Elden Ring’s seamless co-op mod makes it easy to play with friends
Old Ring‘s multiplayer is thoughtfully strange. Like most of the game’s mechanics, it has layers of obscurity. You can play with a friend, but first you have to the ritualYou gather reagents, share a secret password, touch a mysterious pylon, and—if you’re trying to connect with a specific friend—wait and pray that their summoning rune appears where you want it.
Once you’re connected, the summoning comes with rules and warnings (like most fairy magic). You can’t ride your spectral horse while your friend is nearby. You can’t move between regions. If you summon your friend in a cave, you’ll be sealed in by a wall of mist, never being able to see the outside world. You’ll also be vulnerable to hostile invasions from other players. If you die or kill a boss, the spell will be broken, your buddy will evaporate into golden mist, and the ritual will have to be repeated.
On one hand, it’s really cool to see a multiplayer system that enhances the vibes of the game. In Old Ringyou should feel lonely. Human contact should something fleeting and sometimes dangerous, that can only be achieved with secret dream magic.
But sometimes you just want to party. Elden Ring’s seamless co-op mod is definitely here to party.
The mod was developed by one programmer and is a revision Old Ring‘s multiplayer matchmaking to allow for unlimited cooperation. It’s really seamless overall!
You connect by sharing a password and using a special reusable summon item that brings your co-op friends to you anywhere on the map. Once you’re connected, it’s just like playing vanilla Old Ringbut you have your friends with you. Everyone can use their horse, fast travel, level up or dive into a cave. Loot is instanced and character progress is saved locally. Seamless!
It’s an impressive technical achievement, but the icing on the cake is the presentation and balance. While the new multiplayer tools are simple and reliable, you can still use them by using inventory items with esoteric little names. It feels lore-appropriate. The mod also increases the boss’ HP pool for each additional player who joins in, and normal enemies become a bit tougher. If you don’t like the default settings, you can tweak the percentages until the challenge feels right for you and your friends.
Old Ring With constant company is a different game, but it’s a good game. I’ve had a lot of fun with it. With a friend, visiting the lands in between can be a fun walk down memory lane. It can also be a chance to try out weird builds that you wouldn’t consider “feasible” if you had to defeat every boss on your own. You can make a fragile little archer or a slow-rolling behemoth that wields two stone hammers, because you have friends to back you up!
The seamless co-op mod is still in development and isn’t perfect. It seems that game states will occasionally de-sync, resulting in altered AI and players seeing different things. But these glitches are rare and a quick session reload fixes just about everything.
So if you’re looking for a less lonely way to revisit the Lands Between, give this a try!