What to ask your friend for
Two things, and only two: the WORLD NAME, written exactly as they set it, and the join password if they set one. An IP address is not useful to you — the game does not offer a field to type one into.
Joining, step by step
- Launch RuneScape: Dragonwilds.
- Open the Worlds screen.
- Switch to the Public tab.
- Search for the world name, typed exactly as your friend gave it to you — capitals included.
- Select the world and join. If it has a join password, enter it when prompted.
Once you have joined once, the world is somewhere you can return to, so this is a first-time process rather than something you repeat each session.
If the world does not come up
Work through these in order — the first two account for most cases:
| Symptom | Likely cause |
|---|---|
| Nothing found at all | The name is spelled or capitalised differently from the server's. Get it pasted, not dictated |
| Still nothing found | The server is not up yet. A first boot downloads the game from Steam and can take ten to twenty minutes |
| Found, but joining fails | A join password is set and you were not given it |
| Joins, then drops to the title screen | A host-side port problem: the server's internal and external UDP port do not match |
| Joining is refused | The world already has six players, which is the game's maximum |
The last two are the server owner's to fix, not yours. Our guide on a Dragonwilds server not showing up covers both from the host side.
Six players, and no more
A Dragonwilds world holds six players. If your group is larger than that, no server setting and no hosting plan changes it — you need a second world. It is worth knowing before somebody buys a bigger plan expecting more room.
Running the world yourself instead
If the person hosting keeps going offline and taking the world with them, that is what a dedicated server solves: it runs whether anyone is playing or not, so the group logs in on its own schedule. Plans start at $4.19/month and the world name is yours to choose.
Frequently asked questions
How do I join a friend's Dragonwilds server?
Open the Worlds screen, switch to the Public tab, and search for the world name exactly as your friend set it — the search is case sensitive. Enter the join password if one is set.
How do I join a Dragonwilds server by IP?
You cannot. Dragonwilds has no direct-connect field: worlds are found by searching for their name in the Public tab of the Worlds screen, so the world name is what you need rather than an address.
Why can't I find my friend's Dragonwilds world?
Usually the name is capitalised differently from the server's, since the search is case sensitive — get it pasted rather than dictated. Otherwise the server may still be starting, which takes ten to twenty minutes on a first boot.
How many people can join one Dragonwilds world?
Six. That is the game's own maximum, and it is the same on every plan we sell — the tiers differ by memory, not by how many people they let in.
Why do I get kicked to the title screen when joining?
That is a host-side port mismatch: the server's internal and external UDP ports are different numbers. The server owner needs to make them match.