There isn’t a lot of known information on From Software’s next game Elden Ring, with the game first revealed at Microsoft’s E3 2019 press conference where elements of the story were shown off in a teaser trailer that showed no gameplay. From Software director Hidetaka Miyazaki has been divulging bits of information here and there though, basically hinting that Elden Ring is pretty much the spiritual successor to Dark Souls. Still, there are other aspects of the game that fans know nothing about, such as whether or not the game will have multiplayer and to what capacity it will be implemented.
From Software’s Souls series (which can arguably encompass Bloodborne and Sekiro Shadows Die Twice) has a particular brand of multiplayer that fans of the developer have grown accustomed to. It’s more than likely that Elden Ring will inherit a similar style of multiplayer, if not the same type of multiplayer, from the Souls games that precede it. Rumors and leaks on the game have been generally accurate so far, with only slight mistakes in predictions, and leakers have generally been backing up the assertion that Elden Ring will have Souls-like multiplayer modes as well (making Sekiro the only game so far without it).
Multiplayer in Elden Ring
So far, rumors on Elden Ring have been primarily focusing on the fact that the game will be From Software’s biggest game yet, both in scope and production. According to people like ResetEra user Omnipotent, Elden Ring will feature a dark fantasy open world that blends the major elements of Dark Souls into it. What this basically means is that the game will play similarly to Dark Souls but with less corridor-like sequences, with the player able to explore a much wider space than ever before. Miyazaki has confirmed this much, adding that the open world won’t feature NPCs the same way other big RPGs do.
Instead, the game will feature several large dungeons for the player to reach and explore on their own accord. This could have a big effect on how multiplayer functions throughout the world of Elden Ring. Going by an online rumor, a co-op mode would allow players to group up and set out on a dungeon adventure together, similar to raids in Destiny 2. This would be the next logical step in Souls multiplayer, but the online modes in previous games could still make their way into Elden Ring in some fashion or another.
Multiplayer Modes in Dark Souls
From Software has always stuck by its unique multiplayer modes in Bloodborne and the Dark Souls games. Players can see phantoms of other live players in the same area sometimes, whereas other phantoms will show how a given player died in a specific area (giving the viewer a hint as to what to expect up ahead). Players can invite other players into their worlds, or conversely travel to other players’ worlds in order to team up and defeat bosses/clear out areas together. Most notoriously though, online invasions allow for players to invade the game world of other players in order to fight them.
All of these modes and more can be expected to appear in some capacity within Elden Ring. One major change to the series that has been confirmed for Elden Ring could actually end up affecting multiplayer in a significant way as well. The game will feature horseback riding and mounted combat, so it’s entirely possible that an online co-op session of Elden Ring could end up looking like a hellish version of Red Dead Redemption 2. To take it a step further, online horseback combat could result in PVP jousting, which would fit the theme of dark and fantastical kingdoms that the game is rumored to feature, though this is just mere speculation.
While not much is known about Elden Ring, 2020 should provide From Software and Bandai Namco more opportunities to show the game off some more. While the rumored June release date for Elden Ring still seems highly unlikely, fans can certainly expect to at least hear more about the game relatively soon, barring any exponential increase in the severity of the ongoing global coronavirus pandemic.
Elden Ring is currently in development for PC, PS4, and Xbox One with no confirmed release date.