Hosting games

Can I host?

Sign in in the launcher and click Can I host? in the Play together box. pl-d2r.online then tries to reach your PC on port 4000, the port Diablo II: Resurrected hosts TCP/IP games on, and the launcher tells you what it found: yes (friends join your IP), yes with Host game (your router opens the port by itself while the launcher hosts) or not directly yet, with the reason and what to change. Ladder and non-ladder games use the same port, so one check answers both.

You can always host, even without an open port: click Host game and friends click Join game with your code; the game then goes through pl-d2r.online.

Why it's needed

Diablo II: Resurrected hosts a TCP/IP game on the host's own PC, and friends connect to it on port 4000. Your router blocks connections that come in from the internet unless you tell it which PC they are for. Telling it that is called port forwarding. Only the player who hosts needs it; joining works without.

First: your PC's local address

Press Win+R, type cmd and press Enter, then type ipconfig and press Enter. Note the IPv4 Address of the adapter you play on (it looks like 192.168.178.23 or 192.168.1.23). Every guide below forwards port 4000 to this address. Most routers can also keep it the same for your PC (look for "always assign the same IPv4 address", a DHCP reservation or a fixed IP); do that, or the rule points to a different PC some day.

Your router

Pick your router for its steps; the launcher shows the same guides under the ? of Play together. Menu names change a little between models and firmware versions; German names are in brackets.

AVM FRITZ!Box

Common in: Germany, Austria, Switzerland (also from 1&1, Telekom and Vodafone).

1. Open http://fritz.box in your browser and sign in with the FRITZ!Box password (it is on the sticker underneath if you never changed it).
2. Go to Internet, then Permit Access (Freigaben), tab Port Sharing (Portfreigaben).
3. Click Add Device for Sharing (Gerät für Freigaben hinzufügen) and pick your PC from the list. Tick "Permit independent port sharing for this device" (Selbstständige Portfreigaben für dieses Gerät erlauben): then the launcher's Host game button can open the port by itself.
4. Click New Sharing (Neue Freigabe), choose Port sharing (Portfreigabe), application Other application (Andere Anwendung). Name it Project Lage, protocol TCP, port 4000 to 4000, port requested externally 4000. Leave "Enable sharing" for IPv4 ticked.
5. Click OK, then OK or Apply (Übernehmen) on the device page. Some FRITZ!Boxes ask you to confirm on the box itself or by phone.
6. No public IPv4 address? Internet, Online Monitor shows "DS-Lite" or "Dual Stack Lite": then the provider shares your IPv4 address and no rule can open it. Use Host game with a code, or ask the provider for a public IPv4 address.

Telekom Speedport

Common in: Germany (Speedport Smart, Pro and W series).

1. Open http://speedport.ip (or 192.168.2.1) and sign in with the device password from the back of the Speedport.
2. Go to Internet, then Port Sharing (Portfreischaltung). On some models it sits under Network (Netzwerk) or Internet settings (Internet-Einstellungen).
3. Under Port forwarding (Port-Umleitungen und Port-Weiterleitungen) click Create new rule (Neue Regel erstellen) and pick your PC.
4. Name it Project Lage, protocol TCP, port range 4000 to 4000, forwarded to port 4000.
5. Save. If the Speedport asks, switch the rule on (Aktiv).
6. For Host game to open the port by itself, switch on UPnP: Network (Netzwerk), then Home network settings or UPnP, depending on the model.

Vodafone Station

Common in: Germany (cable and fibre; also the Vodafone Power Station).

1. Open http://192.168.0.1 and sign in (the password is on the sticker of the Station).
2. Top right, switch the view to Expert mode (Expertenmodus): port forwarding only shows there.
3. Go to Internet, then Port Mapping (Port-Weiterleitung, sometimes under Port Forwarding / Port Triggering).
4. Add a rule: your PC's local IP, local port 4000 to 4000, external (public) port 4000 to 4000, protocol TCP. Switch it on and click Apply (Übernehmen).
5. Cable connections from Vodafone often come as DS-Lite: the Station's overview then shows only an IPv6 address, or an IPv4 address starting with 100. Then no rule opens your PC. Vodafone switches many contracts to a public IPv4 address (Dual Stack) on request; until then use Host game with a code.

o2 HomeBox

Common in: Germany (o2 HomeBox 2, 3 and 6641).

1. Open http://o2.box (or 192.168.1.1) and sign in with the password from the sticker.
2. Go to Internet, then Port forwarding (Portweiterleitung). On older boxes: Security (Sicherheit), Port mapping (Port-Mapping).
3. Add a rule (Neue Regel / Hinzufügen): name Project Lage, protocol TCP, external port 4000, internal port 4000, and your PC (pick it from the list or type its local IP).
4. Save and switch the rule on.
5. For Host game to open the port by itself, switch on UPnP under Network (Netzwerk) or Home network (Heimnetz).

TP-Link (Archer and Deco)

Common in: Everywhere.

1. Open http://tplinkwifi.net (or 192.168.0.1) and sign in. Deco mesh routers are set up in the Deco app.
2. Archer: Advanced, NAT Forwarding, Virtual Servers (Port Forwarding on newer firmware). Deco app: More, Advanced, NAT Forwarding, Port Forwarding.
3. Click Add: service name Project Lage, external port 4000, internal IP your PC (or pick the device), internal port 4000, protocol TCP.
4. Save (and switch the rule on if it has a switch).
5. For Host game to open the port by itself: Advanced, NAT Forwarding, UPnP on.

ASUS

Common in: Everywhere (RT and ROG routers, ZenWiFi).

1. Open http://router.asus.com (or 192.168.50.1 / 192.168.1.1) and sign in. The ASUS Router app works too.
2. Go to WAN, tab Virtual Server / Port Forwarding.
3. Switch Enable Port Forwarding on, then Add profile.
4. Service name Project Lage, protocol TCP, external port 4000, internal port 4000, internal IP address your PC (pick it from the list). Leave Source IP empty.
5. OK, then Apply.
6. For Host game to open the port by itself: WAN, Internet Connection, Enable UPnP Yes.

Netgear (Nighthawk, Orbi)

Common in: Everywhere.

1. Open http://routerlogin.net (or 192.168.1.1) and sign in (admin and your router password). Orbi uses http://orbilogin.com.
2. Go to Advanced (Advanced tab), Advanced Setup, Port Forwarding / Port Triggering, and keep Port Forwarding selected.
3. Click Add Custom Service: name Project Lage, protocol TCP, external port 4000 to 4000, internal port 4000 to 4000 (or "use the same port range"), internal IP your PC.
4. Click Apply.
5. For Host game to open the port by itself: Advanced, Advanced Setup, UPnP, Turn UPnP On.

Linksys (Velop and Wi-Fi routers)

Common in: Everywhere.

1. Open http://myrouter.local (or 192.168.1.1) and sign in. Velop systems also work in the Linksys app.
2. Go to Security, then Apps and Gaming, tab Single Port Forwarding. In the app: Advanced Settings, Port Forwarding.
3. Add a new single port forwarding: application name Project Lage, external port 4000, internal port 4000, protocol TCP, device IP your PC, Enabled ticked.
4. Click Save (OK on older models).
5. For Host game to open the port by itself: Connectivity, Administration, UPnP on.

Xfinity / Comcast gateway

Common in: USA.

1. Port forwarding on an Xfinity gateway is done in the Xfinity app (or at xfinity.com/myxfi), not on the router page.
2. Open WiFi, then View WiFi equipment, Advanced settings, Port forwarding.
3. Tap Add port forward and pick your PC from the connected devices.
4. Choose Manual setup, port 4000, protocol TCP, and Apply.
5. If Advanced Security is on, the app may ask to switch it off for port forwarding to work.

eero (Amazon)

Common in: USA, UK, Canada.

1. Port forwarding on eero is done in the eero app.
2. Tap Settings, then Network settings, Reservations & port forwarding.
3. Tap Add a reservation and pick your PC: this keeps its address the same.
4. Open that reservation, tap Open a port: name Project Lage, internal and external port 4000, protocol TCP. Save.
5. For Host game to open the port by itself: Network settings, Advanced settings, UPnP on.

Any other router

Open your router's page in a browser (often 192.168.0.1, 192.168.1.1 or the address printed on the router) and sign in. Look for Port Forwarding; some routers call it Port Sharing, Virtual Server, NAT or Applications & Gaming. Add one rule: TCP port 4000 (outside and inside) to your PC's local address, and save. If the router has UPnP, switching it on lets the launcher's Host game button open the port by itself.

Then

When Windows asks, allow Diablo II: Resurrected (and Project Lage, for the launcher's Can I host? check) through the firewall, on private and public networks. Click Can I host? in the launcher's Play together box: it asks pl-d2r.online to reach your PC on port 4000 and tells you whether friends can. To play, host a TCP/IP game in D2RLoader (Multiplayer) and give friends your public IP (the check shows it); they join it under Multiplayer, TCP/IP.

Can't forward at all?

Some connections have no public IPv4 address of their own (mobile internet, DS-Lite cable and fibre, student housing): no rule can open them. You can still host: click Host game in the launcher and friends click Join game with your code. The game then goes through pl-d2r.online, which is a little slower.