Onboarding Survivors: Strategic Starter Kits
Public Terraria servers can be a daunting environment for new survivors attempting to establish themselves within an existing world. By implementing a standardized “Starter Kit,” you provide new community members with essential mobility tools (such as a Magic Mirror) and basic defensive equipment, significantly improving player retention and early-game engagement. This guide walk you through the technical implementation of the StarterPack framework and the mandatory synchronization of Server-Side Characters (SSC) on the FREAKHOSTING platform.Difficulty
Intermediate
Time
6 Minutes
Technical Deployment of StarterPack
The most efficient method for managing initial loadouts is using the StarterPack plugin for the TShock framework.Acquire Latest Assets
Download the
StarterPack.dll binary from the official TShock plugin repository.Deploy to Server
use the Game Panel File Manager or SFTP to upload the DLL into your
/ServerPlugins/ directory.Initialize the Registry
Restart your server once. This action programmatically generates the
StarterPack.json configuration file within the same folder.Define Item Identifiers
Open the configuration and populate the kit with specific Item IDs.
- Recommended IDs:
50(Magic Mirror),2322(Mining Helmet),20(Copper Broadsword). - Balance Warning: Avoid providing “End-Game” artifacts like the Zenith, as this neutralizes the world’s sense of progression and reduces player longevity.
Essential Logic: Server-Side Characters (SSC)
To ensure your starter kits are mandatory and to prevent community imbalance, you must authorize the Server-Side Characters feature.- The Technical Reason
- Implementing SSC
Without SSC, the Terraria engine allows players to connect using characters from their local singleplayer worlds. This enables malicious actors or veterans to enter your survival server with endgame gear, instantly bypassing your intended progression curve.
Managing Technical Database Bloat
As your community expands, the SSC database will accumulate thousands of individual character profiles. We recommend using the TShock CleanUp commands periodically to purge inactive character data (e.g., profiles that haven’t logged in for 30+ days) to maintain high server performance.Need Extra Help?
If you encounter any issues, our support team is ready to assist:- Live Chat: Quick assistance via our website.
- Support Ticket: Open a Ticket
- Discord: Join our Community
- Email: [email protected]
Last Updated: January 2026 | Terraria: Starter kits initialized.