DungeonSettlers.wiki

Save Files (Advanced)

Steam

Advanced, at-your-own-risk. This article describes the raw files on disk.

At a glance

FormatPlain JSON, ~1-2 MB per campaign autosave
macOS path~/Library/Application Support/CanOpener/Dungeon Settlers/Saves/
Windows path%USERPROFILE%\AppData\LocalLow\CanOpener\Dungeon Settlers\Saves\
Side filesSaveHeaderCache.json, UserCampaignLog.json, UserSetting.json
Inscription rollsGenerated when you press Pray (not saved) - a reload rerolls them, except in Iron Mode
Biggest trapClearing Rooms/map grids to {} causes an infinite load

Format and side files

Watch outAlways back up a save before touching it. A bad edit can leave a campaign stuck.

Saves are plain JSON files, one per campaign autosave (roughly 1-2 MB each). Alongside them live:

  • SaveHeaderCache.json holds cached header metadata for the load menu
  • UserCampaignLog.json is the campaign counter
  • UserSetting.json holds graphics, sound and keybindings

Where saves live

  • macOS (native Steam build): ~/Library/Application Support/CanOpener/Dungeon Settlers/Saves/ (the Early Access build, DS_B.0.4.11 onward)
  • Windows: %USERPROFILE%\AppData\LocalLow\CanOpener\Dungeon Settlers\Saves\ (the product name lost its "(Alpha)" / "(Playtest)" suffix with the Early Access release)

Under CrossOver/Wine on a Mac the Windows path resolves to ~/Library/Application Support/CrossOver/Bottles/<bottle>/drive_c/users/crossover/AppData/LocalLow/CanOpener/Dungeon Settlers/Saves/.

The old demo and playtest builds used other folders:

  • ~/Library/Application Support/com.CanOpener.Dungeon-Settlers--Alpha-/Saves/
  • ~/Library/Application Support/CanOpener/Dungeon Settlers (Playtest)/Saves/
NoteThose folders are not read by the released game.

Top-level keys

KeyHolds
CampaignSaveHeaderDay, version, difficulty, playtime, current region
CampaignSettingSaveDataGame speed, camera, seed, scenario type
EntityContainerSaveData / EntityComponentSaveDataEvery unit, building and item, with per-entity component data (stats, affecters, skills)
PlayerUnitsSaveDataSkill trees, learned skills, skill points, quick slots
ClanSaveDataClan name, gold, population, recruit candidates, region map state, safe-floor skip toggle
RawMapContainerSaveData / RawBaseSaveData / RawDungeonSaveDataMap grids, settlement, and the current dungeon layout (rooms, floor, phase)
TimeSaveDataThe master clock (day / hour / min / tick)
EnvironmentSaveDataPer-region weather/effects and depletion counters
QuestContainerSaveDataCompleted, active and pending quests
ResearchSaveData / FarmingCropSaveDataResearch progress and crops

Inscription rerolls

Level-up inscription choices are generated when you press Pray (opening the screen only clears the old result). They are not stored in the save.

Beyond the built-in Retry button, saving before a prayer and reloading rerolls all 5 choices. Iron Mode is the exception: the save keeps a per-unit prayer count and the roll uses a fixed seed, so a reload gives the same result.

Watch outIf you edit an inscription directly, changing the affecter key is enough for its stat bonuses: current saves rebuild every carried effect's stat bonuses from the game data on load. Level-up gains, talent bumps and permanent stat grants are stored as numbers and are not rebuilt, so edit those by hand.

Edits to avoid

Watch outNever clear RawDungeonSaveData.Rooms or the RawMapContainerSaveData grids, for example by setting them to {}. The game treats an empty dict as "there is data to restore", finds nothing, and hangs in an infinite load. Let the game discard stale dungeon data itself.
  • Don't edit a save while the game is running. The next autosave overwrites your work.
  • A region's IsLocked flag is loaded exactly as saved. Setting the previous region's IsCleared does not open the next region on load (How Regions Unlock).
  • Deleting a campaign in-game also deletes its autosave file. Keep external backups of anything you care about.