Enshrouded Save Transfer: Early Access Saves in 1.0

Quick answer: Early Access saves work in 1.0 and you do not need to do anything clever to carry them over. Keen states that old saves are usable, that the format was improved so they convert into a new and more efficient structure, and that a save created in 0.8 or earlier is backed up first and then migrated automatically the first time 1.0 loads it. Two things will feel like data loss and are not: the skill tree is deliberately reset so you have to spend the points again, and a character can look missing simply because an old save sits in the local folder while the menu is showing the Steam cloud tab.

• Local saves on Windows sit under the user profile at Saved Games\keen games\Enshrouded\default.
• Each world keeps ten numbered rolling copies plus an index file that decides which one loads.
• Character progression is client-side; world progression is server-side. That single split explains most transfer confusion.
• If a character vanished during the launch window, do not delete anything. Hotfix 1.0.0.2 changed how corrupted characters are handled, and a repair was still being worked on.

Can Early Access saves be used in 1.0

Yes, in Keen's own words. The launch FAQ asks the question directly and answers that you can absolutely use Early Access saves once the game releases in 1.0, with the save format converted to a new and more efficient one. The same answer adds a friendly suggestion: because the world and the first few hours were reworked so heavily in 1.0, starting over is worth considering if you are up for it.

That is a preference, not a requirement. Nothing about the caps or the new region demands a fresh character. If you want to see the reworked opening on your existing character, you can, and you keep the world you built.

Official source: Enshrouded Launch FAQ - Early Access saves are usable in 1.0 and will be converted to the new format.

How the automatic migration works

The changelog describes a two-step process that happens on its own. The first time 1.0 starts and detects a save game created with version 0.8 or earlier, it backs up the existing save data first and then migrates it to the new format. The new format is smaller and has a simpler structure in the save folder, so your save directory should get easier to read, not harder.

Note the version boundary in that sentence. Keen names 0.8 and earlier specifically, because those are the saves whose structure needed conversion. If you were playing the last Early Access builds, your folder layout already looks close to what 1.0 expects.

The technical notes add a safety net: extra measures were added so that save data loads as well as it can even when corrupted data is detected. That is the same area of the code the launch hotfixes touched, and it is why the advice below is to leave files alone rather than tidy them.

Where saves live and how to back them up

The changelog gives the Windows path in full: C:\Users\USERNAME\Saved Games\keen games\Enshrouded\default. Keen's own save game management page describes the same location more loosely as %USERPROFILE%/Saved Games/, which is the folder to check if your Windows username path is unusual. The 1.0 save format change and the automatic backup-then-migrate behaviour are both spelled out in the official changelog.

Inside the save folder, the structure rewards a little understanding.

To roll a world back, open the index file in a text editor and change the number to any value from 0 to 9, then load. Copy the entire save folder before you try it, and take a full copy before any game update rather than after, since the rolling copies protect you against a bad session but not against a bad migration.

On a dedicated server, the same save folder lives next to the server executable, or at the top level of a hosting provider's file manager, controlled by the saveDirectory setting. If you run a server, the dedicated server guide covers the config fields that point at it.

One thing worth knowing if you are comparing notes with other players: Keen's FAQ says save files are written every 5 minutes, while the save management page says a new rolling copy is created every 10 minutes or on shutdown. The copy count is the part that matters for recovery, and both sources agree on that.

Local folder versus Steam cloud

This is the most common false alarm in the launch window. The character selection menu and the world selection menu now let you choose between a local save folder and the Steam cloud folder, and they are separate tabs.

If a character or world you expect to see is missing, check which tab you are on before assuming anything was lost. A character stored locally does not appear in the cloud tab and the reverse is also true, so the fix is usually a click and not a recovery operation.

The cloud side is worth knowing by path as well. Steam keeps its local copy of cloud saves inside its own installation under userdata\YOUR_STEAM_ID\1203620\remote. The 1203620 folder name is the game's own identifier inside Steam, not something you chose. If you want to move saves between machines, copying through the cloud tab is the smoother route, and Keen's support notes describe uploading local saves to the cloud with Steam Cloud switched off so the two copies do not fight.

The skill tree reset on first load

This one is in the changelog under a heading Keen titled as a public safety announcement. When you play for the first time in 1.0 with an existing save, the skill tree is reset, and you need to spend the points again.

Nothing else about the character is rolled back. Level, gear, inventory, quests and achievements are not affected, and both the new skill nodes and the rebalanced ones are the reason the reset exists at all. Dagger skills moved from the warrior area to the assassin tree, several skills changed position, many skills got cheaper, and eight entirely new combat skills were added.

Treat the reset as a respec with a purpose. Before you load the old character, know which weapon you are building around, and check the point order in our progression overview if you have not internalised the new tree yet.

If a character goes missing

Hotfix 1.0.0.2 addressed a rare crash during save game migration that happened when a corrupted character save was loaded. The fix stopped those characters from being migrated at all, which is safer than crashing but obviously not the same as being repaired. Keen noted in the same patch note that a fix allowing migration and repair at the same time was still in progress, and asked players whose character is missing from the list to be patient. That wording is in the published hotfix changelog.

So the practical rule is simple: do not delete saves, do not overwrite the save folder with a backup you made earlier without copying the current one out first, and do not reinstall as a first response. If a per-character folder is still on disk, the data is still there to work with.

The same patch also fixed a crash while fast travelling or gliding in worlds with many entities, and a crash with a completely full backpack. Both were things that could interrupt a play session right in the window where a save would be written.

Moving a world to a server or another PC

The mechanic that makes this less scary is the split Keen documents in the server FAQ: character save games are not stored on a dedicated server, character progression is stored only on clients, and world progression is stored on the server.

That means two different movement problems. Moving a world means moving the world save folder to the server's saveDirectory and pointing the config at it. Moving your own character means moving your character file between machines, either through the local tab or through Steam cloud, and it travels independently of the world.

Because of that split, you can join a server with a fresh character into a world that is fully explored, or bring a leveled character into a brand new world. Neither is a bug, and neither requires the other to move with it.

FAQ

Do I lose my Early Access world when 1.0 converts it?

No. Saves from version 0.8 and earlier are backed up first and then migrated to the new format automatically on first load.

Where is my Enshrouded save file on Windows?

Under your user profile at Saved Games\keen games\Enshrouded\default, which is the same folder Keen's support pages describe as %USERPROFILE%/Saved Games/.

My character is missing after updating. Is it gone?

Not necessarily. First check whether you are looking at the local tab or the Steam cloud tab, because saves split across both. If it is genuinely absent, Hotfix 1.0.0.2 covered a migration crash involving corrupted character saves and a full repair was still being worked on, so leave the files in place.

Does 1.0 wipe my skill points on an old save?

Yes. The skill tree is reset on first load and you must spend the points again. Level, gear and achievements are not affected.

Can I move a single-player world onto a dedicated server?

Yes. Move the world save folder to the server and set saveDirectory to point at it. Characters travel separately, because character progression stays on each player's own machine.

Related Guides

• Enshrouded Dedicated Server Setup and Permissions (1.0) - the saveDirectory and logDirectory fields, plus what lives on the server versus on each client.
• Enshrouded Max Level and Progression: 50 and Gear 55 - what to expect from the caps once an old character is carried into 1.0.
• Enshrouded Achievements Guide: All 52 and How to Plan - why the skill reset and the Shroud Root achievement update are separate things.
• Enshrouded Performance and Settings Guide for 1.0 - which 1.0 changes touch loading, memory and long-running worlds.