r2modman

What it is

r2modman is an open-source (MIT) mod manager built by ebkr, originally for Risk of Rain 2 (hence the "r2"). It now supports 150+ games in the Thunderstore ecosystem, including Valheim, Lethal Company, REPO, and a handful of modern survival/co-op titles.

It's the default tool the Valheim community points at when someone asks "how do I start modding". Works on Windows, Linux, and macOS, ships as a standalone build (no Overwolf, no account), and stays actively maintained.

What it solves

Modding Valheim manually means:

1. Downloading BepInEx, unzipping it into the game folder.
2. Per mod, downloading the .zip, reading instructions, moving DLLs into BepInEx/plugins/.
3. If two mods depend on different Jotunn versions, breaking and debugging.
4. To try another modlist, copying the whole game folder or reverting by hand.

r2modman wipes every step:

• BepInEx installs automatically the first time you enable a mod.
• Mods download from the Thunderstore catalog with a single click.
• Dependencies resolve themselves — a mod that needs Jotunn 2.x pulls it in.
• Each profile is an independent modlist. You switch between "vanilla", "co-op with friends", and "QoL only" without reinstalling anything.

Differentiation

Vs. Thunderstore Mod Manager: TMM is the Overwolf "official" build — friendlier UI but requires installing Overwolf and creating an account. r2modman is standalone, opens faster, and doesn't track you. Most veteran community uses r2modman.

Vs. Gale: Gale is more modern (Svelte + Tauri) and faster, but r2modman has more years of real use and handles edge cases better. When Gale breaks on a specific mod, people fall back to r2modman.

Vs. manual install: total control, but doesn't scale. Past 5 mods it gets fragile.

What people use it for

QoL modlist — installing 10-15 quality-of-life mods (Craft from Containers, ValheimRAFT improvements, EquipmentAndQuickSlots) without thinking twice.

Friend group server — exporting a full profile, sharing it, and everyone loads exactly the same mods. r2modman includes export/import with shareable codes.

Trying aggressive mods — spinning up a separate profile to experiment with Epic Loot, Therzie's monsters, Better Trader, etc. without polluting the main world.

Multiple worlds / multiple patches — when Iron Gate ships a patch and mods take time to update, keeping one profile on the old game version and another empty for current vanilla.

Clean backups — profiles live in %APPDATA%/r2modmanPlus-local/. If something breaks, delete the profile and rebuild without touching the Valheim install.

Who this tool is not for

If you mod a game that's NOT on Thunderstore (Skyrim, Cyberpunk 2077, etc.): r2modman doesn't help. For those, Vortex or MO2 are the answer.

If you want a specific mod that lives only on Nexus Mods and never made it to Thunderstore: you'll need to install it manually anyway. r2modman doesn't pull from Nexus.

If profiles bug you and you only want 2-3 mods always on: any mod manager works; r2modman's value kicks in past 10 mods or when juggling multiple modlists.

How it works in practice

1. Download r2modman from its Thunderstore page (thunderstore.io/c/valheim/p/ebkr/r2modman/) or GitHub.
2. Run the installer (.exe on Windows, AppImage on Linux, .dmg on macOS).
3. On first launch, pick "Valheim" from the games list. r2modman auto-detects the Steam install; otherwise point it at the folder.
4. Create a profile (e.g., "Co-op survival").
5. In the "Online" tab, search mods by name or category. Click "Download" on each.
6. When ready, click "Start modded" top-right. r2modman injects BepInEx + the mods into the game folder at launch.
7. To return to vanilla, close r2modman and launch Valheim normally from Steam — mods are only injected through r2modman.

Honest limitations

Thunderstore-only. Mods that live exclusively on Nexus or in GitHub raw downloads aren't pulled. For those, manual install on top of an r2modman profile is possible but breaks the one-click promise.

Functional but unpolished UI. It's Electron with that generic look. Gets the job done, doesn't excite.

Mod updates occasionally break profiles. When a mod ships a breaking version and another mod still depends on the old one, r2modman tries to resolve but sometimes you tune the version manually. Lock files aren't a thing.

No direct dedicated-server mod support. Modding a Valheim dedicated server means copying mods to the server by hand. r2modman doesn't automate that (though you can use its profile as a source).

Getting started

1. Go to thunderstore.io/c/valheim/p/ebkr/r2modman/ and download the installer for your OS.
2. Install and open.
3. Select "Valheim".
4. Create a profile "Survival QoL" (or whatever you want to call it).
5. As a first mod, install BepInExPack Valheim (it'll come in as an auto-dependency anyway, but confirming it's there is wise). Search "BepInExPack" in Online.
6. Add Jotunn (a dependency for many important mods).
7. Try a small mod like "Auto Pickup", "Smart Containers", or "Craft From Containers".
8. Click "Start modded" and verify the game opens with the BepInEx console showing the loaded mods.

If you want visuals, the r2modman wiki at r2modman.net and the Thunderstore docs (thunderstore.io/wiki/) cover the common cases.