Installing Mods on Your Arma 3 Server

Arma 3 campaigns are great with friends, but vanilla content runs out faster than most groups expect. Mods are the fix. They add cosmetics, refined movement systems, weapons, terrains, and entirely new scenarios that keep a server fresh. The install process, however, scares plenty of admins away from the Workshop. This guide walks through every step so your community can play modded without the headaches.

Preparing the Mods Locally

Before anything touches the server, the mods need to be downloaded, renamed, and bundled. Skipping the renaming step is the single most common reason mods fail to load later, so be patient with this part.

• Open the Arma 3 Workshop and use Browse By Tags to filter content. The Search field works if you already know exactly what you want.

• On the page of any mod you want, hit Subscribe so Steam queues it for download.

• Once everything finishes downloading, launch Arma 3 from your Steam Library.

• In the launcher, open the Mods tab and tick the modifications you plan to use.

• Back in the Library, right-click Arma 3, hover over Manage, and select Browse Local Files.

• When the file explorer opens, append `\!Workshop` to the end of the path so you land inside `...\common\Arma 3\!Workshop`.

• Inside the `!Workshop` folder, copy every folder that starts with `@`.

• Paste those folders somewhere convenient, like your desktop. Rename any folder that contains spaces, capital letters, or special characters. The only symbol that should remain is `@`. For example, `Enhanced Movement` becomes `@enhanced_movement`.

• Compress all of the renamed folders into a single ZIP archive using WinRAR or 7-Zip.

• Keep that ZIP archive handy for the upload step.

Uploading and Activating Mods on the Server

With the archive ready, the rest of the work happens inside the server panel.

• Open your HolyHosting server panel and open the file manager from the panel sidebar.

• Log in with your panel password, then click Upload in the top left corner.

• Drag and drop the ZIP file into the upload area.

• Wait for the transfer to reach 100% and return to the root directory of the file manager.

• Tick the ZIP file, press Unzip in the top right, and confirm with Submit.

• Open the `keys` subfolder inside each mod directory you uploaded.

• Select every BiKey file you find, click Copy at the top, and paste them into the `/keys` path.

• Press Submit, return to the main panel, and open your panel settings.

• Under Server Settings, list your mods inside the Client Mods field. If a mod should only run on the backend, drop it into Server Mods instead. Client mods tend to be vehicles, maps, and visuals, while server mods cover behavior and scripts.

• Restart the server from the panel and connect once it finishes loading.

If the mod collection is large or some files are heavy, the web uploader may choke. In that case, use an FTP client like FileZilla to push the archive instead. The destination path is the same, you just bypass the panel's size and timeout limits.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Server refuses to start. A broken mod is almost always the cause. Open the Console from the panel and look for a line such as `Cannot open file /@Mod1\addons\File`. That message points directly at the failing mod. Remove it or hunt down a newer version online, and stay cautious with any source outside the Workshop.

Mods load but don't work. Some mods depend on other mods, and the requirement is not always documented clearly on the Workshop page. Check the description and comments before blaming the upload. If everything looks correct on paper, the transfer might be incomplete, in which case re-uploading with FileZilla usually resolves it. As a last resort, move the misbehaving mod into the Server Mods field instead of Client Mods. Restart after any change you make.

Players cannot connect. Client mods need to be installed by every single player. If someone is stuck out, they may need to add launch parameters in Steam by right-clicking Arma 3, opening Properties, and pasting something like `-mod=Mod1\;Mod2\` into the General launch options. Once that is set, the game should align with the server's mod list as soon as they connect.

Helpful Resources

• Arma 3 on Steam
• Arma 3 Workshop
• Arma 3 server hosting
• How to join an Arma 3 server
• Other Arma guides