Co-op and dedicated server guide - tribes, ports and settings

Soulmask supports solo, co-op hosted from a save, private dedicated servers and official servers. In co-op the host owns the world: only the host can switch maps through a World Portal, and doing so moves every character and disconnects online players. Friends who play together should join one tribe; tribe membership carries across both maps. A dedicated server is the free Steam tool 3017310 (Windows) or 3017300 (Linux).

Playing together

• Tribes: create or join a tribe to share bases and tribesmen. Ranks are Leader, Priest, Noble and Civilian, and the leader sets permissions per rank. The default tribe size is 20 players (setting up to 50).
• Shared limits: the 50-tribesman tribe cap and the per-tribe ship and animal caps are shared by all members.
• Co-op host: only the host can use a World Portal to switch saves. All characters, including offline ones, move with the host.
• Playing when the host is away: a co-op world runs from the host’s game. A group that plays at different times is better served by a dedicated or rented server, which keeps the world online.
• Chests: by default other players cannot open your chests or workbenches; two settings allow it.

Dedicated server setup

1. Install SteamCMD and download the server (use app ID 3017300 on Linux):

   steamcmd +login anonymous +app_update 3017310 validate +quit

2. Copy StartServer.bat (or StartServer.sh), and add parameters to the end of the call StartServer.bat line.

3. Open two UDP ports: the game port (8777 by default) and the Steam query port (27015).

4. Start the server, then connect from the in-game server list or by IP.

5. Shut down cleanly: telnet 127.0.0.1 18888, then quit 180. Closing the window can roll back data.

Parameter	Use
-SteamServerName="Name"	Name in the server list
-MaxPlayers=50	Player slots
-PSW="password"	Join password
-adminpsw="password"	GM password; open the GM panel with gm key password
-pve or -pvp	Server rules
-Port=8777 -QueryPort=27015 -EchoPort=18888	Game, query and local maintenance ports
-backup, -saving, -backupinterval	Database write and backup intervals
-MULTIHOME=0.0.0.0	Listening address

Hardware from the official text: at least 16 GB of memory and 2–4 CPU cores per game instance, about 100 kbps per player, 20 GB free disk. Saves are in WS/Saved under the server folder; gameplay settings are written to WS/Saved/GameplaySettings/GameXishu.json. Third-party hosts start the Shifting Sands map with the level name DLC_Level01_Main instead of Level01_Main.

Private servers can also be linked into a cross-map group like the official ones (one Cloud Mist Forest and two Shifting Sands servers). CampFire’s own setup guide for this is posted on its Discord.

Settings worth changing

The game ships 282 server settings, and many have different ranges in each mode. English labels below are descriptive; the in-game text may differ.

Setting	Default	Why change it
Awareness XP	1	Faster levelling; single-player saves already use at least 3x
Crafting speed	1 (up to 100)	Shorter queues for furnaces and workbenches
Gathering, mining, logging yield	1 (up to 3)	More material per node
Barbarian taming speed	1	Faster Recognition when recruiting
Connection Enhancement I/II/III	6 / 10 / 15	Raises the per-player tribesman limit
Tribe tribesman cap	50	Raises the shared tribe limit
Building decay	On	Turn off for a quiet server
No item drop on death	Off	Keeps gear after death
Days offline before tribesmen go dormant	7	Stops bases from going idle for part-time players
Mask mimicry upgrade (Ascension)	On	Turn off to match PVP rules
Ship blueprints consume materials	On	Turn off to build Workshop ships freely

For a gentler fight without changing EXP, lower the damage-taken settings for barbarians and beasts, as the official beginner guide recommends.

Official servers

Official servers run in Asia, North America and Europe. Official PvE servers moved to permanent 3x rates on 16 April. Long-term PvP servers have raid windows (Asia 12–15, North America 02–05, Europe 19–22 UTC), and no-raid servers have been no-raid around the clock since 26 June.