Save Files (Advanced)
Advanced, at-your-own-risk. This article describes the raw files on disk. Always back up a save before touching it - a bad edit can soft-lock a campaign.
Saves are plain JSON files, one per campaign autosave (roughly 1-2 MB each). Alongside them live SaveHeaderCache.json (cached header metadata for the load menu), UserCampaignLog.json (campaign counter) and UserSetting.json (graphics, sound and keybindings).
Where saves live
- macOS (native Steam build):
~/Library/Application Support/com.CanOpener.Dungeon-Settlers--Alpha-/Saves/- the bundle id still says "Alpha" even on current builds. - Windows:
%USERPROFILE%\AppData\LocalLow\CanOpener\Dungeon Settlers (Alpha)\Saves\. Under CrossOver/Wine on a Mac that resolves to~/Library/Application Support/CrossOver/Bottles/<bottle>/drive_c/users/crossover/AppData/LocalLow/CanOpener/Dungeon Settlers (Alpha)/Saves/.
What's inside (top-level keys)
| Key | Holds |
|---|---|
CampaignSaveHeader | Day, version, difficulty, playtime, current region |
CampaignSettingSaveData | Game speed, camera, seed, scenario type |
EntityContainerSaveData / EntityComponentSaveData | Every unit, building and item, with per-entity component data (stats, affecters, skills) |
PlayerUnitsSaveData | Skill trees, learned skills, skill points, quick slots |
ClanSaveData | Clan name, gold, population, recruit candidates, region map state, safe-floor skip toggle |
RawMapContainerSaveData / RawBaseSaveData / RawDungeonSaveData | Map grids, settlement, and the current dungeon layout (rooms, floor, phase) |
TimeSaveData | The master clock (day / hour / min / tick) |
EnvironmentSaveData | Per-region weather/effects and depletion counters |
QuestContainerSaveData | Completed, active and pending quests |
ResearchSaveData / FarmingCropSaveData | Research progress and crops |
The inscription save-scumming note
Level-up inscription choices are generated on the fly when the level-up screen opens - they are not stored in the save. Beyond the built-in Retry button, saving before a prayer and reloading rerolls the five choices. (If you edit an inscription directly instead, changing the affecter key alone is not enough - the game bakes the stat bonuses into the unit's stats block and does not recalculate them on load; both places must be edited consistently.)
DO-NOT list
- Never clear
RawDungeonSaveData.Roomsor theRawMapContainerSaveDatagrids (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.
- Don't bother editing a region's
IsLockedflag on current builds - unlock state is re-derived on every load, so the edit does nothing (How Regions Unlock). - Deleting a campaign in-game also deletes its autosave file - keep external backups of anything you care about.
Key numbers
| Format | Plain JSON, ~1-2 MB per campaign autosave |
| macOS path | ~/Library/Application Support/com.CanOpener.Dungeon-Settlers--Alpha-/Saves/ |
| Windows path | %USERPROFILE%\AppData\LocalLow\CanOpener\Dungeon Settlers (Alpha)\Saves\ |
| Side files | SaveHeaderCache.json, UserCampaignLog.json, UserSetting.json |
| Inscription rolls | Generated when the level-up screen opens (not saved) - reload rerolls them |
| Biggest trap | Clearing Rooms/map grids to {} causes an infinite load |