If an old Enshrouded character is missing after the 1.0 update, preserve the existing saves before trying recovery changes. Version 1.0 supports Early Access saves, but the migration has a known damaged-character problem. Hotfix 1.0.0.2 prevents a crash by skipping affected corrupted characters during migration; it does not establish that every missing character has been repaired.
This guidance applies to the October 16, 2026 hotfix snapshot, version 1.0.0.2. A later patch can change the recovery situation. Check the installed version and the current character list, keep a separate backup, and follow the supported repair path for an affected character. Do not delete the old files or overwrite them with a replacement character as a troubleshooting experiment.
Identify what is actually missing
Start at the symptom rather than assuming all progress is gone. Enshrouded keeps character progress and world progress as different things. A dedicated server can still contain the group's world and buildings while one player's client-side character is missing. Conversely, being unable to find a particular world does not prove that the character has disappeared.
| What you can see | What it suggests | First useful action |
|---|---|---|
| The character is absent from the selection list | A character loading or migration issue needs investigation | Preserve character saves and check the installed version |
| The character loads, but its skills are empty | The 1.0 skill reset may explain the change | Inspect available skill points and rebuild the allocation |
| The character appears, but a world is absent | Investigate the world or server separately | Confirm the correct world and hosting location |
| Your friends can enter the old server, but your character is missing | World availability does not establish client-character health | Keep the character investigation separate from server recovery |
Write down the exact symptom before changing anything. “The character selection list is empty” is more useful than “my save is broken.” Include whether other characters still appear and whether the old world remains available. Those observations help avoid replacing the wrong set of files.
Understand the known 1.0.0.2 migration limit
Old saves are converted to the newer save format when loaded in 1.0. Save compatibility describes the intended path, but it does not mean every existing file is guaranteed to migrate without an issue. The known hotfix behavior matters when a character has disappeared immediately after that conversion.
In the 1.0.0.2 snapshot, a corrupted character that previously caused a migration crash can be skipped instead. Keen was still working on a fix intended to migrate and repair those characters. That explains why a crash fix and a missing character can coexist; the absence of the crash is not proof that the affected character has been restored.
Do not turn that explanation into a diagnosis of every missing character. Account selection, local versus cloud storage, and the distinction between world and character files still need checking. The known issue is a reason to preserve the evidence and avoid destructive guesses, not a reason to label every empty list as confirmed corruption.
There is no guaranteed file-renaming repair established here. Repeatedly moving files among folders can make the original state harder to understand without resolving the migration problem. Keep the unchanged copy available while checking the supported next step for your version.
Stop changes and make an independent copy
Close Enshrouded before copying the files you intend to preserve. Record the date, installed game version, and the location of the copy. Keep the backup separate from the active save location so that a later launch does not overwrite the only copy you are relying on.
For a Steam installation, candidate save locations include the game's Steam Cloud directory under Steam / userdata / your Steam account folder / 1203620 / remote and the local Saved Games / Enshrouded directory in your Windows user profile. Installation and account paths vary, so identify the folders that actually exist on your machine rather than creating a guessed path.
Copy the relevant folder contents without removing the originals. Preserve existing backup or migration-related folders alongside the files they belong to. A backup is more useful when it keeps the original structure and makes clear which machine and account it came from.
If several people share a computer, confirm the Windows user and Steam account before drawing conclusions from an empty folder. If the affected character was used on another machine, check that machine's existing files before treating the current computer as the only possible copy.
Do not select a cloud conflict option solely because its timestamp looks newer. First understand which copy belongs to the character you are trying to recover. If you cannot establish that confidently, preserve both available copies before allowing one to replace the other.
Update the game and inspect the list again
Confirm that Steam has finished installing the available update before launching the game again. An update shown as pending or downloading has not yet established that you are running the hotfix you intended to test. If necessary, check the game's update settings and restart Steam so it can refresh the available download.
After the update, inspect the character selection list and record the result. If the character is still absent on 1.0.0.2, do not describe the migration problem as fixed merely because the game now opens without crashing. Preserve the files for the repair path associated with the affected character.
If the game itself continues to crash, Steam's installed-file verification can check the application installation. That is a separate action from repairing character data. A successful integrity check does not demonstrate that a corrupted character migrated successfully or that a missing save has been recovered.
For multiplayer, the server and players should use compatible current game versions. A server update can solve a version mismatch that prevents joining, but it does not by itself restore a character stored on the player's client. Keep those two checks separate so a hosting change does not obscure the actual symptom.
Distinguish an empty skill tree from a missing character
If you can select and load the character, open Skills before assuming that its build was erased permanently. Version 1.0 resets the skill allocation because skills and their positions changed. The points need to be spent again before the character is ready for ordinary combat.
Check the available points, selected nodes, and the equipment you are using. Rebuild the connected path to your main attack, then restore movement, defenses, and recovery. A returning character can feel much weaker when those functions are absent even if its level, gear, and world are otherwise intact.
Do not use a voluntary respec as a repair for a character that never appears in the selection list. Respeccing changes the allocation of a character you can load. The missing-character migration problem happens earlier in the process and requires a different response.
Likewise, do not create a new character merely to reproduce an old skill setup. Existing characters are intended to continue into 1.0. Once the correct character loads, a skill reset is handled through rebuilding the allocation rather than abandoning the character's other progress.
Separate client recovery from world recovery
On a dedicated server, the host stores the world while each player keeps their character on the client side. Restoring a server backup may be appropriate for a damaged world, but it is not evidence that a missing client character will return. Ask which data is affected before replacing anything.
If the world and buildings are present for other players, record that as useful evidence. It narrows the investigation without proving that the character files are healthy. If everyone is missing the world, investigate the hosting world's save location and update process separately from individual characters.
For a hosted server, keep a backup before updating or restoring. Stop the server when its backup procedure requires it and verify the chosen world after it returns online. Avoid restoring a world just to see whether one missing character reappears; that changes shared progress without addressing the established distinction between the two saves.
You can use a character across worlds, so starting a new world and creating a new character are also separate decisions. A fresh world may be a preferred way to experience the revised opening, but it is not a required migration fix and should not replace your preserved Early Access files.
Prepare a useful support report
If the character remains absent after the version and account checks, prepare the information needed to investigate it. Include the installed version, whether the character disappeared during the first 1.0 load, whether the game crashed, and whether other characters or worlds remain accessible.
Keep the report concise and specific:
- Describe the selection-screen result and the last version in which the character was available.
- State whether the save was local, associated with Steam Cloud, or copied from another computer.
- Mention whether you have an unchanged backup from before the update.
- Record the troubleshooting actions already performed, especially any file movement or restoration.
- Keep the original files available for a support request rather than replacing them with experimental changes.
Follow the instructions associated with the current repair or support response. A request for particular files is more useful when you can provide the preserved originals and explain their location. Check for a reply that asks for additional details instead of assuming the first submission completes the investigation.
Know what would prove recovery
Recovery is established when the intended character appears, loads, and contains the expected progress. A successful Steam download, a server restart, a world opening for a friend, or the disappearance of a crash is useful information, but none of those observations alone proves the missing character is back.
When the character returns, inspect its identity, level, equipment, and available skills before resuming a difficult expedition. Reassign the 1.0 skill reset if necessary, then create a fresh backup of the recovered state while retaining the older copy until you are confident the migration result is correct.
If the affected character is still skipped, keep the preserved files and follow the repair update for your installed version. The important next action is to maintain a recoverable original and provide accurate symptom details, rather than applying an unverified sequence of renames or deleting progress to force a new start.