Elden Ring Nightreign is just around the corner and many players are looking forward to the new multiplayer gaming experience it has to offer. The game promises challenging battles ahead but this time, you’ll be able to enjoy them with others. This has begged a lot of questions from other players specifically about the game’s co-op. Quite a few people are looking forward to playing with their friends and wondering just how the co-op in the game actually works. So, we’ll be diving into everything we know so far about Nightreign Co-op. Let’s get into it!
Everything to Know About Nightreign Co-Op
To address the questions related to Nightreign Co-op, we will be getting our info from what the official developers have said alongside unofficial sources. We’ll go over what most people are wondering, from how matchmaking works with randoms, to disconnects and the presence of cross play.
If you’re excited about how different characters in the game will work, you might want to check out our all 8 characters abilities and skills guide.
Random Players And Skill Matchmaking
If you’re wondering how matchmaking works in Nightreign Co-op without parties, then yes, you will be paired up with randoms. When you queue up for a session, you will be matched with random players. You can adjust the matchmaking to prioritize within your region or worldwide.
But, beyond that, the game will not give you a choice on who you can team up with. This means that you will be taking a chance on them. Some players you meet might be skilled while others might not be.
This will be the case especially at the start of the game, when players will still be trying to figure out how the game works.
Disconnects And Replacements
Since this is a multiplayer game which you’ll be playing with randoms, it is possible that these random teammates might disconnect or even quit the game. In such a case, the game will simply continue without the player.
There will be no replacements mid game, so you cannot expect another random to join your game in their place.
The issue with this feature is that the Elden Ring Nightreign scales for three players, not two or one players. This means that you will be playing at a higher difficulty if someone decides to leave the game.
It is possible that the developers might implement some sort of change to balance out this issue.
One way they could do this is by imposing a penalty system similar to ranked matchmaking in most multiplayer games. This could be a penalty like imposing timeouts to discourage players from leaving.
But even with a penalty, we expect that rage quits will happen – as they do with most multiplayer games.
Communication (Voice Chat)
Another big question from players is how will they be able to communicate in the game with other players. Developers have officially confirmed that Elden Ring Nightreign will have no voice chat or text chat communication within the game.
All communication will be handled through the ping system – which is actually built very intuitively. If you want to communicate with your friends in co-op, you’ll have to depend on third party apps like Discord.
Most likely, the reason for no voice or text chat is to prevent toxicity. But if you ask me, I believe that the option for communication should be a choice given to players.
Private Lobbies
A lot of players are excited to play Elden Ring Nightreign as a duo or trio with their friends. Luckily, the game does provide the option to create private lobbies and queue up in co-op with your friends.
This can be done via the shared password system.
However, if you queue up as a duo in a private lobby, and start a game, the game will automatically fill in the third slot with a random. Even if you want to play just duo, the game will not let you.
More than likely, this is done because the game scales with three players. Currently, there is no way for matchmaking with a fixed duo without bringing in a third player.
The game’s director even confirmed that the duo aspect of the game was completely overlooked during development. So, even if you manage to play with two players, the game will have the difficulty for three players.
This could make the game feel much harder and frustrating.
These things could change down the line as the game progresses.
Cross-Play
Another major question from players about the co-op is, does Elden Ring Nightreign support cross play? The answer is unfortunately no.
The developers have officially confirmed that there will be no cross play.
However, players on the same console family can play with each other. Elden Ring Nightreign does support cross generation play. For example, Playstation 4 users can play with Playstation 5 users and the same is the case with Xbox.
Regional Matchmaking
One major question on how matchmaking works in Elden Ring Nightreign is about how effective regional matchmaking will be. Unfortunately, there are no clear answers on this yet.
Some sources have claimed that you can actually choose to matchmake against players in your region i.e. restrict cross region play to minimize lag. Others have said you will have the option to select servers in different regions like most multiplayer games.
There has been no official confirmation on this yet, so stay tuned.
Anti-Cheat Measures
A major concern from most players is what measures has Elden Ring Nightreign taken to minimize cheating? After all, cheating could ruin the entire run in co-op – which is usually a problem for PC.
On PC, Elden Ring will be using the kernel level anti-cheat provided by Epic Games, Easy Anti-Cheat (EAC). This is the same anti cheat software that the normal Elden Ring game came with.
However, players are worried that this anti cheat might not be able to prevent issues seen in the normal Elden Ring. This includes problems like players stuck in death loops, being teleported, and having their save files corrupted.
It’s important to keep in mind that Elden Ring Nightreign is a co-op PvE experience, not PvP. This will reduce the effects of cheats.
Additionally, permanent progression items like relics cannot be traded. So, you don’t have to worry about cheaters sharing items through dupes.
However, it is still possible for players to ruin runs by instakilling and taking away the satisfaction from people. Unfortunately, the developers have not addressed these concerns in specific detail besides the use of EAC.
That’s everything you need to know about how co-op works in Elden Ring Nightreign. Hopefully, this will answer any questions you had, especially if you’re looking to play it with your friends. The game is just around the corner and as it approaches, the developers might confirm some of the questions we do not have the answers to yet.
