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Modded Terraria server with tModLoader and Calamity

Switch your Terraria server to tModLoader, add Calamity or any Workshop mod in one click, and join with your friends.

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Updated 25 October 2026

Want to play Calamity, Thorium or a pack of quality-of-life mods with your friends? You need a server that runs tModLoader, the free mod loader for Terraria. On a ServerSpark Terraria server you switch to tModLoader and add mods with a few clicks. This guide walks you through it, Calamity included.

1. Pick the right plan

ModsPlan
A few small mods (Recipe Browser, Boss Checklist, Magic Storage)1 GB
Several content mods, or Thorium2 GB
Calamity, or Calamity plus add-ons4 GB

Already have a server on a smaller plan? Upgrade it in the customer portal: your world stays.

2. Switch to tModLoader

  1. Stop your server in SparkPanel.
  2. Open Mods and click Switch to tModLoader.
  3. Your server is reinstalled in a few minutes. Your world and settings stay.

3. Add mods

Under Mods you see the most popular server mods. Click Install on the ones you want. For any other mod, paste its Steam Workshop link and click Add.

Mods that a mod needs are added automatically. For example, Calamity Mod also adds Calamity Mod Music, and Magic Storage adds the small library it uses.

Some mods only change what you see on your own screen, like lighting or shader mods. SparkPanel tells you when a mod only works on players' computers: those aren't needed on the server.

4. Start your server

Click Start. The first start takes longer: the server downloads the mods and, if needed, creates the world. When the console shows Server started, you're ready.

5. Join with your friends

  1. Everyone installs tModLoader from Steam. It's free if you own Terraria.
  2. Start tModLoader, choose Multiplayer → Join via IP, and enter the address and port from Connect in SparkPanel.
  3. Missing mods? tModLoader offers to download them from the server when you join.

Tips

  • Make a backup under Backups before you add a big mod to an existing world.
  • Calamity on an existing world works, but Calamity's new biomes are created when a world is made, so an existing world doesn't get them. For the full experience, start a new world: set a new World Name under Settings.
  • Remove a mod under Mods and restart. Items from that mod disappear from the world.
  • tModLoader updates itself when your server starts, so it stays compatible with the latest mod versions.

More about your Terraria server: Set up your Terraria server. Questions? Email info@serverspark.nl or ask in our Discord.