To play with friends in Mesozoic Dawn, you must first add them using their unique Player ID via the 'Companions' tab in your Chrono-Pad menu. Once they are on your list, you can send a direct invite to join your current server session for quick co-op, or form a permanent Herd for long-term base-building and shared progression. This guide details every step for both methods, ensuring you can survive the prehistoric wilderness together.
Sessions vs. Herds: Which Co-op Mode Is Right for You?
Before you start sending invites, you need to understand the two fundamental ways to group up in Mesozoic Dawn. The system you choose dictates the permanence and benefits of your team.
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Session Invites: This is the fast, informal way to play. You invite a friend directly into the server you are currently playing on. It's perfect for a single evening of hunting, exploring, or taking on a World Boss. However, this connection is temporary. Once you log off, the group is disbanded. There are no shared progression benefits beyond what you accomplish together in that session.
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Herds: This is the game's official clan or guild system. Forming a Herd is a more permanent arrangement that offers significant long-term advantages. Herd members share a common chat channel, can see each other's locations on the map, and gain access to powerful cooperative buffs and shared structures. For any serious, long-term group, forming a Herd is essential.
Inviting Friends for a Single Session
If you just want to quickly team up for a few hours, the session invite system is your best bet. It's a straightforward, three-step process managed entirely through the in-game menu, known as the Chrono-Pad.
Step 1: Find and Share Your Player IDs
Mesozoic Dawn does not use platform-level friend lists (like Steam or Xbox) for its in-game social system. Instead, every player has a unique, randomly generated alphanumeric code called a Player ID. To find yours, open the Chrono-Pad (default key 'Tab'), navigate to the 'Companions' tab, and your ID will be displayed prominently at the top. It will look something like APEX-7G3T-9R2K. You and your friends will need to exchange these IDs outside of the game (e.g., via Discord or text message).
Step 2: Add Your Friend as a Companion
Once you have your friend's Player ID, go to the 'Companions' tab in your Chrono-Pad. You'll see a button labeled 'Add Companion'. Click it, and a text box will appear. Carefully type or paste your friend's Player ID and hit confirm. A request will be sent, and your friend will receive a notification to accept it. Once they accept, they will appear on your Companions list.
Mesozoic Dawn in-game screenshot
Step 3: Send the Server Invite
With your friend added as a Companion, you can now invite them to your game. While you are active in a server, find their name on your Companions list. Clicking their name will bring up a small context menu with the option 'Invite to Session'. Select this, and they will receive a pop-up invitation that, upon acceptance, will automatically load them into your current server, bypassing the server browser. Note that if the server is full, the invite will fail.
Forming a Permanent Herd for Long-Term Survival
A Herd is more than just a party; it's a persistent tribe with shared goals and powerful gameplay benefits. This is the definitive way to play Mesozoic Dawn with a dedicated group.
What Are the Benefits of a Herd?
Joining or creating a Herd unlocks a suite of powerful cooperative mechanics that are unavailable to solo players or temporary session groups. The primary advantages are:
- Shared Structures: Herd members can collectively build and access a single base, including storage, crafting stations, and defenses.
- Persistent Map Markers: All Herd members are visible to each other on the world map, making navigation and coordination effortless.
- Exclusive Buffs: As your Herd accomplishes certain goals (like killing a World Boss or surviving for 30 in-game days), it unlocks passive buffs. Key buffs include the 'Pack Hunter's Instinct', which grants a +10% damage boost when two or more members attack the same target, and the 'Sentinel's Watch', which increases the detection range for hostile predators.
- Shared XP Gain: A portion of all experience points earned by one member (currently 15%) is also awarded to all other Herd members who are online and within a certain radius.
Mesozoic Dawn in-game screenshot
How to Create a Herd
Forming a Herd requires a specific craftable item: the Primal Totem. This acts as the founding charter for your group.
- Unlock the Schematic: The crafting schematic for the Primal Totem is unlocked automatically when your character reaches Level 15.
- Gather the Resources: You will need to gather a substantial amount of mid-game resources to craft the totem at a standard Workbench. The required materials are:
- 100 Petrified Wood
- 50 Obsidian Shards
- 25 Ancient Fibers
- 5 Apex Predator Fangs
- Craft and Place the Totem: Once crafted, the Primal Totem is a placeable world object. Find a suitable location for your future base, place the totem on the ground, and interact with it. You will be prompted to choose a name and an emblem for your Herd.
- Invite Members: After founding the Herd, you can invite players to join directly from your Companions list. They do not need to be online to receive the invitation, which they can accept later from their Chrono-Pad menu.
Mesozoic Dawn in-game screenshot
Managing Herd Roles and Permissions
Every Herd has a simple hierarchy to manage its members. The player who first placed the Primal Totem becomes the 'Alpha'. They can assign roles to other members, which dictate their permissions within the group.
| Role | Permissions | Player Limit |
|---|---|---|
| Alpha | Can invite/kick members, promote/demote, destroy the totem, change emblem. | 1 |
| Beta | Can invite new members and place most structures. | Up to 3 |
| Member | Can use shared structures and storage, but cannot invite or place key items. | Up to 16 |
The maximum size for any Herd is currently capped at 20 players (1 Alpha, 3 Betas, 16 Members).
Choosing the Right Server for Your Group
Where you play is just as important as who you play with. Mesozoic Dawn offers a variety of server types, each providing a different experience.
Mesozoic Dawn in-game screenshot
Official vs. Community Servers
- Official Servers: These are run by the developers. They have standardized rules, vanilla resource gathering rates, and are wiped (reset) on a predictable schedule. They are a good, stable choice for new players, but can be crowded.
- Community Servers: These are player-hosted servers that often feature modified rulesets. You can find servers with accelerated XP gain, increased resource drops, unique mods, or a strict focus on role-playing (RP). This is where you can find a more tailored experience, but server quality and admin support can vary wildly.
What About Cross-Play?
As of the latest update (Patch 3.4.1), cross-play is fully enabled between PC (Steam), Xbox Series X|S, and PlayStation 5. Players on any of these platforms can add each other as Companions using their Player ID and play together on any server designated with the 'Cross-Play Enabled' tag in the server browser. This has unified the majority of the player base, making it easier than ever to group up regardless of platform.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q: How many players can be in a Herd? A: A Herd can have a maximum of 20 players: one Alpha, up to three Betas, and up to 16 Members.
Q: Can I be in more than one Herd at a time? A: No, your character can only be a member of a single Herd at any given time. You must leave your current Herd before you can accept an invitation to another.
Q: What happens to our base if the Alpha goes inactive? A: If a Herd's Alpha does not log in for 14 consecutive real-world days, leadership is automatically transferred to the highest-ranking Beta who has been active most recently. The Primal Totem and all associated structures remain intact.
Q: Is there friendly fire? Can I hurt my Herd-mates? A: On standard PvE servers, friendly fire between Herd members is disabled by default. On PvP servers, friendly fire is always on, so be careful with your aim during a chaotic fight.
A Final Word
Surviving the brutal, beautiful world of Mesozoic Dawn is a challenge, but doing it with friends transforms it from a harrowing ordeal into a memorable saga. While quick session invites are useful, the real depth of cooperative play lies within the Herd system. Investing the time to craft a Primal Totem and establish a permanent tribe is the single best way to conquer the island and build a lasting legacy. Now go find your pack.