I know many Wayward players (especially the dedicated ones) already know about this, but I thought I'd make it a bit more clear with an official announcement.
Multiplayer is OFFICIALLY coming to Wayward!
What started off as an impossibility in the eyes of many (including me) has realized itself through many months of testing and iteration. Much thanks goes to Gary "Spacetech" Wilber, our lead programmer for making this happen!
Our planned feature set for multiplayer include both options of permadeath and casual (respawning) as well as a toggle for PVP. The multiplayer works in a simulated real-time mode (as opposed to turn-based in single-player).
Players will be able to join Wayward multiplayer games through their friend's Steam profile, their Steam friends list, or through an in-game menu. There's also several new multiplayer chat commands available, like a handy "/kick" command for players that like to start fires under your feet. But who needs that when you can fight fire with fire!
It's important to note that what gets released in beta 2.5 is subject to change and improve. The multiplayer will grow in scope and depth just like the single-player experience. Multiplayer is an optional feature, but a feature many, many people have requested. It is single-handedly the most requested feature to date. And one that was not easy to implement, especially since the game was never built with it in mind.
But also to those that don't care about multiplayer, beta 2.5 won't focus solely on multiplayer. Improving the core game is still a top priority. You can expect to see other exciting top-requested things such as new lore elements, a brand new ore type, a main menu UI overhaul, and much more! We'll post a community discussion on wishlist topics for beta 2.5 coming up to get a more up to date priority list from everybody. If you are interested in the changes thus far in the beta 2.5 development branch, check out: http://steamcommunity.com/app/379210/discussions/3/1473096694445167021/
Let me know if you have any questions!