Skyrim Together Reborn turns The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition into a small co-op adventure where you and a handful of friends share the same world, quests, and combat. Getting it running smoothly hinges almost entirely on one thing: a correctly written server configuration file. This guide walks through every setting that matters, clears up the single most common mistake people make about the config format, and shows you exactly how players connect once the server is live.
What Skyrim Together Reborn actually is
Skyrim Together Reborn is a free co-op multiplayer mod for Skyrim Special Edition (the SE/AE engine, version 1.6+ — note that this floor comes from host guides rather than the primary wiki, so treat it as approximate). It is not for the original “Oldrim” or Legendary Edition. The mod is developed by the Tilted Phoques / Tilted Online team, and “Reborn” was the 2022 public relaunch of the long-running Skyrim Together project. The official documentation lives on the Tilted Online wiki, and the mod is distributed on Nexus Mods as Skyrim SE mod #69993.
Architecturally, it is a client-plus-dedicated-server setup. Every player runs the mod itself (the client), and one machine runs a standalone SkyrimTogetherServer.exe process that all the clients connect to. That dedicated server is exactly what makes the mod hostable on a game-server host rather than relying on someone leaving their gaming PC running.
Player-side requirements
- Skyrim Special Edition (1.6+) — the SE/AE engine, not the original release.
- Address Library for SKSE Plugins — required. Despite the “SKSE” in the name, the wiki and community confirm SKSE itself is not strictly required to run the mod; Address Library is what supplies the memory offsets the mod needs. Server admins can still permit SKSE through a config key (see
bAllowSKSEbelow). If you are following Nexus’s requirements tab and it disagrees, defer to the live Nexus page. - A mod manager — Mod Organizer 2 (MO2) or Vortex, both of which are documented.
How many players can join?
The recommended, “works best” range is 2 to 8 players. The developers have reportedly tested up to around 30 players, but higher counts cause sync issues and performance degradation, so treat 30 as an untested-for-stability extreme rather than a target. Eight is the practical figure to plan around. The actual cap is whatever you set in the uMaxPlayerCount key — it is not a fixed engine limit.
The dedicated server at a glance
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Server executable | SkyrimTogetherServer.exe |
| Config file | STServer.ini (INI format — not server.toml) |
| Config location | config folder inside the Skyrim Together Reborn mod install directory |
| Default port | 10578 (TCP and UDP) |
| Platforms | Windows (native .exe); Linux supported via Docker per host docs |
Important: the config file is STServer.ini, not server.toml
This is the correction worth repeating loudly, because a lot of secondhand guides get it wrong. Skyrim Together Reborn’s dedicated server reads a plain INI file named STServer.ini. It is not a TOML file, and there is no server.toml. If you have been hunting for a .toml to edit, stop — you are looking for the wrong file. STServer.ini lives in the config folder inside the mod’s install directory.
To find that folder, depending on your mod manager:
- MO2: right-click the Skyrim Together Reborn mod, choose “Open in Explorer,” then open the
Skyrim Together Rebornfolder. - Vortex: typically
…\Steam\steamapps\common\Skyrim Special Edition\Data\SkyrimTogetherReborn.
To start the server, launch SkyrimTogetherServer.exe. On the first run, allow it through the Windows Firewall for both Private and Public networks. The server starts immediately and reads STServer.ini on launch. One rule to internalize early: config changes require a server restart to take effect — editing the file while the server is running does nothing until you stop and start it again. A runtime console is available; type /help to list the console commands.
The keys that matter most: core connection settings
Keys in STServer.ini use Bethesda-style Hungarian prefixes: s = string, b = boolean, u = unsigned integer, f = float. If you have seen friendly names like “name,” “maxPlayers,” or “password” in another walkthrough, those are conceptually right but the literal keys differ — use the prefixed names below.
| Key | Type | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
sServerName | string | Display name shown in the public server list |
uMaxPlayerCount | integer | Max concurrent players allowed to connect |
uPort | integer | Network port the server listens on (default 10578) |
sPassword | string | Connection password. Leave blank for open. If set, the server is hidden from the public list and players connect manually by IP |
bAnnounceServer | boolean | Whether the server appears in the public server browser (a password-protected server will not list regardless) |
sAdminPassword | string | Reserved for future admin panels (per the wiki) |
A quick word on defaults: the official wiki documents what each key means but does not publish shipped default values for uPort or uMaxPlayerCount on its config page. The port default of 10578 is confirmed by multiple host guides and community sources. The max-player default is not confirmed in primary docs — so rather than trusting an assumed default, set uMaxPlayerCount explicitly to the cap you want (for example, 8) and verify by opening a freshly generated STServer.ini.
A minimal, sensible private-server starting point looks like this:
sServerName=My Skyrim Co-op
uMaxPlayerCount=8
uPort=10578
sPassword=changeme
bAnnounceServer=false
bEnablePvp=false
bEnableModCheck=trueGameplay and sync settings
These keys shape how the shared world behaves. Defaults are deliberately conservative — for example, item drops and player-home chests are not synced out of the box so homes stay usable as safe storage.
bEnablePvp— allow players to damage each other. Shouts like Fus Ro Dah only affect other players when this is on.bEnableDeathSystem— the mod’s custom death system. Disable this only if you have a replacement death mod installed.fGoldLossFactor— float between 0 and 1, the fraction of gold lost on death.bSyncPlayerHomes— sync chests in player homes (off by default).bEnableItemDrops— sync dropped items (off by default).bEnableXpSync— sync XP gain between players.bSyncPlayerCalendar— sync all players’ in-game calendars.uTimeScale— integer 0–1000, in-game time progression speed.uDifficulty— integer 0–5, server-enforced difficulty (0 Novice → 5 Legendary).bEnableMiscQuestSync— experimental misc-quest sync.bEnableGreetings— NPC greeting dialogue.bAutoPartyJoin— auto-join when only one party exists.
Mod policy and version enforcement
This group of keys is where most “they can’t connect” problems are actually solved. The single most important fact about Skyrim Together Reborn is that every player and the server build must match: the same Skyrim SE version, the same Skyrim Together Reborn mod version, and a compatible mod list and load order. Mismatches cause desyncs and failed connections.
bEnableModCheck— enforces the server’s mod policy by validating each connecting client againstloadorder.txt.bAllowSKSE— permit clients to run SKSE.bAllowMO2— permit clients using Mod Organizer 2.bPremiumMode— tickrate selector:true= 60 Hz,false= 30 Hz.
When bEnableModCheck = true, the server compares each client’s load order against its own loadorder.txt file and refuses anyone who does not comply. The practical playbook: pin Skyrim SE to a single version across the whole group (Steam auto-updates are the number-one cause of broken matching), distribute one identical mod list to everyone, and keep the entire group on the same Skyrim Together Reborn release. Running a reliable, always-on dedicated box from a managed Skyrim Together Reborn host removes a lot of this friction, since the server stays pinned and online regardless of whose PC is on.
Server-process settings
bConsole— enable the interactive server console.sLogLevel— info / warn / error. Note: the wiki currently flags this as non-functional, so don’t rely on it for diagnostics yet.
How players connect
There are three connection scenarios, and which one applies depends on your password and announce settings:
- Private / password-protected: players enter the host’s IP address with the port appended — format
IP:10578— plus the server password, in the in-game Skyrim Together connection menu. - Public (announced): if
bAnnounceServer = trueand no password is set, the server appears in the in-game server browser for a direct join. - Local testing: use
127.0.0.1as the address with no password.
Remember that setting a password hides the server from the public list regardless of the announce setting — a password-protected server is always join-by-IP. And whichever route you choose, port 10578 must be open and forwarded on both TCP and UDP. Forgetting UDP is a classic reason a server looks online to the host but is unreachable to everyone else.
Example connect address (private server):
203.0.113.25:10578 password: changeme
Local test:
127.0.0.1:10578 no passwordFrequently asked questions
Is the config file server.toml or STServer.ini?
It is STServer.ini, an INI file in the config folder of the mod install. There is no server.toml — if a guide tells you to edit a TOML file, it is wrong. Always restart the server after editing, since changes are only read on launch.
What port does Skyrim Together Reborn use?
The default is 10578, and it must be open on both TCP and UDP. You can change it with the uPort key, but players then connect with that new port in the IP:port format.
Do I need SKSE to run the mod?
The required dependency is Address Library for SKSE Plugins, which supplies the offsets the mod needs. SKSE itself is not strictly required to run Skyrim Together Reborn, despite the dependency’s name. If you do want to allow SKSE on connecting clients, the server controls that with bAllowSKSE. Verify against the current Nexus requirements tab if in doubt.
How many players does it support?
Plan for 2 to 8 players — that is the recommended, stable range. Higher counts (the devs reportedly tested around 30) introduce sync and performance problems, so they are not a supported target. Set your real cap with uMaxPlayerCount.
Why can players see the server but not connect?
The most common cause is a version or mod-list mismatch. Everyone must run the same Skyrim SE version, the same Skyrim Together Reborn release, and a compatible load order. If bEnableModCheck = true, the server validates each client against its loadorder.txt and rejects anything that does not match. Pin SE to one version (disable Steam auto-updates) and share one identical mod list.
Can I run the server on Linux?
The native server is a Windows .exe, but Linux is supported via Docker per the host documentation. On Windows, just launch SkyrimTogetherServer.exe and allow it through the firewall on the first run.
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