Nine years after its release, a Dark Souls 3 modder introduces seamless co-op enhancements, setting the stage for Elden Ring Nightreign.

Nine years after its release, Dark Souls 3 is finally a seamless co-op experience.

Thanks to modder Yui, the Seamless Co-Op mod for Dark Souls 3 has just been released and provides a complete overhaul of the game’s multiplayer. In the base game, fellow players can only be summoned in using a specific item and will leave the game if they die, or if a boss is defeated.

With this mod, available on NexusMods, players can travel through Lothric from start to finish without restrictions in a group with up to five other players.

Yui’s mod makes a number of key changes to the game, including removing all fog walls that would usually restrict the multiplayer zone, respawning players if they die, and allowing all players to continue together after a boss is defeated.

To complete the experience, all NPC dialogue scenes are synchronised, and if a player rests at a bonfire the world state resets for all players.

Yui does note, though, this is still in an alpha state. “If you are looking for a bug free experience, you won’t find it in this version,” reads the mod description.

I know what you’re thinking: wouldn’t this make the game incredibly easy? Yui argues this is simply a different way to play the game that’s been “designed with fun in mind as opposed to reducing the challenge”.

Indeed, the mod includes customised enemy scaling for your preferred challenge. Two other tweaks occur in boss battles: firstly, if a player rests at a bonfire while others face a boss, they will be removed from the boss room; secondly, if a player dies during a boss battle they will be put into a limbo spectating state until all players die or a player rests at a bonfire.

Invasions can also be enabled, though as the use of mods prevents players from connecting to FromSoftware’s matchmaking servers, this will presumably only be from other players using the mod.

It’s an impressive addition that follows a similar mod from Yui in 2022 that added seamless co-op to Elden Ring in a similar manner. Plus, the modder has created a Souls-style online mode to Sekiro, and a co-op mode to Armored Core 6. And while other modders have attempted to tweak co-operative play in Dark Souls 3, Yui is the first to offer an overhauled, seamless version.

The mod also arrives a couple of months ahead of Elden Ring Nightreign, FromSoftware’s multiplayer spin-off where three players join up to battle Nightlords through a roguelike-style day and night system.

It includes a number of bosses from previous Dark Souls games, including Dark Souls 3’s infamous dragon-rider The Nameless King. Could more be added through DLC?