Conan Exiles "too far from host": the co-op tether explained, and how to remove it
You and a friend just started a Conan Exiles co-op game, you tried to run back for a chest you missed, and the game flashed "too far from host" and snapped you back to your friend. This is one of the most confusing first-hours moments in the game, and it is not a bug. It is how co-op (the Co-op / Single-Player option) is designed to work. This guide explains why the tether exists, what you can and cannot change, and the clean way to play together with no leash at all.
The short version: the tether is a hard limit of co-op mode and cannot be turned off in the vanilla menus. The only way to remove it completely is to play on a dedicated server instead of one player hosting from their PC.
Why the tether happens
When you pick the Co-op / Single-Player option, one player becomes the host. That player's PC runs the world. This is called a listen server: the same machine is both the game world and one of the players. To keep the host's PC from having to simulate the entire map at once, the engine only keeps the area around the host fully loaded and active. Everyone else has to stay inside that loaded bubble.
When a guest walks past the edge of that bubble, the engine has nothing loaded out there to play in, so it shows "too far from host" and teleports the guest back to the host. The same thing happens in reverse: if the host moves, the bubble moves with them, and any guest left behind gets pulled along.
This is why co-op feels like you are tied together with a rope. You effectively are. The world only exists where the host is standing.
Can I increase or disable the tether in co-op?
No. Vanilla Conan Exiles does not expose a "tether distance" slider for co-op the way some other survival games do (ARK, for example, has one). The distance is fixed by the engine's relevancy system on a listen server. People search constantly for a console command or a setting to turn it off, and the honest answer is that there is no supported in-game toggle. Anything you read claiming a single magic command to remove the co-op tether should be treated with suspicion.
A few real points worth knowing:
- The tether applies to co-op only. It is a property of one player hosting, not of the game itself.
- Admin commands like Ghost or teleport let an admin move freely, but they do not lift the relevancy bubble for normal guests.
- Mods that claim to extend co-op range exist, but they fight the engine's relevancy system and tend to cause rubber-banding, missing NPCs, and crashes. They are not a reliable fix.
The second co-op problem nobody warns you about
The tether is the obvious annoyance, but co-op has a quieter one: the world only exists when the host is online. If you are the guest, you cannot log in and play unless your friend (the host) is also playing. Their PC is the server. When they close the game, the world is gone until they come back. Your base does not progress, your thralls do not finish on the Wheel of Pain, and crops and purge timers freeze.
For two friends in the same timezone who always play together, this is survivable. For a group of three or more, or friends in different timezones, it becomes the reason a co-op world quietly dies after a week.
The real fix: a dedicated server (no tether, no host dependency)
A dedicated server is a separate world process that nobody plays on directly. Everyone, including the person who used to be the host, connects to it as a normal client. Two things change immediately:
- No tether. Each player has their own independent relevancy. You can be on opposite ends of the Exiled Lands and never see "too far from host" again. Run back for that chest whenever you like.
- No host dependency. The world runs 24/7 whether anyone is online or not. Thralls finish breaking, crops grow, and any friend can log in and play whenever they want.
This is exactly why the community advice for "how do I get rid of the tether" is always the same: stop hosting from a player PC and run a dedicated server instead.
Three ways to run a dedicated server
- Second PC on your network. Install the Conan Exiles Dedicated Server tool via SteamCMD (server app ID 443030) on a spare machine, then everyone, including the household, connects to it. Works, but the spare PC has to stay on, and remote friends need port forwarding (game port 7777 UDP, query 27015 UDP, RCON 25575 TCP). See our dedicated server setup guide.
- Your main PC as a dedicated server alongside the game. Possible, but the server process competes with your game for CPU and RAM, and it still goes offline when you shut down. Better than co-op, worse than a real always-on box.
- A rented (managed) dedicated server. Always on, no port forwarding, no spare hardware. You and your friends just connect. This is the lowest-friction path for a group that wants the tether gone for good.
Want the tether gone without touching SteamCMD or port forwarding? Rent a Conan Exiles server with Supercraft. Your world runs 24/7, every friend connects independently, and there is no "too far from host" because nobody is the host.
Moving your co-op world onto a dedicated server
If you already built up a co-op save and want to keep it, the world database can be carried over. The co-op save lives in the same place as a single-player save (ConanSandbox/Saved/game.db on the host PC). Copying that game.db onto the dedicated server's save folder brings your buildings, thralls, and progress with you. Stop the dedicated server first, replace its game.db, then start it. For the full backup and restore flow, see the save management guide.
One caveat: character ownership is tied to the player accounts that were on the co-op world, so make sure everyone connects with the same accounts they used in co-op.
Common Questions
Is there a command to remove the co-op tether?
No supported one. The tether is a fixed property of listen-server co-op and there is no vanilla console command or settings toggle that removes it. The only reliable way to play untethered is a dedicated server.
Does the tether exist on a dedicated server too?
No. On a dedicated server every player has independent relevancy, so there is no host to be "too far from." This is the single biggest gameplay reason groups move off co-op.
We are only two players. Is co-op fine for us?
If you always play at the same time and never want to wander apart, co-op works. The moment one of you wants to explore solo, or one of you wants to play while the other is offline, you will want a dedicated server.
Will a mod remove the tether in co-op?
Mods that claim to do this exist, but they push against the engine's relevancy bubble and commonly cause rubber-banding, unspawned NPCs, and crashes. Treat them as experimental, not a fix. A dedicated server solves the same problem cleanly.
Can console players (Xbox / PlayStation) escape the tether?
Console co-op has the same tether, and consoles cannot run a dedicated server tool. The workaround for console groups is to rent a dedicated server (or have someone run one on PC) and connect to it by IP, which removes the tether the same way it does on PC.
Done fighting the leash? Rent a Conan Exiles server with Supercraft and play the Exiled Lands the way it is meant to be played: everyone independent, world always on.