Before you start
This guide uses the current Dragonwilds dedicated-server adapter. World gameplay rules belong to the world save, while server identity and access live in the server configuration.
Copy your Dragonwilds Player ID from the game's Settings screen. Jagex says the server requires its Owner ID to start. Match client and server versions, and keep any world you want to bring over safely backed up.
Use a Windows 10 or 11 x64 PC. Keep it on, awake, and connected while friends play, with enough memory left for Windows and your own game.
New to Tavern? Apply for the alpha. If you already have a server, keep a separate backup before linking or importing it.
Set up with Tavern
Identify the owner
Choose Dragonwilds and Install a new server. Enter your Player ID as the owner even if the current setup form lets you leave it for later. It is not a Steam username or your server's display name.
Name the world and separate passwords
Set both server and world names. Review the player password separately from the administration password, and give ordinary players only the former. The owner identity grants a different role from knowing an administrator password.
Choose fresh or custom world rules
A fresh setup uses the world's default rules. For a custom world, create it in the game and review its saved-world import in Tavern. Gameplay sliders are not ordinary DedicatedServer.ini options.
Finish the review and choose Create server. When setup is complete, start it and follow any instructions Tavern shows. Join yourself, then ask a friend to try the connection your group will use.
Bring your friends
Search the world name
Open Worlds > Public and search the exact world name, including capital letters. Jagex's instructions distinguish the world name being played from the server's name.
Check the selected route
Follow Tavern's LAN/direct connection checks, then have a friend try the route you actually plan to use. Public-world discovery still requires the server, configuration, and connection to be working. This guide does not advertise Playit for Dragonwilds.
Changing local ports
For custom ports, stop the selected server and open Networking > Ports. Edit its local ports, save, update any router or tunnel mappings, then start the server and use the updated address. Tavern keeps game-required adjacent ports together and checks for conflicts. These controls require a Tavern build with the Ports section.
Share the connection details from the right server in Tavern. For friends outside your home, test with someone on another network; joining from the host PC alone is not enough.
Make it your world
Ownership and admission
Use Settings > Game Config to review owner ID and the player/admin passwords. Jagex describes separate owner, administrator, and regular-player roles. Keep administration credentials private.
Keep world rules in the world
DedicatedServer.ini configures the server; custom gameplay choices are carried by the saved world. Stop before configuration changes and follow Tavern's review. Jagex warns that changing server configuration while it is running can lose those edits.
Protect your progress
Preserve the complete selected save set before importing or updating. Jagex documents loading the latest available world save, so an unexpected newer save can affect which world starts. Use Tavern's import review and verify the intended world in-game after the transfer; keep the original until that succeeds.
In Backups, choose Create backup for this server. Wait for Activity to report completion and check that the backup appears in the list. Do this before updates, imports, or major changes.
Restoring replaces the current world data, so keep a copy of your latest progress first. Use Tavern's stop control and wait for shutdown before turning the PC off.
If something gets stuck
Startup never gets to a usable world
Check the required owner ID, server configuration, and installed version first. Refresh diagnostics rather than creating another world to get past a missing configuration field.
My friends cannot find it
Search the exact current world name with matching case, then confirm versions and required configuration. A public listing is not a substitute for a successful real join.
Do I need to leave my game open?
The dedicated server runs separately from your game client. The host PC, server, and selected connection route need to remain available while friends play.
Sources & testing status
Checked against Tavern's app source and the publisher resources below. Game support is in beta; your installed alpha may differ. This review did not include a new gameplay, restore, or outside-network join test.
The game's documentation may include features Tavern does not yet offer. Use the options available in your version of the app.