Linux launcher

Dauntless Revived Launcher runs natively on x86_64 Linux. The actual Dauntless 1.4.4 game is still the original Windows x86_64 build, so the launcher starts it through Proton or Wine. You use the same invite, account and server as a Windows player.

The launcher does not contain game files. It downloads or verifies the same pinned 1.4.4 files as the Windows build, installs the two pinned DLLs, creates a separate compatibility prefix and sets the required native dxgi override automatically.

Contents
  1. Before you start
  2. Ubuntu, Debian, Linux Mint and Pop!_OS
  3. Fedora, Nobara, Rocky Linux, AlmaLinux and other DNF systems
  4. openSUSE Tumbleweed and Leap
  5. Arch Linux, EndeavourOS, CachyOS and Manjaro
  6. NixOS
  7. Gentoo
  8. Void Linux
  9. Solus, Mageia, OpenMandriva and other glibc distributions
  10. Flatpak Steam and Proton
  11. Choosing Proton or Wine
  12. Join and install the game
  13. Common Linux problems
    1. “Linux needs Proton or Wine”
    2. “The operating system couldn’t store your key securely”
    3. AppImage does not start
    4. Discord says Dauntless is running, but no game window appears
    5. The launcher opens, but PLAY fails
    6. Public server starts, but the game never reaches it
    7. Private server cannot connect
  14. Updates

Before you start

You need:

  • an x86_64 Linux desktop using glibc;
  • working graphics drivers, including Vulkan support for the normal Proton/DXVK path;
  • either an existing compatibility runtime (Steam Proton, Proton-GE, Wine, or Lutris Wine) or a desktop that can authorize the launcher’s automatic Wine install;
  • about 11 GB for the game, plus free space for downloads and the compatibility prefix;
  • Tailscale only when your host gave you a private/v1 invite.

ARM64 is not supported by this launcher because the game itself is Windows x86_64. Alpine and other musl-only systems are not currently advertised as supported because Electron’s official Linux build targets glibc.

Download the newest launcher from GitHub Releases. Every launcher release has these Linux files:

File Best for
DauntlessRevivedLauncher-<version>-linux-x86_64.AppImage Universal option for most desktop distributions
DauntlessRevivedLauncher-<version>-linux-amd64.deb Debian, Ubuntu, Mint, Pop!_OS and derivatives
DauntlessRevivedLauncher-<version>-linux-x86_64.rpm Fedora, openSUSE and other conventional RPM systems
DauntlessRevivedLauncher-<version>-linux-x64.tar.gz Portable fallback, especially Arch/Gentoo/other glibc distros
DauntlessRevivedLauncher-<version>-linux-x64.zip Same portable app in ZIP form

Also download SHA256SUMS.txt. Check your download before running it:

sha256sum -c SHA256SUMS.txt --ignore-missing

The output for the file you downloaded should say OK.

Ubuntu, Debian, Linux Mint and Pop!_OS

Use the .deb package:

cd ~/Downloads
sudo apt install ./DauntlessRevivedLauncher-*-linux-amd64.deb

Using apt install ./file.deb lets APT resolve package dependencies. Ubuntu documents local .deb installation with this command.

For the game runtime, the launcher searches native Steam and Flatpak Steam for installed Proton versions. Wine also works. If no supported runtime exists, packaged Linux builds can ask Polkit for authorization and install the distro’s Wine package automatically when you press PLAY. Set DAUNTLESS_REVIVED_AUTO_INSTALL=0 before starting the launcher if you prefer to manage dependencies yourself.

After installation, launch Dauntless Revived Launcher from the application menu. The default game folder is:

~/Games/DauntlessRevived

To update, download the newer .deb and run the same apt install ./... command. To remove only the launcher:

sudo apt remove dauntless-revived-launcher

Removing the launcher does not intentionally delete the game folder or your launcher user data.

Fedora, Nobara, Rocky Linux, AlmaLinux and other DNF systems

On a normal mutable Fedora/RHEL-family desktop, use the RPM:

cd ~/Downloads
sudo dnf install ./DauntlessRevivedLauncher-*-linux-x86_64.rpm

Fedora provides Wine as the wine meta-package:

sudo dnf install wine

You can instead use Steam Proton. Native Steam installations are auto-detected. On Fedora, Steam is commonly installed from RPM Fusion; Nobara normally already has gaming-oriented runtime support.

For Bazzite, Fedora Silverblue, Kinoite and other immutable/Atomic systems, prefer the AppImage rather than layering the launcher RPM into the base image:

chmod +x DauntlessRevivedLauncher-*-linux-x86_64.AppImage
./DauntlessRevivedLauncher-*-linux-x86_64.AppImage

If your Steam installation is a Flatpak, read Flatpak Steam and Proton below.

To remove the RPM install:

sudo dnf remove dauntless-revived-launcher

openSUSE Tumbleweed and Leap

Use the RPM directly with Zypper:

cd ~/Downloads
sudo zypper install ./DauntlessRevivedLauncher-*-linux-x86_64.rpm

openSUSE’s Zypper documentation supports installing an RPM by local file path.

Install Wine if you are not using Steam Proton:

sudo zypper install wine

Then launch Dauntless Revived Launcher from the desktop menu.

Update by installing the newer RPM with the same zypper install ./... command. Remove it with:

sudo zypper remove dauntless-revived-launcher

Arch Linux, EndeavourOS, CachyOS and Manjaro

Use the AppImage or portable tarball. There is no project-maintained AUR package yet.

AppImage:

cd ~/Downloads
chmod +x DauntlessRevivedLauncher-*-linux-x86_64.AppImage
./DauntlessRevivedLauncher-*-linux-x86_64.AppImage

Portable tarball:

mkdir -p ~/.local/opt/dauntless-revived
tar -xzf DauntlessRevivedLauncher-*-linux-x64.tar.gz -C ~/.local/opt/dauntless-revived
~/.local/opt/dauntless-revived/DauntlessRevivedLauncher

For Steam Proton on Arch-family systems, enable the multilib repository and install Steam:

sudo pacman -Syu
sudo pacman -S steam

ArchWiki documents Steam in multilib. Start Steam once and install/enable a Proton version; the launcher searches native Steam’s normal compatibility-tool directories.

Or use Wine:

sudo pacman -S wine

CachyOS/EndeavourOS/Manjaro may provide additional Wine/Proton packages. They are fine too; if a runtime is installed in a nonstandard directory, use one of the runtime override variables described under Choosing Proton or Wine.

NixOS

A normal AppImage does not run directly on NixOS because NixOS does not expose the usual FHS library paths. Use appimage-run.

One-off run:

nix-shell -p appimage-run --run 'appimage-run ./DauntlessRevivedLauncher-*-linux-x86_64.AppImage'

For permanent AppImage support, add this to /etc/nixos/configuration.nix:

programs.appimage = {
  enable = true;
  binfmt = true;
};

programs.steam.enable = true;

Then rebuild:

sudo nixos-rebuild switch

The official NixOS wiki documents both appimage-run and programs.appimage.binfmt, and programs.steam.enable = true for Steam/Proton.

If you install GE-Proton declaratively, NixOS also supports:

programs.steam.extraCompatPackages = with pkgs; [
  proton-ge-bin
];

If the launcher does not find that Proton build automatically, point DAUNTLESS_REVIVED_PROTON at its actual proton script.

Gentoo

The portable tarball is the simplest choice:

mkdir -p ~/.local/opt/dauntless-revived
tar -xzf DauntlessRevivedLauncher-*-linux-x64.tar.gz -C ~/.local/opt/dauntless-revived
~/.local/opt/dauntless-revived/DauntlessRevivedLauncher

The AppImage is also usable on an appropriately configured desktop.

Gentoo ships Valve’s Wine fork as app-emulation/wine-proton on amd64:

sudo emerge --ask app-emulation/wine-proton

If the executable is not exposed under the usual wine or wine64 name in PATH, set DAUNTLESS_REVIVED_WINE to the Wine executable before starting the launcher.

Void Linux

Use the AppImage or portable tarball:

chmod +x DauntlessRevivedLauncher-*-linux-x86_64.AppImage
./DauntlessRevivedLauncher-*-linux-x86_64.AppImage

or:

mkdir -p ~/.local/opt/dauntless-revived
tar -xzf DauntlessRevivedLauncher-*-linux-x64.tar.gz -C ~/.local/opt/dauntless-revived
~/.local/opt/dauntless-revived/DauntlessRevivedLauncher

Install Wine from the Void repositories if you do not use Steam Proton:

sudo xbps-install -S wine

If your runtime is somewhere unusual, use the override variables below.

Solus, Mageia, OpenMandriva and other glibc distributions

Start with the AppImage. It avoids depending on the distro’s package format:

chmod +x DauntlessRevivedLauncher-*-linux-x86_64.AppImage
./DauntlessRevivedLauncher-*-linux-x86_64.AppImage

If AppImage integration is awkward on that distro, use the portable .tar.gz instead.

Mageia/OpenMandriva and other conventional RPM systems can also try the RPM with their normal RPM package manager. The launcher itself does not require the game to be installed through Steam; it only needs an accessible Proton or Wine runtime when you press PLAY.

Flatpak Steam and Proton

The launcher automatically searches native Steam locations such as:

~/.local/share/Steam
~/.steam/root
~/.steam/steam

Flatpak Steam normally stores its files under:

~/.var/app/com.valvesoftware.Steam/data/Steam

That location is searched automatically. Start Flatpak Steam once and install at least one Proton version; the launcher will find it without a wrapper or environment variable.

You can still use DAUNTLESS_REVIVED_PROTON to force one exact Proton script when troubleshooting or when your Steam library is in a nonstandard location.

Choosing Proton or Wine

Runtime selection is:

  1. DAUNTLESS_REVIVED_PROTON, when explicitly set;
  2. DAUNTLESS_REVIVED_WINE, when explicitly set;
  3. Steam Proton / Proton-GE in native Steam’s normal directories;
  4. Steam Proton / Proton-GE from Flatpak Steam;
  5. wine64 or wine from PATH;
  6. Lutris Wine under ~/.local/share/lutris/runners/wine;
  7. if none exists and automatic dependency installation is enabled, the distro’s Wine package is installed through Polkit and detected again.

Examples:

DAUNTLESS_REVIVED_PROTON="$HOME/.local/share/Steam/compatibilitytools.d/GE-Proton10-1/proton" \
  ./DauntlessRevivedLauncher-*-linux-x86_64.AppImage

DAUNTLESS_REVIVED_WINE=/usr/bin/wine64 \
  ./DauntlessRevivedLauncher-*-linux-x86_64.AppImage

The launcher creates its own prefix in its Electron user-data directory. Do not point it at an existing Steam game’s prefix.

Join and install the game

After the launcher opens, the flow is the same on every Linux distro:

  1. Open or paste the host’s dauntless-revived://join?... invite.
  2. Press JOIN.
  3. Register a username, or import your existing account key.
  4. Save the offered key backup somewhere private.
  5. Press INSTALL. The default game directory is ~/Games/DauntlessRevived.
  6. If you already have the exact 1.4.4 files, use I already have the game files and choose that Linux folder instead.
  7. Press PLAY. The launcher creates/prepares its Wine/Proton prefix, writes the game’s config and starts Dauntless-Win64-Shipping.exe through the selected runtime.

For private/v1 invites, install Tailscale on the Linux PC and accept the host’s share first. Public/v2 invites do not require Tailscale.

For the rest of the player workflow, see Join as a friend.

Common Linux problems

“Linux needs Proton or Wine”

No supported runtime was found and automatic installation could not provide one. Normally the launcher offers to install Wine through your distro’s package manager when you press PLAY. You can also install Steam + Proton, Wine, or Lutris Wine yourself. If a runtime is in a nonstandard location, set DAUNTLESS_REVIVED_PROTON or DAUNTLESS_REVIVED_WINE.

“The operating system couldn’t store your key securely”

Linux account keys use Electron’s encrypted desktop secret store. The launcher now repairs missing desktop D-Bus variables, selects GNOME/libsecret when a GNOME-family keyring is present, and packaged builds can install gnome-keyring/libsecret through Polkit when those dependencies are missing. The DEB also recommends those packages during installation. If you deliberately disabled automatic dependency installation, install your desktop’s Secret Service/KWallet provider yourself.

AppImage does not start

First confirm it is executable:

chmod +x DauntlessRevivedLauncher-*-linux-x86_64.AppImage

On NixOS, use appimage-run. On another distro where AppImage/FUSE integration is unavailable, use the portable tarball instead.

Discord says Dauntless is running, but no game window appears

Update to launcher 0.1.13 or newer first. Launcher 0.1.12 could start Proton and set Discord activity while the game itself remained stuck before Unreal Engine created its window. The injected UndauntedInternalServer.dll was doing Windows console setup during Wine/Proton DLL initialization; under Proton this could leave Dauntless-Win64-Shipping.exe alive with only its initial thread and no UE log or visible window.

0.1.13 detects Wine/Proton and skips that client debug-console initialization. The launcher still installs the normal native dxgi override and the Revived DLL; do not remove those files as a permanent workaround.

On GNOME/Wayland, 0.1.13 also preserves the session’s XAUTHORITY for Proton. If a wrapper or remote shell strips that variable, the launcher recovers Mutter’s .mutter-Xwaylandauth.* file from XDG_RUNTIME_DIR. Without a valid XWayland cookie, Wine can reach normal UE/DXVK startup but fail to present the game window and print Authorization required, but no authorization protocol specified.

A useful diagnosis is:

pgrep -af Dauntless-Win64-Shipping.exe

If the process exists but no window appears, check the launcher version before changing graphics drivers or the Proton prefix.

The launcher opens, but PLAY fails

Run it from a terminal once so you can see startup errors, then check the launcher’s own log directory under its Electron user-data folder. Common causes are:

  • using launcher 0.1.12 or older with the Proton client-init deadlock above;
  • broken/missing Vulkan drivers;
  • a Proton/Wine runtime that was moved after the launcher found it;
  • a Steam/Flatpak Steam Proton install that is incomplete or was moved;
  • permission problems in the selected game folder;
  • a game folder that is not the exact pinned 1.4.4 build.

Try a different installed Proton or Wine runtime before modifying the game files.

Public server starts, but the game never reaches it

Public/v2 invites deliberately do not pass the public gateway address straight to the game. The launcher starts a local relay on 127.0.0.1:61000, pins the host’s TLS certificate there, writes the game config to use that local endpoint and then forwards the game’s HTTP/WebSocket traffic to the selected public server. Keep the launcher open while playing; closing it stops the relay.

If the launcher log shows relay listening on 127.0.0.1:61000 followed immediately by relay stopped (0 requests, ...), the game never reached the networking stage. On Linux, first rule out the 0.1.12 client-init hang above. If the game window is running, then check the selected server/invite and certificate instead.

Private server cannot connect

Check Tailscale first:

tailscale status
tailscale ping <host-name-or-100.x.y.z>

The launcher searches /usr/bin/tailscale, /usr/local/bin/tailscale, /snap/bin/tailscale and your PATH.

More general launcher/server problems are on Troubleshooting.

Updates

Linux does not use the Windows Squirrel auto-update feed. When a newer launcher is released:

  • DEB: download it and run sudo apt install ./new-file.deb;
  • RPM: install the newer RPM with DNF or Zypper;
  • AppImage: replace the old AppImage;
  • portable ZIP/tar.gz: replace the application folder.

Your downloaded game and launcher user data are separate from the launcher package.