diff --git a/src/CNLoginServer.cpp b/src/CNLoginServer.cpp
index 3e1ed31..d67860e 100644
--- a/src/CNLoginServer.cpp
+++ b/src/CNLoginServer.cpp
@@ -458,13 +458,22 @@ void CNLoginServer::characterSelect(CNSocket* sock, CNPacketData* data) {
         std::cout << "Login Server: Selected character [" << selection->iPC_UID << "]" << std::endl;
         std::cout << "Connecting to shard server" << std::endl;
     )
-  
-    // copy IP to resp (this struct uses ASCII encoding so we don't have to goof around converting encodings)
-    const char* SHARD_IP = settings::SHARDSERVERIP.c_str();
-    memcpy(resp.g_FE_ServerIP, SHARD_IP, strlen(SHARD_IP));
-    resp.g_FE_ServerIP[strlen(SHARD_IP)] = '\0';
+
+    const char* shard_ip = settings::SHARDSERVERIP.c_str();
+
+    /*
+     * Work around the issue of not being able to connect to a local server if
+     * the shard IP has been configured to an address the local machine can't
+     * reach itself from.
+     */
+    if (sock->sockaddr.sin_addr.s_addr == htonl(INADDR_LOOPBACK))
+        shard_ip = "127.0.0.1";
+
+    memcpy(resp.g_FE_ServerIP, shard_ip, strlen(shard_ip));
+
+    resp.g_FE_ServerIP[strlen(shard_ip)] = '\0';
     resp.g_FE_ServerPort = settings::SHARDPORT;
-    
+
     // pass player to CNSharedData
     Player passPlayer = {};
     Database::getPlayer(&passPlayer, selection->iPC_UID);
@@ -477,7 +486,7 @@ void CNLoginServer::characterSelect(CNSocket* sock, CNPacketData* data) {
     CNSharedData::setPlayer(resp.iEnterSerialKey, passPlayer);
 
     sock->sendPacket((void*)&resp, P_LS2CL_REP_SHARD_SELECT_SUCC, sizeof(sP_LS2CL_REP_SHARD_SELECT_SUCC));
-    
+
     // update current slot in DB
     Database::updateSelected(loginSessions[sock].userID, passPlayer.slot);
 }
diff --git a/src/CNProtocol.cpp b/src/CNProtocol.cpp
index 53c2ee5..3b7e124 100644
--- a/src/CNProtocol.cpp
+++ b/src/CNProtocol.cpp
@@ -63,7 +63,7 @@ CNPacketData::CNPacketData(void* b, uint32_t t, int l): buf(b), size(l), type(t)
 
 // ========================================================[[ CNSocket ]]========================================================
 
-CNSocket::CNSocket(SOCKET s, PacketHandler ph): sock(s), pHandler(ph) {
+CNSocket::CNSocket(SOCKET s, struct sockaddr_in &addr, PacketHandler ph): sock(s), sockaddr(addr), pHandler(ph) {
     EKey = (uint64_t)(*(uint64_t*)&CNSocketEncryption::defaultKey[0]);
 }
 
@@ -390,7 +390,7 @@ void CNServer::start() {
                 addPollFD(newConnectionSocket);
 
                 // add connection to list!
-                CNSocket* tmp = new CNSocket(newConnectionSocket, pHandler);
+                CNSocket* tmp = new CNSocket(newConnectionSocket, address, pHandler);
                 connections[newConnectionSocket] = tmp;
                 newConnection(tmp);
 
diff --git a/src/CNProtocol.hpp b/src/CNProtocol.hpp
index a91454e..fe52d0b 100644
--- a/src/CNProtocol.hpp
+++ b/src/CNProtocol.hpp
@@ -166,9 +166,10 @@ private:
 
 public:
     SOCKET sock;
+    sockaddr_in sockaddr;
     PacketHandler pHandler;
 
-    CNSocket(SOCKET s, PacketHandler ph);
+    CNSocket(SOCKET s, struct sockaddr_in &addr, PacketHandler ph);
 
     void setEKey(uint64_t k);
     void setFEKey(uint64_t k);