Well, well, well, look who's finally paying attention! Here I am, a humble Tarnished, still reeling from my latest trip to the Lands Between, when I stumble upon the most glorious news. In a recent chat with PCGamer, the maestro of misery himself, Hidetaka Miyazaki, has gone and said it out loud. He acknowledged the million-strong cry of the community! It seems FromSoftware is officially opening the door to rethinking their iconic, yet notoriously restrictive, co-op systems in future games. And the blueprint? None other than the legendary Seamless Co-op mod for Elden Ring by the modding wizard LukeYui. Miyazaki admitted that while their current "drop in, beat a boss, drop out" philosophy was intentional for a casual style, they are "definitely not" opposed to the mod's deeper, more persistent co-op vision. He even said they might "consider ideas like that for our future games." Mind. Blown. The year is 2026, and the walls between worlds are finally starting to look a little less… impenetrable.
Why Did We Need a Mod in the First Place? A Tarnished's Lament
Let's rewind for a second. For over a decade, the Soulsborne co-op ritual has been sacred, frustrating, and utterly unique. You place your summon sign, you wait, you get summoned, you fight, you win (or die gloriously), and you get sent home. It's a system that's as much a part of these games as bonfires and panic rolls. Miyazaki himself framed it as wanting a "more loose, casual style." And hey, for a quick boss assist, it's iconic!
But try to play an entire game start-to-finish with a buddy? Oh, you sweet summer child. The tedium is real, and it comes in layers:
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The Travel Tax: Want to ride Torrent together through the breathtaking vistas? Nope. Fast travel? Forget it. You're walking.
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The Rest Reset: Every time you rest at a Site of Grace? Poof! Your friend is banished back to their world. Time to re-summon!
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The Progression Paradox: Only the host's world progresses. Your pal who helped you slay Godrick? They still have to go back and slay him alone in their own world. Double the work!
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The Boss Banisher: The moment a boss dies, the party's over. No shared moment of triumph, just a swift dismissal back to loneliness.
This rigid structure, while creating memorable moments of fleeting camaraderie, made a true shared adventure feel like an administrative nightmare. No wonder the Seamless Co-op mod, which stripped all these restrictions away, became a phenomenon with nearly two million downloads. It answered a simple, desperate question: "Can't we just play the game together?"
The Mod That Changed the Conversation: Seamless Co-op 101
So, what does this mod actually do that has the president of FromSoftware taking notes? Imagine Elden Ring, but… seamless!
The Core Innovations:
| Traditional FromSoft Co-op | Seamless Co-op Mod |
|---|---|
| Session ends after boss/area | Persistent world from start to finish |
| No horse riding in co-op | Both players can use Torrent and explore freely |
| No fast travel while co-oping | Full fast travel enabled for the party |
| Only host progresses | Shared progression for key events (mostly) |
| Constant re-summoning | One summon, whole journey |
It transformed the experience from a series of disconnected helper sessions into a genuine cooperative RPG adventure. You could truly get lost in the Lands Between together, which is, let's be honest, how many of us wanted to experience it from the very beginning. Facing the horrors of Caelid or the beauty of Liurnia is just better with a friend permanently by your side, ready to share a flask or point out an item you missed.
The Future: What Could FromSoftware's "Seamless-Like" Co-op Look Like?
Miyazaki's comments are tantalizingly vague, which is his specialty. He didn't promise a copy-paste of the mod, and that's probably for the best. FromSoftware has its own design sensibilities to uphold. So, as we look ahead to their next grim masterpiece (post-Elden Ring DLC, of course), what might a first-party "seamless" system entail?
My Hopeful Predictions for a 2026+ FromSoft Game:
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A Toggle or Covenant System: Maybe at the start of the game, you choose your multiplayer "mode." Want the classic, invasion-heavy, transient helper experience? Choose the old way. Want a persistent co-op adventure with a dedicated friend? Activate the "Journey Together" covenant, which might alter other game systems in turn.
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Balanced Shared Progression: Full shared progression for major story beats and legacy dungeons, but perhaps key items or certain NPC quests remain individual to preserve that personal journey feel.
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The Invasion Question: 😈 This is the big one. The mod famously disables invasions for balance. Will FromSoftware keep their beloved (or hated) invasion system in a seamless world? Perhaps invasions could only target worlds where both players have opted into the classic, non-seamless mode, or seamless worlds have a much higher rune cost to invade.
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Integrated, Not Bolted-On: The true magic will be if they design the next game's world and mechanics with seamless co-op in mind from the ground up. Imagine puzzles requiring two players, or boss mechanics that dynamically change based on party size!
A Victory for the Community
This whole saga is a fantastic example of the beautiful dialogue between developers and players. A modder saw a need, the community embraced it en masse, and the developer—a famously singular auteur—listened and acknowledged its value. It's not a guarantee, but it's a monumental shift in posture. The message is clear: the way we want to share these challenging, beautiful worlds matters.
So, to my fellow sunbros, dedicated blues, and even you chaotic reds out there, the future looks bright. We might soon be able to embark on the next harrowing FromSoftware journey not as fleeting phantoms, but as lasting companions. We'll finally be able to point at a distant, terrifying castle and say, "Shall we?" and actually mean it for the next 100 hours. And that, my friends, is a future worth fighting for. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a modded world to get back to. My friend is waiting, and we have a Golem to topple.
