 2.0 |
| Coop_ShipStatsCorrectionModifier | Scales enemy ship health based on player count. Default: 0.0. Range: 0.0 to 2.0 |
| CombatDifficulty | Boss aggression and overall enemy intensity. Options: Easy, Normal, Hard |
| Coop_SharedQuests | True or false toggle for shared co-op quests |
| EasyExplore | True or false toggle for exploration map markers |
Critical warning: Do not rename or manually change the world folder names in your save directory. The game’s database relies on the exact generated IDs. Renaming them will break the server and prevent your world from loading.
Community Admin Tools (Unofficial)
Since the base game has no command system, the community has developed two server-side tools built on UE4SS, an Unreal Engine scripting layer.
WindrosePlus
WindrosePlus is a server-side mod framework developed by community member HumanGenome and available on GitHub. It is server-side only, meaning your players do not need to install anything to connect. It includes a web-based admin console with around 30 built-in commands and autocomplete support, a live sea chart showing player and creature positions in real time, basic RCON functionality, configurable multipliers for XP, loot, stack sizes, crafting costs, carry weight, crop speed, and inventory size, plus over 2,400 additional server settings covering player stats, weapon damage, food effects, co-op scaling, and more.
Windrose RCON (Standalone)
The standalone RCON option is the lighter choice. It covers the core moderation basics: kick, ban, unban, showplayers, and server info. If player moderation is your main need and you want fewer moving parts, this option available on Nexus Mods is sufficient on its own.
Do not run both tools at the same time. There is significant overlap between them, and stacking unofficial tools makes troubleshooting much harder when something breaks.
Dedicated Server System Requirements
| Player Count | CPU | RAM | Storage |
| 2 Players | Xeon Scalable, 2 cores, 3.2 GHz | 8 GB | 35 GB SSD |
| 4 Players | Xeon Scalable, 2 cores, 3.2 GHz | 12 GB | 35 GB SSD |
| 10 Players | Xeon Scalable, 2 cores, 3.2 GHz | 16 GB | 35 GB SSD |
If you run the game client and dedicated server on the same machine, a minimum of 24 GB RAM is recommended. An SSD is strongly advised for both setups.
Save Data Location and Backups
World save data stores at: R5/Saved/SaveProfiles/Default/RocksDB/[game version]/Worlds/[world ID]/
Back up this directory regularly before making any configuration changes or installing unofficial tools. To transfer a local save to a dedicated server, copy the entire world folder from your local AppData path and paste it into the dedicated server’s equivalent Worlds directory, then update the WorldIslandId in ServerDescription.json to match the copied folder name exactly.
Will Official Admin Commands Come to Windrose?
No official timeline has been announced by Kraken Express. The general expectation across the community is that admin tooling will expand during Early Access, as most survival games in this genre follow that pattern. For now, the configuration file approach and community tools are the only available options. The developers have not confirmed when or if a native command system will arrive.
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