The Elden Ring Seamless Co-op mod is one of the best unofficial addons for FromSoftware's fantasy RPG. Not only does it let you traverse the Lands Between with pals, but it also frees you from the usual constraints of FromSoft multiplayer. As our own Wes Fenlon enthused last year, the mod "makes Elden Ring feel like a true cooperative game through and through, rather than a cooperative experience cobbled together around FromSoftware's trademark odd online systems."
After injecting co-op into Armored Core 6 last year, the creator of the mods, who simply goes by Yui, has turned their attention to another FromSoft game: Dark Souls 3. On Friday, Yui posted a video of the Dark Souls 3 Seamless Co-op mod in action, describing it as a "mod which removes all multiplayer boundaries and allows for connections to persist after death."
The video shows Yui and a friend making their way through the Lothric castle area of Dark Souls 3, kicking off with a battle against the Dancer of the Boreal Valley. Together, they tie the dancer into knots, though this isn't that remarkable since you can fight bosses with other players in DS3 anyway. But normally a win brings that multiplayer session to an end.
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Once the dancer has spun its last pirouette, however, the pair carry on into the castle itself, carving their way through a bunch of regular enemies before arriving at a bonfire and teleporting to Firelink Shrine. Both players arrive at the shrine without issue, then warp back to the castle to carry on their adventure, all without DS3 once glitching or crashing or throwing a massive tantrum.
I have to say, it looks glorious, and once again highlights how much fun FromSoft's games are when you can bring a friend along. Yui doesn't provide many other details about the mod or how it works, but they do specify you'll be able to "play with friends from the tutorial to the very end of the game, with synchronised progress, and no resummoning or interruptions." Further, they add "Invasions are optional and active by default" and that players "Can adjust the multiplayer scaling of the enemies to [their] liking." In other words, it's a fully functional co-op mode for Dark Souls 3, just like the Seamless Co-op mod for Elden Ring.
There's no word on when the mod will actually be released, Yui simply says it's "work in progress." The modder does appear to have had a change of heart over making further co-op mods after their work on Elden Ring. In an FAQ on the Elden Ring Seamless Co-op mod's nexusmods page, Yui posited the question "Will you make a similar mod for Dark Souls?" to which they then answered "No." It's possible they meant specifically Dark Souls, which runs on much older tech than Dark Souls 3 and Elden Ring, and is presumably much more difficult to create a seamless multiplayer mode for.
In any case, it's great to see Yui bringing their excellent multiplayer modding skills to other FromSoft games. It's possible FromSoft itself has taken a leaf from the modder's book, given its next project, Elden Ring Neightrein, is a multiplayer-centric version of the RPG. Certainly, FromSoft is aware of Yui's work, and even stated it might 'consider ideas like that' with future games.
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