How will Elden Ring's multiplayer work?

At long last, Soulsborne fans could "praised the sun" once again when From Software and Bandai Namco unveiled the first-ever gameplay of Elden Ring at the opening ceremony of Summer Game Fest 2021. It was a joyous occasion, and now, fans have questions.

We recently Elden Ring's PC requirements and now it is time to dive into how the multiplayer might work. Let's kick things off with the confirmed details on Elden Ring's multiplayer co-op experience.

Elden Ring multiplayer co-op details

It has been confirmed via a Press Release that Elden Ring will have a multiplayer co-op system. Up to four players will be able to band together, and that's really all the details there are so far.

The multiplayer co-op was confirmed with this singular line: "Traverse on foot or horseback, alone or online with friends across grassy plains, suffocating swamps and lush forests."

(Picture: From Software)

From the trailer, it appears some form of summoning item will need to be used, as for a moment we could see a character use a glowing box type item, with a distinct "ting" sound, before summoning Blue Phantoms (more on those in the next section).

While it is still unclear how Elden Ring's multiplayer co-op will work, knowing From Software, we shouldn't expect it to be as easy as simply joining matchmaking or a server with friends...which, for Soulsborne fans, is part of the unique multiplayer experience.

Will Elden Ring have PvP?

Throughout certain parts of the trailer, it appeared as if the player character was actually fighting another player.

From Software has not confirmed there will be Player-versus-Player (PvP) in the game. However, in the trailer, the Blue Phantoms were spotted! These Blue Phantoms, if previous Soulsborne titles are anything to go by, basically confirms the existence of PvP, even though we haven't seen an "Invasion" take place during the trailer.

(Picture: From Software)

Due to the unique multiplayer in previous From Software titles such as the Dark Souls franchise and Bloodborne, don't expect Elden Ring PvP to be simply as easy as jumping into a game and killing others. Instead, you might have to contest with Blue Phantoms (who kill naughty players), and you will likely need to find an item to start off an Invasion.

Again, while Blue Phantoms do all-but-confirm a PvP aspect since if we got blue, we should see red as well, PvP multiplayer in Elden Ring has not officially been confirmed.

• Read more: What is Elden Ring based on?