Dragonwilds: can’t connect to server — every fix
Fix a Dragonwilds connection in this order: version mismatch after a patch, a wrong or missing OwnerId, a world missing from the Public browser, the wrong UDP port, a WorldPassword that was never shared, then client or server mods. Stop when one fix works.
If Dragonwilds cannot find a dedicated server or fails to connect, work through these checks in this order. Do not reinstall the world or delete save files first. After a patch, the usual cause is that the client updated before the dedicated server.
Stop as soon as one fix works. If you are helping somebody else, test with one player before asking the whole group to retry.
On PC, the documented join path is Worlds → Public and an exact, case-sensitive world-name search. See How to join a Dragonwilds server.
1. Match the client and server versions
Jagex's dedicated-server guide says a world that vanishes from the list after an update or hotfix is usually a version mismatch. The client and the dedicated server must run the same game build.
Find the versions:
- Client: top-left of the Dragonwilds window.
- Dedicated server: the version printed at the top of the server log.
Update the player's game
Close Dragonwilds completely, install every available update from Steam (or the store you use), and relaunch it. Do not leave an old game process suspended.
Update the dedicated server
Stop the server cleanly. On berrybyte, Auto Update (on by default) pulls the
current dedicated-server build (Steam app 4019830) when the server starts —
restart once after the patch is live. If you self-host through SteamCMD:
steamcmd +force_install_dir /path/to/dragonwilds +login anonymous +app_update 4019830 validate +quitStart the server and compare versions
Wait until the world has finished loading. Compare the client's top-left version with the version at the top of the server log. They must match exactly.
On berrybyte, one restart after the store ships the patch is the whole update. If you do not want to run SteamCMD after every hotfix, rent a Dragonwilds server that handles updates.
2. Fix a wrong or missing OwnerId
The dedicated server will not start without the host's Player ID. Jagex calls this Owner ID and puts it at the bottom of the in-game Settings menu (My Player ID). It is 32 characters. Joining players never type it.
A blank field, a truncated paste, or a typo means the process exits or never advertises, so Worlds → Public stays empty. The Owner ID is not a join code.
dragonwilds-settings-player-id.pngCopy My Player ID from the game
Launch Dragonwilds, open Settings, scroll to the bottom, and copy My Player ID. Use the in-game copy control if it is there. Do not type the 32 characters by hand.
Write it while the server is stopped
On berrybyte, paste it into the Owner ID field (Overview setup, or Settings →
Game Settings) and save. The panel will not start the server while this is
blank. On a self-hosted box, set OwnerId= in DedicatedServer.ini only after
you stop the process — Jagex warns that edits made while it is running are
silently discarded.
Start and confirm it advertised
Start the server, wait until it is ready, then search the world name with one PC client. If the startup log still prints an Owner ID error, the value did not stick — stop, paste again, start again.
The ID belongs to the owner. Other players do not need it to join. A hosted panel keeps this field off the launch command; rent a server if you want that setup on Overview instead of editing the ini.
3. Make the world appear in the Public browser
If versions match and OwnerId is set, the remaining miss is almost always the search string. Official docs: open the Public tab on the Worlds screen and type the world name. The world name is case sensitive.
Search the active world name: DefaultWorldName for a server-created
world, or the unchanged .sav basename for an imported world. Do not search:
- the Server Name (that is Created By in the list)
- a
.savsuffix (for an imported world, search the original filename without.sav) - a different capitalisation (
Ashenfall≠ashenfall)
Names are effectively limited to 16 characters. A longer name is truncated in the browser, which breaks the exact-match search.
Copy the name the server is actually running
On berrybyte, copy Find this world in Dragonwilds from Overview. On a
self-hosted server, read DefaultWorldName from DedicatedServer.ini for a
server-created world. If you imported a world, use the original .sav basename
instead. Every fresh recipe defaults to Ashenfall — if you never changed it,
you are searching the same name as every other unconfigured world.
Search again and wait a few seconds
Paste into Worlds → Public. Jagex says the row can take a few seconds to appear. Confirm the server is running that world, not a different save.
Do not use a Steam invite as the test
Steam invitations to a dedicated server do not currently connect as intended. A failed invite is not evidence the world is unpublished.
The Public list is the join method every official source agrees on. Direct (IP:port) is a fallback and may only find a server on the local network.
4. Check the single UDP game port
Dragonwilds uses one UDP game port. Jagex documents 7777 as the default; a second dedicated-server process on the same machine uses 7778, which is another game port, not a query port.
Jagex does not document a separate query port or instruct operators to forward
game-port + 1. Forward the configured game port. An adjacent number is only
needed when you deliberately run another Dragonwilds server on it.
Use the port the server bound
On berrybyte, copy the address on Overview (IP before the colon, port after).
That allocated UDP port is the only one that matters — do not assume 7777. On a
self-hosted server, the port is 7777 unless you passed -Port= (or -port=).
Forward that UDP port only (self-host)
Every firewall and router between the machine and the internet must allow UDP on that one port. TCP on the same number does not help. Official docs: if the world appears in other players' lists but will not join, port forwarding failed somewhere.
Do not add a fake query port
Do not open 7778 unless you are running a second server. Do not add
-QueryPort; it is not part of Jagex's documented launch or forwarding setup.
berrybyte opens the allocated UDP port for you. Self-hosters who are fighting NAT can rent a server that already has the game port reachable.
5. Share or clear WorldPassword
WorldPassword is optional. If it is set, every player must enter that
exact string to join. It supersedes any password stored in the world save.
It is not AdminPassword — sharing the admin password makes everyone an
admin.
See whether a world password is actually set
On berrybyte, open Settings → Game Settings and read World Password. On a
self-hosted server, read WorldPassword in DedicatedServer.ini while the
server is stopped. An empty value means the world is public.
Send the exact password, or clear it
If you want a public test, clear the field, save, and restart. If you want it private, send the string again and check capitalisation, spaces, and characters that chat apps rewrite.
Restart, then test one player
Password changes are written at boot. Test with one client at the password prompt before the rest of the group retries.
A hosted World Password field stays out of the launch command. Rent a server if you would rather toggle it from the panel.
6. Remove client or server mods
Jagex allows community mods with conditions; they must not break shared worlds. A UE4SS / Nexus plugin on only one side is enough to block a join. This is the last check because a vanilla version, OwnerId, name, port, or password problem is more common.
Test one vanilla client against the server
Disable client mods on a single PC, then search Worlds → Public again. If that player gets in, the load order or a required plugin was the failure.
Align or remove server mods
Every required server plugin must match what that client has installed. If you
are not sure, back up Savegames, move the mods out, and restart vanilla.
Do not assume console or mixed-mod groups work
How mods behave with PS5, Xbox, or Switch 2 — and whether those clients can join a dedicated server at all — is unconfirmed until the 15 September 2026 check. Keep a mixed group on an unmodded server until that is known.
If none of the six fixes worked
Confirm the dedicated server reached a ready state before testing again
(START SESSION - Success in the startup log on berrybyte). Then check the
leftover causes:
- Wait a few seconds after searching Worlds → Public. The official find steps say the row is not instant.
- Try Direct with the current host:port only as a local-network fallback. Do not treat a Direct miss as proof the Public name is wrong.
- Read
RSDragonwilds/Saved/Logs(Jagex also points at%LOCALAPPDATA%\RSDragonwilds\Saved\Logson a Windows host). - Steam invitations still will not connect; keep using the world name.
- Console dedicated-server join is UNCONFIRMED. A PS5, Xbox, or Switch 2 client failing to see a PC dedicated server is not, by itself, a port or password bug — verify with a PC client first. We will update the join guide on launch day after that check; it has not been completed yet.
PC Public-tab search, Steam-invite workaround, and the console uncertainty.
Set up the Owner IDThe server will not advertise until My Player ID is pasted and the process is restarted.
Dragonwilds server guides4-vs-6 cap, hosting notes, and the rest of the 1.0 pages.
RuneScape: Dragonwilds hostingOwner ID and world name on Overview, automatic updates, one UDP port, support.
Frequently asked questions
Why can't I connect to a Dragonwilds server after a patch?
The client and dedicated server must run the same game version. After a patch or hotfix the store updates the client first. A server still on the old build disappears from Worlds → Public or refuses the join. Update the game, update or restart the server, then compare the client version (top left) with the version at the top of the server log.
Why is my Dragonwilds server missing from the Public list?
Search the exact Default World Name, case sensitive — not the Server Name. The server also will not advertise without a valid OwnerId (the host's 32-character Player ID). Confirm the world finished starting, then wait a few seconds after you search.
What port does a Dragonwilds dedicated server use?
One UDP game port. The documented default is 7777. Jagex does not document a separate query port or require game-port + 1. Players still need the configured UDP game port reachable to join, and berrybyte allocates that port for you.
What is an OwnerId and why does a wrong one block joins?
OwnerId is the host's 32-character in-game Player ID, copied from Settings (My Player ID). Jagex says the dedicated server will not start without it. A blank, truncated, or mistyped ID means the world never advertises. Joining players do not enter this value.
Why does Dragonwilds ask for a password when I join?
WorldPassword is optional. If the host set one, every player must enter that exact string. It is not the Admin Password. If nobody shared a password and the prompt still appears, the host has one configured and needs to send it or clear it and restart.