This may come as a surprise to people, but until recently, I’d never played a Soulsbourne game. Yep, I was one of the holdouts, even as the series enjoyed a meteoric rise in popularity through the 2010s. Of course, I’d consumed a certain level of content over the years, I’d tune in to Games Done Quick whenever a Dark Souls speedrun was happening, for example. These games really didn’t seem to be for me. Clunky-looking characters rolling around, inexplicable lore and a high difficulty curve -- yeah, no thanks.
But then, a Souls-fan friend of mine presented me with an interesting proposal. It was simple, we use LukeYui’s ‘Seamless Co-Op’ mod and play the entirety of Elden Ring as a duo. I was intrigued, this could be the perfect way for me to experience a Soulsbourne but with a healthy amount of guidance and crucially, with a safety net in combat so I didn’t just get my ass kicked on repeat. Rob Zak's suggestion that Seamless Co-op is basically the best kind of easy mode helped seal the deal.
Yes, yes, I know. These games are supposed to be hard, no pain, no gain, suffering is a key part of the experience, blah-blah-blah. I understand that, I’ve put myself through plenty of suffering over my years of gaming. I’m probably (maybe) more than capable of playing through Elden Ring solo, but co-op seemed to be the more fun option, and surely playing Elden Ring under any circumstance is better than not playing at all?
First up is the character creator, where I had no idea what any of the stats meant outside of the ones that granted me extra health and focus points. After a quick discussion, I opted to start as an Astrologer, hoping to focus on magic rather than mastering the intricacies of melee combat.
We loaded into the world and set to work moving through the starting area. On a technical level, it quickly became clear that Seamless Co-Op is a damn good mod; it works with minimal issues, and it had me wondering why FromSoftware doesn’t implement a more robust multiplayer system for the campaign.
We eventually emerged into the Limgrave sunshine (or is it tree-shine?), and my eyes immediately fell upon a rather dashingly clad individual riding a horse. My friend and I had an agreement: he wouldn’t guide me, or tell me the consequences of my actions unless I asked first. Well, nothing ventured, nothing gained. I strode up to the colossus defiantly, and I knew my fate was sealed when the signature Souls boss health bar I'd seen in a thousand streams and memes popped up on my screen. ‘Tree Sentinel’ eh? Yeah didn’t sound like something that my wand would trouble.
Long story short; despite fleeing to the best of my ability, I quickly found myself back in the starting graveyard.
After some early game shenanigans, clearing ruins and such, we ended up venturing into the Mistwood, where we happened upon a well. One thing led to another and suddenly, we were in a massive underground area, Siofra River (the word 'Siofra' by the way, is ‘changeling’ in Irish, if anyone needed a fun fact from an Irishman). The enemies here hit hard, and I didn’t like the look of those giant tentacle things one bit, but we managed to stumble our way to the boss, the Ancestor Spirit, before getting duly trounced and retreating back to the surface.
As someone new to this Soulsy-Ring business, I've been blown away by the scale of Elden Ring. It's just immense; a whole underground world complete with its own map in addition to everything on the surface? Madness. I’m starting to see how people can get lost in this game, embracing the adventure in whatever direction Torrent takes them.
So how does a Souls newbie like me adapt to the unique Souls combat? Well, I still suck at dodge-rolling for one, though since I’m playing a ranged class, my friend tends to take the aggro while I can sit back and fling spells at will. I’m gated only by my limited focus points which drain very fast when exclusively casting magic. When my FP runs dry, I pull out my longsword to the devastating tune of 50 damage.
I knew my fate was sealed when the signature Souls boss health bar I'd seen in a thousand streams and memes flashed across my screen.
This strategy doesn’t quite work as well with bosses who often rapidly switch aggro, one missed dodge and I’m mincemeat (but of course I knew to expect that). Suffice to say, doing it all in Co-op makes the bosses way easier, and, to a wary newcomer like me, more fun. Now, I’ve heard horror stories about pretty much every Elden Ring boss, so I was pleasantly surprised to find that my pal and I ploughed through the notorious Margit the Fell Omen with relative ease. We rolled into the boss area, flanked by Sorcerer Rogier, and immediately summoned two Spirit Jellyfish. The mighty Margit couldn’t stand up to the veritable army we brought with us to the fight.
Both of the other early game bosses we’ve faced, Godrick and Leonine Misbegotten, faced a similar fate, though we struggled way more with the Ulcerated Tree Spirit. I imagine that having the difficulty of some of these bosses reduced dramatically does diminish that Soulsian rush of victory somewhat, but a co-op run makes up for that in other ways.
The joy of playing through a giant game like Elden Ring as a duo compensates for any balance issues. The constant back-and-forth of me wanting to charge into any and every situation, cut by the cautiousness of my better-informed companion, is an amusing dynamic, especially for him, as my fearful screams when I’m ambushed by some fresh Lovecraftian horror get accompanied by mirthful glee through the headset.
We’re only about ten hours deep, but I can feel myself becoming more invested in the lore of Elden Ring. It’s not a form of storytelling I’m used to, with its semi-coherent interactions and vague exposition. However, the big story beats are clear and they’re damn cool. Hearing that Malenia crushed Godrick in their duel has me hyped to face the legendary warrior. Godrick, meanwhile, is a distant diluted descendant of Godfrey, the so-called First Elden Lord? Cool, bring on the big boys!
Dialogue with any given character isn’t extensive, but I found myself learning a lot about someone’s motivations in a couple of paragraphs. I do wish there was more meat to some of these characters' stories, or at least that it was more readily revealed to me, but I can appreciate that that's part of the charm. It’s certainly an interesting way to write characters, and I just need to wrap my non-Souls-savvy mind around it!
My Elden Ring experience has been a unique introduction to the Soulsbourne genre, but I think it was always going to be the only way that I could embrace the genre. I can’t promise I’ll be going back to play through the trio of Dark Souls games, but at the very least I’ll be continuing my journey through The Lands Between.