Complete guide to setting up and configuring your Arma 3 dedicated server on Legion Hosting. Once your server is running, see our Mod Installation Guide to add Workshop content and our Admin and BattlEye Setup guide to configure server administration and anti-cheat.

First Start in GPanel

After purchasing your Arma 3 server from Legion Hosting, log in to GPanel at gpanel.legionhosting.net to manage it.

1. Navigate to your Arma 3 server from the dashboard.
2. On the Console tab, click Start to boot the server for the first time. The initial startup will take a few minutes as it downloads and installs the Arma 3 dedicated server files via SteamCMD.
3. Once the console shows Game started or similar ready messages, your server is online and joinable.
4. Stop the server before making configuration changes to ensure they are applied correctly.

GPanel Startup Variables

GPanel provides startup variables that control how the Arma 3 server binary launches. These can be found under the Startup tab of your server panel. Common variables include:

server.cfg Configuration

The server.cfg file is the primary configuration file for your Arma 3 server. Access it via the File Manager tab in GPanel or upload it via SFTP. Below is a comprehensive example:

// ========================================
// Arma 3 Server Configuration
// ========================================

// Server Identity
hostname = "My Legion Hosting Arma 3 Server";
password = "";                     // Server password (empty = no password)
passwordAdmin = "MyAdminPass123";  // Admin password for #login
motd[] = {
    "Welcome to our Arma 3 server!",
    "Hosted by Legion Hosting",
    "TeamSpeak: ts.example.com"
};
motdInterval = 5;                  // Seconds between MOTD messages

// Player Settings
maxPlayers = 64;
kickDuplicate = 1;                 // Kick duplicate player IDs
verifySignatures = 2;              // 0=off, 1=warn, 2=kick unsigned addons
requiredSecureId = 2;              // Require BattlEye secure ID

// Voting
voteMissionPlayers = 1;            // Min players to vote for mission
voteThreshold = 0.33;              // 33% vote threshold

// Network
disconnectTimeout = 5;             // Timeout for disconnect (seconds)
maxDesync = 150;                   // Max desync before kick
maxPing = 350;                     // Max ping before kick
maxPacketLoss = 50;                // Max packet loss % before kick

// Performance
MinBandwidth = 107374182;          // Minimum bandwidth (bits/s)
MaxBandwidth = 1073741824;         // Maximum bandwidth (bits/s)
MaxMsgSend = 128;                  // Max messages per frame
MaxSizeGuaranteed = 512;           // Max guaranteed packet size
MaxSizeNonguaranteed = 256;        // Max non-guaranteed packet size

// Logging
logFile = "server_console.log";
timeStampFormat = "short";

// Persistent Battlefield
persistent = 1;                    // Enable persistence

// BattlEye Anti-Cheat
BattlEye = 1;                     // 1=enabled, 0=disabled

// Mission Rotation
class Missions {
    class Mission1 {
        template = "Escape_Altis.Altis";
        difficulty = "Custom";
    };
    class Mission2 {
        template = "co10_Escape_Tanoa.Tanoa";
        difficulty = "Custom";
    };
};

Difficulty Settings and Server Profiles

Arma 3 uses server profiles to store difficulty settings. The profile is created in a directory matching your SERVER_PROFILE startup variable. The difficulty configuration file is typically located at:

<profile_name>/<profile_name>.Arma3Profile

You can set difficulty inside the Missions class in server.cfg to one of the presets (recruit, regular, veteran, custom) or define a fully custom difficulty class in your server profile:

class DifficultyPresets {
    class CustomDifficulty {
        class Options {
            // HUD Elements
            groupIndicators = 1;      // 0=never, 1=limited, 2=always
            friendlyTags = 1;          // 0=never, 1=limited, 2=always
            enemyTags = 0;             // 0=never, 1=limited, 2=always
            detectedMines = 1;         // 0=never, 1=limited, 2=always
            commands = 1;              // 0=never, 1=limited, 2=always
            waypoints = 1;             // 0=never, 1=limited, 2=always
            weaponInfo = 2;
            stanceIndicator = 2;
            staminaBar = 1;
            weaponCrosshair = 0;       // Disable crosshair
            visionAid = 0;

            // Gameplay
            thirdPersonView = 0;       // Disable 3rd person (milsim)
            reducedDamage = 0;
            tacticalPing = 1;          // 0=off, 1=enabled
            cameraShake = 1;
            scoreTable = 1;
            deathMessages = 0;
            vonID = 1;
            mapContent = 0;            // Hide map markers
            autoReport = 0;            // Disable AI auto-report
            multipleSaves = 0;
        };

        // AI Skill
        aiLevelPreset = 3;            // 0=low, 1=normal, 2=high, 3=custom
        class CustomAILevel {
            skillAI = 0.75;
            precisionAI = 0.40;
        };
    };
    defaultDifficulty = "CustomDifficulty";
};

Mission Rotation

Missions are defined in the class Missions block of server.cfg. The server will load the first mission on startup and rotate to subsequent missions when the current one ends or when voted on by players.

class Missions {
    class Mission1 {
        template = "co40_AW_Invade_Annex.Altis";
        difficulty = "Custom";
        // Optional parameters:
        // class Params {};  // Mission-specific parameters
    };
    class Mission2 {
        template = "Warlords_Altis.Altis";
        difficulty = "veteran";
    };
    class Mission3 {
        template = "co10_Escape_Tanoa.Tanoa";
        difficulty = "Custom";
    };
};

To add missions to your server:

1. Download mission PBO files from the Steam Workshop or community sites.
2. Upload the .pbo files to the mpmissions/ directory on your server via SFTP or the GPanel file manager.
3. Add corresponding entries to the class Missions block in server.cfg, using the filename (without .pbo) as the template value.
4. Restart the server for changes to take effect.

How to Connect

There are several ways to connect to your Arma 3 server:

Server Browser

1. Launch Arma 3 and click Multiplayer from the main menu.
2. In the Server Browser, use the filter options or search for your server by name.
3. Select your server and click Join. Enter the password if one is set.

Direct Connect

1. From the server browser, click Direct Connect at the bottom.
2. Enter your server IP and port (found in GPanel under your server overview). The default game port is 2302.
3. Click Join.

Steam Server List

1. In Steam, go to View > Game Servers (or View > Servers).
2. Click the Favorites tab, then Add a Server.
3. Enter your server IP and Steam Query Port (game port + 1, e.g., if your game port is 2302, use 2303).
4. Click Add this address to favorites, then connect through the list.

Performance Tuning

Arma 3 servers can be resource-intensive, especially with large player counts and AI-heavy missions. Here are key settings and techniques to optimize performance:

Headless Client

A headless client (HC) offloads AI processing from the server to a separate process, significantly improving server FPS on AI-heavy missions. The mission must support headless clients for this to work.

To enable headless clients, add the following to your server.cfg:

// Headless Client Configuration
headlessClients[] = {"127.0.0.1"};
localClient[] = {"127.0.0.1"};

Server FPS and Network Settings

These server.cfg settings affect performance:

Additional Launch Parameters

You can add these to the ADDITIONAL_PARAMS startup variable in GPanel:

Related Articles

• Arma 3 Mod Installation Guide — Add Steam Workshop mods, manage load order, and configure signature verification.
• Arma 3 Admin and BattlEye Setup — Configure admin access, BattlEye anti-cheat, and RCON tools.
• How to Find Your Server IP and Port
• How to Upload Files via SFTP
• Getting Started with Your New Server

Need Help?

If you're having trouble setting up your Arma 3 server or need further assistance, our support team is here to help. Open a support ticket and we'll get you sorted out.