Dragons scale badly when six players each keep a flock. A multiplayer setup for this mod is less about installation — which is straightforward — and more about the memory and entity decisions you make before anyone joins. Get those right and a small server runs comfortably on modest hardware.
Choosing where to host
The hosting decision shapes everything else.
Self-hosting on a spare machine
Cheapest and most flexible, and fine for three or four players on a local network. Opening it to the internet means dealing with port forwarding and the security implications that come with it.
Rented game hosting
Most Minecraft hosts offer Forge presets, which removes the fiddly parts. Look for a plan that lets you set the memory allocation yourself rather than fixing it.
What specification to aim for
Four gigabytes of server memory is a realistic floor for a small group running this mod. Six is comfortable. Single-thread CPU performance matters more than core count, because entity ticking is not parallel.
Installing the Forge server
The server-side process mirrors the client one with a few extra steps.
Run the Forge installer in server mode
The same installer that sets up a client offers a server option. Point it at an empty folder dedicated to this server — never at an existing world directory.
Accept the licence file
The first run generates an eula.txt and stops. Open it, change the value to true, and start the server again.
Create the mods folder
If the folder does not exist after the first successful start, create it in the server root with the same lowercase name the client uses.
Add both jars
The mod and GeckoLib both go on the server. Missing the library server-side produces a boot failure identical to the client-side one.
Matching clients to the server
Version drift between players is the most common cause of connection failures.
Identical jar versions
Every player needs the same build of the mod and the same build of GeckoLib. A different file name is a warning sign worth checking.
Same Forge version
Forge itself must match too. Publish the exact Forge build number alongside the mod files rather than telling people to install the latest.
Distribute one package
Zip the mods folder and hand out that single archive. It eliminates an entire class of support question.
Optional client-side mods
Performance and interface mods that are client-only can vary per player, but make clear which ones are optional so nobody blames a shader pack for a connection refusal.
Tuning for performance
This is where a dragon server lives or dies.
Allocate memory sensibly
More is not always better. Allocating your entire system memory leaves nothing for the operating system and causes pauses. Leave headroom.
Lower view and simulation distance
Simulation distance is the setting that matters for entities. Dropping it from the default reduces how many dragons are being ticked at once, with far less visual cost than lowering view distance.
Cap flock sizes socially
A server rule limiting each player to a handful of active dragons works better than any configuration file. Ask players to set unused dragons to sit and keep them in one base area.
Pre-generate the world
Generating terrain ahead of time removes the lag spikes that come from exploration, which players do a lot of when hunting rare spawns.
Running the server day to day
A few habits keep a modded server stable over months.
Back up before every change
Adding, removing or updating a mod can corrupt a world. Take a copy of the world folder first, every time, without exceptions.
Schedule restarts
A daily restart clears accumulated entity load and memory pressure. It is the single most effective maintenance habit for modded Minecraft.
Watch the console for entity warnings
Repeated warnings about entities in a single chunk usually mean someone has built a stable that is too dense. Finding it early is easier than untangling it later.
Plan for the version ceiling
The original mod is fixed at 1.18.2 and will not receive further updates. If your community wants to move to a newer Minecraft version, the migration path runs through a maintained community port rather than an update to this build.