How to install mods
No modding experience needed, and you never have to touch a config file. If you just want to play with mods, you are on the right page — you do not need any of the creation tools.
There are two ways, and every mod you can download from the mod library works with both. The first needs nothing but the game. The second, the AshForge Hub, adds automatic updates and checks that each mod is the build we reviewed.
Which folder does a mod go in?
- If you use the AshForge Hub: the Hub's mods folder. In the Hub, open Manage Mods and press Open folder — it is normally
C:\Users\<you>\AshForgeModLoader\mods. The Hub can also install mods from the library for you, straight into that folder. - If you use the game's own mod system: the game's Mods folder. In Steam, right-click Ascent of Ashes → Manage → Browse local files, then open Mods.
Either way, extract the .zip so the mod has a folder of its own inside that folder. Keeping all your mods in one of the two places is the simplest setup.
Without any extra software
1 · Download the mod
Open the mod library, pick something, and download it. You get a .zip file.
2 · Put it in the game's Mods folder
In Steam, right-click Ascent of Ashes → Manage → Browse local files. Open the Mods folder there (create it if it is missing) and extract the .zip into it, so the mod has a folder of its own inside Mods.
3 · Enable it in the game
Start Ascent of Ashes and click Mods on the main menu. Tick the mod and confirm. The game restarts itself to load it, and from then on it is simply there.
To remove a mod, untick it in the same menu, or delete its folder from Mods.
With the AshForge Hub
1 · Install the Hub
Download the AshForge Hub (Windows, ~100 MB). It installs into your user profile — no administrator rights needed. Windows SmartScreen may warn you the first time because the installer is new; the download is signed by us.
2 · Turn on the AshForge loader
In the Hub, choose Enable mods. This adds the AshForge loader to the game: it makes a backup of one game file and adds a small hook. The loader runs only mods we have signed, keeps them up to date, and lets them share information with each other. Your save games are not touched, and Disable mods restores the backup at any time.
3 · Get a mod
Open the mod library, pick something, and install it through the Hub. The Hub puts it in the right place and updates it when a new version comes out. To add a mod by hand instead, press Open folder in the Hub's Manage Mods and extract the .zip there.
4 · Launch the game
Start Ascent of Ashes normally from Steam. There is no separate launcher and no command line.
Can I use both?
Yes. If the same mod is installed both ways, only one copy runs, and a save made one way loads the other way with the mod's data intact. A mod's settings are shared between the two as well.
If something goes wrong
My Hub mods stopped working after a game update
This is the most common one, and it is not your fault. A game update — and Steam's Verify integrity of game files — both restore the original game file, which removes the AshForge loader's hook. Open the Hub and choose Enable mods again. Your mods and saves are untouched; it takes a few seconds. Mods installed in the game's own Mods folder are not affected.
Everything else
A mod showing as “rejected”, a SmartScreen warning, a crash on startup, or the Hub not finding your game — all answered on the FAQ. If your problem is not there, it belongs there: tell us and we will add it.
How do I remove it all?
Untick or delete the mods in the game's Mods folder. If you used the Hub, Hub → Disable mods also restores the original game file from the backup. After both, the game is exactly as Steam shipped it.
Still stuck?
Ask us — no question is too basic, and if you had to ask, the guide was not clear enough and we want to fix it. Open an issue on the feedback tracker or see the contribute page. Want to make a mod instead? That path starts at getting started.