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Troubleshooting2026-04-15

Windrose Launch Troubleshooting: A Symptom-Based Player Guide

This version is rewritten around what players actually want to know: what to do if you cannot join servers, what each nslookup result means, how to handle IPv6, how to test ISP blocking on port 3478, and what to try for startup hangs or repeated crashes.

Most players do not want a giant wall of launch FAQ text.

They want answers like:

  • “I cannot join a server. What do I do first?”
  • “This nslookup result makes no sense. Is it good or bad?”
  • “Why is everyone talking about IPv6 and page files?”

So this rewrite follows that logic. Instead of copying the original post section by section, this guide is organized around the problem the player is actually trying to solve.

This is a player-written tutorial, not the official post itself.
Original reference: Windrose launch-day FAQ on Bilibili

First, find your symptom

If your current problem is one of these, jump straight to the matching section:

  1. Windows asked whether the game can access public and private networks
    Start at section 1.

  2. You cannot find servers, join a friend, or connect to a dedicated server
    Start at sections 2 through 6.

  3. You ran nslookup, but you do not know what the result means
    Go directly to section 3.

  4. DNS gives you an IPv6 result
    Go directly to section 5.

  5. You suspect your ISP, campus network, or work network is blocking the game
    Go directly to section 6.

  6. The game hangs at the main menu, fails to launch, or the server process refuses to start
    Go to section 7.

  7. The game launches, but crashes repeatedly during play
    Go to section 8.

  8. People keep telling you to change the page file, but you do not know why
    Go to section 9.

1. If Windows asks for network access, click Allow

If you see the Windows popup asking:

“Allow this app to access public and private networks?”

the right move is not to hesitate.
Click Allow.

The original post puts this right at the front, which tells you it was one of the most common launch-day issues.Source

After that, retry in this order:

  • restart the game and Steam
  • restart the router
  • restart the PC
  • disable VPN
  • temporarily disable antivirus or firewall tools
  • try reconnecting 3 to 5 times

If that fixes it, the problem was likely:

  • Windows network permission handling
  • local security software
  • or a temporary routing issue

2. If you cannot connect at all, check these two things before touching deeper settings

First: make sure client and server versions match

If you use a dedicated server, the original post clearly says to verify:

  • your game client is updated
  • your server files are updated
  • old save data was moved from the old R5\Saved folder into the new one if you migrated

If this step is wrong, DNS checks and firewall work can send you in the wrong direction.Source

Second: run the two DNS checks

These are the two commands the launch FAQ actually centers around:

nslookup r5coopapigateway-eu-release.windrose.support
nslookup r5coopapigateway-eu-release.windrose.support 8.8.8.8

But the real player question is not “what commands do I type?”

It is:

“What does each result actually mean?”

That is what the next section answers directly.

3. nslookup results explained in plain language

Case A: you get a normal IPv4 address

If your result looks like:

Non-authoritative answer:
Name: r5coopapigateway-eu-release.windrose.support
Address: 123.45.67.89

that is the good result.

It means DNS is doing its job and the domain resolved to a standard IPv4 address.

At that point, stop obsessing over DNS and focus on:

  • firewall permissions
  • antivirus interference
  • VPN issues
  • ISP blocking or port restrictions

Case B: “domain does not exist”

If you see something like:

*** <DNS server> can't find <domain>: Non-existent domain

the likely problem is not the game client itself. It is more likely:

  • your ISP
  • your router
  • or the current network environment

blocking or failing to resolve the domain properly.Source

What to do next:

  1. run the second command using 8.8.8.8
  2. if that works, your default DNS path is the likely problem
  3. jump to section 4 and switch to a public DNS

Case C: DNS timeout

If you get a DNS timeout, the likely causes are:

  • local firewall or antivirus blocking the request
  • broken or overloaded ISP DNS

So the useful next steps are:

  1. temporarily disable local blockers
  2. retry the lookup
  3. if it still times out, switch to a public DNS
  4. if it still fails, jump to section 6 and test for ISP blocking

Case D: it resolves to 127.0.0.1

If the domain resolves to:

127.0.0.1

that is not a normal failure. Something in your environment is likely spoofing the DNS response.Source

Check:

  • VPN
  • proxy or filtering tools
  • antivirus
  • aggressive network software

Case E: it returns an IPv6 address

If you get an IPv6 address instead of IPv4, that is one of the key points in the original FAQ:

Windrose connections currently support IPv4 only. IPv6 may cause connection problems.Source

If this is your result, skip ahead to section 5.

4. If DNS looks wrong, the player fix is simple: switch to a public DNS

The original FAQ mentions switching to a public DNS provider.Source

From a player perspective, the important part is not the theory. It is this:

If your default DNS returns errors, timeouts, or weird answers, switch to a public DNS and test again.

After that, flush your DNS cache:

ipconfig /flushdns

If everything starts working after those two steps, the issue was likely your old DNS route, not the game itself.

5. IPv6 is not a side note here. It is one of the core fixes

This is one of the most important parts of the source article:

The game connection stack supports IPv4. IPv6 may lead to connection problems.Source

The FAQ gives this command to inspect priority behavior:

netsh interface ipv6 show prefixpolicies

What players actually need to understand is simpler:

  • Windows may prefer IPv6 by default
  • Windrose should be using IPv4 first

The official fix it recommends is:

reg add "HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Tcpip6\Parameters" /v DisabledComponents /t REG_DWORD /d 32 /f

That change keeps IPv6 available but makes Windows prefer IPv4.Source

Then reboot the PC.

To restore the default behavior later:

reg add "HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Tcpip6\Parameters" /v DisabledComponents /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f

Player takeaway

If your DNS results return IPv6, do not treat that as trivia.
It is one of the central connection fixes in the original launch guidance.

6. If you think your ISP or network is blocking the game, test it directly

The source post explicitly says some network operators may treat this traffic as suspicious and block it:

  • P2P
  • STUN / TURN
  • port 3478
  • *.windrose.support

Start with a direct connection test

Try:

telnet windrose.support 3478

If telnet is unavailable, use PowerShell:

Test-NetConnection windrose.support -Port 3478

For more detail:

Test-NetConnection windrose.support -Port 3478 -InformationLevel Detailed

The most practical player test: try a VPN once

This is one of the most useful real-world checks in the FAQ.Source

If:

  • your normal connection fails
  • but a VPN suddenly lets you connect

then your ISP or local network is the likely problem, not the game.

If you contact your ISP, give them useful details

Do not just say “this game does not work.”

The original FAQ gives the exact details worth reporting:Source

  • allowed domain: *.windrose.support
  • port: 3478
  • protocols: UDP and TCP
  • traffic type: STUN / TURN

That is much more actionable for support staff.

7. If the game hangs at the menu or fails to launch

If your problem is not multiplayer but startup itself, skip the DNS rabbit hole and do this instead:

  • make sure you have enough free disk space
  • verify game files in Steam
  • temporarily disable antivirus
  • confirm you have enough free RAM
  • reboot the PC
  • reinstall to an SSD if possible

The original FAQ also points out two easy-to-miss items:Source

  • keep your Windows username limited to standard English letters if possible
  • increase the page file, potentially up to 50 GB

8. If the game launches but crashes every so often

This is another part of the source article that is genuinely useful because it gives a sequence of player actions, not just vague theory.Source

Try these in order:

  • update your GPU driver
  • disable frame generation
  • cap the game at 60 FPS
  • lower render scale to around 50%
  • increase the page file to roughly 2x physical memory

Player interpretation

This kind of crash is often tied to:

  • GPU / memory pressure
  • settings that are too aggressive for the launch build

So the real priority is:

lock to 60, disable frame generation, lower render scale, then test stability again.

9. Why the page file matters so much here

The original post gives the page file its own dedicated section, which tells you it is not just a side tip. It is one of the core fixes for startup trouble and repeated crashes.Source

Fast way to open the settings

Use:

  1. Win + R
  2. sysdm.cpl
  3. go to Advanced
  4. click Settings under Performance
  5. go to Advanced
  6. click Change under Virtual memory

Recommended values from the source

  • 4 GB RAM: initial 6144 MB, max 12288 MB
  • 8 GB RAM: initial 12288 MB, max 24576 MB
  • 16 GB RAM: initial 24576 MB, max 49152 MB

Practical setup flow

  1. uncheck automatic management
  2. pick a drive, ideally an SSD
  3. choose custom size
  4. enter the recommended values
  5. click Set, then OK
  6. reboot the PC

Extra notes from the original FAQ

  • if you have under 16 GB RAM, do not fully disable the page file
  • if the C drive is too small, move it to another drive

That one section alone explains a lot of “my PC should be good enough, so why does this still crash?” cases.

10. Only reset saves as a last resort

The source is very explicit about this:

Resetting saves will delete all progress.Source

If you absolutely have to do it:

  1. close the game
  2. disable Steam Cloud sync
  3. remove the save files
  4. relaunch the game

Do not make this your first move.

Final summary: the order players actually want

If you just want the shortest useful route, here it is.

Cannot join servers or friends

  1. allow Windows network access
  2. restart the game, Steam, router, and PC
  3. disable VPN and local blockers
  4. confirm client/server version match
  5. run the two nslookup commands
  6. interpret the result
  7. switch DNS if needed
  8. make IPv4 preferred if IPv6 is involved
  9. test for ISP blocking on port 3478

Game hangs or will not launch

  1. check free disk space
  2. verify files
  3. disable antivirus
  4. check RAM
  5. move to SSD
  6. review page file settings

Game crashes after launch

  1. update GPU driver
  2. disable frame generation
  3. cap to 60 FPS
  4. lower render scale
  5. increase the page file

That is the real value in the original article:

not just listing technical facts, but helping players figure out what to do next based on the problem they are actually facing.

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