Two things about Windrose catch people out, and both are worth knowing before you buy rather than after. The player cap is a hard eight, straight from the developer’s own server documentation, so a build sized for a twenty-player roster is money spent on a roster the game will not allow. And the server defaults to invite codes rather than a direct address, with a code that regenerates every single restart unless you pin one. This guide covers sizing, deployment, and both of those settings.
Sizing a Windrose Server
The Windrose developer guide is unusually specific and unusually flat. It publishes 8 GB at two players rising to 16 GB at the top of its own tier table, 35 GB of SSD at every tier, and two cores at every tier. Our rungs follow that table.
| Players | Memory | Cores | Storage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Up to 2 | 8 GB | 2 | 40 GB |
| Up to 4 | 12 GB | 2 | 50 GB |
| Up to 8 | 16 GB | 3 | 60 GB |
Two details are worth pulling out. Storage is the stated bottleneck rather than memory, which is why even the smallest rung carries 40 GB against a roughly 5 GB install. And the third core on the top rung is headroom we add rather than a number the developer’s table states, because eight players on a Windows binary running through a compatibility layer benefits from it.
Warning: Windrose caps a server at 8 players. That is the game’s limit, not ours, so no build raises it
Note: Windrose is in early access and its requirements move. These figures track the current developer guidance and we recheck them at each major patch
Build it on the order page, or see the Windrose hosting page for what ships with every build.
Deploying on LoafHub
After checkout the server deploys in about 60 seconds, with no setup fees.
- Configure your build, pick a region, and complete checkout
- Log in to the LoafHub panel at hub.loafhosts.com
- Open your new Windrose server
- Wait for the deploy to finish and the server to report ready
- Open the Console tab
- Press Start
Windrose ships a Windows server binary and runs here through a compatibility layer rather than as a native Linux build. Nothing about that needs handling on your side, but it is why the first boot is slower than you might expect and why the console output looks like a Windows game log.
Tip: The console line about bringing up the level for play is the one that means the server is genuinely ready
Invite Codes or Direct Connection
This is the setting that decides how your players get in, and the default is not the one most server owners want.
Out of the box, Windrose uses an invite code. Players type the code rather than an address. If you leave the invite code field empty, the server generates a new random code every time it starts, which means a scheduled nightly restart hands your group a different code every morning.
You have two sensible options.
Pin an invite code. Set your own code in the startup settings. It must be six to thirty-two characters, letters and numbers only, and it is case sensitive. Once pinned, it survives restarts and you can hand it out once.
Switch to direct connection. Turn on direct connection in the startup settings and the server publishes its address and port instead. The invite code is ignored entirely in this mode. This is usually the better choice for a server you intend to advertise.
Warning: Leaving the invite code blank means a new code on every restart. If your players suddenly cannot get in after a scheduled restart, this is why
Tip: Invite codes are case sensitive. A code handed out in a chat message that someone retypes in lowercase will not work
The Password Toggle
Windrose has a server password field and a separate switch that decides whether the password is enforced. Setting the password alone does nothing.
- Set the server password in the startup settings, up to 30 characters
- Turn on the password-protected switch
- Restart the server
Both have to be set. A password with the switch off leaves the server open, and the switch on with an empty password is equally unhelpful.
Warning: Setting a password without enabling the password-protected switch leaves the server unprotected. The panel will not warn you, because both are valid values on their own
What the Server Rewrites on Boot
Windrose keeps its public settings in a JSON description file, and the panel writes almost all of it from the startup settings every time the server starts: the server name, invite code, password and its toggle, maximum players, direct connection mode, and the published address and port.
The practical rule is short. Change these in the panel’s startup settings, never in the file. A file edit holds until the next restart and then disappears with no error.
Tip: If a Windrose setting keeps reverting, you are almost certainly editing the description file instead of the startup settings
Connecting
For an invite-code server:
- Copy the invite code from the panel startup settings
- Give it to your players exactly as written, including capitalisation
- Players enter it in the game’s join screen
For a direct-connection server:
- Copy the address and port from the panel
- Share both
- Players use the direct connect option
Tip: Test the join yourself before sharing. It is the fastest way to catch a password toggle left off or a code that regenerated
Keeping It Healthy
Tip: Schedule a daily restart during a quiet hour, and pin an invite code first so the restart does not change it
Tip: Take a backup before a game update. Early access patches move faster and break more than a released game’s do
Tip: Auto-update is on by default, so the server picks up patches on restart
Note: Game servers come with a 3-day money-back guarantee. Dedicated servers are non-refundable
Frequently Asked Questions
How many players can a Windrose server hold?
Eight. The cap comes from the game’s own server tiers rather than from us, so no build increases it. Sizing a Windrose server is about a smooth eight players, not about buying more seats.
How much RAM does a Windrose server need?
8 GB at the small end and 16 GB at the eight-player cap, following the developer’s published tiers. Storage is the tighter constraint than memory here, which is why even a two-player build carries 40 GB.
Why does my Windrose invite code change every time the server restarts?
Because the invite code field is empty, and an empty field tells the server to generate a random code on each start. Set your own code in the startup settings to pin it, or switch to direct connection and stop using codes.
My server has a password but anyone can still join. Why?
The password field and the password-protected switch are separate. Setting the password without turning on the switch leaves the server open. Turn both on and restart.
Should I use invite codes or direct connection?
Direct connection for a server you want to advertise or hand out an address for. Invite codes for a small private group, provided you pin the code so it stops changing.
How much does Windrose server hosting cost?
You build the server on the configurator and the price is quoted live before you pay. Because the game caps at eight players, the useful builds sit in a narrow range.
Does Windrose hosting include DDoS protection?
Yes. Terabit DDoS Protection is included on every build at no extra cost, with no tier to choose.
Windrose is in early access. Will the requirements change?
Almost certainly. The developer’s figures have already moved once, and we recheck our sizing at each major patch. If a patch raises the floor, changing a build is a slider move rather than a migration.