Summary
Ever since the massive success ofElden Ring, each subsequent year has been filled with anticipation about what developer FromSoftware might bring to the table next. While expectations might have been to see the developer move on fromElden Ring, however, it recently announced its new co-op game set in the same world,Elden Ring: Nightreign. This is certainly a unique step forward for FromSoftware, and while it’s understandable why it might draw some hype from die-hardElden Ringfans, the opportunityElden Ring: Nightreignshould theoretically allow gamers to play with their friends might be lacking.
As aFromSoftware game, the challenge offered byElden Ring: Nightreignwill likely already be difficult enough for some players to overcome. However, attempting to playElden Ring: Nightreignwith friends, the way it is meant to be played, may pose an even greater challenge than the game itself. Ultimately, this comes down toElden Ring: Nightreign’s surprising co-op restrictions, which place harsh limitations on players' options and might result in them playing the game solo or with random players via its online matchmaking.
Playing With Friends in Elden Ring: Nightreign Might Be Harder Than the Game Itself
Elden Ring: Nightreign Has Limitations on Party Size and Platform
Elden Ring: Nightreigncan be played solo, but it is designed to be a co-op experience. As such, players who want to get everything out of the game that it has to offer will be looking for friends to play with. However,Elden Ring: Nightreigndoes have limitations on party size and platform. Specifically, if players choose to play the game in its cooperative mode, they won’t be able to do so with only one other player and will instead need to form a party of three. Additionally,Elden Ring: Nightreigndoes not support crossplay, but it does support cross-generation play, meaning players can join one another as long as their platform types match, whether it be PS5/PS4, Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S, or PC.
Elden Ring: Nightreign’s Co-op Restrictions Will Make It Even Harder to Find Friends to Play With
SinceElden Ring: Nightreigncan only be played either solo or with two other players, those who would rather play with friends than random players found through the game’s matchmaking system may be out of luck. Ultimately, this comes down to a couple of underlying factors that may not be too noticeable at first, but will most certainly be once players boot up the game with the intent of playing it with their closest friends. Firstly,Elden Ring: Nightreign’s three-player minimum for co-opmeans players will need to have two other friends online at the time they wish to play. Secondly,Elden Ring: Nightreign’s lack of crossplay means those friends will need to be on the same type of platform.
It can be assumed that if two players who are friends attempt to playElden Ring: Nightreign, their party will be filled with a random player using the game’s matchmaking, but some players might still be turned off by that idea.
In addition to the implications of the party size restrictions inElden Ring: Nightreign, another underlying limitation that might make it more difficult for players to enjoy the game with friends is that they would not only need to find two friends to playElden Ring: Nightreignwith them, but they would also likely need two friends who are fans ofSoulslike games. Considering the difficulty of Soulslike games, it can often be more of a frustrating experience than a fun one for players who either aren’t interested in Soulslike gameplay or who haven’t spent time honing their skills in the genre. That being said, the Soulslike genre is much less niche now than it has ever been, thanks to the success ofElden Ring, so finding friends who enjoy the genre might be easier than it initially seems.
WhileElden Ring: Nightreign’s co-op focus shows promise for a unique group experience, its party size and platform limitations might hinder its accessibility. For players who would prefer to play the game with their friends as opposed to random players, the mandatory three-player setup forms a wall that could suck out any desire to play the game in co-op mode rather than solo. Add to that the absence of crossplay, and the vision of conqueringElden Ring: Nightreign’s challengesalongside close friends becomes far more complicated.
