Play with friends like the game is meant to be co-op
Don’t get me wrong, Elden Ring does have a co-op option; however, it’s far from getting to farm Elden Ring Runes with friends every step of the adventure. FromSoftware puts a lot of restrictions on co-op games. Namely, you can summon a friend to help with one boss, and then they go away. You can join other player sessions, but again, only for one area and boss, and then you disappear from the world.
More Detailed Elden Ring Official Co-Op Mechanics
Multiplayer in Elden Ring can be started by putting your sigil down in an area. The sign shows up on other people’s games, and they can use it to summon you to their dimension. Afterward, you can play with that person until someone dies or the area’s boss is defeated. At that point, the co-op session is terminated, and the invading player gets returned to their game.
This comes with some caveats too:
- You can’t summon Torrent in a co-op game.
- You can’t summon a friend if you’ve defeated the boss in that area. (You can still lay your summon sign to help other players through that area, though)
- You can’t enter a dungeon you want to explore in co-op (terminate the session first, and then you can enter)
- You can only be invaded in an active co-op session (you’re safe when playing solo, even when online)
Of course, it has its uses. One example is the players’ inability to abuse the system to get ‘carried’ throughout the game. Still, it’s a frustrating and fiddly mechanic as far as the players are concerned about the normal co-op function. Enter LukeYui’s Seamless Co-op Mod.
The Elden Ring Seamless Co-Op Mod
The mod’s description says it lets up to four players play the game from tutorial to the end. It has the following features:
- When a player dies, they resurrect at the last bonfire they rested at, like usual. The session continues without interruption.
- You can defeat bosses without having to send the others to their home dimension.
- There are no fog walls or barriers to keep multiplayer zones restricted.
- All players can summon their spectral horse, provided they have the whistle for him.
- Waypoints are synchronized.
- Resetting at a Site of Grace will respawn enemies for all players to prevent desync.
- Online game progress carries over to offline progress.
- Varre’s quests will not need invasions to continue.
- It uses Steam’s newer networking API.
It also has the following quality-of-life updates:
- No Easy Anti-Cheat (any problems related to the app will be gone).
- You can use other mods, provided the other players have them too.
- A streamlined reconnection system allows players to drop out and return to continue where they left off.
Four players roaming around the Lands Between make the game easier and faster to complete. The following changes are applied to keep things from getting boringly easy:
- The third tier of enemy scaling.
- Players will be kicked out of the boss room if another sits at a bonfire.
- Dying during a boss battle puts the dead player in spectator mode until the others die too, or someone rests at a Site of Grace.
- Dying inflicts rot onto the resurrected player. It will stack (up to 5) but is removable at a Site of Grace.
Because this is a mod, a frequent question is, ‘will this ban me?’ The answer is no; the mod connects to a different server than FromSoftware’s official matchmaking ones. It also uses a separate save file from the base game. The only way to get banned while using the mod is if you modify it to connect to vanilla players. Another way is to convert the modded save file into one that the unmodded game can read.
The latter is because it adds some new Elden Ring items not found in the base game. Transferring those items into the vanilla version where the Easy Anti-Cheat can detect them is one way of getting banned.
Installation and How to Use Elden Ring Seamless Co-Op
First, you download the mod from Nexusmods. Then, you extract the downloaded file into the game’s folder. Edit the file ‘cooppassword.ini’ into a secure password of your choosing. Launch the game using ‘launch_elden_ring_seamlesscoop.exe.’
You have to be logged on Steam and not be in offline mode. Keep in mind that your friends also have to have the same version of the mod to play with you. All of you must also have the same password in the cooppassword.ini file. One of you must host the game through the Tiny Great Pot item, and the others will join using the Effigy of Meleina. To disconnect from the session, you can use the Separating Mist. If the host uses the latter, the group will disband, and everybody gets booted back to their dimensions.
The mod caps the player number to 4 (the host and three others). Sadly, that means you can’t have an army of Tarnished all across the land.
Play the Game With Friends!
As other games will attest, having other players over in co-op can lead to wild and wacky situations. While some players can be frustrating to be with, others can be beneficial. Then, there’s the minority that joins for a laugh or just causes general chaos.
Playing solo can be lonely, but with this mod, you’ll never be lonely again. It does rely on your friends’ availability, though. Still, scheduling some game nights where you roam all about the Lands Between would be an excellent bonding time. It will make collecting the needed Elden Ring armor and weapons easier, and farming Elden Ring Runes will be a breeze.
Unfortunately, the mod is only available to PC players. Besides that, the player must have obtained the game legitimately, as the mod will not work otherwise. Console players will have to be content playing alone or keep summoning their friends in every area they go through.
Have fun playing Elden Ring!
