How to play Valheim multiplayer, dedicated servers and local hosts

Although Valheim can be played entirely solo, it’s much more fun to load the game up with a couple of friends to play with.

To this end, there are two main ways of connecting with friends in Valheim. Players can either set up a dedicated server, or they can simply run with a local host, both of which have their own drawbacks and advantages.

Choosing between a dedicated Valheim server or playing with a local host

There are two main things to account for when choosing between setting up a dedicated server and just playing with a local host. The first is when/how often players will be playing together, and second is how many players will be playing.

To play with just a few friends who only want to play together, and are willing to wait for everyone to be available to play, local hosting…