what you should Know
- Elden Ring’s most popular mod is Seamless Co-op, a project that removes restrictions such as barriers between zones and other obstacles that make co-op multiplayer annoying.
- Seamless Co-op was disrupted by the launch of Elden Ring’s colossal Shadow of the Erdtree DLC on June 21st. However, creator LukeYui has now updated the mod to be compatible with the expansion.
- The mod has actually undergone a “complete rewrite from the ground up” and now allows players to work cooperatively through invasions and summons that occur as part of NPC quests.
- Saves from previous versions of Seamless Co-op are compatible with the new one, so you and your friends can play through Shadow of the Erdtree with characters used during previous games. However, players who do not own the DLC cannot join people who do own it and are playing in one of its zones.
Just over a week after the launch of the Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree DLC, the action RPG’s Seamless Co-op mod – a project that revamps the PC version’s co-op multiplayer by removing the limitations present in the vanilla game – has been updated and is fully compatible with the extension.
Its creator, LukeYui, has been working to fix the mod since the DLC’s release after it was broken by the update. Now, after the completion of a “complete rewrite from scratch”, a new version of it that works with Shadow of the Erdtree is available to install and use now. Note that although you may encounter a few bugs or issues while using the mod, LukeYui says it’s functional enough for a public release.
“While not perfect, it has reached a state where it can be used to play the Elden Ring and DLC in a co-op game,” they wrote in a message to users on the mod’s forum posts. “I’m aware of some bugs that are still present in it, and I’ll continue to work on it after the initial release – the next few days will be critical so that I can work on quickly fixing any problematic issues if they arise.”
Since its initial release in 2022, the Seamless Co-op project has been the most popular Elden Ring mod available, and for good reason: Elden Ring’s usual co-op is often frustrating because it puts barriers between its open-world areas and its side dungeons. forcing the hosts to send out the cheerleaders just so they can get into those areas before calling the partners back so they can continue the multiplayer. Additionally, it is not possible to summon players to locations where there are no bosses left to defeat, preventing co-op exploration in many cases. You can’t use your trusty steed Torrent in co-op either, which makes fighting the Furnace Golem an absolute chore.
The mod solves these problems by allowing seamless transitions between zones, open co-op regardless of remaining bosses, and the use of Torrent in multiplayer, while making all game progress shared and including support for up to six players in a party (you can only summon two cooperators in vanilla). This all adds up to a vastly improved co-op experience, and since it uses its own save files and peer-to-peer connection system that doesn’t connect to FromSoftware’s official servers, you don’t even have to worry about getting banned for using it.
As a consequence, you also cannot be attacked normally, despite this new version of Seamless Co-op does support an additional invasion mechanic for those who want to spice up their game with a little PvP; Personally, I see this as a bonus, as I find the frequency of Elden Ring raids pretty ridiculous even as someone who enjoys PvP encounters.
One significant improvement made with the new version of Seamless Co-op is multiplayer support in situations where players have the choice to raid or be summoned by NPCs during their story arcs. This makes it possible to play through things like Volcano Manor Invasions as well as Shadow of the Erdtree NPC quests with friends, and solves what I thought was the mod’s only major flaw.
Installing the mod is easy as it simply requires dragging and dropping a few files into the Elden Ring game folder and editing a configuration file to set a session password. However, be sure to read the Seamless Co-op description in detail as it explains how it works and how to use it in detail. By the way, Seamless Co-op is — like all Nexus Mods mods — completely free to use, although you can leave LukeYui a tip on their Ko-fi page if you’d like.
Something important to know is that people who do not own the Elden Ring DLC will not be able to join anyone who has it and is playing it. They i can, however, play with someone who has the expansion but is in a main game zone. Oh, and in case you’re wondering, save files from previous versions of Seamless Co-op work well in the latest, allowing you and your friends to head into the Shadowland with characters used in previous games (also the mod page explains how you can convert vanilla saves to Seamless Co-op if you wish).
As much as I love FromSoftware’s RPGs — the studio is my favorite developer at the moment — I’ve always found their multiplayer systems frustratingly archaic and tedious to engage with, limiting the potential of what would otherwise be some of the best co-op experiences out there. in all games. However, Elden Ring Seamless Co-op completely removes those barriers, and now that it’s compatible with DLC? Precious item ahead, hence time to summon.
The Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree DLC is finally here and makes one of the best xbox games and best pc games for all time even better. It’s out now for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PS5, PS4 and Windows PC for $39.99.
