Soulmask Connection to Host Lost: A Complete Fix Walkthrough

Few things kill the mood in Soulmask faster than a sudden Connection to Host Lost popup. Since the Shifting Sands Update landed, more players have run into this error, and the result is always the same: you get yanked away from your tribe, your dedicated server, or your co-op squad with no warning. This guide covers the fixes that actually move the needle.

What Causes the Connection to Host Lost Error

The error shows up whenever the link between your game client and the Soulmask server breaks or stalls. There is rarely a single culprit. Most of the time, the cause lands in one of three buckets:

• A glitch on your local network or PC.
• A Soulmask server that is overloaded, restarting, or misconfigured.
• A networking conflict between Soulmask and another app or device on the same network.

Because the cause varies, none of the fixes below are silver bullets. Work through them in order and stop once your connection is stable.

Start with the Obvious Checks

Before touching firewall rules or port forwarding tables, run through the basics. A surprising chunk of "Connection to Host Lost" reports are solved at this stage.

• Restart your PC and, if you are the host, the Soulmask server itself.
• Confirm your internet connection is up. Run a quick speed test or open another site.
• Check whether the dedicated server is online and not overloaded. If you are joining a community server, look at the host's status page or Discord.
• Double-check the server address, port, and password. Typos here are the most common silent killer.

If you got back in, great. If the error keeps appearing, move on to networking.

Open the Right Ports

Heads up: the next steps require logging into your router's admin panel. Back up your router settings before changing anything, and only edit what you actually need. Random tweaks here can wreck your home internet.

Soulmask needs specific ports open to communicate reliably with a dedicated server. Think of ports as designated entry doors. Without the right ones forwarded, packets get dropped at the doorstep.

Here is how to forward the ports Soulmask uses:

1. Open the Start menu, type `cmd`, and press Enter. You can also press `Windows + R`, type `cmd`, and confirm.
2. In the prompt, type `ipconfig` and press Enter. Write down the number listed next to IPv4 Address.
3. Open a browser and visit your router's admin page. Common addresses are `192.168.1.1` or `192.168.0.1`.
4. Log in with your router credentials and open the Port Forwarding section.
5. Add two rules:

Rule 1: Soulmask Game

• External Port / Port Range: `8777`
• Internal Port: `8777`
• Protocol: UDP
• Internal IP: the IPv4 address from step 2

Rule 2: Soulmask Query

• External Port / Port Range: `27015`
• Internal Port: `27015`
• Protocol: UDP
• Internal IP: the IPv4 address from step 2

1. Save the changes and reboot the router.
2. Launch Soulmask and try connecting again.

Resolve Port Conflicts

If the ports are open and the error still pops up, something else on your network may already be sitting on port 8777 or 27015. Soulmask cannot share those ports, so the connection drops.

Open the command prompt as Administrator and run:

• `netstat -aon | findstr :8777`
• `netstat -aon | findstr :27015`

If either command returns results, another program or device is occupying that port. Close the offending app, disconnect the conflicting device, or change the port Soulmask uses on the server side.

To change the port your dedicated server listens on:

1. Open the Soulmask dedicated server folder. The default path is `C:\steamcmd\steamapps\common\Soulmask Dedicated Server For Windows`.
2. Locate `StartServer.bat` and make a backup copy first.
3. Right-click `StartServer.bat` and choose Edit to open it in Notepad.
4. Add the `-Port=` parameter to the launch line. Example: `start SoulmaskServer.exe -Port=8777`.
5. Swap `8777` for a free port such as `8778`, `8779`, or `27016`.
6. Save the file, close Notepad, and start the server again.
7. Reconnect from the client and verify the error is gone.

Verify Your Startup Parameters

A misconfigured dedicated server is another classic cause of the Connection to Host Lost error. The fix is to make sure your launch command sets the right name, port, password, and admin password.

1. Open the Soulmask dedicated server folder (`C:\steamcmd\steamapps\common\Soulmask Dedicated Server For Windows` by default).
2. Back up `StartServer.bat`, then right-click and edit it.
3. Find the line that launches the server, usually something like `call StartServer.bat`.
4. Replace it with a full parameter list. Example:

`call StartServer.bat -SteamServerName="My Soulmask Server" -MaxPlayers=50 -PSW="Password12345" -adminpsw="GMPassword123" -pve -Port=8777 -QueryPort=27015 -log`

1. Save the file, close Notepad, and relaunch the server.
2. Try connecting again from the client.

If you host Soulmask through HolyHosting, those parameters are exposed directly in your control panel, so you can adjust them without touching `.bat` files.

Allow Soulmask Through the Windows Firewall

Windows likes to play bouncer, and sometimes it blocks Soulmask without telling you. Adding the game to the firewall's allow list often clears the issue.

The default install path is `C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Soulmask`.

1. Press the Windows key, type `Windows Security`, and open it.
2. Click Firewall & Network Protection, then Allow an app through firewall.
3. Press Change settings and choose Allow another app.
4. Browse to `Soulmask.exe` and add it to the list.
5. Make sure both the Private and Public checkboxes are ticked, then click OK.
6. Relaunch the game and reconnect to the dedicated server.

Still Stuck

If every fix above has been tried and the disconnects keep happening, the problem is probably upstream: your ISP, your router hardware, or the host itself. Try connecting from a different network. A phone hotspot is a quick way to test this. If it works there, the bottleneck is on your home line. If it does not, the issue is on the server side and the host or admin needs to investigate.

Stable Soulmask sessions come down to three things: clean networking, correctly forwarded ports, and a server that is actually configured to accept you. Cover those layers and the Connection to Host Lost popup should stop ruining your evenings.