Getting Started with Your Holdfast Server

Holdfast: Nations At War is a multiplayer first and third-person shooter set during the Napoleonic era. AleForge runs the official dedicated server build, so you get full config access without managing SteamCMD, Docker, or port forwarding yourself.

This guide walks you through your first AleForge setup. For self-hosted servers, see the official Holdfast server hosting wiki.

What You Need

• An active Holdfast: Nations At War server on AleForge
• Access to the Blacksmith’s Portal
• Holdfast: Nations At War installed on Steam (to connect and test)

How AleForge Manages Holdfast Config

On AleForge, Holdfast settings are split between two places:

Setting type	Where to change	Examples
Quick settings	Startup page	Server name, server password, active config file
Advanced settings	Config file in holdfastnaw-dedicated/configs	Game modes, map rotations, admins, gameplay tweaks

AleForge ships with a default config named aleforge-default.txt. Config files live in holdfastnaw-dedicated/configs.

First-Time Setup on AleForge

1. Open the Blacksmith’s Portal and select your Holdfast server
2. Go to Startup and confirm the Config File variable points to aleforge-default.txt (or your custom config filename)
3. Set SERVER NAME and SERVER PASSWORD on Startup if you want to customize them before your first launch
4. Start your server and watch Console for a clean startup
5. Connect to your server to verify everything works

Customizing Beyond the Defaults

For game modes, map rotations, admin access, and advanced gameplay options:

1. Open the AleForge Holdfast Config Generator
2. Configure your server, then Generate Config and Download Config
3. In the Blacksmith’s Portal, go to Files → holdfastnaw-dedicated/configs and upload your config file
4. Go to Startup and set the Config File variable to your newly uploaded filename
5. Restart your server

See How to Configure Your Holdfast Server for the full reference.

Protecting Your Config from Game Updates

Game updates can overwrite default config and launch files. On AleForge, always use a custom config filename (for example, my-regiment-config.txt) rather than editing aleforge-default.txt directly. See How to Protect Your Holdfast Config on Update.

Next Steps

Task	Guide
Connect and find your server	Connect to Holdfast Server
Full config reference	Configure Holdfast Server
Change server name	Holdfast Server Name
Password-protect your server	Holdfast Server Password
Add admins	Holdfast Server Admins
Change game mode	Holdfast Game Mode
Line battles & event overrides	Holdfast Config Overrides

Self-Hosting Quick Start

If you host outside AleForge, the Holdfast wiki recommends:

1. Install Holdfast: Nations At War - Dedicated Server from Steam (Library → Tools)
2. Copy serverconfig_default.txt to a custom name before editing
3. Launch with LaunchServer.ps1 (Windows) or LaunchServer.sh (Linux)
4. Connect via Join Custom Server using Localhost for local testing
5. Open UDP ports and configure port forwarding for public access, see Holdfast Server Ports and Firewall