Choose another gameDark and Light Server Hosting
Your own Dark and Light dedicated server, online 24/7
Tame dragons and griffins, cast elemental magic, and build almost anywhere on Archos with your group. Instant setup, DDoS protection, and 24/7 expert support included.
Why Host With Us?
Powerful Hardware
Latest-generation processors and NVMe storage as a standard - we ensure that our hosting outperforms the competition with unmatched speed and reliability.
Fully DDoS Protected
We protect you from the most complex attacks with our multi-tiered mitigation platform, even those that exploit vulnerabilities within certain games.
24/7 Technical Support
It's unacceptable to wait hours, possibly days, for a response to support requests. Our customers enjoy an average ticket response time of less than 10 minutes.
Full FTP Access
For power users who prefer to self-manage, we provide FTP access and a file manager to install and manage your game server content, server settings and more.
$17.50/mo
+ billing term & add-ons
High Performance Hardware
Unlike most hosting providers, we own & operate our own hardware.- Xeon and Ryzen CPUs
- DDR4 & DDR5 Memory
- Up to 10Gbps Uplinks
- NVMe SSD Drives
Easy-to-Use Game Management
We host all of our Dark and Light servers on our modified TCAdmin v2 platform. This proven, powerful control suite offers the best in server management capability.
- Web Console
- File Manager
- Workshop Installer
- Log Viewer
- Offsite Backups
- Easy Data Restores
About Dark and Light: Fantasy survival with tameable dragons and magic
Dark and Light is a fantasy survival sandbox from Snail Games USA, in Early Access on Steam since 2017. You land on Archos, beneath the shattered remains of Gaia, where you hunt or tame magical beasts such as dragons, griffins, and unicorns, use elemental magic, and build almost anywhere you can reach. Nights are dangerous and eclipses turn creatures violent, so tames and defenses matter. A dedicated server keeps your world, bases, and tames online when everyone logs off, under your own rules for PvE or PvP.
Map choice and Steam Workshop mods
Switch maps from the Map dropdown in the control panel, including The Shard from the free Shard of Faith add-on. Mods come from the Steam Workshop: upload the mod files over FTP and add their IDs to the ActiveMods line in GameUserSettings.ini.
Full config and admin control
Server name, passwords, player cap, and gameplay rates live in GameUserSettings.ini. Set a ServerAdminPassword, then enter EnableCheats followed by that password in the in-game console to use admin commands. Plans run from 10 to 127 slots, with automatic restarts, DDoS protection, and 24/7 support.
How to Set Up a Dark and Light Dedicated Server
With Host Havoc
The easy way: with Host Havoc
- Pick a plan and region. 10 to 127 slots, in the datacenter closest to your group.
- Deploy in minutes. Your server installs ready to join. No SteamCMD, no Wine.
- Manage from the panel. Switch maps, including The Shard, and schedule automatic restarts in a few clicks. No launch-line editing.
Automated backups, DDoS protection, and 24/7 support are included.
Without Host Havoc
The manual way: self-hosting
Dark and Light's official DNL Dedicated Server tool is Windows only, so a Linux box needs Wine to run it. It is RAM-hungry rather than CPU-bound: plan for 2 to 4 cores and 8 to 12 GB of RAM on a machine that stays on 24/7. No GPU needed.
- Download the server with SteamCMD using the anonymous login and Steam App ID
630230:steamcmd +login anonymous +app_update 630230 validate +quit - Edit
GameUserSettings.iniinSaved/Config/WindowsServer. SetSessionName,ServerPassword,ServerAdminPassword, andMaxPlayers, plusActiveModsfor any Steam Workshop mods. - Write a launch line for
DNLServer.exewith your map,Port,QueryPort, and the-server -logflags. - Forward UDP
7777,7778, and27015on your router and firewall so players can connect and the server lists. - Keep it running as a Windows service, or under Wine in screen/tmux on Linux.
After that it is on you: copying Workshop mod files by hand, scheduling save backups, restarting after Early Access crashes, and absorbing DDoS yourself.
Dark and Light Server Guides
Step-by-step guides for setting up, configuring, and managing your server.
Change the active world map on your Dark and Light server to The Shard or another available map using the Commandline Manager in the Host Havoc Game Control Panel.
Read guide How to Set Up Automatic Restarts for Your Dark and Light ServerSchedule automatic restarts for your Dark and Light server using the Scheduled Tasks feature in the Host Havoc Game Control Panel. Keep your server healthy with daily or repeating restart schedules.
Read guide How to Connect to Your Dark and Light Server via FTPConnect to your Dark and Light server files using an FTP client such as FileZilla. Retrieve your FTP credentials from the Host Havoc Game Control Panel and use them to browse and manage server files.
Read guide How to Reinstall Your Dark and Light ServerReinstall your Dark and Light server to restore it to a clean default state. This process deletes all server files and downloads a fresh copy of the game server from the Host Havoc Game Control Panel.
Read guide WikiEvery guide for your Dark and Light server, all in one place.
View all guides