Notes

Valheim Multiplayer: How To Set Up A Dedicated Server

You can play Valheim solo if you choose, but there's a lot to be said for the co-op experience. The game supports up 10 players in multiplayer. This makes it possible to travel to purgatory together with your whole Viking clan.



You can build a settlement from scratch or face off against nightmarish bosses inspired by Norse mythology (only scarier), but teaming up with other players will help you solve the problem faster.



You have many options for multiplayer because co-op is a part of Valheim's design.



Smaller groups who always intend to play together can create a locally hosted game. For established groups with more complex requirements, a dedicated server might be the answer. There are also community server options for solo players who want to play with other players.



This page:



How to setup local hosting in Valheim Setting up a Valheim dedicated server: A step-by - guide How to join Valheim's community server



How to setup Valheim hosting



If you and your co-op buddies are pretty confident you'll always be able to play Valheim with the same smallish group, it probably makes most sense to set it up this way.



One player can save the game file to their computer. You can do this with anyone, but we recommend that the person with the best internet and hardware connection is chosen.



If you're good friends with your group, the person who is most on-time for things can be a strong host. This is because - unlike if you set up a dedicated server - locally hosted games will only be available to play when the host is online and in-game.



After the host logs into the game, they will be able to invite other members of their group to play by right-clicking the Steam profile of a friend, and choosing "Invite to Play".



This method works best if you have two or three people who can play together.



Dedicated servers in Valheim have a number of useful applications for co-op groups.



Even if they are always playing together, larger groups will benefit. Servers can be run from different computers than the ones being used by the host to play the game. This is a benefit that isn't possible with local hosting.



A local host might find Valheim becoming unplayable when player counts approach the ten-player limit. Even on high-end equipment, this is possible. So if you're lucky enough to have a large and tight-knit group of Vikings in your game, definitely consider a dedicated server.



And no matter the size of your group, a dedicated server is a good idea if the whole group isn't always able to play together, or can't settle on a single person who'll always be available to host.



If no-one in your group has the capacity to host the server, you could still consider chipping in to rent a dedicated server from a 3rd party host provider.



A step-by–step guide for setting up a Valheim service



Step 1: Open Steam from the computer you want the server to be hosted. Anyone who owns Valheim will automatically have access to the Valheim Dedicated Server tool that's been created specifically for this purpose. Game tolia It will be found under Tools in your Steam Library. It is easy to download and install.



Step 2: Right-click the Valheim Dedicated Server tool in your Steam library and navigate to Manage > Browse Local Files. This will open the tool folder from a separate window. Find the file named "start_headless_server" and back it up in a different folder.



Step 3: Go to your router software. Enter your router IP in any search engine. You will need administrator access to make changes, so have your router password to hand. You will find "Port Forwarding" under "Advanced Settings", but it will vary depending on the service provider. Make sure the ports 2456-2458 are being forwarded through both your local router and firewall (if applicable).



If you need more help with this step, you'll need to visit the website of your internet provider for details on how their software handles this.



Step 4: Right-click on the original version of the "start_headless_server" file in the tool folder. Select "Edit". Find the file line that begins valheim_server and make the following changes:



-name: "My server": Give your service a name by changing text between the quotation marks. -port 2456 : Make sure the four-digit number matches your router's port forwarding number from Step 3. -world "dedicated”: Give your world an identifier by changing the text within the quotation marks. This cannot be the exact same name as the server's name. Your server will not be listed on Valheim's community server list if you include the server name in your game world name. -password "secret": Give your server a password that doesn't include the sever or world names. This should make the server publicly available, but it isn't very reliable at this stage. -public 1: (Optional) Change the "1" to "0" if you don't want your server to show up on Valheim's Community Server list.



After you have done this, save the file and close it.



Step 5: Go back to Steam and run the Valheim Dedicated Sever tool. A prompt box will appear and you can start scrolling through the text. Wait until the line reading "Game Server Connected" appears.



Your server is now live! Unless you've changed the privacy, it should start appearing on Valheim's Community Server list in the next 15 minutes or so.



Once the dedicated server is set up, other players should be able to drop in by selecting the 'Join Game' option in the main menu and searching for the saved game by the name the host has given to it. Then enter the password to join.



How to join a community server in Valheim



You can also search the community servers if you are looking for a group to play with. These are non-private servers that anyone can join, as opposed to dedicated servers set up for groups who already know each other.



However, you'll still need a password to enter. This means you will need to contact the players on that server via Steam Chat or Discord. before you can play.



The password protection around community servers may be unusual, and it could change as Valheim enters Early Access. The password protection is in place because the developers are concerned about preventing potential cheating and griefing.



Furthermore, while it is possible for you to play with the same character in multiple servers, the Valheim devs strongly recommend creating a separate character specifically for use in community servers. That way if you do fall foul of someone who isn't behaving themselves, your main character won't be affected.


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