You can definitely enjoy Valheim solo, but what about if you could play with some friends. It is definitely one of those games which are way more enjoyable in multiplayer environments. There are community servers, and you can join them, however, it means that that you have to share a world seed with a bunch of other players and play by their rules.
There is another option of hosting a game locally with some other people in the same room. But the current world situation does not make it a good idea either. So, what to do? Don’t worry, there is still one more option and that is dedicated servers. If you are wishing to set one up for yourself then you are at the right place. Here we are going to guide you through just that, i.e., set up a dedicated multiplayer server in Valheim.
If you are looking forward to play Valheim with your friends and only them and no one else then Dedicated servers are the way out for you. The experience of a dedicated server will leave you mesmerized. With only your friends available a co-op would be really well coordinated with advancements at your understandings and pace. It is not that difficult to setup a dedicated server in Valheim while comparing it with other games but it would require a bit of know how. So, let us wait no more and let us just dive in…
Setting up a dedicated multiplayer Server
In the following is a step-by-step process to setup a dedicate server:
1. Download the Server utility
If you are the one who is hosting the server then you can open the Steam library and then switch to the Tools tab. If you have Valheim then you will be automatically directed towards the “Valheim Dedicated Server” tool. If in any acse you don’t see the Valheim Dedicated Server tool then make sure that you check on top of the Tools in the dropdown menu of your Library.
One more thing for you is that you need the ample bandwidth to support players and yourself too. So, anyone who has the required bandwidth can start hosting. In this step you need to download and install the tool.
2. Transfer after backing up your game world (it is optional)
Before you set up the server you can backup your game world. It is a good idea to do so. Also, while you are setting up the dedicated multiplayer server on a different PC other than the one you’ve been playing around in then you can transfer the world you have already been playing in.
Open explorer on PC and then navigate to –
%userprofile%\appdata\locallow\IronGate\Valheim\worlds
The files that you find here can be copied to a safe location in the PC. If you are transferring the game world then you can copy to the same location in the new computer.
3. Open the Ports
You can type your Gateway IP address into your web browser to get your settings of your router (usually 192.168.1.1). Some routers also have phone apps and you can do this in the app. Find “Port Forwarding,” and make sure ports 2456-2458 are being forwarded through your router. Also, the same needs to be done with your firewall if you have one.
4. Configuration
You can right-click on “Valheim Dedicated Server” in your library and then please go to Properties. On the right of it go to Local Files and Browse. Then go to the “start_headless_server” file, right-click on it, and then click “Edit.” From the file line that starts with “valheim_server,” make the following changes:
-name “My server”: In place of the text in the quotes please put a name of your desire for your server.
–port 2456: Please use the same four-digit port forwarding number as that of the one you opened on your router.
-world “dedicated”: You can name your world. Please don’t use the same name as the server itself, or things could go meaningless.
-password “secret”: Please set your server’s password, and yes make sure that you don’t make it the name of the server or the name of the world.
–public 1: If you leave this option as “1,” your server will show up in the community server list. If you change it to “0,” it won’t.
You should save a copy of this batch file locally so that you have a copy of it in case Steam overwrites the file.
5. Finally, Launch it
You’re all set! Finally, you can launch the Valheim Dedicated Server tool. After you launch it you should get a command prompt, and after the processing, you should see “Game Server Connected.” Your server is now live and should appear on the community list in a short while (if you have set the public to 1), where players with whom you have shared the password can join. The server will run in a command prompt. You can close anytime the prompt to shut the server down anytime. Please remember to run the tool again if you want to bring the server online again!
6. If not in Community list
If you set up a private server (public 0) that won’t show up in the community list. Your friends may need to join the server through an IP address. You will need to provide them with your external IP address for them to join. You can get your address by going to WhatIsMyIPAddress and you can give them that number.
Conclusion
It is one fine experience to play on a dedicated server and if you have not yet done it then please try it and enjoy the difference in gaming. Hope we could enable you to set up a dedicated server of your own. Thank you for coming over this post and Happy Gaming!
Further reading..
