Stonewards 1-4 Player Multiplayer & Co-op Guide

Last verified: September 24, 2026 — Game version: Stonewards Early Access 0.2.2 hotfix on top of 0.2.0 “Later Summer” (current). Facts come from official Steam sources and verified player reports.

Stonewards is built around 1-4 player online co-op. You can host or join a session with up to three friends, mine together, split responsibilities, and defend the kingdom as a team. Progression and unlocks are now shared correctly after Hotfix 0.1.3, which fixed a host-only progression bug.

Patch note (0.1.7–0.1.8): multiplayer upgrade selection now auto-selects after 60 seconds (0.1.7); between waves the game pauses until everyone presses Continue (0.1.8). A teammate going AFK no longer blocks the run.

Patch note (0.2.0–0.2.2): you can reconnect to a run you dropped out of, and friends can join a session already in progress. 0.2.2 tightened the rejoin: Ring Rerolls and Skips, Team Tome bonuses, Bonus Max Health earned from kills and Run Score all come back with you.

Party Size and Mode

The Steam store page lists “1-4 Player Co-op” and “Online Co-op” as supported modes. There is no local split-screen or LAN option listed. You invite friends through Steam and play together online.

How Progression Works in Co-op

Hotfix 0.1.3 fixed several multiplayer progression issues:

Issue	Status
Only host received progression	Fixed
Map unlocks not shared	Fixed
Character unlocks not shared	Fixed
Mission progression for clients	Fixed
Stuck on end-of-run screen when host enters Infinite Mode	Fixed

After this patch, all connected players should receive mission progress, map unlocks, and character unlocks at the same time as the host.

Roles and Team Composition

A balanced team covers three jobs: mining, defense, and upgrades. Typical splits are:

• Miner focuses on gathering ore.
• Warrior or Hunter holds the front line.
• Archer or Mage covers lanes from the walls.
• Whoever is free repairs between waves.

Communication matters because the horn gives everyone the same short warning. If the Miner is deep underground when the horn sounds, the rest of the team must hold out until they return.

Co-op Balance Notes

Community feedback says the tome system can feel unbalanced in co-op. Tomes that boost rare cave resources are powerful when stacked on one player, because that player gets most of the high-value drops. Some players would prefer tomes to be per-player choices or shared. The developer has not announced a rework yet.

Matchmaking Requirements

Everyone in a session must be on the exact same game version. If one player has not updated, they cannot join. Since 0.2.0 there is a Lobby Browser in the Hub: it lists active sessions with their current location and Wave, public sessions are findable worldwide rather than by invite only, and hosts can ban players from their lobby. There is still no random matchmaking queue on the store page. For troubleshooting, see our matchmaking not working guide.

Reconnecting and Joining Mid-Run

This part of co-op changed the most after launch:

• Reconnect to a run you were in. The game restores your inventory, Health and run upgrades (0.2.0).
• Join a session already in progress. New joiners start at Level 1 (0.2.0).
• Rejoining restores run state (0.2.2). Ring Rerolls and Skips, Team Tome bonuses, Bonus Max Health gained from kills and Run Score come back with you.
• Hire help before the run. Mercenaries are bought in the Hub and fight for that run; since 0.2.2, kills by mercenaries and ballistas can drop Gold for the whole team.

From Community Gameplay

Co-op footage from Early Access adds several practical details:

• Upgrades benefit the whole squad. The first miners to gather materials feed the shared progression, and teams treat the forge as a group investment rather than a personal one: “we get it for the base or other people” (The Boys are Dwarves, 01:52).
• Proximity voice chat is a real mechanic. One group noted that teammates far away could not hear their chatter: “they can’t even hear us talking because it’s proximity chat.” Position yourself near teammates when calling out waves (The Boys are Dwarves, 01:52).
• Friendly fire is on. A stray swing dropped a teammate to 12 HP mid-wave (“sorry, sorry, I’ve only got 12 health”), so ranged classes should avoid firing into a melee scrum (The Boys are Dwarves, 04:55).
• Dead bodies are physical objects. Developers patched out an exploit where a dead player’s body or a companion could hold a gate open, so a downed dwarf still occupies space near gates and choke points (The Boys are Dwarves, 06:11; 06:33).
• Team upgrades are voted on. When the blacksmith offers choices, the whole party sees the same options and votes, so talk it out before spending (The Boys are Dwarves, 05:30; 05:31).
• Resource duties split naturally. In practice, miners focused on hauling while fighters held the walls: “you guys do mining and get resources to upgrade our defenses and we fight” (The Boys are Dwarves, 01:32).

Sources

• The Boys are Dwarves (community gameplay): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-XuIMMYeW8
• Official Steam store page: https://store.steampowered.com/app/4502710/
• Official Steam announcements hub: https://steamcommunity.com/games/4502710/announcements/
• Steam Community discussions: https://steamcommunity.com/app/4502710/discussions/

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