Despite being a spin-off of Elden Ring, FromSoftware's next title, Elden Ring Nightreign, is not going to appeal to all fans of the original RPG. This upcoming action game is not a curated, single-player-focused experience like its predecessor was. Instead, it is more of a co-operative PvE title, somewhat similar in concept to Deep Rock Galactic or Helldivers 2. Elden Ring Nightreign takes place in a procedurally-generated version of Elden Ring's first open-world area, Limgrave, and it tasks players with defeating waves of bosses over three in-game days. Even though it can technically be played solo, the game is designed specifically for teams of three.
Although Elden Ring Nightreign is scheduled to come out later this month, the anticipation for the game seems to be a bit more muted than usual for a FromSoftware release. Considering how different Nightreign is from FromSoftware's typical games, this is not that surprising. That being said, there are a few reasons that may be deflating some people's interest in Elden Ring Nightreign. Perhaps the biggest of these reasons is the omission of a major feature in the game that fans have been consistently asking for: two-player co-op.
Elden Ring Nightreign Lets You Dress Up as Fan Favorite Dark Souls Character
Elden Ring Nightreign reveals that players will be able to wear the costumes of some fan-favorite characters from Dark Souls series.
FromSoftware Should Add Two-Player Co-Op to Elden Ring Nightreign Shortly After Its Release
Elden Ring Nightreign Will Not Be Playable With Only Two Players, At Least at Launch
Even though Elden Ring Nightreign can be played with one or three players, it cannot be experienced in teams of two. FromSoftware revealed this unfortunate news back in December 2024, shortly after it announced Nightreign at The Game Awards 2024. In an interview with IGN, Elden Ring Nightreign director Junya Ishizaki confirmed that two-player co-op was not implemented into the game due to balancing issues rather than game design decisions. According to Ishizaki, three-player co-op was a "sweet spot" for Nightreign in FromSoftware's eyes, as it allowed the game to "not feel too overwhelming or too busy."
Despite FromSoftware's seemingly firm stance on the matter, it appears the company is reevaluating its decision not to implement two-player co-op in Elden Ring Nightreign. During a roundtable interview with the Philippine outlet UnGeek, Junya Ishizaki stated that FromSoftware was considering adding the highly-requested feature to the game. "Regarding having just two players, not three players or solo, it is something we are considering," Ishizaki said, "but it is currently not in the game at the moment." In other words, while two-player co-op won't be available in Nightreign at launch, it may be added in a later update.
FromSoft's Plans to Support Elden Ring Nightreign Post-Launch Spark Hope for Two-Player Co-Op
FromSoftware isn't planning to turn Elden Ring Nightreign into an endless live service game like Fortnite or Call of Duty: Warzone, but it does intend to support the game post-launch in some capacity. Although the company hasn't announced a content roadmap for Nightreign, it has shared a few details about what players can expect from the game in the months after its release. At the end of the new overview trailer for the game, FromSoftware confirmed that Elden Ring Nightreign will get paid DLC in the fourth quarter of 2025, which will include additional playable characters and bosses.
As great as it is that Elden Ring Nightreign is receiving a paid expansion later this year, it'd be even better if FromSoftware added two-player co-op to the game sometime in 2025, as well. Since Elden Ring fans who only have one friend to play with may not be able to experience this new game at launch, the three-player co-op restriction for Elden Ring Nightreign may limit its overall player count. If FromSoftware is able to make two-player co-op work in Elden Ring Nightreign without disrupting the game's balance and difficulty scaling, it would probably be in the company's best interest to implement it as soon as possible.
Elden Ring Nightreign
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 80 /100 Critics Rec: 78%
- Released
- May 30, 2025
- Developer(s)
- From Software
- Publisher(s)
- Bandai Namco Entertainment, From Software
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG, Soulslike, Roguelite
