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For a typical friends-only Don’t Starve Together world, start with the Survival Together preset, cooperative play with PvP disabled, a player cap matching your regular group plus a little headroom, and the default 15 updates-per-second tick rate. Select No Caves for the simplest, lightest setup; select Caves when your group wants underground progression and the host can run a second shard.
What the best co-op setup looks like
There is no single universally best configuration. The right settings depend on how many people actually play, whether newcomers are comfortable with survival mechanics, how much administration the host wants to do, and whether underground content is worth the extra server load. The following baseline is a reliable starting point for most private groups:
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- Server intention: Cooperative.
- PvP: Disabled for ordinary teamwork.
- World preset:
SURVIVAL_TOGETHER. - Player cap: Your expected regular players, with modest room for occasional guests.
- Tick rate: 15 updates per second.
- Caves: No Caves unless the group specifically wants an underground shard and the host can support it.
Klei’s 2026 dedicated-server documentation establishes the available fields and defaults. The recommendations above are practical starting points rather than official difficulty requirements; a group that wants a gentler learning curve can use RELAXED, while an established group with persistent uptime needs may prefer a dedicated cluster.
Choose the server intention and PvP behavior
Use Cooperative for a normal friends-only world
Klei lists cooperative as a valid server intention. It communicates that the server is intended for players working together rather than competing for resources or attacking one another. Set this intention when the purpose of the world is shared progression, base building and survival.
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Leave PvP disabled
With PvP off, accidental attacks do not turn routine resource gathering into a fight. This is the sensible default for a private co-op group, especially when players have different experience levels. Enable PvP only when everyone has agreed that player-versus-player damage is part of the rules; it changes the social contract of the world more than it improves ordinary co-op play.
Set a player cap that matches the real group
The -players command-line option accepts values from 1 through 64, according to Klei’s 2026 command-line guide. Klei also specifies that this option overrides [GAMEPLAY] / max_players in cluster.ini. That means changing a configuration file will not win over a launch command that supplies a different value.
How much headroom to allow
Set the cap to the number of people who normally play together, then add a small amount of room if guests join occasionally. A four-person group might use a cap of five or six; a group that always has exactly six players can use six. A very high cap does not create a better experience by itself. It can attract more simultaneous players than the host planned for and makes resource contention and administration harder.
| Regular group | Practical cap | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| 1–2 players | 2–3 | Allows one occasional guest without advertising an oversized server. |
| 3–4 players | 4–5 | Keeps the world focused while accommodating a late joiner. |
| 5–8 players | Regular count plus 1–2 | Provides limited flexibility without pretending the server is a large public shard. |
| More than 8 players | Set from actual attendance and test capacity | Large groups increase contention and administrative work; do not choose 64 simply because it is the documented maximum. |
The table is a planning guide, not a performance guarantee. The documented range is 1–64; the best value for your world is the smallest cap that still accommodates the people you expect.
Keep the tick rate at 15 updates per second
Klei documents 15 updates per second as the default tick rate and recommends leaving it there. For an internet-hosted co-op world, the default provides the intended simulation cadence without adding unnecessary CPU work.
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When a higher rate makes sense
Klei says increases are best limited to LAN games and should use a rate that divides evenly into 60. In practice, that means selecting a value with an exact 60-to-rate relationship rather than an arbitrary number. A faster tick does not automatically reduce network latency for remote players; it increases how often the simulation advances and can raise CPU demand. Unless every player is on a well-provisioned local network and you have a specific reason to experiment, keep 15.
Decide whether to enable Caves
Choose No Caves for the simplest setup
No Caves keeps the world on one surface shard. It is the better choice when the host wants lower resource use, fewer moving parts and an easier recovery process. New players also have fewer systems to learn at once. You still receive the main survival loop, seasons, base construction and surface progression without operating an underground server.
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Caves adds an underground shard for cave-specific resources, areas and progression. The trade-off is operational: Klei states that hosting the forest together with caves or ruins requires multiple servers running at the same time and is CPU-intensive. A host using a modest machine or a client-hosted session should treat this as a real capacity decision, not a cosmetic toggle.
| Consideration | No Caves | Caves |
|---|---|---|
| World complexity | One surface shard | Surface plus an underground shard |
| CPU and memory demand | Lower relative demand | Higher; multiple servers run concurrently |
| Content | Surface progression only | Includes underground progression |
| Administration | Simpler backups and troubleshooting | Separate shard settings and recovery decisions |
| Best fit | New groups, lightweight hosts and short sessions | Groups that specifically want cave content and have adequate host capacity |
Enable Caves through the current host flow
- Open Host Game.
- Select Create New World.
- Choose the server playstyle.
- Select Caves or No Caves.
- If Caves is selected, open the Caves tab and customize its settings.
- Generate the world.
This is the current Klei flow documented for world creation. If the group later decides that the extra shard is not worth the administration, make a backup before changing anything; do not assume a toggle will preserve every shard state automatically.
Pick a world preset that matches the group
Presets establish a starting pattern for world generation and difficulty. The recognized surface presets listed in a 2026 reference checked against build 747465 are:
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| Preset | Best use | What to consider |
|---|---|---|
SURVIVAL_TOGETHER |
Default recommendation for friends learning or replaying co-op | Uses the normal shared-survival structure. |
RELAXED |
Lower-stress sessions and mixed-experience groups | Reduces pressure when combined with gentle overrides; it is not a guarantee that every threat disappears. |
ENDLESS |
Groups that want a less final death loop | Choose it only when its persistence style fits the group’s preferred consequences. |
WILDERNESS |
Groups seeking a harsher, less forgiving start | Expect more pressure and plan roles before launching. |
LIGHTS_OUT |
Players deliberately seeking darkness-focused play | Not a beginner-friendly baseline. |
TERRARIA |
Players who want the themed preset | Use when the group understands that it changes the normal survival balance. |
SURVIVAL_TOGETHER_CLASSIC |
Players who want the classic variant | Confirm that the variant’s generation behavior suits the intended run. |
SURVIVAL_DEFAULT_PLUS |
Players looking for a modified survival starting point | Use when the group wants more than the standard preset but less than a fully custom setup. |
COMPLETE_DARKNESS |
Groups intentionally choosing an extreme darkness challenge | It is a challenge preset, not a general co-op recommendation. |
For caves, the listed presets are DST_CAVE, DST_CAVE_PLUS and TERRARIA_CAVE. Select a cave preset only after deciding to run the cave shard; it does not replace the surface preset.
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Standard co-op
SURVIVAL_TOGETHERon the surface.- PvP disabled.
- Player cap equal to the regular group, with one or two spare slots only when guests are likely.
- 15 updates per second.
- No Caves unless underground content is a stated goal.
This profile minimizes surprise administration and gives a mixed group a normal survival experience.
Lower-stress co-op
Use RELAXED, keep PvP off and apply only the overrides your group understands. A documented example uses:
winter = "shortseason"
summer = "shortseason"
hounds = "rare"
regrowth = "fast"These values are examples, not universal best settings. Short seasons can reduce the time spent preparing for seasonal hazards; rare hounds reduce interruptions; fast regrowth helps a group that spends resources quickly. Each change also alters the intended pacing, so apply one or two at a time if you want to learn which adjustment helped.
Persistent or larger-group co-op
Use a dedicated cluster when the group needs the world available without one person keeping a client open. Set a realistic cap, keep the 15-tick default unless testing proves a different rate is appropriate, and enable Caves only when the host can run both shards. Managed hosting is an optional way to obtain persistent uptime, backups and less server administration; verify the provider’s current hardware, backup policy and program terms before committing.
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Customize world generation without destroying the world
Use the correct override files
World-generation settings belong in worldgenoverride.lua. A cluster with caves uses one file in the surface Master/ directory and another in Caves/. Keep each shard’s settings in its own directory so a cave change does not accidentally become a surface change.
A third-party reference for build 747465 emphasizes the Klei comment “leveldataoverride is for GAME USE.” Do not edit leveldataoverride.lua manually as a substitute for the documented override file. If a setting is not taking effect, first verify the filename, directory and Lua syntax instead of moving values into that file.
Back up before changing overrides
- Stop the server completely so no files are being written.
- Copy the full cluster directory to a separate location.
- Record which shard each change belongs to.
- Edit only the relevant
worldgenoverride.lua. - Start the server and check the log and world behavior before inviting the whole group.
A full-cluster copy protects both the surface and cave data. Keeping dated copies makes it possible to return to the last known-good configuration if a Lua typo prevents startup or generates an unwanted world.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Change settings without deleting an established world
Many configuration changes can be made by editing the appropriate override and restarting the server, but world generation changes and regeneration commands are different. Treat any command containing “regenerate” as destructive until a verified backup proves otherwise.
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When an override edit is appropriate
- You are changing a generation option before creating a new world.
- You are adjusting a documented override for the correct shard.
- You can restart the server and verify the result safely.
Do not expect every generation option to retroactively reshape terrain that already exists. An override may affect future generation, a new world or a newly rebuilt shard rather than rewriting existing tiles.
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Understand the regeneration commands
The documented commands have different scopes:
| Command | Scope | Risk |
|---|---|---|
c_regenerateworld() |
Deletes and regenerates all worlds | Permanent destruction of the existing worlds unless a backup is restored |
c_regenerateshard() |
Rebuilds one shard | Destroys that shard; safer than a full-world regeneration when only surface or caves must be rebuilt |
Before either command, copy the full cluster directory. If only the caves are broken or being intentionally rebuilt, use the shard-specific command rather than the all-world command. The narrower command reduces the reset scope; it does not make the targeted shard’s data recoverable without a backup.
A safe change sequence
- Write down the current preset, shard choice and overrides.
- Stop the server and create a complete cluster backup.
- Change one setting in the appropriate
worldgenoverride.lua. - Restart and test with one administrator present.
- If the existing terrain must actually be rebuilt, stop again and confirm that the backup opens before running a regeneration command.
- Use
c_regenerateshard()only for the affected shard; reservec_regenerateworld()for a deliberate full reset.
Client hosting versus a dedicated cluster
Client-hosted world
A client-hosted session is convenient for a small group that plays at the same time. It avoids separate server administration, but the world’s availability depends on the host’s game session and connection. No Caves is generally easier for this arrangement because only one shard needs to stay healthy.
Dedicated cluster
A dedicated cluster is the better fit when players need persistent access, scheduled restarts, independent backups or a host that is not also playing. It requires more setup: cluster configuration, shard directories, logs, updates and recovery planning. Caves magnifies that work because the surface and underground servers run together.
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Managed hosting can offload deployment, uptime, backups and some operating-system administration. Compare the provider’s current CPU allocation, storage, backup retention, DDoS policy, access to cluster files and support for both shards. A low advertised player limit is not enough evidence of capacity; ask how the service handles a surface-plus-caves cluster and whether backups can be downloaded before destructive changes.
Common mistakes and how to correct them
| Symptom | Likely cause | Correction |
|---|---|---|
| The server still allows a different number of players than the file says | -players overrides max_players in cluster.ini |
Change or remove the launch argument, then verify the effective cap. |
| Caves cause lag or the host becomes overloaded | Both shards run at once and are CPU-intensive | Return to No Caves, reduce unnecessary load, or move the cluster to stronger hardware. |
| An override appears to do nothing | Wrong shard directory, wrong filename or editing leveldataoverride.lua |
Use worldgenoverride.lua in Master/ or Caves/, check syntax and restart. |
| A restart unexpectedly wipes progress | A regeneration command was used | Stop immediately, preserve the current files and restore the latest known-good cluster backup. |
| Players report simulation instability after changing tick rate | An unnecessarily high or non-divisible rate was selected | Restore 15 updates per second; only test a divisible rate on a suitable LAN. |
| New players find the world punishing | A challenge preset or aggressive overrides were selected | Use SURVIVAL_TOGETHER or RELAXED and adjust one pressure variable at a time. |
How to choose quickly
Choose Survival Together, PvP off, the actual group size, 15 updates per second and No Caves when you want the dependable default. Choose Relaxed and gentle overrides when learning speed matters more than the standard survival pressure. Choose Caves only when underground content is important enough to justify a second shard and the host can support it. For a persistent group, move those same decisions into a dedicated cluster and protect the cluster with full backups before any regeneration command.
The documented limits and defaults provide safe boundaries: player caps from 1 to 64 through -players, a 15-update default tick rate, separate surface and cave override files, and distinct full-world versus single-shard regeneration commands. Within those boundaries, make the smallest change that solves your group’s actual problem and keep a recoverable copy before testing it.
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