If you’ve purchased your key elsewhere, you will need to go to http://sp.zhabite.com/steamstore, create an account and download Steam. Once you’ve installed Steam, you'll need to activate your key and then install the game.

For more information on how to use Steam, please visit these helpful Steam support links.

• Installing Steam
  
• Adding Game Key

Once you’ve finished installing locate Wurm Unlimited in your Steam library and click Play.

The launcher is where you will find the server browser, located in the middle of the window. This is where you will find game worlds hosted by yourself as well as others. Across the top of the server list are five tabs:

• Internet: These are all of the worlds that are publicly available on Steam.
  
• LAN: These are your local worlds, hosted on your local network.
  
• Favorite: This is where you can find worlds that you have favorited.
  
• Friends: Any worlds hosted by your Steam friends will show here.
  
• History: These are worlds that you have visited in the past.

The Internet tab is active when you start the launcher, and you will need to click Refresh at the bottom to see these servers. Clicking on any of these tabs will start a refresh, after which any servers that are available will be listed. If a refresh is taking a long time, you may click Cancel Refresh to stop it.

The server list has four columns:

• Lock: Server is password protected, you will need to know the password to connect.
  
• Server: This is the name of the server.
  
• Players: This shows current players and the maximum players allowed.
  
• Ping: This indicates how quick the connection is. A lower ping will mean less delay.

You may filter the results using the controls in the lower-right of the launcher, under Server Filter:

• Name: Filters by server name.
  
• Ping: Shows only those with the desired ping
  
• "Remove full servers": Hides any servers that are full.
  
• "Remove empty servers": Hides any servers where no players are logged in.
  
• "Remove password servers": Hides any servers that require a password to connect.

You may right-click on any server listed and select "Add to favorites" to save it for later. To remove a favorite, click the Favorite tab and then right-click a server and click "Remove from favorites". You may need to click Refresh to show changes in this tab.

On the top right-hand side of the launcher window are several fields:

• Name: This is the name of your character. A history of your character names is kept, or you may type in a new one.
  
• Settings: You are able to save multiple settings, and you may choose the one you wish to use here.
  
• Gear Icon: Click this to open the Settings window. (See Client Configuration[www.wurmpedia.com])
  
• Chain Icon: Click this to open the key bindings window. (See Key Bindings[www.wurmpedia.com])
  
• "Use Dedicated Server": Check this if you are using the dedicated server.
  
• Manage Server: Clicking this will launch the server. (See Server section.)

Once you have clicked on a server and entered your desired player name, you can then click Connect to join that server. You will be prompted for the server’s password if one is required after clicking Connect.

Wurm Unlimited comes with two maps for you to play right away. These maps offer differing styles of game play, but are similar in running and options that you may choose. You may create a GM character on either map, which is recommended for situations that may require GM-level tools to correct.

Adventure
This map is recommended for new players as it has a tutorial and offers a tailored experience for new and old Wurm players. You embark on a quest to obtain the Key of the Heavens in order to ascend as one of the deities of Wurm. There is much to explore and discover in this map, such as abandoned houses, hidden caves, unique creatures, and awesome loot. NPCs interact with you and the world around you, directing you to participate in events like the Hunt of the Ancients.

Creative
A completely blank map, with random soul stones that can serve as spawn points if you choose. This map is recommended for the builders or those who want to rough it out from the start. There are no villages, no NPCs. Only the raw world of Wurm and all of it’s creatures and wilderness.

Once you have the Wurm Unlimited client started, click Manage Server to open the server setup screen. You may also use the Wurm Unlimited Dedicated Server available on Steam under Tools. Running the dedicated server opens the same setup screen as clicking Manage Server.

Note: Due to the mechanics of Steam, if you launch the server with the Manage Server button, either bundled or dedicated, you will need to close the server and reopen it in order to restart your client.

You should now see two windows. One will be your server’s console window, and another will be a window with server controls. The drop down box at the top allows you to select your current map and database. Once you choose the map you wish to play on, click the Local Server tab to see the server’s settings. A complete guide to server settings can be viewed here: Server Administration[www.wurmpedia.com], or you can hover your mouse over the label next to each field to see more information.

The server’s name defaults to "Heavenord" for Adventure maps, or "New Creative Server" for Creative maps. You will want to change this and click Save. Server password allows you to lock your server from the public and is recommended for playing the Adventure map as PvP is enabled by default. You can now click Select Game Database and then Start Server to jump right in, or you may browse through the other settings and configure things to your liking.

For your server to be visible by others on Steam, the following ports will need to be opened:

• 8766 TCP/UDP: Required for general Steam communication.
  
• 27016-27030 UDP: Required for Steam queries. This allows the server browsers to see your server through Steam.
  
• 3724 TCP: The Wurm Unlimited server communicates with clients on this port. (This port may be modified, see Server Administration[www.wurmpedia.com])

Note: Your server will start without the Steam ports opened, but it will only be visible on the ''LAN'' tab of the server browser, and only to local clients.

If your ports are opened on your system's firewall, you may need to have your router forward those ports to your local area IP address. Please refer to your router's manual or your ISP for information on configuring port forwarding on your router.

Read more: Required Ports for Steam

It’s highly recommended to have at least one GM character on your server, even if you choose to play as a regular player. A GM account can do a number of things to help resolve issues you may run into.

Once your server has started and you have the Wurm Unlimited client open, you can click Refresh and look for your server in the lists on the left. If it doesn’t appear under the Internet tab, try clicking on LAN. Servers that appear under LAN but not Internet may need to have ports forwarded to be visible. Once selected, type any name you wish into the Name field and click Connect in the lower right.

After loading, you will be prompted to choose your gender as well as kingdom on PvP-enabled servers. Next you’ll have a chance to customize your character’s appearance.

Note: On Creative servers with PvP enabled, you will only see kingdoms where a starting town has been created.

At this point you may want to logout and return to the server window to set your GM power, or you can get started exploring the map and missions. Wurm Unlimited and Wurm Online share many of the same game mechanics, so new players may wish to see the Basic Knowledge page or follow along with the tutorial in the Adventure Map.

To set your GM powers after logging out, switch back to the server settings screen. Click on the Players tab, and then use the drop down box to select the character you just made and that character’s information will appear below the drop down box.

GMs have five power levels, with 5 being the highest. Set your Player Game Management Power to 5 and click Save.

Note: If you started the server from the client, you will need to click on Select Game Database and then Shutdown to close the server. You can start it again from the client as before.

Your GM account will come with a wand based upon it’s power level. This is the primary tool that GMs use to manage the game world. At level 5, you should find an ebony wand in your inventory. You may need to logout of the game world completely for it to appear in your inventory.

For more information on using GM powers, please see Jberg's post on the official forums:
Jberg's Quick Start Guide/Cheat Sheet to being an ArchGM[forum.wurmonline.com]