Protocol 00 // Foundation

Install BepInEx 6

BepInEx is the mod loader. Nothing else in this pack does anything until it's in place. This is the IL2CPP, x64 build — the exact flavour No Man's Home needs — and it installs by extracting one archive into your game folder and launching the game once.

FILE BepInEx-Unity_IL2CPP-win-x64-6_0_0-be_784.rar VERSION 6.0.0-be.784 SIZE ~31 MB

Download BepInEx 6 IL2CPP ~31 MB

Target check — No Man's Home, not No Man's Sky

BepInEx 6 IL2CPP is correct for No Man's Home because it is a Unity IL2CPP game launched by NoMansHome.exe. Do not put any of this into No Man's Sky — that is a different game with a different engine and folder layout, and these files will not work there. Throughout this guide, the only executable you should be looking at is NoMansHome.exe.

PREBefore you start

Three quick prerequisites

Two minutes of setup now prevents the most common install mistakes.

An archive tool

The download is a .rar. You need 7-Zip, WinRAR or NanaZip to extract it. Windows' built-in unzip does not open .rar files.

Visible file extensions

In File Explorer, turn on View → File name extensions. You want to see .dll, .ini and .exe clearly so you copy the right files.

The game, installed

A working copy of No Man's Home. Run it once unmodded first so you know it launches cleanly on its own.

00Installation

Drop BepInEx into the game

Five steps. The only one that takes real time is the very first launch, where the loader builds its IL2CPP support files.

Open the game's install folder
You need the folder that directly contains NoMansHome.exe. On Steam: right-click No Man's Home in your library → Manage → Browse local files. The folder that opens is your install root.
this folder is your target
```
📁 F:\SteamLibrary\steamapps\common\No Man's Home\
# your drive letter / path may differ — what matters is that
# NoMansHome.exe sits right here inside it
```
Extract the BepInEx archive

Right-click BepInEx-Unity_IL2CPP-win-x64-6_0_0-be_784.rar → Extract here (or open it and drag the contents out). Inside you'll find a BepInEx folder, a dotnet folder, winhttp.dll, doorstop_config.ini and a couple of small files — not a single wrapper folder.

Extract the contents, not the box
If extracting makes a folder named like the archive, open it — you want the BepInEx + dotnet + winhttp.dll items themselves, so they can sit next to NoMansHome.exe.
Copy everything into the game root

Select those extracted items and copy them into the game folder from step 1, right alongside NoMansHome.exe. When Windows asks about merging the BepInEx/dotnet folders, allow it. When done, your game folder looks exactly like this:

▸ No Man's Home # your game folder (holds NoMansHome.exe)├── ▸ BepInExadded # the loader + where your plugins go├── ▸ dotnetadded # .NET runtime the IL2CPP loader needs├── ▸ NoMansHome_Data # game's own data — never touch├── winhttp.dlladded # the injector that boots BepInEx├── doorstop_config.iniadded # loader settings (leave at default)├── .doorstop_versionadded├── changelog.txtadded # BepInEx changelog├── NoMansHome.exe # ← launch THIS (this is NOT No Man's Sky)├── GameAssembly.dll # the IL2CPP game code├── UnityPlayer.dll├── baselib.dll├── UnityCrashHandler64.exe

green = added by BepInEx · dim = the game's own files (leave them all in place).
Leave the loader config alone
The two pieces that make BepInEx start are winhttp.dll (Windows loads it automatically when the game starts) and doorstop_config.ini (it points the loader at the IL2CPP core). The defaults are already correct for No Man's Home — you do not need to edit anything here.
doorstop_config.ini — default (do not change)
```
[General]
enabled = true
target_assembly = BepInEx\core\BepInEx.Unity.IL2CPP.dll

[Il2Cpp]
coreclr_path = dotnet\coreclr.dll
corlib_dir = dotnet
```

Launch once — and be patient

Start No Man's Home normally (Steam Play, or run NoMansHome.exe). The first launch is noticeably slower than usual: BepInEx is scanning the IL2CPP game and generating the proxy assemblies every plugin loads against. This is one-time work — later launches are back to normal speed. A black screen or a long pause here is expected; let it finish.

BepInEx\LogOutput.log — first boot

# BepInEx\LogOutput.log — first launch (abridged)
[Message:   BepInEx] BepInEx 6.0.0-be.784 — NoMansHome.exe
[Info   :   BepInEx] Running under Unity 2022.3.62f2 (IL2CPP, x64)
[Info   :   BepInEx] Il2CppInterop 1.5.3 — generating proxy assemblies…
[Warning:Il2CppInterop] First-time generation can take a while — this is normal
[Info   :   BepInEx] Interop assemblies written to BepInEx\interop
[Message:   BepInEx] Chainloader started
[Info   :   BepInEx] 0 plugins to load   // 9 once you add the DLLs
[Message:   BepInEx] Chainloader startup complete

Once you reach the main menu, fully quit the game. BepInEx is now installed and you're ready to add the mods.

CHKVerify

Confirm the loader took

After that first launch, two things prove BepInEx is live: your game folder gained a BepInEx folder, and that folder filled out with generated subfolders and logs.

The game root after install. The BepInEx and dotnet folders and winhttp.dll now sit beside NoMansHome.exe — note the launcher is NoMansHome.exe, confirming this is No Man's Home, not No Man's Sky. — The game root after install. The **BepInEx** and **dotnet** folders and **winhttp.dll** now sit beside **NoMansHome.exe** — note the launcher is **NoMansHome.exe**, confirming this is No Man's Home, not No Man's Sky.

Inside BepInEx after the first launch. config, interop, cache, ErrorLog.log and LogOutput.log were all generated on that run — proof the loader ran. plugins is where the mods go next. — Inside **BepInEx** after the first launch. **config**, **interop**, **cache**, **ErrorLog.log** and **LogOutput.log** were all generated on that run — proof the loader ran. **plugins** is where the mods go next.

What the BepInEx folder should contain

▸ BepInEx├── ▸ cache1st run # interop cache (speeds up later launches)├── ▸ config1st run # BepInEx.cfg + your mods' .cfg files land here├── ▸ core # BepInEx itself (from the archive)├── ▸ interop1st run # generated IL2CPP proxy assemblies├── ▸ patchers # (empty — preload patchers, unused here)├── ▸ plugins # ★ drop the nine mod DLLs in here├── ▸ unity-libs # Unity reference assemblies├── ErrorLog.log1st run├── LogOutput.log1st run # your main log — check this to confirm loads

Green light

If you see a BepInEx\interop folder and a LogOutput.log that ends with Chainloader startup complete, the foundation is solid. Move on to the loadout.

No BepInEx folder appeared?

Then the loader didn't inject. Almost always this is because the files landed one folder too deep (a wrapper folder) instead of beside NoMansHome.exe, or because you launched the wrong game. Re-check step 3, confirm winhttp.dll sits next to NoMansHome.exe, and see the Diagnostics page.