1. Pick a host
The host carries the world progress. Pick the player with the most stable connection and the world state everyone wants to keep playing in.
Co-op Guide
Play Windrose With Friends
Windrose supports up to 8-player P2P co-op (devs recommend 4 for optimal performance) and up to 32 players on a dedicated server. World progression lives on the host while character level and bag items follow each player. This guide covers hosting, joining, role splits, and the Early Access limits.
2. Open to friends from the world menu
From the main menu, select the world, open the co-op menu, and switch from Solo to Co-op. Note the world is locked while a session is live.
3. Friends join via the same menu
Friends pick "Join Friend" and select the host. Steam-friends list is the most reliable join method during Early Access.
4. Pick crew roles before sailing out
Assign one helmsman, one cannoneer, and one quartermaster. Without roles, four players gravitate to the same task and the ship drifts.
Crew roles that actually work
Split these four roles and the ship stops drifting. Each role has a clear lane that keeps naval fights efficient.
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Helmsman
Drives the ship, manages anchors, and pulls up the map for fast travel. Best for the player with the highest Sailing or Endurance stat.
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Cannoneer
Runs the broadside cannons, reloads, and signals targets. Crit + Ranged talents pay off the most in this role.
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Quartermaster
Manages cargo hold, repair kits, and food buffs. Cooks before each boss approach so the whole crew sails into the fight buffed.
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Boarder
With a 4+ player crew, dedicate a slot to boarding actions: grappling, hand-to-hand combat, and looting enemy holds while the rest of the crew sustains broadside fire.
Things to know before launching
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P2P caps at 8, devs recommend 4
Peer-to-peer hosting from your PC supports up to 8 players, but the devs recommend keeping a session to 4 for best performance — especially in late-game biomes with heavy ship combat.
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Dedicated server pushes the cap to 32
A free Windrose Dedicated Server binary ships with every Steam copy. Hosting on one keeps the world online 24/7 and raises the player cap to 32. Best for clans and persistent communities.
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Progress lives on the host world
Quests and biome unlocks belong to the host's world (or the dedicated server's world). Plan around which save you continue from each session.
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Personal inventory follows you
Your character's level, talents, and bag items carry between worlds — only the world map state stays with the host.
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Crossplay: server-only, not P2P
Steam, Epic, and Stove storefront copies do not crossplay over P2P, but they can meet on the same dedicated server through Windrose's own gateway (not Steam matchmaking).
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Drop bells for the whole crew
Place Fast Travel Bells anyone can use. The 10-bell limit is per-world, so coordinate which routes are network bells vs. personal.
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Cook once, buff everyone
Food buffs are individual but recipes scale. Have one chef cook stacks of Seafood Platters before boss runs.
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Anyone can revive
A downed teammate can be revived during combat without items. Use it instead of letting them respawn at a distant bell.
Ships for crews
Hulls that scale with crew size.
Bosses with friends
Boss strategies tuned for 2–4 player crews.
Tips & Tricks
Bell, comfort, food, and combat tricks worth sharing.
Cooking & buffs
Recipes your team chef should keep stocked.