How to Host a Bannerlord Dedicated Server (Custom Server Guide)

To host a Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord dedicated server, install Mount & Blade II: Dedicated Server from the Tools section of your Steam library (or with SteamCMD, app 1863440), generate an auth token in game with customserver.gettoken, put your settings in a config file in Modules\Native, and start DedicatedCustomServer.Starter.exe with the token and config file. Open UDP port 7210 and the server appears in the in game Custom Server List. One thing first: it runs multiplayer modes only, not the campaign.

What the dedicated server can and cannot do

Read this before you spend an evening on it. The TaleWorlds dedicated server runs Bannerlord's multiplayer modes: Siege, Team Deathmatch, Captain, Skirmish, Duel and Battle. It does not run the single player campaign, and there is no official campaign co-op for it to host. Community co-op mods exist, but they are separate projects with their own setup and are not what this server does.

What it does well is give a clan or community a fixed place to play with its own rules: duel servers with an honor code, Siege nights for a whole Discord, private Skirmish scrims, or Captain matches with friends commanding troops.

What you need

• A copy of Bannerlord on a Steam account, to generate the token. The token is tied to your TaleWorlds account.
• A Windows machine to run the server, with a public IP address.
• Around 4 GB of free memory for Skirmish or Duel, 8 GB for Siege, Team Deathmatch or Captain, where many more agents are on the field.

Step 1: Install the dedicated server

From Steam: open your library, switch the filter to include Tools, find Mount & Blade II: Dedicated Server and install it.

From SteamCMD:

steamcmd +force_install_dir C:\bannerlord-server +login anonymous +app_update 1863440 validate +quit

Run the same update after every game patch. Players on the new version cannot join a server on the old one.

Step 2: Get your auth token

Every custom server needs a token to register with TaleWorlds' list.

1. Start Bannerlord and go into Multiplayer, so you are logged into the lobby.
2. Press Alt and ~ together to open the console.
3. Type customserver.gettoken and press Enter.
4. The token is saved as a file in Documents\Mount & Blade II Bannerlord\Tokens.

Keep it private: it is bound to your account. Tokens expire after three months, after which the server drops off the list until you make a new one. Put a reminder in your calendar.

Step 3: Write a config file

Config files live in Modules\Native inside the server folder. TaleWorlds ships samples there named ds_config_*.txt. Copy one and edit it. Each line is a console command run at start:

ServerName Friday Skirmish Club
GameType Skirmish
GamePassword
AdminPassword change-me-now
MaxNumberOfPlayers 12
add_map_to_automated_battle_pool mp_skirmish_map_004
add_map_to_automated_battle_pool mp_skirmish_map_007
enable_automated_battle_switching
start_game_and_mission

GameType takes Siege, TeamDeathmatch, Captain, Skirmish, Duel or Battle. Map IDs must match the mode. Our Bannerlord server config guide lists every useful option and map ID.

Step 4: Start the server

From bin\Win64_Shipping_Server, run:

DedicatedCustomServer.Starter.exe /dedicatedcustomserverconfigfile my_config.txt /dedicatedcustomserverauthtoken YOUR_TOKEN /port 7210 _MODULES_*Native*Multiplayer*_MODULES_

If you leave out /dedicatedcustomserverauthtoken, the server looks for the token file from step 2 on the same machine. Passing it on the command line is how you run a server on a machine where you never logged into the game. When the console says the custom game server is ready, it is up.

Step 5: Open the port

The game uses UDP 7210 by default. Forward it on your router and allow it through Windows Defender Firewall. TCP 7210 is only needed for the server's web admin panel, so leave it closed to the internet unless you use that panel. Our port forwarding guide covers router screens.

Step 6: Join and take admin

Players join from Multiplayer, then the Custom Server List, by searching for your server name and entering the GamePassword if set.

For admin, right click your server in that list, choose Join as Admin and enter the AdminPassword. Once in, the admin panel is in the Escape menu, where you can change map, kick and ban.

The upkeep nobody mentions

The setup is an evening. The upkeep is what wears groups down: a token to renew every three months, a SteamCMD update after every patch before anyone can join, and a Windows PC that must stay on for Siege night. If the server vanishes from the list one day, our fix for a Bannerlord custom server not showing goes through the usual causes.

Hosting it with GamezServers

A Bannerlord server from GamezServers runs the official dedicated server with the Native and Multiplayer modules. The token has its own field in the panel, so renewing it means pasting the new one and restarting. Auto update pulls the current build at every start, the config file is in the file manager, and the server has its own address with nothing to forward. Plans start at 4 GB for Skirmish and Duel and 8 GB for the big modes, and a clan can split the bill between up to 10 members.

FAQ

Can a Bannerlord dedicated server run the campaign?

No. The official dedicated server runs multiplayer modes only: Siege, Team Deathmatch, Captain, Skirmish, Duel and Battle.

What port does a Bannerlord server use?

UDP 7210 by default, changed with /port. TCP 7210 is only for the web admin panel.

How long does a Bannerlord server token last?

Three months. Generate a new one with customserver.gettoken and restart the server with it.

Do I need to own Bannerlord to run a server?

The dedicated server downloads anonymously, but the token comes from a TaleWorlds account that owns the game, so someone in your group has to generate it.