Preserve a complete recovery point
Pocketpair’s pre-1.0 warning identifies crashes, save problems and broken progression from legacy mods after architectural changes. Back up the entire world/player save set outside the installation, preserve the mod list and loader versions, and confirm the copy exists before launching the migrated world. Steam saves are normally under %LOCALAPPDATA%\Pal\Saved\SaveGames; other storefronts and servers need their own documented location.
Reach a genuinely clean baseline
- Close the game and stop a dedicated server before moving files.
- Identify installed mod components in Pal\Content\Paks\~mods and LogicMods, plus loader components in Pal\Binaries\Win64. Common UE4SS files include dwmapi.dll, UE4SS.dll, its folder and settings file; remove only components you can identify as installed mods.
- Move those components outside the game directory rather than trusting a disabled toggle. Manage Workshop subscriptions so they do not immediately reinstall.
- Verify the official game files, then launch the backed-up world without loaders or content mods. Verification may leave extra mod files behind, so it is not the same operation as clearing them.
Reintroduce dependencies in order
Wait for an author-confirmed build matching your game version. Install the loader alone and test, then a schema/framework dependency, then one content mod at a time. Record each combination that loads, travels, crafts and saves correctly. Texture replacements also need a visual test; an apparently harmless package can still override a changed asset.
Diagnose the symptom without declaring the save lost
| Observed failure | Useful isolation step |
|---|---|
| Before the menu | Check the loader and remaining injected components |
| Only when loading one world | Restore a copy and retest without data/content packages |
| Missing items or Pals | Record the removed data mod and its IDs; do not save over the sole original |
| Quest fails to trigger | Compare a clean backup and exact mission step |
| Only in multiplayer | Match client/server game, loader and mod versions |
Later patches do not certify every mod
Official 1.0.4 fixes a Steam mod-file deletion problem. It does not mean every 1.0 mod is compatible with 1.0.4 or 1.0.5. Keep the known-working backup until the upgraded setup has completed a full load/save/restart cycle.