Back up and restore a RuneScape: Dragonwilds world

A backup is your way back if a RuneScape: Dragonwilds world goes missing or stops loading. This guide covers the Dragonwilds side of it: which files matter, when to take a backup, and what a restore does to your worlds.

For the Backups tab itself, including slots, protecting a backup, downloads and schedules, read How to create and restore backups.

What a backup holds

A backup is a copy of every file on the server. For Dragonwilds, two parts of it matter:

Every world made on the server is in that save folder, so one backup covers all of them, not only the world that's loaded.

Your Startup settings are not in a backup. Owner ID, World Name, Server Name and both passwords are kept by the panel, which writes them into the settings file on every start. Restoring a backup doesn't change them.

When to take one

• Before you change World Name. A new name makes a new world, and a typo makes one you didn't mean to.
• Before a reinstall. In our test on a real server a reinstall kept every save, but the panel warns that it can overwrite or remove files.
• Before a game update. The server checks Steam for a new build each time it starts, so take a backup before you restart for an update.
• Before you edit or delete files in the File Manager.

Take the backup

1. Press Stop and wait for Server stopped. in the Console. A stopped server isn't writing to the save file while it's copied.
2. Open the Backups tab and click Create backup.
3. Type a name you'll recognize in Backup name (optional), such as "Before new world", then click Create backup in the form.
4. Wait for the backup to show Complete. In our test it took about 17 seconds.
5. Press Start.

The top of the Backups tab shows how many backups your plan allows and how many are left.

Restore a world

Use a restore when a world's .sav file has been deleted or damaged. We tested it on a real server: we deleted a world's save file in the File Manager, restored a backup taken before that, and the file was back at the same size about 30 seconds later.

1. Press Stop and wait for Server stopped. Our test restored with the server stopped.
2. On the Backups tab, find the backup and click Restore.
3. The Restore backup? prompt says the restore "will overwrite all current server files". Click Restore.
4. Stay on the tab until the restore finishes. The panel then starts the server, unless Start server after a restore is switched off in Backup settings.
5. Open the Console and watch for World loaded. and Your server is online - players can join now.

A restore doesn't clear the server first. Files that aren't in the backup are left alone, so a world you made after the backup was taken is still in the save folder afterwards.

After a restore

The server loads the world named in Startup, not the one that was loaded when the backup was taken. If the world you restored has a different name, set World Name to it, typed exactly as before, and restart. RuneScape: Dragonwilds worlds and saves covers switching worlds.

If something looks wrong

1. The world is brand new after a restore - World Name doesn't match the restored save. Open RSDragonwilds/Saved/SaveGames/ in the File Manager, read the file name and put that name, without .sav, into World Name.
2. The row has no Restore button - the backup is protected or hasn't finished. Click Unprotect first.
3. Create backup is grayed out - another backup is running, or your slots are full.
4. The server won't start afterwards - Dragonwilds server won't start? Fix it shows what a healthy start prints.