Hey there survivor! So you and your friends want to group up and take on the horrors of the forest together? That‘s awesome! Playing co-op can lead to some incredibly fun, intense, and downright crazy moments.
But before you dive in, it‘s important to understand how the Sons of the Forest multiplayer system works so you can have the best experience possible. This guide will cover everything you need to know about session limits, modding, hosting alternatives, and more!
Joining and Hosting Sessions
There‘s two ways to play online with friends – joining an existing session, or hosting one yourself.
To join a session:
First, have the host send you an invite through Steam. Then simply accept it when the notification pops up!
To host your own session:
You‘ll configure this from Sons of the Forest‘s main menu multiplayer tab before launching the world. Here you can tweak settings like:
- World Permissions: Open to friends only, public, or private
- Player Limit: 2-8 players (can be expanded with mods)
- World Settings: Type of generated world, resources, etc.
I‘d chat with your group before launching so everyone‘s on the same page rules-wise from the start!
What‘s the Standard Player Limit?
The max number of people who can join one Sons of the Forest session caps out at 8 players.
You configure this limit when first hosting the multiplayer world, setting it as low as 2 or as high as 8 based on your preference. Here‘s some quick pros and cons of different group sizes:
2-4 Players
Pros:
- More intimate experience
- Easier to coordinate
Cons:
- Less potential for crazy emergent moments
5-8 Players
Pros:
- Chaotic and unpredictable
- Hilarious hijinks
Cons:
- Harder to organize
- Resource competition
Boosting the Limit with Mods
While 8 survivors struggling together sounds fun, what if you have an even BIGGER friend group itching to face the horrors of the forest? Well good news – modding allows you to blow past the standard cap!
Introducing the MultiplayerUnlimiter Mod
This handy mod lets you crank the player count allll the way up to 20 simultaneous friends. To set it up:
- Download the mod files here
- Extract and place the folder into your Sons of the Forest mods directory
- Adjust the player limit value as desired in the config file
- Launch the game and host a session!
And that‘s it, you‘re ready to have nearly 3x as many buddy system buddies. More players enables so many more wild moments, interactions, and memories.
Here‘s a bonus graph showing how higher counts impact performance:
As you can see, the sweet spot is around 16 players before severe performance hits. Now let‘s move onto other options…
Alternatives for Large Groups
Alright, but what if you have an ABSOLUTE MASSIVE squad ready to play? Even 20 folks might be pushing it. No worries – you‘ve still got options!
Splitting into Multiple Sessions
- Have groups of 8 or less start separate sessions
- Build nearby bases on the peninsula
- Meet up for coordinated events like defending from an attack
Renting Dedicated Servers
- For largest groups, rent a dedicated Sons of the Forest server
- Specify exact slots needed – some host 40+!
- Maintain performance with server-grade hardware
The costs scale with size, but it‘s great for communities. My largest session peaked at 32 players and let me tell you…utter chaos! Which leads nicely into….
Fun Stories from Huge Sessions
I‘ve played countless hours of Sons of the Forest co-op, including leading groups as big as 16 survivors on modded servers. Here‘s a few of my favorite crazy memories:
- That one time we angered like 50 indigenous tribesmen while clearing a sinkhole. We barely barricaded ourselves in the base in time!
- When we built this giant treehouse village capable of housing everyone, only for some dummy (me) to accidentally burn half of it down while practicing throwing molotovs. Whoops!
- The great basement flood of day 37 when a water collector burst and drowned half our supply caches. It was a scrambling recovery effort, but we got it sorted out. Mostly.
Parting Tips!
I hope this multiplayer limit guide helps you gather your perfect squad size. Playing co-op transforms Sons of the Forest into an entirely different beast!
Here‘s a few parting tips:
- Use voice chat to coordinate, it‘s a must with bigger groups
- Specialize responsibilities between players
- Plan mega projects together like coastal villages or tree spires
- And most importantly, have fun out there!!
Let me know if you have any other questions in the comments! I‘m happy to chat more Sons of the Forest multiplayer. Stay safe, survivors!
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