How to Change the Map on a Conan Exiles Server (Legacy UE4 vs Enhanced UE5)

On a Conan Exiles Legacy (UE4) dedicated server, change the map by stopping the server, editing Engine.ini, setting ServerDefaultMap to the map’s Unreal asset path, and starting the server again. For Isle of Siptah, use /Game/DLC_EXT/DLC_Siptah/Maps/DLC_Isle_of_Siptah. Enhanced (UE5) is different: Funcom merged Isle of Siptah into Exiled Lands and closed separate Siptah PC servers on May 4, so a separate Siptah server is not an Enhanced option.

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The procedure below covers the Legacy branch, Windows and Linux folder names, command-line launchers, save files, DLC requirements, and the problems that commonly make a server appear to ignore the change.

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First identify which Conan Exiles build your server is running

Map switching depends on the game branch, not only on the hosting panel. Before editing a file, establish whether the server is running Legacy (UE4) or Enhanced (UE5).

Enhanced (UE5)

Enhanced merged Isle of Siptah with Exiled Lands. Funcom’s Enhanced information states that separate Siptah PC servers were closed on May 4 at 15:00. You cannot create a separate Siptah map server on this build by adding the old map path to Engine.ini; the old Legacy instructions do not restore that server type.

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Legacy (UE4)

Legacy retains Exiled Lands and Isle of Siptah as separate server types, with separate save databases. It receives critical fixes but no new features. To use the separate Siptah map, the server and every joining player must be on the Legacy branch.

1. In Steam, open your Conan Exiles library entry.
2. Choose Properties, then Game Versions & Betas.
3. Select Conan Exiles Legacy.

Anyone connecting to that server must select the same branch. A Legacy server and an Enhanced client are not interchangeable.

What changes when you switch maps

A map change starts a different world; it does not move your existing buildings, thralls, inventory, or progression into the other map. The previous map’s save remains in the server’s Saved directory and can be restored later if you keep it intact.

On Legacy, Isle of Siptah uses the save database dlc_siptah.db. Back up that file before changing versions or performing a map migration. A complete server backup is safer because configuration, mods, and other save data may also matter when you return to the old world.

Isle of Siptah is paid DLC. Every player who wants to join a Siptah server needs to own the DLC, in addition to running the same Legacy branch as the server.

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Change a Legacy server to Isle of Siptah in Engine.ini

This is the standard method described by Conan Exiles hosting guides. It applies to a conventional dedicated server where you can edit the server files directly.

1. Stop the server completely

Use the hosting panel’s Stop control or stop the dedicated-server process from your service manager. Do not edit the file while the server is running. A host reports that the in-game administration layer can write its current settings back to disk during shutdown, overwriting an edit made while the process was active.

Wait until the panel reports that the process has exited. If the panel has separate controls for stopping and restarting, use Stop first, make the edit, and then use Start.

2. Make a backup

Copy the entire ConanSandbox
game Saved directory to a separate location if possible. At minimum, preserve the existing map database and configuration files. For a Siptah change, specifically copy ConanSandbox
game Saved
game dlc_siptah.db (shown here with Windows separators; the actual path on your host may use forward slashes).

Do not delete the old database to “force” a change. The server can need it when you switch back, and deleting it destroys that map’s world state.

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3. Open the correct Engine.ini file

On a Windows dedicated server, open:

ConanSandbox/Saved/Config/WindowsServer/Engine.ini

On Linux hosting, the equivalent folder supplied by hosting documentation is:

ConanSandbox/Saved/Config/LinuxServer/Engine.ini

Use the file belonging to the dedicated server installation, not a local client copy in your Steam library. If your control panel provides a file manager, browse from the server’s ConanSandbox directory to Saved/Config, then choose the folder matching the operating system.

4. Add the server map setting

Add this section to Engine.ini:

[/Script/EngineSettings.GameMapsSettings]
ServerDefaultMap=/Game/DLC_EXT/DLC_Siptah/Maps/DLC_Isle_of_Siptah

If the file already contains a [/Script/EngineSettings.GameMapsSettings] section, do not create a second copy. Add or replace the ServerDefaultMap line in the existing section. Keep the capitalization, slashes, and asset path exactly as shown.

5. Save, close, and start the server

Save the file while the server is stopped. Start the server and wait for it to finish loading before connecting. The first successful start should create or open the Siptah world rather than loading the Exiled Lands world.

Expect a fresh Siptah world. Your Exiled Lands structures and local map progress will not appear there; they remain in the Exiled Lands save for a later return.

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Return to Exiled Lands

Stop the Legacy server before changing the setting again. You can either remove the ServerDefaultMap line or explicitly set the Exiled Lands path:

[/Script/EngineSettings.GameMapsSettings]
ServerDefaultMap=/Game/Maps/ConanSandbox/ConanSandbox

Save the file and start the server. The Exiled Lands world should load from its own database. Keep dlc_siptah.db and the Exiled Lands save so that each map can be restored without overwriting the other.

ServerDefaultMap versus GameDefaultMap

Use ServerDefaultMap for a dedicated server. Hosting documentation distinguishes it from GameDefaultMap, which is intended for the client and may be ignored by a dedicated server. Setting only GameDefaultMap can therefore leave the server on Exiled Lands even though the file appears to contain a Siptah path.

If a panel has generated both keys, leave the client setting alone unless you have a specific client-side reason to change it; verify that the server setting is present under the GameMapsSettings section.

When a hosting panel ignores Engine.ini

A service manager can use its own launch arguments. One TCAdmin community case reported that the Engine.ini edit worked when the server was started from a command prompt but the service manager still launched Exiled Lands. The solution was a separate launch parameter for the Siptah map.

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• Build: harvest resources to craft tools and weapons, then build anything from a Small home to entire cities. Build walls, traps, elevators, and more
• Dominate: wage war against your enemies, use siege weapons and explosives and see their walls crumble to dust, then unleash your savage Fury in violent and brutal combat
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Check the panel’s command-line manager

1. Stop the server.
2. Open the panel’s Commandline Manager, startup parameters, or equivalent service configuration.
3. Find the map or world argument. Some panels present the executable’s default name as ConanSandbox.
4. Replace that map value with DLC_Isle_of_Siptah if the panel specifically documents that format, or add the full asset path expected by the panel:

/Game/DLC_EXT/DLC_Siptah/Maps/DLC_Isle_of_Siptah

5. Save the command line, then start the server and inspect the startup log or panel status.

Panel syntax differs, so do not paste an argument blindly into an unrelated field. If the panel launches a wrapper script, the wrapper may be replacing your Engine.ini value on every start. In that case, the persistent command-line profile is the setting that must be changed.

How to confirm which map actually loaded

Do not rely only on the map selected in a control panel. Confirm the result after startup:

• Check the server’s startup log for the loaded map name or asset path.
• Join with a Legacy client and verify that the world is Siptah rather than Exiled Lands.
• Check the save directory for the expected Siptah database, dlc_siptah.db.
• Confirm that the server has not silently started a second instance using a different installation directory.

A new Siptah world will not contain your Exiled Lands base. That absence is expected and is not, by itself, evidence that the map setting failed.

Troubleshooting map changes

The server still loads Exiled Lands

• Confirm that the server is Legacy. An Enhanced server cannot provide a separate Siptah server after the merge.
• Verify the key is ServerDefaultMap, not GameDefaultMap.
• Check that the line is inside [/Script/EngineSettings.GameMapsSettings].
• Make sure the path is exactly /Game/DLC_EXT/DLC_Siptah/Maps/DLC_Isle_of_Siptah.
• Stop the process before editing and start it afterward; an edit made during runtime may be overwritten on shutdown.
• Inspect the panel’s command-line profile for an argument that forces Exiled Lands.
• Ensure you edited the active installation’s Engine.ini, especially if the host has multiple server instances.

The server starts, but players cannot connect

• Every player must use the Legacy branch when the server does.
• Every player joining Siptah must own the paid Isle of Siptah DLC.
• Check that the server is reachable and that the startup completed; a map-loading failure can leave a process running without a usable world.
• Have players remove any conflicting client-side branch or version selection, then restart the game before trying again.

The server starts with a new character or empty map

This is normally the expected result of changing maps. Siptah is a separate world and uses dlc_siptah.db. Do not overwrite that file with the Exiled Lands database. Restore the previous map setting when you want to return to the old world.

The setting disappears after a restart

• Check whether the service manager regenerates Engine.ini from a template.
• Use the panel’s persistent command-line configuration if it overrides the file.
• Stop the server, edit the file, save it, and verify its timestamp or contents before pressing Start.
• Ask the host whether automated configuration synchronization is enabled for the instance.

Mods prevent the server from starting

Legacy mods are not automatically compatible with Enhanced. Funcom’s migration guidance notes that existing Legacy mods need to be re-cooked by their authors for Enhanced. If you are changing branches as well as maps, remove or update incompatible mods before diagnosing the map path. A mod failure can look like a map failure because the server may stop during startup.

Switching between Legacy and Enhanced

Changing the Steam branch is a larger migration than changing ServerDefaultMap. Legacy and Enhanced use different versions and have different feature sets. Back up dlc_siptah.db before changing branches, and retain a copy of the complete Legacy save set.

Funcom provides a migration FAQ for the Enhanced move. Hosting documentation also describes using a Server Transfer Tool to move Legacy Siptah characters into the merged Enhanced world, but that transfer behavior is not confirmed here as a direct Funcom statement. Treat it as a separate migration process, not as an automatic consequence of editing Engine.ini.

Map paths and settings at a glance

A safe change checklist

• Identify the branch: Legacy or Enhanced.
• Confirm that all intended players can use that branch.
• Confirm Siptah DLC ownership for everyone who will join.
• Stop the server and wait for the process to exit.
• Back up the server’s Saved directory, including dlc_siptah.db.
• Edit the active operating-system folder’s Engine.ini.
• Use the ServerDefaultMap key under GameMapsSettings.
• Check for a panel command line that overrides the file.
• Start the server and verify the loaded map in the log or by connecting.
• Keep the previous save so you can return to the original map.

What the map setting cannot do

The setting selects the world loaded at startup; it is not an in-game teleport, a character transfer, or a way to merge two maps. It will not convert an Enhanced installation into a separate Siptah server, preserve a base across maps, grant DLC ownership, or make Legacy-only mods work on Enhanced. Those tasks require the appropriate branch, save-management, ownership, or migration steps described above.

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