Guide · Hosting

How to host a Mount & Blade: Warband dedicated server

TaleWorlds still offers the official Warband dedicated server as a free download. With a config file, one command and two open ports you have a public server on Windows or Linux. This guide covers a plain server first, then how to turn it into a ranked room that counts for a global ELO.

What you need

• The official dedicated server, version 1.174: mb_warband_dedicated_1174.zip from TaleWorlds. Hosting it does not need a game key; players join with their own copy of Warband.
• A PC or server running Windows, or Linux with Wine (the server is a Windows program).
• Port 7240 open for UDP and TCP in your router and firewall. The Steam version of the server also uses a second port, 7241 by default in our config.

A plain server in four steps

1. Download and extract the zip. Inside you will find mb_warband_dedicated.exe, a readme.txt with every command, and sample configs such as Sample_Battle.txt and Sample_Duel.txt.
2. Copy a sample to a new file, for example my_server.txt, and set at least the server name, the admin password and the map list.
3. Start the server with your file and the module to load (Native by default):

   mb_warband_dedicated.exe -r my_server.txt -m Native
   
   # Linux
   wine mb_warband_dedicated.exe -r my_server.txt -m Native

4. Open port 7240 (UDP and TCP) to that machine, then look for your server name in the in-game server list.

Example config file

# my_server.txt (based on TaleWorlds' Sample_Battle.txt)
set_server_name My Warband Server
set_pass_admin CHANGE_THIS_PASSWORD
set_welcome_message Welcome!
set_add_to_game_servers_list 1
set_mission multiplayer_bt
set_max_players 32 32
set_map multi_scene_1
add_map multi_scene_2
add_map multi_scene_4
add_factions fac_kingdom_1 fac_kingdom_1
add_factions fac_kingdom_4 fac_kingdom_4
set_randomize_factions 1
set_team_point_limit 10
set_upload_limit 100000000
set_port 7240
set_steam_port 7241
set_server_log_folder Logs
set_server_ban_list_file Logs\ban_list.txt
start

Lines starting with # are comments. The file ends with start, which launches the mission.

The commands that matter

Game mode IDs

From the official sample configs.

Several servers on one machine

Give each server its own set_port and set_steam_port (for example 7240/7241 and 7250/7251), and its own log folder and ban list. The official readme marks those two settings as necessary for servers sharing a folder.

Common problems

Make it a ranked room

A plain server has no memory: when it shuts down, nobody remembers who won. Warband Premier is a community network where anyone hosts a room with our kit and every room feeds one global ELO, so your matches count everywhere.

The kit downloads the same official server (v1.174, checked by SHA-256), applies the Warband Premier overlay (a modified Native module and custom maps, about 12 MB, also hash-checked) and adds an agent that receives each match from the network: map, factions and teams. It does not redistribute TaleWorlds files.

1. Create your room on the website and copy its configuration (it includes the room key, shown only once).
2. Install: install.ps1 on Windows or ./install.sh on Linux. Both need Node.js 18 or newer; Linux also needs Wine.
3. Put the downloaded sala.env in the kit folder.
4. Open port 7240 (UDP and TCP) and start with start.bat or ./start.sh. Your room shows as online.

On Linux the module talks to the agent on local port 80. To allow it without root, once:

echo 'net.ipv4.ip_unprivileged_port_start=80' | sudo tee /etc/sysctl.d/90-wbp-relay.conf && sudo sysctl --system

Rules: every match counts for the global ranking. The network checks each match while it is played (event order, scores, round length, connected players). A match that breaks the rules is voided without ELO, and three voided matches in 24 hours suspend the room automatically. You are the admin of your room.

Questions