Don’t Starve Together: how to make a dedicated server?

Multiplayer in Don't Starve Together

Don't Starve Together is a version of the well-known single-player game Don't Starve. It is specifically designed for cooperative play with a few changes. The world of DST is a scary place to survive in which it is not that easy. Without the help of friends or other players, you will have a hard time. In this article, we have provided the main details of how to start a dedicated server for DST. After reading this article, you will be able to create your own server and start playing on it.

Creating a dedicated server

1. Go to the main menu and click "Host Game".
   
2. To create a world with the desired settings, be sure to select the "Local Save" option in the "Save Type" line. After creating the world, go to the main menu by pressing the "ESC" key and selecting "Disconnect".
   
3. In the main menu, open the console by pressing the "~" key (1), after the console has opened (2), enter the command TheNet:GenerateClusterToken() or TheNet:GenerateServerToken() in the command line (3). This command creates a server token in the game folder.
   
4. After closing the console, click the "Data" button in the main menu.
   
5. After clicking the "Data" button, a folder with the game files opens. Copy the file "cluster_token.txt" (1) and move it to the folder of the desired world (in this case it is Cluster 1, if you have already created worlds, the folder may be under a different number) (2). We transfer the folder of the selected world to the directory C:\Users\%user%\Documents\Klei\DoNotStarveTogether, you can get to this folder by pressing "Alt + left arrow" while in the folder with the saves.
   
6. By going to the "Cluster 1" folder and opening the "cluster.ini" file (1) with any text editor, we can see the server settings. These settings can be changed if it is necessary. Also, here we can make sure that we have selected the right "Cluster" folder by checking the name of the world in the "cluster_name =" line (2). In this case, it is the "Example World" name that we specified when creating the world.
   
7. Now go to Steam and find DST in the library. Right-click on the name of the game, select "Manage" and then "Browse Local Files".
   
8. In the directory that opens, find the "bin" folder (1), open it and find the file "dontstarve_dedicated_server_nullrenderer.exe" (2) and run it.
   
9. If everything is done correctly, we will see an inscription in the console that opens, such as "Server registered via geo DNS in %region%". This will indicate that the server has been successfully launched.
   

How to connect to the server?

Enter the game and select "Browse games" in the main menu. Then, find your server through the search (1) using its name. After selecting our server in the list, left-click (2) and click "Join" (3). After loading, you will be connected to your server. Once you have chosen a character, you can start the game.

Common issues

Your Server Will Not Start

This error occurs when you start the server in its console. If it indicates, then you either did not move the "Cluster" folder to the correct directory or did not move the "cluster_token.txt" file to it. Review the instructions carefully and repeat the above steps.

The file "cluster_token.txt" does not appear 

If the file does not appear in the console after you enter the TheNet:GenerateClusterToken() or TheNet:GenerateServerToken() command, you can create it on the Klei website.

No saved games (Cluster folders)

If you play DST via Steam, your saved games may be placed in the cloud by default. If you want your world to be saved on your computer when you create it, be sure to select the "Local Save" option in the "Save Type" line.

If you want the server to work around the clock and not load your PC, you can use the Don't starve together hosting services from Godlike. By choosing us, you will get 24\7 access to your server and qualified support from specialists to resolve all issues.