Nightreign’s Co-Op Could Fix The Biggest Elden Ring Problem, But It Might Come At A Cost

Since the announcement of Elden Ring Nightreign, fans of the Elden Ring franchise have been reeling over the game's major departure from the classic Soulsborne formula, which will feature a shift to cooperative multiplayer. Co-op multiplayer was part of Elden Ring to a certain extent, with the Tarnished's Furled Finger and Furlcalling Finger Remedy system used to summon players into specific boss battles or areas. However, this system was limited in many ways, making it a somewhat underwhelming feature. Nightreign will include cooperative multiplayer as a core feature of gameplay, for better or worse.

This decision could be seen as an improvement from Elden Ring, giving players the ability to openly explore maps alongside their party members, discovering new loot, enemy hordes, and bosses as a unit. The feature would be an incredible addition to the existing Elden Ring gameplay mechanics, but the way that Nightreign ventures into co-operative play will ultimately diverge in some key regards. Unfortunately, while Nightreign promises to provide a top-tier cooperative multiplayer experience, it has removed some of the most beloved features of the original game, complicating its status as a worthy successor.

Why Elden Ring Desperately Needed Proper Co-Op

Difficult Enemy Hordes, Quest Tracking, And Minor Bosses Justify Elden Ring Co-Op

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Because of the nature of Elden Ring's open-world gameplay, the ability to explore freely with even a single other Tarnished would make the experience more enjoyable and approachable. Undoubtedly, this would have created some major issues on the back end due to how expansive the Lands Between are, and the game was certainly not designed with full cooperative multiplayer at its heart. However, proper co-op could open up many new possibilities for new players who face barriers to entry like navigating the mysterious Lands Between and simply following the various quest lines between each area.

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There are many instances where the limited co-op in Elden Ring isn't enough to speed up progression and keep players engaged, especially in early-game areas, which can incentivize farming larger groups of enemies at times. There are various drawbacks to Elden Ring's co-op. If players don't know someone personally to connect with, they are limited to summoning pools which are restricted to confined areas or bosses. Whenever players have a co-op player summoned as a phantom, the group is open to invasion from PvP phantoms, players have their Flask uses cut in half, and Spirit Ashes and Torrent are unusable.

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Including a less punishing co-op gameplay mode in addition to the other great gameplay elements of Elden Ring would make it more player-friendly while still presenting the same degree of challenge. Elden Ring's co-op mode relies too heavily on players doing the heavy lifting and finding another Tarnished willing to help them out, while Nightreign will make cooperative play core to the experience. In this way, Nightreign attempts to improve on a lacking aspect of the original but does so at the expense of some of the most beloved aspects of the franchise.

How Nightreign’s Co-Op Mode Can Improve On Gameplay

Co-Op Mode In Nightreign Speeds Up The Gameplay Experience

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While it might be a divisive route to take, Nightreign is going to be a fast-paced version of Elden Ring, incorporating multiple speedrun elements, and this is possible due to its focus on cooperative gameplay. There will be eight specific classes in Nightreign, all of which will have a unique skill set and ability focus. This decision was made to streamline the character selection process by doing away with character creation altogether. Having a limited set of class archetypes emphasizes the selection of unique combinations to create the most effective team of three.

Further, the story and narrative will be developed through the eight core characters and bosses, so the elusive nature of Elden Ring's various NPC quests will be a non-issue. Hordes of enemies can be taken on collectively to make the process quicker, or individually to explore a wider area of the map before the blue Nightreign encroaches. There are also no more PvP invaders to worry about, though there will be Boss Invaders that hunt players down during the day, and players no longer need to worry about meticulously leveling characters up one level at a time.

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Many of the barriers to entry from Elden Ring are being overhauled or gutted from Nightreign entirely, largely through the multiplayer mechanics. But this comes at a cost to the things that make Elden Ring (and the classic Soulsborne formula) so successful. The move to cooperative play means a shift to a much faster gameplay experience that will likely be limiting in different ways, and it's yet to be seen whether players will find the same satisfaction with the new approach to the Souls experience. Nightreign will certainly improve elements of Elden Ring, but overall, it might end up being an over-correction.

Elden Ring Nightreign's Co-Op Will Introduce New Challenges

Not All Players Will Love Nightreign's Speed-Run Feel

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Nightreign's new focus on cooperative gameplay solves some of the pain points from the original game but ultimately will introduce new challenges and barriers to entry for players that didn't exist in the original. Doing away with character creation, overhauling inventory management and leveling, introducing randomized maps, and emphasizing cooperative multiplayer are all divisive changes that will likely alienate a certain percentage of players. Placing an emphasis on speedrun mechanics will also alienate players who prefer a slow dungeon-crawling experience and those interested in Elden Ring's stealth and sneak possibilities.

Nightreign's success will depend on how engaging and fluid the multiplayer experience is for players across the board.

Overall, it's unclear how the changes to gameplay and the shift to cooperative multiplayer will be received by new players and longtime fans of the Souls genre. The removal or redesign of beloved gameplay features that are meant to make Nightreign more accessible or streamlined may also introduce unexpected or unforeseen barriers for new players. Ultimately, Nightreign's success will depend on how engaging and fluid the multiplayer experience is for players across the board. Elden Ring Nightreign's gameplay might fix some of the biggest problem areas in Elden Ring, but these fixes come at the cost of some of the franchise's most beloved features.

Source: Nightreign