Don't Starve Together is the multiplayer version of the popular survival game Don't Starve. With your own dedicated server you play together with friends in a procedurally generated world full of seasons, monsters and hunger. You control the world settings, which mods run and whether caves are available.
Requirements
The server is fairly lightweight. 2 GB RAM and 2 vCPU cores are sufficient for the overworld. If you want to enable caves, a second server instance runs alongside it, so plan for 4 GB RAM. A KVM VPS is ideal for this.
Installation on Linux
- Install SteamCMD and the required 32-bit libraries:
apt install lib32gcc-s1 libcurl4-gnutls-dev:i386 -y - Download the server:
steamcmd +force_install_dir /home/dst/server +login anonymous +app_update 343050 validate +quit - Create a cluster folder at
~/.klei/DoNotStarveTogether/MyCluster. - Create a file
cluster_token.txtcontaining your server token. You generate this token in-game via the Account menu. - Create the folders
Master(overworld) and optionallyCaves, each with aserver.ini. - Start the server:
./dontstarve_dedicated_server_nullrenderer_x64 -cluster MyCluster -shard Master
Enabling caves
Caves run as a separate shard that communicates with the overworld. In cluster.ini set shard_enabled = true and start a second instance with -shard Caves. Both shards must be running simultaneously.
Seasons and world settings
In worldgenoverride.lua you can customise the world: season length, resource frequency, the intensity of summer wildfires and the severity of winter. You can also disable seasons entirely if you prefer a more relaxed experience.
Mods
Add mod IDs to the file dedicated_server_mods_setup.lua in the server folder. The server downloads the mods automatically on startup. Configure mods per world via modoverrides.lua in the corresponding shard folder.
Frequently asked questions
How do I generate a server token?
Open Don't Starve Together on your own computer, go to the main menu and click Account. Choose Generate Server Token. Copy the token and paste it into cluster_token.txt on your server.
Can I adjust or disable seasons?
Yes, in worldgenoverride.lua you set the length of each season. Set a season to noseason to skip it. You can also make autumn extra long as an introduction for new players.
Why does my caves server crash?
Check that both shards are using the same cluster token and that shard_enabled is set to true in cluster.ini. Also make sure the master and caves shards are running on different ports and that enough RAM is available.