This guide covers everything you need to set up and configure your Empyrion: Galactic Survival dedicated server on Legion Hosting. Empyrion is an open-world space and planetary survival game featuring building, exploration, mining, and combat across procedurally generated galaxies. For in-game administration and console commands, see our Empyrion Admin Commands guide.

What is Empyrion: Galactic Survival?

Empyrion: Galactic Survival is a 3D open-world survival game set in a procedurally generated galaxy. Players start on a planet and must gather resources, craft equipment, build bases, and construct vehicles to explore space and survive hostile alien environments. The game features both PvE and PvP gameplay modes with extensive building mechanics for constructing bases (BA), capital vessels (CV), small vessels (SV), and hover vessels (HV).

Key features include:

• Space and Planetary Exploration — Travel between planets, moons, asteroids, and space sectors in a full solar system
• Building System — Construct bases, ships, and vehicles block-by-block with complex internal systems
• Survival Mechanics — Manage food, oxygen, temperature, radiation, and health across diverse biomes
• Combat — Fight hostile alien creatures, drones, and enemy factions on foot and in vehicles
• Multiplayer — Cooperative and competitive gameplay on dedicated servers with faction systems
• Scenarios — Custom game scenarios including the official Reforged Eden community overhaul

First Start

When your Empyrion server is provisioned on Legion Hosting, it comes pre-installed and ready to configure. To start your server for the first time:

1. Log in to GPanel at gpanel.legionhosting.net
2. Select your Empyrion: Galactic Survival server from the server list
3. Review and configure your Startup Variables (server name, max players, etc.)
4. Click Start to launch the server
5. The first start may take several minutes as the server generates the initial game world
6. Once the console shows the server is ready, players can connect

GPanel Startup Variables

GPanel provides startup variables that map to key dedicated.yaml settings. These are the quickest way to configure your server without editing files directly.

Server Configuration (dedicated.yaml)

The primary server configuration file is dedicated.yaml, located in the root of your server's installation directory. You can edit it via GPanel's File Manager or through SFTP. Lines beginning with # are disabled (commented out) — remove the # to activate a setting.

Server Settings

# Server Identity
Srv_Port: 30000
Srv_Name: "My Empyrion Server"
Srv_Password: ""
Srv_MaxPlayers: 16
Srv_Description: "Welcome to my server!"
Srv_Public: true

# Save Configuration
GameName: DediGame
SaveDirectory: ./Saves

# Game Mode
Mode: 1                # 1 = Survival, 2 = Creative
Seed: 123456           # World generation seed (positive integers only)

# Anti-Cheat
EACActive: true        # Enable Easy Anti-Cheat

Key Server Settings Explained

Game Settings

Game-specific settings control difficulty, structure management, and gameplay rules. These can be configured in dedicated.yaml or modified at runtime using the gopt set console command (see our Admin Commands guide).

Difficulty Settings

These settings control resource availability and NPC behavior:

Telnet Remote Console

Empyrion supports remote server management via Telnet, allowing you to send console commands without being in-game. To enable it, add these settings to your dedicated.yaml:

# Telnet Remote Console
Tel_Enabled: true
Tel_Port: 1030
Tel_Pwd: "YourSecurePassword"

Playfield Configuration

Empyrion uses playfields to define individual planets, moons, orbits, and space sectors. Playfield configuration files control terrain generation, biomes, resources, and NPC spawns for each location.

Playfield files are located in the scenario's Playfields/ directory. Each playfield has its own folder with configuration files including:

• playfield.yaml — Main playfield configuration (biomes, terrain, atmosphere)
• space_dynamic.yaml — Configuration for dynamic space playfields

How to Connect

Players can connect to your Empyrion server using several methods:

Method 1: In-Game Server Browser

1. Launch Empyrion: Galactic Survival from Steam
2. Click Multiplayer from the main menu
3. Click Connect to Server
4. Search for your server by name in the server list
5. Select your server and click Connect
6. Enter the server password if required

Method 2: Direct Connect

1. Launch Empyrion: Galactic Survival from Steam
2. Click Multiplayer from the main menu
3. Click Connect to Server
4. Enter your server's IP address and port in the direct connect field (format: IP:Port)
5. Click Connect

Method 3: Steam Server Browser

1. In Steam, go to View → Game Servers
2. Click the Favorites tab, then Add a Server
3. Enter your server's IP address and port
4. Click Add this address to favorites
5. Double-click the server entry to connect

Save Management

Understanding the save folder structure helps with backups, troubleshooting, and server management.

Save Folder Structure

Saves/
  Games/
    YourGameName/
      gameoptions.yaml         <-- Game options (difficulty, etc.)
      globaldb                 <-- Global game database
      Mods/                    <-- Active mod configurations
      Players/                 <-- Player data and inventories
      Playfields/              <-- Individual planet/space data
      Shared/                  <-- Structure files (ships, bases)
        BA_PlayerBase_12345/   <-- Example base structure
        CV_MyShip_67890/       <-- Example capital vessel
        SV_Fighter_11111/      <-- Example small vessel
      Templates/               <-- Blueprint templates

Backup Recommendations

• Use GPanel's built-in backup feature before making major changes
• Download the entire Saves/Games/YourGameName/ folder via SFTP for local backups
• Use the saveandexit console command before performing manual backups to ensure all data is written to disk
• Back up regularly, especially before game updates

Resetting the World

To start with a fresh game world:

1. Stop the server in GPanel
2. Open the File Manager
3. Navigate to Saves/Games/
4. Delete or rename the game folder matching your GameName
5. Start the server — a new world will be generated

Related Articles

• Empyrion Admin Commands
• How to Find Your Server IP and Port
• How to Upload Files via SFTP
• Getting Started with Your New Server

Need Help?

If you are experiencing issues with your Empyrion server or need further assistance with configuration, our support team is ready to help. Submit a support ticket and we will get back to you as soon as possible.