# Conan Exiles Enhanced (UE5) Upgrade — What Changed for Servers (/docs/conan-exiles/enhanced-ue5-upgrade)
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**Released May 5, 2026.** Conan Exiles Enhanced is the free upgrade that migrates the game from Unreal Engine 4 to Unreal Engine 5. Every existing dedicated server gets the upgrade automatically on the next update.
What is Conan Exiles Enhanced? [#what-is-conan-exiles-enhanced]
Enhanced is the largest visual and technical overhaul Conan Exiles has had since its 2018 launch. Funcom developed the upgrade in collaboration with **Inflexion Games** (the studio behind Nightingale) and consolidated eight years of post-launch content into a single Unreal Engine 5 codebase.
What's new under the hood:
* **UE5 Lumen** — real-time global illumination
* **UE5 Nanite** — virtualised geometry / micropolygon detail
* **Redesigned UI** and improved character models
* Sharper environment lighting across all biomes
* Targets **60+ FPS on every preset** with **Steam Deck support**
Headline change: both maps, one world [#headline-change-both-maps-one-world]
For the first time, **The Exiled Lands and The Isle of Siptah are now travelable on the same server simultaneously** — no character switching, no restarts, no separate save files.
| Before (UE4) | After (Enhanced UE5) |
| ---------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------- |
| Server picks one map via `ServerDefaultMap=` in Engine.ini | One server hosts both regions at once |
| Players need separate characters for each map | One character travels freely between regions |
| `game.db` (Exiled Lands) **OR** `DLC_Siptah.db` (Siptah) | Both regions write to a unified save |
If you previously ran a Siptah-only or Exiled-only server, the Enhanced update will surface both regions automatically. The old map-switching pattern in `Engine.ini` is no longer needed for the two official maps.
Both versions supported — switch in your panel [#both-versions-supported--switch-in-your-panel]
XGamingServer supports **both Conan Exiles Legacy (UE4) and Conan Exiles Enhanced (UE5)** simultaneously. The new **Game Version** field on your Startup tab (the `CONAN_BRANCH` egg variable) lets you toggle between the two without contacting support — useful while your Workshop mods are being repackaged for UE5.
| Version | Use case | Recommended tier |
| ------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------- |
| **Conan Exiles Legacy (UE4)** | Admins whose Workshop mods haven't been repackaged for UE5 yet, or who want to stay on the proven UE4 build | Pro 12 GB |
| **Conan Exiles Enhanced (UE5)** | Default going forward — merged maps, Lumen/Nanite, 60+ FPS targets | ProMax 16 GB minimum |
PC only — Funcom does not offer dedicated servers for PlayStation or Xbox.
RAM requirements: 16 GB minimum for Enhanced (UE5) [#ram-requirements-16-gb-minimum-for-enhanced-ue5]
**Funcom recommends a minimum of 16 GB RAM for Enhanced (UE5) servers.** UE5's Lumen and Nanite are more memory-hungry than UE4 — baseline RAM usage rises 15–25% versus UE4, and on populated worlds with mods active in memory it can be meaningfully higher. The 4 GB / 6 GB / 8 GB tiers that worked under UE4 will spike under load on Enhanced.
Realistic baselines:
| Player count / mods | Branch | Recommended RAM |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------ | ------------------ | --------------------------- |
| Anyone staying on UE4 (mods not yet patched, prefer UE4 build) | **Legacy (UE4)** | **12 GB** |
| 10-30 players, vanilla or light mods | **Enhanced (UE5)** | **16 GB** (the new minimum) |
| 30+ players, moderate mod stacks | **Enhanced (UE5)** | **16-24 GB** |
| 40+ players, large bases, active Purges, heavy mods (EEWA / AoC / Pippi) | **Enhanced (UE5)** | **24 GB** |
If your server is on an older XGamingServer plan with less than 16 GB allocated and you've moved to Enhanced, [upgrade to ProMax 16 GB or higher](https://xgamingserver.com/conan-exiles-server-hosting) — or use the Game Version toggle to drop back to Legacy (UE4) until you're ready.
Dedicated server folder renamed [#dedicated-server-folder-renamed]
The Steam dedicated server install now carries the Enhanced label:
```diff
- Conan Exiles Dedicated Server
+ Conan Exiles Enhanced Dedicated Server
```
If you have any startup scripts, batch files, or CI jobs that reference the old folder name, **update those paths**. SteamCMD app ID is unchanged, but the install directory string changed.
Visual C++ runtime [#visual-c-runtime]
UE5 is stricter about runtime versions than UE4. The Conan Exiles Enhanced installer now bundles **Microsoft Visual C++ 2015–2022 Redistributable** automatically — you no longer need to install it manually on a fresh server. If your server fails to start with a missing DLL error after upgrading, the redistributable install may have been skipped; reinstall it manually.
Workshop mod compatibility [#workshop-mod-compatibility]
UE4 mods need to be repackaged for UE5. As of launch (May 5, 2026):
* **Working immediately:** purely cosmetic and admin-tool mods (Pippi, Fashionist) often re-published quickly
* **Patching post-launch:** large overhauls like **EEWA** and **Age of Calamitous** typically take 1–4 weeks for authors to recompile and republish for UE5
* **Broken until patched:** any mod referencing UE4-only assets, plugins, or APIs will throw load errors until rebuilt
After the Enhanced update lands on your server, **temporarily remove your modlist** if mods are causing the server to fail to start. Re-add mods one at a time as authors push UE5-compatible versions to the Workshop. See the [mod setup guide](/docs/conan-exiles/mod-setup).
What admins should do post-upgrade [#what-admins-should-do-post-upgrade]
**Take a backup before the update.** Use [How to Backup & Restore](/docs/conan-exiles/backup-restore) to snapshot your save files. Even though Funcom preserves saves across the upgrade, a manual backup is cheap insurance.
**Apply the update via the panel.** Stop the server, then on the dashboard click **Reinstall Server** to pull the Enhanced build. See [How to Update](/docs/conan-exiles/update-guide).
**Remove or disable mods first launch.** UE4 mods can crash a UE5 server. Comment out `modlist.txt` entries, start the server, confirm it's stable, then re-add mods one by one as authors re-publish UE5 builds.
**Tell players to update their client.** Players on UE4 builds cannot connect to a UE5 server. Steam will auto-update, but anyone with offline mode or pending downloads needs to come online and patch.
**Watch RAM for the first few hours.** Open the panel's resource graph and monitor memory under load. If you're hitting >85% during peak hours, consider [upgrading to a higher RAM tier](https://xgamingserver.com/conan-exiles-server-hosting) before next weekend's PvP cycle.
Switching branches with the new "Game Version" variable [#switching-branches-with-the-new-game-version-variable]
XGamingServer's Pterodactyl Panel egg has a new **`CONAN_BRANCH`** variable (labeled **"Game Version"**) that's visible and editable by customers from the **Startup** tab. This lets you switch between Steam branches without contacting support.
Open your server in the [XGamingServer Panel](https://panel.xgamingserver.com).
Click the **Startup** tab.
Find the **Game Version** field. The default value is the live Enhanced (UE5) branch.
Enter the branch name you want (for example `public` for the live build, or `publictest` if Funcom is running a public beta branch for an upcoming patch). Save the change.
Stop the server, then click **Reinstall Server** on the dashboard so SteamCMD pulls the new branch. Start the server.
The Game Version variable is most useful when Funcom announces a beta branch for an upcoming patch — admins can opt into the beta on a test server, validate mods and configs, then switch back to live before the patch goes wide. Branch names come from Funcom; ask in their official channels for the current branch list.
ServerSettings.ini and ports — unchanged [#serversettingsini-and-ports--unchanged]
Server configuration is mostly preserved across the upgrade:
* **`ServerSettings.ini`** — settings carry over; no manual migration needed
* **Ports** — still 7777 (game), 7778 (raw UDP), 27015 (Steam query)
* **RCON** — unchanged
* **BattlEye** — unchanged
* **Crossplay** — still not supported (PC, Xbox, PlayStation are separate platforms)
Related Guides [#related-guides]
* [Server Configuration](/docs/conan-exiles/server-config) — full ServerSettings.ini reference
* [Install Mods](/docs/conan-exiles/mod-setup) — Workshop mod setup
* [How to Update](/docs/conan-exiles/update-guide) — apply the Enhanced upgrade
* [Backup & Restore](/docs/conan-exiles/backup-restore) — snapshot before upgrading
> **Need a Conan Exiles server that supports both versions?** [XGamingServer Conan Exiles hosting](https://xgamingserver.com/conan-exiles-server-hosting) supports both Legacy (UE4) and Enhanced (UE5) with a one-click Game Version toggle in your control panel. **Pro 12 GB** for Legacy stayers, **ProMax 16 GB** for Enhanced (Funcom's recommended minimum), **Ultimate 24 GB** for big modded servers. Unlimited slots, instant setup, 24/7 support.