TL;DR: Greater than a decade after its authentic launch, Darkish Souls II is about to obtain a big fan-made multiplayer replace. A modder is at present engaged on a brand new “seamless” co-op mode that will theoretically permit the sport to be performed from begin to end in a single, soul-crushing session.
A widely known FromSoftware modder named “Yui” is engaged on a brand new seamless co-op mode for Darkish Souls II. The mod is deliberate for launch on the Scholar of the First Sin version, which incorporates all beforehand launched DLC and a number of other enhancements to the bottom recreation. In a current put up, Yui stated the challenge is taking longer than anticipated, as Darkish Souls II has confirmed to be a difficult reverse-engineering effort.
Initially introduced in 2025, the mod is now approaching the soundness required for an “alpha” testing part. Yui confirmed that it has turn into certainly one of their most complicated and impressive tasks so far, noting that Darkish Souls II is a really completely different beast in comparison with different FromSoftware Soulslike titles.
A seamless co-op mod is designed to let gamers cooperate and full a recreation with out the standard restrictions of official multiplayer modes applied by FromSoftware. In concept, as much as six gamers may progress by way of your entire recreation in a single co-op session, persisting by way of dying and carrying world development with them.
The mod would require the Scholar of the First Sin version of Darkish Souls II, which is a 64-bit improve of the unique 32-bit base recreation. Yui beforehand labored on a number of mods for different FromSoftware titles, together with Darkish Souls, Darkish Souls III, Sekiro, Elden Ring, and Elden Ring: Nightreign. These video games are constructed on a broadly related engine structure, making it comparatively simpler to know their methods after engaged on any certainly one of them.
In contrast, Darkish Souls II seems to make use of a separate department of FromSoftware’s proprietary engine. In consequence, Yui successfully needed to reverse engineer the sport from scratch, which explains why growth of the co-op mod has taken significantly longer than anticipated.
The mod is just not but full, however Yui launched a brief video to announce the upcoming challenge and exhibit that it’s technically possible. The developer plans to supply a take a look at construct of the mod free of charge, whereas bug reporting and help will probably be restricted to challenge supporters through Patreon.
Darkish Souls II was launched in 2014, additional increasing the “Soulsborne” components launched in Demon’s Souls and Darkish Souls. The sport was a important and industrial success, and FromSoftware went on creating much more punishingly exhausting action-RPG titles till Elden Ring: Nightreign got here to be. Elden Ring was so profitable that they’re now making a film out of the sport.
