Why You Need a Dedicated Server for Windrose Despite the Lack of Admin Commands

Pirate survival game Windrose is crying out for a dedicated server if you plan to set sail for a lengthy voyage—especially if you plan to do so with friends. If you want to build the pirate fortress of your dreams, deck out your ship and make your way through the game's sprawling skill tree, you'll want a 24/7 world that your friends can hop in and out of whenever they like. That means installing a Windrose dedicated server, but the current reality is that there are no Windrose admin commands to control it via the console or in-game menu as of the early access launch.

While you might expect standard controls like booting players, restarting the world, or saving data instantly, those features are currently absent. This limitation means you are pretty limited in how you can configure a custom server without direct administrative intervention. However, there is still plenty of room for customization through manual file editing and configuration settings available to host your own Windrose dedicated server.

Mastering Server Configuration Without Admin Commands

If you don't want to pay for the official (but rather pricy) Windrose dedicated hosting at Nitrado, you can host your own Windrose server on your own PC or NAS for free. As of launch week, users on Steam have brought up a few issues with Windrose's dedicated server implementation:

  • The server is Windows-only, so running it on a Linux system requires the Wine compatibility layer
  • Frequent crashes occur on startup
  • Documentation regarding client/server connectivity remains confusing
  • High CPU usage persists even when no players are active

While several users have tried to create Docker containers to make hosting your own server more convenient, these issues are preventing some players from getting them running properly. These issues will likely be tackled in the coming weeks, but for now, I wouldn't recommend going that route due to the likely troubleshooting involved. The simplest approach is hosting a dedicated server on the same Windows PC that you use to play games.

Installing and Launching Your Server

To set this up, use the drop-down in your Steam library to view Tools instead of games, then install Windrose Dedicated Server. After installation, right-click the entry in your library (or click the gear icon) and navigate to Manage > Browse local files. With the Windrose Dedicated Server folder open, launch it once by double-clicking StartServerForeground.bat. This method allows you to view logs that could be useful for later troubleshooting.

After this first launch, the Windrose server will create a settings file with default values that we can then configure manually. Since there are no Windrose admin commands available in the game interface, all configuration must happen through these text files. To set up your connection, look in the R5 subfolder for ServerDescription.json and open it in Notepad or a code-oriented editor like Notepad++. Find the "InviteCode" listing and copy the code displayed there in text.

Launch Windrose proper and click Connect to Server from the menu. Paste your invite code and hit Find. You should be able to see your server running and connect to it. After waiting for the lengthy load, your server will now have a generated world for you to modify. It may take a few attempts to connect successfully, so try again if it times out. Check out the official FAQ if you run into more issues during this process.

Editing Configuration Files

Now you have two files where you can make configuration changes: ServerDescription.json (located in the root folder/R5) and WorldDescription.json (located in root folder/R5/Saved/SaveProfiles/Default/RocksDB//Worlds//). Here is exactly what you can change in each one to customize your pirate experience.

In ServerDescription.json:

  • InviteCode: Customize a minimum 6-digit code using 0-9, a-z, and A-Z.
  • IsPasswordProtected: Set to "true" or "false".
  • Password: If protected, set a custom password here.
  • ServerName: Set a custom name for your server.
  • MaxPlayerCount: Define how many concurrent players can join.

In WorldDescription.json:

  • WorldName: Customize the name of your pirate paradise.
  • WorldPresetType: Change the world preset difficulty to "Easy", "Medium", or "Hard". Note that this value will automatically switch to "Custom" if you tweak individual values in WorldSettings.
  • WorldSettings: Toggle co-op quests and map marker visibility, plus adjust numerical values for enemy health and stats.

Here is the full breakdown of options available in WorldSettings:

  • MobHealthMultiplier: Defines how much Health enemies have (Default: 1.0; Range: [0.2; 5.0]).
  • MobDamageMultiplier: Defines how hard enemies hit (Default: 1.0; Range: [0.2; 5.0]).
  • ShipHealthMultiplier: Defines enemy ship health (Default: 1.0; Range: [0.4; 5.0]).
  • ShipDamageMultiplier: Defines damage dealt by enemy ships (Default: 1.0; Range: [0.2; 2.5]).
  • BoardingDifficultyMultiplier: Defines enemies defeated in boarding actions (Default: 1.0; Range: [0.2; 5.0]).
  • Coop_StatsCorrectionModifier: Adjusts enemy Health and posture loss based on player count (Default: 1.0; Range: [0.0; 2.0]).
  • Coop_ShipStatsCorrectionModifier: Adjusts enemy Ship Health based on player count (Default: 0.0; Range: [0.0; 2.0]).
  • CombatDifficulty: Defines boss encounter difficulty and general enemy aggression (Range: Easy, Normal, Hard).

Those are the options you can change in Windrose for now, but presumably there will be many more choices—and proper admin controls—as it progresses through early access. For further tips on your voyage, check out our guides on how to fast travel in Windrose, how to get lamp oil or clay, and how to make gunpowder.