How to Connect to Your Holdfast Server

Here’s how to find your server’s IP address and connect to your Holdfast: Nations At War server. You can join through the in-game server browser, direct connect, or Steam’s server browser.

Finding Your Server IP

Using the Blacksmith’s Portal

1. Open the Blacksmith’s Portal
2. Select your Holdfast server
3. Your server IP address and port are displayed in the sidebar (for example, play.aleforge.net:20100)

Tip: Click the IP address to copy it to your clipboard. The hostname or IP before the colon is the address, and the number after is the game port.

Using the Server Browser

The server browser is the easiest way to find and join your Holdfast server:

1. Launch Holdfast: Nations At War from Steam
2. From the main menu, select Play > Multiplayer
3. Use the server browser to find your server by name. You can use the search bar or sort by server name, player count, or ping
4. Select your server and click Join

The server browser shows useful information before you connect:

• Player count: How many players are currently online vs. max players
• Map: The current map being played
• Game mode: Army Battlefield, Army Siege, Naval Battlefield, and more
• Ping: Your latency to the server (lower is better)
• Lock icon: Indicates the server requires a password

Direct Connect

If your server doesn’t appear in the browser or you want to connect directly:

1. From the main menu, select Play > Multiplayer
2. Click the Direct Connect button in the server browser
3. Enter your server’s IP address and port from the Blacksmith’s Portal
4. Click Connect to join your server

If the server has a password, you’ll be prompted to enter it before joining.

Join Custom Server (Local Testing)

For self-hosted servers running on the same machine, the Holdfast wiki recommends:

1. Open Play > Multiplayer
2. Click Join Custom Server
3. Leave the address as Localhost (unless you changed the port) and click Connect

AleForge servers are remote, so use your panel IP and port instead of Localhost.

Connecting via Steam

You can also use Steam’s server browser:

1. In the Steam client, go to View > Game Servers
2. Click the Favorites tab, then Add Server. Enter your server’s IP and port
3. Right-click the server and select Connect

Troubleshooting Connection Issues

If you can’t connect to your server:

• Server not showing in browser: Make sure the server has fully started. Check Console on the Blacksmith’s Portal. Holdfast servers can take a minute to register with the master server list. Verify your steam_query_port is configured correctly, see Holdfast Server Ports and Firewall.
• Connection failed: Verify the IP address and port are correct. The default Holdfast game port is 20100.
• Stuck on loading screen: The server may be loading a map or transitioning between rounds. Wait and try again.
• Version mismatch: Make sure your game client and server are on the same version. Holdfast updates through Steam.
• Password required: Ask the server owner for the password.

Adding Your Server to Favorites

1. Locate your server in the server browser
2. Click the star icon or right-click and select Add to Favorites
3. Your server will appear in the Favorites tab for quick access